Audrey had pressed her hands over her ears and curled into a ball on the concrete floor. Her mother’s wailing, Danny shouting at the attacker to stop, her father roaring in pain... After that, crashes, thuds, the sound of the house being torn apart.
Audrey had stayed in the basement for hours after everything went silent. She’d been too terrified to move, too terrified to open the door and see what was waiting for her. When she finally climbed out, the sun was setting and the house was in ruin. The front door hung off its hinges, windows were shattered, and furniture was smashed to pieces.
Her family was scattered across the living room floor. Blood soaked into the carpet and splattered across the walls. Her mother’s body was near the kitchen, her father’s by the overturned couch, and Danny had made it almost to the hallway before they’d caught him. Audrey had stood there in the doorway, a ten-year-old girl whose childhood had just ended.
The state put her in foster care after that. She spent the next few years consumed by rage and grief, getting into fights at school, nearly ending up in juvenile detention twice. When she was fifteen, she ran away and fell in with a group of drifters who hunted rogue orcs for money. That was when she met Tyler, who was only seventeen himself.
The group eventually became the Tusk Hunters – a small, tight-knit band of humans who killed orcs that broke the peace treaty. In the early days after the war, there had been plenty of rogue orcs to hunt, orcs who refused to follow the Council’s rules and still preyed on human settlements. They’d made goodmoney from towns that wanted protection, or from families seeking revenge.
But as the years passed and the peace solidified, their work became illegal on both sides. The Orc Council declared them outlaws, and human authorities labeled them vigilantes. Now they had to be careful, taking only jobs they could do quietly, always moving and watching their backs.
Audrey had trained relentlessly, learning to fight, track, and kill. She’d participated in at least a dozen kills, now. Her hands were stained with orc blood. But none of it had satisfied the burning need inside her, not until she’d found the horde responsible for destroying her family.
Owen’s voice pulled her back to the present.
“So, what’s the plan now that we know?”
Audrey took a long drink of her beer, nose scrunched up in distaste.
“We can’t attack Morgath’s horde directly. We’d be slaughtered. Morgath isn’t just a captain, he’s also acting as the horde’s mage. That makes him twice as dangerous.”
Natalie frowned. “Are you sure about that? I’ve never heard of a captain who was also a mage.”
“Monica confirmed it,” Audrey said.
Over the years, she’d made it a point to befriend institute managers across multiple states. They knew more about the orc hordes in their areas than almost anyone, and the information had been invaluable. Monica was one of her closest contacts and ran the institute nearest to Morgath’s territory in Montana.
Tyler leaned back and crossed his arms.
“So, how are we supposed to get to him then?”
“I need to identify which orc in the horde killed my family first,” Audrey said. “It wasn’t Morgath himself who broke into my house. I need to get inside the horde, get close, and figure out who it was.”
Shauna’s eyes widened. “You’re going to offer yourself as tribute.”
Audrey nodded. “I already talked to Monica at the institute this morning. She agreed to help.”
Owen slammed his hand on the table.
“That’s insane, Audrey. You can’t just walk into an orc horde alone.”
“It’ll never work,” Cole added, shaking his head. “There are too many variables, too many things that could go wrong.”
“And what if Morgath doesn’t even choose you?” asked Natalie. “There could be dozens of other tributes at the institute. Plus, what makes you think he even wants to take a bride?”
Audrey held up her hand and waited for them to quiet down.
“Monica has heard rumors that Morgath’s horde is turning against him.”
Well, that got their attention.
“He’s forbidden his warriors from taking human mates for fifteen years,” she continued. “Because he’s been holding onto hope of returning to their home world. But the horde has lost patience. They see other orcs settling down and building families, and they want the same. The ban has created resentment, and Morgath’s raiders are reportedly considering a coup.”
“How does that help us?” asked Tyler.
“Morgath will have to take a bride himself to prove he’s committed to staying here. And to quell the rebellion,” Audrey explained. “Monica thinks it could happen soon, maybe within weeks.”
“Even if he comes to the institute,” said Owen, “There’s no guarantee he’ll choose you over the other women there.”
