Page 20 of My Orc Contract Husband
He shifted, his hand dropping from my cheek to reach for his ass.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, my breath suddenly catching in anticipation.
His hand emerged, a small black envelope caught between two fingers. My heart began to pound.
“I found this in the car this morning, passenger’s seat. Remember when you fumbled that folder, trying to climb out of my truck? I think this fell out then. Probably goes with whatever was in there.”
My gaze was glued to that unadorned black envelope.
I’d seen it—or ones like it—many times over the years. I just never expected to see one again.
When Tarkhan held it out to me, I couldn’t help the way I shrank away from it. But his hand was against my back,and as soon as I registered that pressure, I forced my spine upright. He’d called me brave.
I could do this.
With shaking hands, I reached for that envelope, wishing I could keep my hold on Tarkhan instead.
Taking a deep breath, I pulled out the white cardstock inside…saw the elegant script…and stopped breathing.
Chapter Five
Tarkhan
If I hadn’t been soattuned to her, I might not have realized anything was wrong right away.
Sami froze, her gaze locked on the notecard, her hands trembling. The pulse at the base of her neck beat double time, and I watched the blood drain from her face.
“Sa—” I began, but with a sound like a whimper, she tipped sideways. That small, broken noise she made cut through me like a blade.
Before I could readjust my hold on her, the card had fluttered to the ground like a falling leaf, innocent and harmless looking despite the devastation it had wrought…and Sami had landed on her hands and knees, sucking in deep breaths as if trying to keep herself from vomiting.
“Sami!” I yelled, my knees hit the rough barn floor with jarring force, splinters catching my jeans as I reached for her “What’s—Gods below, are you?—?”
I couldn’t finish my thoughts because none of them made sense. All I knew was that myKteerwasn’t going to let me stay away from this female. She was in trouble, sheneededme, dammit!
MyKteerwas screaming at me to protect, to shelter, to destroy whatever had caused her this pain.
“Sami?” My voice came out rougher than I intended, thick with concern and barely restrained fury.
She was trembling now, and I watched her fingers curl into fists on the dirty floorboards. The old wood was rough and splintered, littered with dust and debris that would cut into her soft skin.Fuck. She was likely to get hurt, kneeling here, but I didn’t know what to do.
Without thinking, I picked up the cardstock—heavy and cream colored, the kind that reeked of money and privilege—and saw the bold script written in the confident hand.
Samantha,
Youwillbe my wife. Expect to be collected soon. The wedding will take place in the city as your father and I planned. I will consolidate our holdings with this marriage, and you will be mine. You cannot run any longer.
—PierceT. Montgomery the Third
The sharp scent of her fear coated my nostrils, an acrid smell that made my stomach clench and my jaw ache from grinding my teeth. The stench of it was wrong, so completelywrongthat it made my vision blur around the edges. MyKteerhowled in rage so strongly that my arms shook, trying to control my impulses.Protect protect protect!
But she didn’t need my rage, not now.
She needed my calm, my comfort.
Forcing my own breathing into a steady rhythm, I slowly tightened my hold on her, pulling her closer. “Shhh, Sami. It’s alright. It’ll be okay,” I crooned, carefully trying to get her off the floor. I could feel her ribs expanding and contracting rapidly beneath my arm, her breathing too fast and too shallow.
But in one sudden movement she surged upward and threw herself at me, knocking me backward against the bench, my legs splayed out. I caught her in my lap once more, her arms around my waist, her face buried in my chest again. The impact drove the breath from my lungs, but I didn’t care. Her weight settled against me, warm and solid and real, and I felt something tight in my chest finally ease.
