Page 49 of My Orc Nanny

What had he said about Sakkara’s Mate bond with Nikki? They could sense one another once the Mating bond had been finalized. Is that what was happening here? Without thinking, I turned into the ferry parking lot and swerved around the employee cars. Aswan was somewhere ahead.

A long, low whistle burst through the sea-salt air and startled a little scream out of me. The ferry! Ahead, I could see the dock workers ushering the last of the line of cars on board. It would be leaving soon, and if the kidnapper was on it…

My car skidded to a stop at the curb, and I threw myselffrom it without bothering to turn off the engine. “Wait!” I screamed, running toward the ramp, waving my arms.

But a figure stepped into the ramp, one I’d recognize anywhere.

Aswan, his shoulders strong under that dark t-shirt, his expression thunderous as he glared over my shoulder.

Time seemed to slow as I turned to see a bright blue sedan hurtling down the drive lane toward the ferry ramp. It was going to crush Aswan, going to plow right through him.

And in the backseat, his palms pressed to the window, was my precious son.

“Benny!” I screamed, reaching for him, as if I could grab him from this distance.

From the corner of my eye, I saw Aswan step forward, plant his heel, bend his knees, and extend his hands…right before the sedan barreled into him.

I don’t know if the driver braked at the last minute, or if the stopping power had truly come entirely from Aswan’s strength. All I knew was that there was a screech of twisted metal, my Mate slid backwards a few meters…and when I was able to suck in a breath to scream again, the car had been stopped, its hood dented by two orc-sized handprints.

As if his amazing show of strength wasn’t humbling, Aswan was already stalking toward the car’s door. He ripped it open and reached in, grabbing the driver by his throat and yanking him out of the vehicle.

Travis.

Something snapped in me then.

“You bastard!” I screamed, running toward the man who had already tried to break me once. “How dare you! How fuckingdareyou hurt Benny like that!”

My ex-husband was clutching his throat and kicking his feet helplessly. Aswan’s eyes glowed green, rage painting his expression, although he was clearly not squeezing. Skidding to a stop in front of them, I punched Travis in the arm, all I could reach.

“You have no right?—”

“He’s my son, bitch,” came the strangled reply, although Aswan’s hold meant that Travis couldn’t look at me. “Belongs to me.”

The disgust was so sudden I almost vomited. “Belongs to?”I managed. “He’s achild. And you gave up the right to be his father the very first time you put yourself—and your dangerous habits—before him or any of us!”

Aswan huffed a growl and yanked the blond man closer. “Legally, asshole, you have no right to be in the same county as Ben.”

I saw Travis kicking fruitlessly, even as he spat, “Who the hell are you?”

Aswan’s tusks gleamed as he yanked Travis closer and opened his mouth to roar, “I’m the motherfucking nanny!”

There was a sudden, sharp scent of urine as Travis pissed himself in fear.

“Mom?”

The quiet whimper had me whirling, stumbling toward the car. Benny was climbing out, his hands shaking, a bruiseon his forehead. Oh my God, he must have hit it in the crash.

“Benny, oh Benny.” When I grabbed him, my fingers flew over his face, his scalp, his shoulders, looking for more injuries. “Are you hurt? Did he touch you? Oh my God, Benny.” My body was shaking to match my voice as I crushed him against me. “Did he hurt you?” I repeated.

His voice was muffled against my shoulder when he replied, “No, Aswan stopped him in time. He said once we were on the ferry, he was going to…” His words cut off with a sob, and I tightened my hold, finding myself crying right along with him.

Oh, my poor Benny. “It’s okay, baby,” I rasped, rocking us both back and forth. “We got you. He can’t hurt you anymore.”

Dimly, part of me recognized the police sirens and recognized what they meant. I knew there was relief in my expression when I met Aswan’s eyes over Benny’s head.

My Mate shook my ex-husband again. ”Only a worm would think to take a child to hurt him.”

“He’s my kid,” rasped Travis, still clawing at his throat. “I can do what I want with him.”

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