Page 63 of Summoning the Orc

I yanked him away and he spun, dropping the meat he held in his hand.

“Hey!” he called, but his eyes went huge in his face and his jaw dropped when he saw me. “Orc?” he asked, as my fist plowed into his face.

Krusk had already advanced on the bread-eater and had shoved him into the wall next to the female. As he staggered to his feet, I rounded on the third male. He yanked his sword from his belt, squaring off against me and I palmed my axe.

“What the fuck do you want?” he spat. “As if you thieves haven’t stolen enough.”

“What would you call someone holding a female against her will, then?” I barked, my axe hitting his sword. He held on, straining under the force of the blow.

A loud cry sounded from behind me as I felt something smash into me. I cursed, the pain exploding behind my head, but I kept my grip on my axe, my arm shaking as I stayed upright. Turning to glare behind me, I saw another warlock standing there—stunned that I hadn’t fallen to the floor after he hit me with the solid wooden chair. It lay in broken pieces around me.

I sneered, pushing down on the sword of the male I was still fighting. He gave a whimper of pain as his arms gave way, his sword falling with a clatter to the floor. I lifted my axe before dropping it again and with one clean cut, his head left his body.

I turned back to the other male, blood dripping down my axe and splashed on the side of my face. He swallowed, backing away with his hands up. His gaze darted and he dove for his dead companion’s sword. The small, quick fool was back on his feet before I knew it.

“That female is our leader’s bride,” he yelled as he pulled back and slashed at me. He was clumsy and I dodged it with ease, but I hadn’t noticed the first male that I’d attacked rising from the floor. He stabbed at my side and I grunted, turning to glare at him, backing away so I had them both in my sights.

Krusk was faced off against the last male, the clash of hisaxe against sword telling me he was holding his own. Both warlocks charged for me at the same time, swords at the ready and I gripped one male’s arm, holding it over his head while I slammed my axe against the other’s sword.

He gasped, his sword dropping from the blow and he gripped his wrist. The male I was holding wriggled away and jammed his sword into the same spot I’d been hit before. I gasped with pain, gripping the sword in my hand, turning to face him.

His eyes widened with shock as my hand dripped with blood, but I was able to wrest the sword from him. It fell with a clatter of steel from my hand as I pulled him closer and slammed my skull into his.

His body went limp in my hand and I grabbed the other male, who was still gripping his broken wrist. I lifted him with ease,barelystopping myself from bellowing my fury and I slammed him head-first into the wall next to the female.

She was gaping at us the entire time, but when she saw Krusk, she gasped his name, the hopeful sound telling me that she wouldn’t fight us. I snatched at the keys on the male’s belt, moving toward her as I heard a final clash of steel and then a low groan of pain from the last human male.

I moved to the female, and she froze as I freed her before I moved back and held my hands up to show her I wasn’t a threat. She was a pretty female—although nowhere near as pretty as my mate—with brown skin that had warm orange undertones and light brown eyes. She massaged her wrists and stepped toward Krusk, keeping her gaze on me.

When Krusk moved toward her as well, she threw her arms around him. “I can’t believe you came for me,” she said, but her words were stilted somehow. Almost an echo of her voice.

I tilted my head at her, curious, but I also knew we had to get her away as soon as possible. “Let’s leave. Now,” I said, moving with haste back toward the front door. I heard them followingme, the drag of her skirt on the stone making her position easy to follow.

I opened the door, holding my hand behind me to tell them to stop moving. When I didn’t hear any movements around us and I didn’t scent anyone coming our way, I stepped outside, gesturing for Krusk and the witch to go ahead of me. I moved backward, allowing them to run ahead of me to escape. If anyone came after us, I’d meet them with my axe first.

The guard behind the building gave a low groan, stirring, so I dropped the end of my axe on his head once more and he was unconscious again. We made it to the wall without being spotted. Krusk gave a low whistle and it was echoed on the other side. He lifted the female and helped her scale the wall. She jumped, the low sound of impact telling me that one of Krusk’s brothers had caught her on the other side.

It was our turn to follow and we did, easing our way over the wall. When we were on the other side, I gestured toward the forest. We needed to hurry before anyone realized what had happened. As soon as they did, they would be coming after us.

I pressed my finger to my lips and then gestured for them to run ahead of me. They did, the female lifting her skirt and racing after them. I faced the wall, hurrying backward, having scouted the path and knowing that nothing could trip me until we hit the tree line.

When we were there, I raced after them, dried twigs and fallen branches crunching under my steps, but I knew that no one could hear us now. With a satisfied grin, I caught up with them within a minute.

The female was struggling, I could see that, but we needed to continue to get away from them. She held her hand out, stopping to bend over at the waist, heaving in breaths and waving her hand in the air.

“Wh-where are we g-going?” she gasped, looking between us.

Her voice still echoed with that strange note and I spoke first. “You’re going to open a portal so I can return to my mate,” I told her and she turned on me with wide eyes.

The other three males tilted their head at me and I realized that I’d spoken in Common.

How strange.

I parted my lips to try again, but the female asked in perfect Common, “Do you speak Common?”

“I took a potion,” I replied, my brow furrowed. “It’s the language of my mate’s people. On the plane she’s from.”

Her eyes widened with wonder, and she gripped my forearm, her tiny palm barely spanning the front. I scowled, pulling away from her.

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