Page 3 of Bred By the Orc
Effie nodded distractedly, still reading.
Smiling, I closed my eyes.
Tomorrow, adventure awaited!
Chapter 2
Drakolt
I halted my horse on the rise overlooking the standing stones.
Behind me, my brothers and men followed suit, silent in the summer darkness. The only sounds were the creaking of leather and the huffing of our mounts’ breaths in the warm air.
The full moon was still rising, lending its light to the landscape around us.
A reiver’s moon.
Generations of my clan had raided under such moons, and tonight it would bear witness to themost important raid of my life.
Somewhere on the other side of those stones, beyond the veil, my Mate waited for me.
‘Twas too bad she had no idea.
If my eyes had been closed, I would have missed the way my brother Korvak moved up beside me. Of all the males in our clan, he had the best control over the horses in the herd we’d built through raids on the humans, and it showed.
When I glanced at him, his scarred visage was pointed at the stones. “How long?” he asked.
That was Korvak; brusque, bad tempered, and to the point.
I switched my attention to the moon, calculating the hours in my head. “Soon. We wait until full dark and a higher moon. That way we’ll have plenty of time before daybreak to make our escape.”
My brother, who looked for all the world like a warlord, slowly turned his attention to me. “Ye think the humans will chase us?”
Honestly, I had no idea, but I shrugged. “If the humans stole one of our females, would we no’ chase them to the ends of the earth?”
“Aye, but we go past the ends of the earth.”
I smirked. Korvak was right.
“The humans willnae follow us,” Moltar announced arrogantly, cantering up to my other side and pullinghis horse to a stop, causing the animal to rear slightly in irritation. “They will be pissing themselves in bed.”
I schooled my expression to impassiveness, not wanting to show this conceited cousin of mine what I thought of his ignorance. “A leader makes plans for all contingencies.”
“Aye, Moltar,” drawled Korvak. “Ye would ken that if ye were auld enough to be a leader, lad.”
Theladwas a calculated insult, and it worked. Our cousin sucked in a breath, his hand dropping to the battleax he wore at his hip, his expression twisting into rage. “Ye forget yerself,cousin.”
Well, fook.
I resisted the urge to groan and rub the spot between my brows which always seemed to ache when Moltar was involved. Damn Gelma for insisting the arrogant idiot go with us.
Yer cousin has a role to play in this venture, she’d said. I’d listened to her, because—well, because wealllistened to her. Only a fool ignored Gelma’s advice.
But this bit was particularly trying.
“Moltar,” I began, but the fool wasn’t done.
“Korvak, ye think yerself a better warrior than I? That scar proves naught!”
