Audrey’s hand shook on the vial she was still holding. She hadn’t let it go all this time.
Her other hand went to the gun at her back, but then she changed her mind and reached for the orc dagger instead. She felt its magic seep into her fingers. She didn’t pull it out yet, just held her hand there to remind herself she wasn’t helpless.
“No,” she whispered. “Let them go.”
“They are orc hunters,” Morgath said through gritted teeth. “What you and your group are doing is against the law. They will be reported to the Orc Council and the human authorities.”
Audrey felt her anger mount.
“And what about what Jorrad the Brutal did to my family?”
Again, the orc captain remained silent. Very convenient. He only said something when it suited him. He had no intention of answering the hard questions, apparently.
She stepped forward, into his space, close enough that she had to tilt her head back to look at his masked face. She thought it was better that she couldn’t see him. Better that she couldn’t see the face of the man she’d slept with, the man who’d touched her so gently and held her in her arms. With the skull on, he was only a brute. Just another monster.
“How is this fair?” she said. “I thought orcs protected their mates. I might have pretended, but you’ve been pretending too. You don’t care about me. You didn’t even want me.”
She looked at the orcs around them, at the hundred and something faces watching the confrontation unfold.
“Your captain lied to you. He took me as his bride because you were about to rebel, maybe even throw him over. Am I right? I think I am. The day we met, he told me that he had no interest in a human bride and his plan was to ignore me. This was all fake.”
The orcs started talking amongst each other, their voices rising in a low rumble that spread through the crowd.
Morgath looked away.
Audrey made a split decision. The moment was perfect, with everyone distracted.
She jumped right on Jorrad’s back. She uncorked the vial as she landed, her fingers fumbling with the stopper for just a second before it came free, and poured the potion right onto his face. The midnight blue liquid splashed into his eyes and entered his mouth.
With a roar, Jorrad threw her off. She flew backwards and landed hard on the pavement.
“Don’t hurt her!” Morgath shouted.
Her friends started yelling and pulling at their restraints. The orcs in charge of them pulled them back harshly, preventing them from starting a fight.
“Do not hurt the humans!” Morgath raged. “If you disobey my order, you will be met with my blade.”
The two raiders pushed into the crowd and secured the humans to make sure they weren’t crushed in the commotion. Their large bodies formed a protective barrier around Tyler, Owen, Cole, Natalie, and Shauna.
Audrey pushed herself to her feet grunting. She watched how Jorrad fell to his knees, his massive frame swaying as the potion took effect. He was clawing at his throat with both hands, his fingers scrabbling at his skin. His eyes looked wild, rolling in their sockets as he tried to understand what was happening to him. He was trying to say something, but he couldn’t. His face was stuck in a grimace. He fell onto his back with a heavy thud.
She could see that he was slowly becoming paralyzed, the effect spreading from his face down through his body. His arms stopped moving first, then his legs went still, until only his chest rose and fell with shallow breaths. The potion was an anestheticfor surgeries, designed to numb and immobilize. But it didn’t matter if he’d feel it or not when she slit his throat.
Morgath moved toward Jorrad.
On instinct, Audrey pulled out her gun. She didn’t think, didn’t hesitate, just aimed and fired. Three rounds, fast, right in the chest. The sound cracked through the night, echoing off the buildings around them.
Morgath staggered back a few steps. Blood poured out of the wounds and soaked into his shirt, spreading dark and wet across the fabric. He pressed a hand to his chest, his fingers coming away slick with blood. He looked down at the wounds, then back up at Audrey. His body was perfectly steady despite the bullets lodged deep into his flesh. Like he didn’t even feel them.
He didn’t fall, didn’t cry out, just stood there, stunned.
Everyone was stunned.
Brumis took out her sword, the metal singing as it cleared the sheath, and stepped forward.
“No,” Morgath said. “Don’t you dare. No one touch my bride.”
Brumis froze. No one moved. Not to help Jorrad, and not to seize Audrey, even though she’d just shot their captain.
