“Listing off all the qualities you like is not helping.”
“You want to do this the old-fashioned way?” he asked. “Take our time and get to know each other? Fine.”
“That’s not what I said.”
“Well, I’ve told the guys you’re mine, so there won’t be anyone else between your legs but me.” Now, the smile was gone, a maniacal seriousness left behind. “And I will fuck you however many times it takes to put a baby in that belly.” He leaned forward and lowered his voice. “Between you and me, the more time it takes, the better.” He winked and rose to his feet to leave the table. “I’m Krull, by the way. Let me know when you’reready.” He returned to his table and sat with his friends or the people he knew…like nothing had happened.
I sat at that table for what felt like hours and waited for Morco.
When the meal was over, almost everyone dispersed except a few stragglers. Some left the camp in the direction I’d originally taken to come here, and I assumed they’d gone fishing. Everyone else seemed to attend to other responsibilities.
Except for me.
Morco finally emerged, dressed in all black without his sword and cape across his back. He hadn’t come to eat, so I wasn’t sure if he’d eaten anything earlier or if he had his own food as the chief.
He stopped when he spotted me at the table.
Something about his presence gave me comfort. He hadn’t been very nice to me since we’d met, but he’d given me shelter and food and his oath of protection. It was more than I’d expected anyone to grant me. If I’d gone for the other tribe, perhaps I would have been fed to their wolves piece by piece.
He seemed to debate with himself before he decided to come over. Even without the uniform I’d seen him in earlier, he still looked kingly, looked far more honorable than Vulgaris did with his sword and armor and the golden crown upon his brow.
Morco took the seat across from me, his elbows hitting the surface as his hands came together at his jawline. “What are you doing?”
“Waiting for you, actually. You didn’t come down for breakfast…or lunch.”
His eyes were locked on mine the same way Krull’s had been a while ago, but not with malevolence.
“Do you eat somewhere else?”
“No.”
“Then where did you?—”
“I wasn’t hungry.” He dropped his hands, his eyes filling with annoyance.
I looked him over, one of the most muscular men in the tribe. “How can that be true?”
“My people are hungry, and now we have another mouth to feed.”
Guilt rushed through me when I understood. “Oh.”
He dismissed my reaction. “What do you want from me?”
“I’m much smaller than you. I’d rather not eat.”
“When we crossed paths, I was there to steal food and supplies from their camp. I failed, so I can skip a meal.”
“But you didn’t fail. It was my fault?—”
“What do you want from me?” He sat straight on the chair, his back unsupported, his eyes dark but packed with intelligence.
Now I felt terrible for wanting to complain about Krull, when I knew Morco was hungry—because of me. “Um, I’ve heard your people are trying to repopulate.”
His stare didn’t change.
“Am I expected to participate in that…?”
His eyes were locked in place, and he didn’t blink. The silence lingered for a couple seconds, then a couple more.
