Page 4 of Bred By the Orc
Gods above.
“Moltar, cease,” I growled.
My brother, however, held up one hand calmly. “I dinnae mind his rants, Chief. ‘Tis the envy that makes his words so ugly.”
Fook. Korvakknewhow to piss off our cousin, and getting calmer while Moltar got angrier was certain to do it.
“Ye are no’ the warrior I am, Korvak,” hissed Moltar, as his horse side-stepped in aggravation. “I will prove it. I will kill more humans on this raid than ye.”
“And what will ye wager?” Korvak asked, blandly turning his attention back to the stones as if the topic wasn’t worth his consideration. “Yer ax? Yer horse?”
“My bounty,” growled our cousin. “Everything I take in this raid.”
Part of me wanted to intervene, to halt this foolish wager before our warriors heard of it and grew distrustful. But such an insult would be difficult for Moltar to ignore, and I might end up with violence here before the raid even began.
Likely ‘twas for the best to allow such awager to unfurl.
After a long moment—I doubted I was the only one watching him, awaiting an answer—Korvak nodded once. “Agreed. The humans’ deaths will come swiftly.”
“Frommyax,” growled Moltar before he yanked on his horse’s reins, sending the animal wheeling to one side and away, taking his anger with him.
Neither was going to like the edict I would be making before we launched our attack.
“Fool,” my brother murmured at my side.
I sighed, wondering if I couldwillthe moon to rise faster. My warriors needed action. “Aye, but ‘twas no’ well done to goad him.”
Korvak snorted softly. “He uses reins and a saddle.”
“No’ all of us are blessed by Malla the Beginner with magical arses that stick to our horses’ backs nae matter the weather or incline.”
“’Tis no’ a blessing, but a skill.” When Korvak smiled—which was rarely—his tusks grew even more prominent. “One ye could work on yerself, Chief.”
“I have better things to do with my days than commune with our beasts.”
My brother merely raised a brow. “Ye ken that’s what the humans call us? Beasts. What will yer Mate think when ye steal her?” He didn’t let me answer,but turned back to studying the stones, his horse still beneath him. “She’ll call ye a beast.”
“She’ll call me her Mate,” I snarled, and aye, ‘twas an actual snarl. I was surprised my brother’s words could call such a response from me. “Gelma has assured it.”
“Nay.” Korvak’s tone was light, as if he wasn’t worried about the coming raid. “Our grandmother read the bones and smoked her herbs and said that ye would find yer Mate on this raid, Tarbert’s eldest daughter.” His hand moved to the hilt of his blade, and I doubted he realized what he was doing. “She didnae say yer Mate would be pleased about such a change in her life.”
I frowned.
Did he think I hadn’t realized this?
I knew what was coming: blood, death, terror. And by daybreak, my Mate would be thrown over my saddle, the stink of her fear making my heart ache.
But Gelma had saidthisis what had to be done. Not just for my future, but the future of the Bladesedge clan. I needed to get a son on the eldest Tarbert daughter to secure the alliance, and it needed to be done before the end of this moon’s cycle.
Tonight was the night the veil between our worlds was thin enough to pass through, so tonight would be the night I claimed my Mate.
Korvakhadto know this. Had to knowIknew this. Therefore, there was no reason for him to repeat it.
Unless he was purposefully trying to rile me.
Fook.
And I’d allowed it.
