Page 33 of Fractured Shadows

The orc grimaces. “The king said—”

Zetros tilts his head to the side. “Would you like to try and separate us and see what happens, orc pup?”

The orc’s eyes widen, the color draining from his face. It seems even here, Zetros is feared. “Fine,” he rasps out. “But the others are separate.”

That’s how I find myself in a prison cell with Zetros, his fingers tangled with mine. Nero is squished into the cell that isn’t quite big enough for his form, his coils wrapped around in a pile that he lies on. Bracken immediately lies down in his cell and goes to sleep, but Grimus paces, anxiety in his movements.

“It’ll be okay, Grimus,” I say, trying to calm him down.

His eyes meet mine, and though he nods, I can see he doesn’t believe my words.

That alone makes my heart skip a beat, and panic fills my own body.

Zetros pulls me closer, and I wrap myself around him, absorbing his warmth just in case everything isn’t okay.

Just in case this is the end of the line.

ChapterSeventeen

Being an orc prisoner is surprisingly boring. I can hear music, laughter, and chatter, and the ceilings of our cells seems to shake with their movements, but other than that, we are left alone. The gates are clearly made of bone, so I avoid them at all costs, sinking deeper into the small cell and into Zetros’ side. He doesn’t complain. In fact, when I move closer, he chuckles and just picks me up, settling me on his lap. His huge thighs are warm and comfy, so I lay my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat.

I offered them magic, and the king didn’t seem to care enough to let us live. It’s clear they hate humans. Maybe I need to understand why so I can offer a good deal. Our lives depend on it.

“Zee?” I lift my head.

He grins widely at his shortened name. “Yes,measma?” he purrs as I sit up, straddling his legs.

“The orcs recognized you, right?” His face closes down, but I surge ahead, knowing the others are listening in their own cells nearby. “You recognized the king. I saw it.”

“I did. I knew him a very long time ago,” he responds, watching me carefully. “Why?”

“Where did you recognize him from? Do you know why he hates humans so much? What can I offer him?”

“We do not speak of another’s past. That is his story and his story alone,” he mutters, looking away from me.

“Please, Zee. I don’t know how else we will make it out of here,” I beg.

I see him debating his options, so I stay quiet. Finally, he slumps, glancing away for a moment. “I’m assuming you have figured out some things about my past already. Well, that is where I know him from. He was held captive at the same time I was, not in the naga lands but in a much worse place. His own leader at the time handed him over. He was just a boy, so young, but the king demanded one of their kind be given to the humans for their…entertainment.” The way he sneers the word has me tensing, and a sick feeling starts to build in my stomach. “I was already numb at that time, having spent years of being passed around as a slave to my king’s whims and the humans’ desires. But he? He fought. He raged. He hated. He was so filled with emotion, and I had no choice but to watch as it destroyed him. The punishments he was given for disobeying…” He shakes his head. “His eye? That was because he killed a human when they chained him up and tried to mount him like an animal. That’s all they thought of us as—animals bought for their amusement to fuck, kill, and eat. They did whatever they pleased, and the king allowed it. But that night, the orc who now holds the throne had enough. He refused to perform, he refused to be a plaything. Unlike most of us, who had given up, he never did. So yes, he killed that human, and he suffered for it greatly. I don’t know what they did to him exactly. I only saw him once more, many years later, and he had changed so much. He had to be caged at all times, almost feral. As for the scars you see, who knows what they used him for. I can guess, but it was nothing good,measma.”

I swallow, tears falling down my face at the true extent of what Zee, the orc king, and other monsters went through. Of course they hate us. How could they not? Zetros leans forward and licks the tears away, causing a shiver to run up my spine. It forces me out of my mind so I can focus on the present rather than a past I can’t change, no matter how much I’d like to.

“So yes, he hates humans as much as I do.”

It makes sense now, and I realize there is probably nothing I can offer the orc that he will want more than my death, but something else sticks with me—his confession.

What happened to Zetros makes me feel sick, angry, and furious. I want to kill all those who hurt him, but I have to know something first.

“Do you hate me?” I croak out, meeting this gaze.

“I should, but I do not. I cannot explain it. I was drawn to you, and despite everything your people have done to me, I couldn’t hate you. Not ever,measma.”

I hear the truth in his words. “I’m sorry for what my people did to you, to all of you.” I shake my head, balling my hands into fists. “They are the monsters, not you, and if I could, I’d make them all pay. I cannot change what they did, but I can prove I’m not like them. I will never hurt you or take what is not given. I will protect you,” I promise. I move to slide from his lap, not wanting to bring back any bad memories. I’ve been too forward and expected too much.

“Where are you going?” he demands, gripping my hips to keep me in his lap. The strength in his hands makes it impossible for me to move and has me shivering in a way I didn’t expect. My kraken is hot, there’s no doubt about it, and I had been debating just giving in to my wild desires like I did with Grim, but I won’t. Not after he’s been used so brutally by humans. I refuse to be another one who hurts him.

His eyes flash with a storm, like waves crashing against the shoreline, bursting above the rocks as he stares at me. He lowers his head when I don’t answer, and when his voice comes again, it’s like thunder, reminding me he’s not a man. He’s a monster. “I said, where are you going?”

“I didn’t want to be like them—”

---