We talked for a while after our beers were gone and the check was paid, but ultimately the three of us all wanted to make it a reasonably early night. So we made our way outside, chatted in front of the pub for a bit, then each of us headed toward our respective cars. Stephanie, Jordan, and Abby had been able to score a place closer to the arena, but my vehicle was behind the bar in a pay-by-the-hour lot that had thankfully allowed payment via an app. All I needed to do was hit the button on the app that said I was leaving my space, then wave the QR code from my phone at the exit sensor and I’d be on my way.
My car might have been the closest, but I was still fully aware that I’d have to walk behind the pub and through a vacant lot to get there. It was well lit, but it was still Baltimore. I’d grown up in this city and knew that things could happen even half a block from a busy street. So I dug my pepper spray out of my purse, flipped the safety catch off, and walked to my car like I meant business.
13
ENG
“Where were you today, youWyndall’sass,” Ozar snarled as I walked into the locker room Friday evening.
I ignored him. The room was full of orcs, all changing into their uniforms for the stupid circus of a game we were playing tonight.
“We had practice.” Ozar followed me. “Everyone is supposed to be at practice every day. No exceptions.”
“I’m the exception.” I opened my locker and pulled out the clean, pressed pants that served as our uniform. “I don’t play this fool’s game, so I have no need to practice.”
Ozar slammed my locker door shut, nearly catching the pants in it. “The demon pays you to be part of this team. Being employed is a condition of our remaining here among the humans.”
I shrugged. “That’s why I’m here right now, getting ready to put on these pants and strap on these stupid knife-blade shoes. I did not agree to practice. I did not agree to play the fool. I will do only what I agreed to, and not a bit more.”
Ozar slapped his hand against the locker and stalked away grumbling under his breath. I stripped out of my clothing, put on the pants, and sat down to cram my feet into the ridiculous shoes. The other orcs were nervous, including Ozar who would probably have died rather than admit it. I knew his nervousness wasn’t just about our performance at this game, but about how he would appear to his mate. That was the reason I hadn’t turned around and punched him for his disrespect. A mate bond was a tricky thing. It made orcs behave with uncharacteristic grumpiness, although Ozar always seemed to be grumpy.
We were terrible at this game. We looked like idiots each time we slid out onto the ice. The human team would easily win. And Ozar would appear weak and incompetent in front of his mate who would be watching in the stands. I felt sorry for the guy, being humiliated like that.
Would the shrew be here tonight?
My breath caught at the thought. I forced myself to not care, to continue to lace the shoes. It didn’t matter if she watched the game or not. She’d seen us lose that first night, seen me refuse to play, and she’d still been happy to have sex with me. Nothing that happened tonight would have any bearing on whether or not she showed up at my apartment again.
Still…
Ozar was continuing to grumble as we filed into the hallway, the sound of the announcer blaring down the tunnel as we made our way to the ice. We lined up to stand, all facing the same direction while the recording of a song played, then went over to the bench.
Sure enough, the shrew was there with Ozar’s mate and two other friends. As much as I tried not to care, I couldn’t wash away the embarrassment of having her watch my team lose horribly. For a brief second I thought about actually assisting the other orcs and trying to get the puck into the other team’s net,but I was just as lousy at this game as the rest of them. My help wouldn’t matter, and I’d only look even more the fool.
Before the game began Bwat passed out sheets of paper with human curse words on them, encouraging us to yell these at the opposing team. NowthatI could do, so I memorized the phrases, even though I was a little perplexed at the definitions Bwat had written beside them in Orcish. Bizarre as they were, the insults seemed to do the job. We racked up two fights before the puck hit the ice, and while I refused to play hockey, I was absolutely up for throwing a few punches. As soon as the male across from Ozar made a move, I threw myself at the nearest human, bringing the fight horizontal—a position where I was less likely to get knocked off my skates and onto my ass.
When the game actually started, I had both human and my own blood smeared across my bare chest and on my white pants. It made me feel a bit less like a wimp for standing against the wall the whole game.
The two fights were the only good thing in the first period. We were losing. And while that was no surprise, it annoyed me more than I wanted to let on. As we made our way back into the locker room for the break, Ozar began a combination of motivational speech and chastisement.
“There’s no sense in all that practice you’re yelling at us to do, Ozar,” I snapped at him. “These fucks were born with knife-blades on their feet. We can practice every day this year and it won’t make any difference.”
Ugwyll snorted. “As ifyouever actually practice. Unless by practice you mean leaning against the wall.”
I shrugged, leaning back against the lockers and folding my arms across my chest—the exact same pose I struck during the games. As I’d said, there was no sense in bothering with practice and no sense in trying to play this game. The end result was the same, and I preferred to at least keep my dignity intact.Although if another fight broke out in the next period, I was ready to spill some more blood. It felt good to let off steam and release my frustration.
Ignoring Ozar, I closed my eyes and pretended to snooze until we had to go back out on the ice again. Sadly, there were no additional fights, although the strategy Ozar had devised to gang up on the player with the puck and try to slam him into the wall was amusing to watch. At least it was amusing until I was nearly crushed by a group of them. Thankfully I managed to jump out of the way before I was hit, and even better I managed the maneuver without falling.
We lost.
Shocker, I know.
No one was in the mood to go out for food or beers. As the other orcs headed back to their crappy little apartments, I found myself reluctant to do the same. Maybe just one beer and some of those pepper snacktizers that we’d gotten at that bar last week, then I’d go back to that poor excuse of a home. And if I was lucky, the shrew would come by for sex.
I was just about to walk into our usual place when I saw a familiar face through the front window. The shrew was there with Ozar’s mate and their friends. Her black curls were piled up on top of her head and spilling around her face in glossy ringlets. The light brought an even warmer tone to her light-gold skin. She laughed at something Ozar’s mate said and it hit me low in my gut, shooting heat right into my hand-axe. I loved it when she laughed. The sound was husky but full of emotion, as if it came from the tips of her toes and rang through every cell in her body.
If I went in, I’d look like I’d followed her here. Or not. We’d been here last time when they came in, so she had to have realized this was one of our main hang-outs. Still, I didn’t want to look desperate, or give her the wrong impression about our physical-only relationship.
Except Iwasdesperate. I’d been sneaking looks at her all night. I’d been hoping she’d come over tonight. I really needed to get this female out of my system, before I made a total ass out of myself.
