Page 57 of Orc's Pretend Mate

He doesn’t let up, using the weight of the chains binding him as a weapon of his own. I’m not going to hide. I slip around the fighting to get the sword. I spot the weapon I knocked out of the unconscious guard’s hands, a small knife, but through some bit of fortune the tip stuck into a thick chunk of moss growing on the wall. The sharp side of the blade is facing up.

It takes a few tries but I manage to slice the ropes binding my wrists. Blood rushes in, causing painful pin pricks in my hands, but there is no time for it. I scramble across the floor, grab the sword and get to my feet.

Vapas is slamming from one opponent to the next, using the tight space for all it’s worth. This time he’s not alone. I rush in, holding the sword in both hands pointing in front of me, aiming at one of their backs.

35

PHOEBE

Shouting a wordless sound, I drive the blade in. It hits hard enough that it sends a jarring force up through my hands and into my wrists, but doesn’t penetrate, instead sliding to the left.

The Maulavi whirls around, eyes widening, a low growl. His massive hand reaches, filling my vision. I move back, stumbling over something, throwing my arms wide to keep my balance.

The Maulavi’s eyes widen, he gurgles, and a trickle of blood emerges from his mouth. I’m not processing what I see fast enough. Vapas is fighting the other three so it wasn’t him.

*thwack* *thwack*

Another of the Maulavi drops. Feathered black shafts are protruding from his back. Another explosion echoes down the stairs as dirt rains down on us from the ceiling and then a third Maulavi drops.

Vapas swings his bound fists and the cracking sound as they hit the last standing Maulavi is sickening. The Urr’ki drops as if he’s boneless. Vapas looks around, eyes wide and wild, breathingheavily. When he sees the bodies with the arrows he runs right at me.

Before I can open my mouth, he somehow pushes me away from the stairs and up against a wall. His massive body covers mine completely, pressing so tight it’s impossible to get a full breath.

Boots are coming down the stairs. Loud, clomping, and getting closer. Vapas growls, shifts his position, which manages to further crush me, though there’s something mildly erotic about the way his body is mashing against me.

He does this weird spin move that pushes me behind him while positioning himself next to the doorway. He slowly raises his bound hands, but even so, the chains clank, alerting anyone listening to his presence.

The next few seconds are a blur. I can’t see exactly what happens beyond Vapas’ hulking form, but he slams his arms down. There’s a smack. I think they were blocked?

Vapas growls and pushes forward. He slams the one who came down into the far wall. Two more Urr’ki step out of the stairway, watching but appearing unconcerned that Vapas is attacking the other one.

“Who…” I trail off when I recognize the one that Vapas has against the wall.

“Bah!” Vapas barks, pushing away from Virodah. “You used us.”

“Yes, I did,” Virodah says, not bothering to deny it.

The tension in the room is crackling in the air between us. Vapas turns toward Virodah, his growl low and threatening. His shoulders are heaving, his hands still bound but bloodied, and his eyes gleaming in the torchlight.

“You put us in their hands,” Vapas snarls, his voice thick with rage. “You knew what they would do!”

Virodah straightens, brushing dust from his tunic with infuriating calm.

“It was necessary.”

“Necessary?” I snap, stepping out from behind Vapas. My voice is shaking, but I force the words out. “We could’ve died! You didn’t think to warn us?”

Virodah’s gaze flicks to me, his expression unreadable.

“Would you have gone along if I had?”

“No!” I spit. “Of course not!”

“Exactly,” Virodah says, his tone matter-of-fact. “We needed them distracted. You provided that distraction. And now their numbers are thinned, their forces weakened. You’ve done more for the resistance than you realize.”

My hands ball into fists, the sting of raw skin making me wince.

“We came to you for help, not to be your pawns.”

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