Pride swelled in my chest and I tapped his shoulder. He turned his gaze toward me for a moment before looking back toward the forest, letting me know he was listening.
“There’s one guard on the outside, but I’m expecting much more on the inside, if they’re trying to keep her in,” I whispered.
“The grand warlock is the one who’s trying to make her his bride,” Krusk responded in a low voice. “He carries a gold scepter. If you see him, avoid him. He might not be as strong as the witch, but he could send a mean hex your way”
“If he attacks us, then I’ll take him on. And if anything goes wrong, take your brothers and leave,” I warned him.
He shook his head, keeping his gaze trained on the area behindus. “No. I won’t leave you behind. Not after everything you’ve done for us. I’ll signal my brothers to leave, but I’ll fight with you,” he said, ignoring my order.
“If you don’t leave, pup, I’ll toss you over the wall andmakeyou leave,” I told him with a growl.
His lip curled, but he didn’t respond. I rolled my eyes, knowing that the stubborn male would try to stay. We watched as the warlock who had entered the building holding the witch left, an empty tray in his hands glinting in the afternoon sunlight.
Meal time.
It would be the perfect distraction for us to get into the building. I gestured for Krusk to follow me, scaling the wall with ease and sinking into the grass to smother the sounds my steps would make. Krusk was louder behind me, but I knew that they still wouldn’t be able to hear him.
I wished I could stay and teach these males more—mentor them the way my father had mentored me—but I needed to return to my home. My mate.
Gritting my teeth at the pang that shot into my chest at the thought of her, I moved forward, low on my haunches, moving as quickly as I could without making a sound. When we arrived at the building, my back pressed against the wall and I motioned for Krusk to stay where he was.
I rounded the edge of the building, peeking out and spotting the guard. He was biting into an apple and I rolled my eyes. He wasn’t expecting an attack, and the way he’d leaned his sword against the wall told me he was unprepared.
I gestured behind me for Krusk to begin our plan and he tossed a pebble onto the stone floor in front of the building. The guard straightened and moved away from where he was lounging against the wall.
I gave an internal cheer as he moved without his sword, going to investigate the sound. He was facing away, leaning out tosurvey the area when I moved up behind him, lifting the back of my axe over his head. In one swift motion, I brought it down on the back of his head, and snatched the back of his shirt before he crumpled to the floor.
I dragged him to the back of the building. He gave a moan as I lowered him, laying him out so he didn’t make a loud noise when the bulk of him hit the ground. I gestured for Krusk to follow me to the door, and I opened it with care, ensuring that the handle didn’t make a noise.
Wincing as the door creaked open, I stepped inside, but there wasn’t anyone there in the entranceway. The corridor led to dozens of doors on either side and then into an open room. I lifted my head, taking a deep sniff and narrowed my eyes toward the open area. I stalked toward it, the scent of a terrified female strong in my nose.
I spotted three males in there as I got closer, standing in front of where the female was chained to a wall. I lifted my lip at their cowardice.
These aren’t males, these are monsters.
“If you give me a kiss, witch, I’ll give you a bite of this bread,” one of them cajoled in Magick—the language spoken by magic practitioners—and I grinned as she spat in his face. Orcs had grown up learning Magick so that we could do trade with the nearby warlocks, but that had all changed when they’d started attacking us and barring us from their lands. Learning the language was now for warriors who needed to spy on the enemy rather than for true communication. It helped that the warlocks thought we were too far beneath them to learn our own language. It gave us the upper hand.
“I’d rather starve than kiss your ugly face,” she barked.
My grin dropped when the male pulled his arm back and slapped her across her cheek. “Don’t worry, whore, you’ll be kissing us soon enough,” he laughed, taking a big bite of thebread himself.
“We should feed her, right?” One of the warlocks asked, tilting his head at her. “Isn’t she going to have to be healthy enough to be the vessel?”
“We’ll feed her once she’s pregnant,” the other one scoffed, nibbling on a piece of dried meat in his hand then taking a slug of the drink in the other hand before putting it down on the table nearby. A table that was covered in tools that Rok was certain they’d used for torture. Rusty pliers and blood-covered hammers.
“I can’t wait for Lord Veron to find the perfect time for the ritual.” The male with the dried meat gave a low moan as he stroked his finger down the female’s injured cheek.
Her lip curled as she pulled away from him, but he gripped her chin, tightening his hold until she gave a low whimper. “I want my turn with her,” he whispered.
“You’ll have to wait for some time, though. Until she has the child,” the other male, who was still stuffing his face with bread, said.
“But after that,” the idiot who still had his hands on the female said, “she’s all mine.”
“Ours,” the bread-eater argued, a chunk of spit-covered bread leaving his lips as he spoke.
“Yes, ours,” the cruel male leaned down to press his nose against the female’s neck. She whimpered again, fighting the chains holding her until they rattled wildly. “All ours.”
That was when I spotted the keys on his belt. With a plan in place, I advanced on the putrid males, my axe at the ready. They were so distracted with their deviance that I was upon them in seconds, my hand on the shoulder of the male whose face was still touching the female.