Page 11 of Orc's Forbidden Claim

I try to stop my tears because they are pointless. The Urr’ki aren’t going to care so what good are they doing? None. I roll onto my side, gritting my teeth through the pain, and squirm and scoot my way to Wren.

“Are you okay?” I whisper, not wanting to be hit again, but I have to know she’s all right.

She’s facing the wall but wiggles until she flips over, and we’re face to face. Even in the dim light, I can see the imprint of his hand on her face. It’s going to leave a nasty bruise for sure. Wren’s eyes sparkle with unshed tears but she nods.

I want to say more. So much more. I want to apologize. It feels like this is all my fault. If I had been honest with her in the first place, she wouldn’t have dragged me away from all the prying eyes to that secluded room. Why didn’t I trust her? She’s my best friend. She probably would have had some bright idea about how to handle the entire situation and none of this would have happened.

I was a fool. And now I want to cry again.

“No,” Wren hisses. “Be strong. They’ll come.”

“Will they?” I ask, voice quavering.

I know Khiara will want to but he’s more a glorified prisoner than he is a guest of the Zmaj. Sek’su will want to come for Wren, but he’ll also have to obey his Al’fa. And will the Al’fa send anyone after us? Rosalind already sacrificed five girls to infiltrate the Urr’ki, why not send in two more? She’s cold and calculating, maybe us being captured is all part of some plan? Wren wriggles closer until her forehead is against mine.

“Yes,” she whispers. “Yes.”

I want to tell her about Khiara. Tell her everything. Now that it’s too late. Will I ever get the chance? What will they do to us? Why did they capture us? If they dug a tunnel past the Zmaj defenses, why didn’t they just attack? Why kidnap two girls? It doesn’t make sense.

I open my mouth to say as much but before I can speak the back of my shirt is grabbed and I’m drug down the tunnel. I yelp in surprise which garners me a slap across the face. My cheek stings, my eyes are full of tears, but I grit my teeth and keep my mouth shut. My captor drags me alongside him as he crawls through the tunnel.

Blinking away the tears, I see another Urr’ki treating Wren in much the same manner. We’re moving further away from the compound. Further away from safety. Further from my dragoste and closer to what will most likely be our doom.

8

KHIARA

Dilacs is staying so close to my side that I can barely move without stepping on him. The lizards pulled me out of the tunnel after I had leaped into it which led to a brawl. It took four of them to restrain me and then my brother had shown up. He rushed in and would have joined the fight if not for the Queen walking in a moment after him.

Now we stand in this stupid meeting room waiting for the leader of the lizards and the humans to arrive. Six Zmaj stand behind Dilacs and me, watching with wary eyes. Rage pulses with every beat of my heart. With every passing second, she is being taken further away, which fuels my anger.

My nails dig into the palms of my hands until blood trickles from my clenched fists. Dilacs shifts his weight, looking down at the drops of blood on the ground. He growls and then places his hand on my shoulder.

“Khiara,” the Queen says, walking over and coming to a stop in front of me.

When she says my name, it takes my breath away. I never thought she would ever even know who I was, but now she speaks to me in a familiar tone. It is enough to ease the burning rage that consumes my thoughts, if not extinguish it. I bow my head in deference.

“My Queen?”

“We will save her,” she says, placing her hand on my forearm.

I stare at her hand touching me. Her touch is cool, her voice calm and reassuring. Certain. But even so, it is not enough to cut through what I know. It does not negate what the Shaman will do to my dragoste.

“But the Shaman,” I say.

“I know,” she says, bowing her own head. “I know too well. But I tell you, I know, in my heart, that Tajss will not let your dragoste come to harm.”

“You should have told me,” Dilacs says.

“As if you didn’t know,” I snap.

“I did, but knowing and you telling are not the same.”

I open my mouth to make sure he knows how stupid I think he is but before I can say it there is a commotion in the room behind us. As one, Dilacs and I turn and move so that we are between the doorway and the Queen.

“Where!” a Zmaj roars.

The six Zmaj who are obstinately not guarding us form a line between the door and my brother and me. I shake my head, it’s well enough to let the lizards deal with one of their own. What difference does it make to me? Except it would be good to releasesome of this anger and beating a Zmaj is the next best thing to laying my hands on my dragoste’s kidnappers.

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