“We have almost finished blocking this exit,vörður,” announced Soren, who’d been waiting impatiently nearby in his quilt. “We must block the other end also, but it would be best to wait and do this after nightfall, so no humans catch sight nor sound of this. Thus, William and I will stay and wait until then, and return to thebyrgiafter.”
Kalfr gave Soren a grateful smile, and a low bow. “Thank you, brother,” he said. “I hope you will not be too bored. And do you wish for some warriors to guard you?”
He glanced toward Olarr and Othan and Egil, who were all still standing nearby speaking together, but the top of Soren’s quilt firmly shook back and forth. “No, we can well guard ourselves,” came his crisp reply. “And I shall not be bored today, for William has been cheeky and unruly all this afternoon, and thus is in dire need of some extended correction.”
With that, he spun and stalked back toward William, his quilt sweeping out majestically behind him. And though Kalfr wryly smiled after him, Gaelfr was now fully focused on frowning atRaye, and particularly at — right. The place where Sybil had stabbed her with that knife. And though it wasn’t bleeding anymore, it was still an ugly, jagged red line in Raye’s skin, and the blood was still smeared all over it, and stained down on her dress, too.
“Why have you not better healed this?” Gaelfr demanded toward Rurik, who was still hovering behind him, his hands on his back. “Our mate has beenwounded!”
He cast a narrow, scathing look sideways, toward — toward Sybil. And goddess, Raye had entirely forgotten Sybil was still there, but she indeed hadn’t moved, still bound there against the wall, watching everything that had just transpired — including Raye and Kalfr and Gaelfr kissing like that. And clearly it wasn’t a sight she’d enjoyed seeing, based on her venomous glare toward Kalfr’s face.
“That cut was naught, when weighed against thesmokepoisoning her lungs,” Rurik snapped at Gaelfr, not lifting his eyes from his back. “And soon poisoning yours, also, if you will not stay still. Though” — he shot a glance toward Raye’s wound — “you can take solace in the truth that without all the new fat and muscle your woman has gained, this wound would have been far worse.”
Gaelfr blinked, while a look of deep satisfaction slowly crept across his face. “Ach, my good feeding and fattening has been a great help in many matters,” he smugly replied. “I have now saved yourlifewith this,sæta.”
Rurik gave a roll of his eyes Gaelfr couldn’t see, but Raye couldn’t help a fond smile toward Gaelfr, an affectionate pat to his cheek. “Yes, you were wonderful, Gael,” she said, and she meant it. “And now you’ll have even more reason to continue, too.”
She shot a rueful glance down toward her waist, while her thoughts swarmed with heated memories of what Gaelfr hadsaid and done that morning, back in their room. How it had been excessively clear that his obsession with feeding and tending had gone far deeper than Raye had realized. How he’d found such power in feeding her and filling her, making her swell and flower, planting her with his preciousástvinur’s seed. With what he considered to be the best Bautul seed in all the realm.
She shall be just like the goddess, he’d said.Our own goddess, granting us such great beauty, and pleasure, and life.
Gaelfr already had that dazed, greedy look in his eyes, and his hand slipped down Raye’s front, spreading wide and possessive against her belly. “Ach, I will,” he breathed, husky. “I shall give you all my best care and feeding,sæta. We shall grow our son within you, together.”
Raye nodded, smiling toward him with so much affection, she felt already about to burst. At least, until Rurik cleared his throat, and shook his head. “Actually,” he said, “about that.”
Raye froze and jerked to stare at him, her heartbeat skipping. Was — was something wrong with her pregnancy, after all? Had all the fear and danger from this day finally exacted their price, and harmed their son?
Kalfr and Gaelfr were staring at Rurik too, looking just as alarmed as she felt, while Rurik chuckled, and eased around to touch at Raye’s belly, too. “No need to panic thus, any of you,” he said. “I only thought I felt — ach.”
A distinct look of interest flared across his eyes, his head thoughtfully tilting, while Raye’s heart kept slamming against her ribs. “What?” she demanded. “What do you feel?”
Rurik took a long moment replying, shifting his hands against Raye’s waist. “It is not just one son,” he said, “but two.”
Two.Two?!Twosons?!
Raye’s mouth fell open, her eyes wildly darting between Kalfr and Gaelfr, as if seeking some confirmation of this — but theywere both still staring at Rurik, their eyes wide with shocked disbelief.
“W-what do you mean, two?” Raye asked, her voice faint. “As in… I’m carryingtwins? Is that — is that even possible, for orcs?”
Rurik nodded as he drew back again, a satisfied smile on his mouth. “It is rare,” he replied, “rarer than with humans, enough that I have never myself witnessed it. But it is yet possible, it seems.”
Raye still couldn’t follow this, still staring blankly toward him. “But — this morning, when you first scented I was pregnant,” she stammered, with a sharp glance between Kalfr and Gaelfr. “That’s — that’s not what you smelled, right? It was only… one son.Kalfr’sson.”
Kalfr and Gaelfr both slowly nodded, still looking utterly mystified, but Rurik’s satisfied smile drew wider. “Grant me a guess, then,” he said. “And soon after you scented this,youshot a fresh load inside her.”
He was pointing his claw at Gaelfr, who blinked and slowly nodded back, a flush creeping up his neck. To which Rurik nodded too, raising his brows. “And I ken you felt a great urge to do this?” he asked. “Mayhap youallfelt the need for this?”
Raye and Kalfr exchanged a searching look, because — yes, perhaps they had. Kalfr had wanted her and Gaelfr together, not only this morning, but leading up to it, too — and goddess knew Raye had wanted Gaelfr, maybe all this time. She’d wanted him so much, she’d eagerly welcomed his hard ploughing that morning, had begged and pleaded for him.Please, feed me. Fatten me. Whatever you’ll give me…
“I have heard tales of this,” Rurik continued. “And each time, it was with Bautul orcs who have long been bonded asástvinur. And once the first orc has sparked a son upon their woman, the bond calls forth a second seed from the woman, so the second orc may spark a son upon her, also.”
What? Raye’s hand clutched to her belly, because Rurik really meant… the second son wasGaelfr’s? She was carrying a son from — from each of them? Together?
Gaelfr’s rising flush had spread across his face, making it look strangely mottled, and though his mouth opened, nothing came out — and then he staggered sideways, enough that Kalfr clutched for him, and dragged him back upright. And Kalfr was — grinning, laughing, his face lit up, the warmth and life and fondness dancing in his eyes.
“Ach, do not faint on us, Gael,” he said, husky, as his arm hooked around his neck. “You are pleased, are you not?”
Gaelfr only stared blankly back at Kalfr and Raye, and as Raye gazed back toward him, more awareness flickered through her thoughts. Even if Gaelfr had so desperately wanted to spark Kalfr’s son upon her, even if he would always fully treat that son as his own — maybe there had still been some part of him that had quietly longed to make a son of his own seed with her, too. And now, the goddess had granted him both his longings at once, and made doubly sure he would be part of this with them, always.
