Page 40 of The Orc's Thief
“I’m sorry,” I tell her as I duck under a tree branch that’s tall enough for Tessa to pass under but not me.
She peers up at me. “What for?”
“I scared you earlier. When I snuck up on you. And I’m sorry. That wasn’t my intention.”
“Oh.” Her fingers twitch in my grip, but she doesn’t pull away. “It’s all right. I think it would have been worse if I’d been asleep.”
I did hear her shuffling around in her makeshift tent.
“You’re having trouble sleeping? Even after a full day’s ride?”
We’re at the cliff overhang now, so I drop Tessa’s hand reluctantly. She hugs her elbows and stands still while I rummage in one of the saddlebags for a flint. The dry cones I picked up beneath the fir tree she’d chosen for her shelter tonight catch fire easily. I add small branches to the pile, then some larger ones that might be a bit damp on the outside but will do for now.
Tessa crouches by the flickering fire, her pretty face lit orange.
“I was afraid of the Ravens finding me,” she says. “Trying to figure out how fast they’d have to travel to catch up with me if they figured out I was the burglar who stole from them. And also if I’d put my friend Etta in danger by leaving Ultrup withoutsettling things with Damen. She doesn’t know anything, but they might hurt her regardless. To get information on me.”
Damn, I didn’t even think of protecting the baker. If I could, I’d go back and ask Sarrai to keep an eye on the woman, but the best I can do now is send a letter to my friend when we get to the next inn.
“Why did you rob them? The Ravens?” I should go out and find more firewood before the storm hits, but Tessa is too intriguing, pulling me in. “You must have known how dangerous they are.”
She raises her chin, her gaze defiant.
“I do know. I’ve worked with them before.”
Of course she has. I met her during a robbery, after all. She doesn’t answer my question, either, and I don’t think she will. She might trust me enough to accept help when she needs it, but it’ll take more than this to get her to open up.
That’s all right. I can be patient.
“I’m getting more wood,” I tell her as I get up. “Stay here, all right?”
Tessa glowers at me, as if offended by my order, but by the sound of the wind rushing through the treetops, we don’t have much time. If I’m to keep my mate safe and dry through what could be a full night of rain, I need to move fast.
I search for a cluster of firs and gather fallen branches, the thicker, the better, then spot two dead trees, a few inches thick, dry and perfect for firewood. I kick at the trunks to loosen the roots, then wrench them free, ignoring the scrape of rough bark against my skin. The noise I’m making is considerable, but it doesn’t matter. I’d wager every animal nearby has already sensed the coming storm and taken shelter in its den.
Which means Imighthave exaggerated the danger to Tessa. Those wolves will likely be busy with the deer for a while. The carcass looked large enough to feed the small pack for days. Sothe chance that they’d try to hurt her was slim. Especially in a storm. But she was in real danger from the weather, so I don’t regret telling that little lie if it got her to come with me.
When I return to the cliff, however, I find that my mate isn’t helpless after all. Working in the light of the fire, she’s taken my hatchet and hacked several long branches from the nearby fir tree, then buried the pointed ends into the ground by the cliff to create a small shelter with the fire at its entrance. It’s not enough to protect us from the wind and rain yet, but she’s working in the right direction.
“This is great,” I tell her. “Thank you for helping.”
A slow flush creeps into her cheeks, and she hands me back my hatchet.
“Here, you’ll be faster at this. I couldn’t reach those upper branches, see?”
I take the weapon from her and stare down at the already dulled edge. I don’t have the heart to tell her that this hatchet is used for throwing and close-quarter combat, not chopping wood, or that I have a larger ax lying in the shadow of the cliff, under my saddlebags, which she must have missed.
“If you get us a couple more of those long ones,” she says as her curly hair whips around in the wind, “I’ll get my blanket and see if I can find something to tie it to. That’ll make a good windbreak.”
I don’t object. If the woman has a plan that involves working together, I sure as fuck won’t go against her.
“Hurry,” I tell her. “I feel the first raindrops.”
We get to work, and soon our shelter takes shape, snug but just large enough for the two of us. We settle in, taking opposite sides of the fire. It’s burning bright but sizzles as raindrops splatter into it, driven by the wind.
“It’s lucky you found this place,” Tessa comments around a mouthful of bread as the wind howls overhead. “Thank you for coming to get me.”
“Anytime.” The word comes out a little mumbled because I’ve just taken a bite of the roll she shared with me. I swallow the food and add,
