Page 5 of Running from the Orc
Twisting halfway about, she barked, ”What?” and Torvor’s Hammer, I loved the way those lovely blue eyes snapped at me.
I likely should not have smiled in response to her ire, seeing as how it caused her to scowl, but I couldn’t help it.
“’Twill be aright, love, I swear it.”
“I am not your love.” She turned back around, unconsciously grinding her softness against the hardest part of my anatomy. “And everything willnotbearight. You and your kinsmen have stolen us away from the only home we have ever known…for what? What are you—”
When her voice broke, I winced.
I knew how much it must hurt her to show that vulnerability, so I countered it with the softness she needed. Since I held the reins with the hand currently locked around her waist, I reached with my free hand to brush away a thick strand of her hair that was blowing across my chin.
When I tucked it against her neck, I saw her shiver.
In revulsion? She’d called me a monster a few times already, had she not?
“Lass, I swear I’ll no’ hurt ye. On my honor as a Bladesedge, ye’ll reach our village unharmed.”
She was still holding herself stiffly. “And then?”
“Ye might like it.” I shrugged, the movement easy. “We have a peaceful village, so many of us working together for an easy future. My aulder brother, Drakolt, has been the best chief the Bladesedge Clan has known in generations, and we’re all praying for a son for him to continue his legacy. Our grandmother, Gelma, is our holy woman. I suppose ye and yer Effie will be turned over to her.”
“And my sister?” ‘Twas clear she was curious, but I had to admire how straight her spine was, how hard she made her jaw. She was doing her best to appear uninterested, and I had to grin at her determination.
I clucked at the horse, nudging him up a scree slope to further confuse our trail. “I told ye, she’s the chief’s Mate.”
“Wife? How can she marry him if she has neverheardof him? Our father has not agreed to this match!”
As we rode toward the dawn, I considered how to answer. I could tell my wee firebrand was tired; keeping herself upright by sheer will, the events of the nighthaving taken their toll.
So I kept my voice gentle when I explained. “To an orc, his Mate is… Well, ‘tisnae a marriage in the way humans do it. ‘Tisnae a heartless transaction, a contract made between two families. The Mate bond is granted by the gods, and ‘tis aknowing…an ingrained response to the person the goddess has chosen for us.”
She snorted and I had to swallow my chuckle.
“I do not believe in your gods.”
I shrugged. “You dinnae have to, and neither does yer sister. If she is Drakolt’s Mate, she feels the bond, nonetheless. Although sex is common and no’ viewed as taboo the way ye humans see it, kits are only born from Mate bonds. Our entire village will witness our next chief’s conception.”
It took a moment, but her gasp told me when Roxanna understood what I meant.
“Barbaric,” she hissed.
Again, I shrugged. “Ye humans view sex as something to be feared. The pleasure shared between two willing adults is beautiful. It should be celebrated.”
I expected her to disagree, to fight.
But slowly, ever so slowly, Roxanna began to relax. First her back hunched slightly enough for the bottoms of her breasts to brush across my forearm.Then she exhaled slowly, inching back until she brushed against my chest.
I wondered what ‘twas I said that convinced her I wasn’t going to hurt her.
Ye’ll be safe, lass.
Mayhap she heard me, because between one moment and the next, I realized she’d fallen asleep.
I might be my clan’s negotiator and trade leader, but I was also a warrior. I knew how to charm, aye, but I knew how to track and hunt better than any of our warriors. So I knew ‘twas vital we continue moving, just in case.
By tomorrow evening, I’d have a fairly good idea if we were being followed. Until then, my little captive and I would keep riding.
My horse was sturdy, one Korvak bred for strength and hardiness, so I knew it would continue. We rode until past daybreak, and with Roxanna wrapped in my plaid, I wasn’t surprised she didn’t stir for a long while.
