What?No. That wasn’t possible, it wasn’t, and Raye sniffed at her trembling fingers, and shook her head. She still smelled just the same as she always had, and this Gaelfr was lying, he was ruining everything…
“You cannot escape this,” Gaelfr said, and he reached for Kalfr again, clasped his shoulder with familiar fingers. “I am yourástvinur, and you are mine. You know this. You need this. You needme.”
His voice lowered at the end, into something soft and velvety, something that shot sheer agony through Raye’s gut. No. This wasn’t happening. Kalfr would shove Gaelfr away, any moment now. He would refuse, he would honour those vows he’d made to her, kneeling before her with glittering intensity in his dark eyes. He would defend Raye, he would defend their son.
But instead… Kalfr closed his eyes. Relenting,agreeing, as Gaelfr’s strong arms drew him close. And then Gaelfr’s hand spanned Kalfr’s jaw, tilted his head sideways, and bared… Kalfr’sneck. His neck that had always borne so many messy scars, especially on that side. But he’d never told Raye why, and she had always assumed it was battles and men, and not…
Notthis. Not Gaelfr leaning in, baring his long sharp white teeth… and burying his face deep in Kalfr’s throat.
Raye’s heart screamed through her ears, as bile swarmed into her mouth. Her eyes frozen on the horrifying sight of this, her kind, generous, beautiful orc mate crushed up against his cruel demandingástvinur, welcoming his teeth in his throat. But Kalfr still wasn’t fighting it, and he was even moaning, heated and hungry, and Rayeknewthat moan, she knew that look on his face, she knew she knew sheknew—
And by the time Gaelfr drew away again, his chin streaked with red, his eyes blazing with triumph, Raye knew something else, broken and bitter in her gut.
Gaelfr… hadn’t been lying. Had he? When he’d said Kalfr was…his. Because here it was, clear and close and sickening before her very eyes.
And what else had Gaelfr said? That Raye’s feelings didn’t matter. That he was Kalfr’sástvinur, and he always would be. That he would always be in Kalfr’s bed. That they’d made vows about women and sons…
“You aremine, Kalfr of Clan Bautul,” came Gaelfr’s harsh, thudding voice. “You, and your woman, and yoursons.”
You. Your woman. Your sons.
Mine.
The terror streaked and surged, escaped in a strangled sob from Raye’s throat. While her hands frantically clutched at her waist, as if fighting to hide her son away, because — no. No. It wasn’t possible. Those appalling rumours couldn’t be true. The orcs wanted sons, of course they wanted sons, how had she not followed it, how had she not seen…
Her sweet, playful mate had been… a trick. A horrible orc attack. A nice, easy setup, a friendly little operation, for…
Mine. You. Your woman. Your sons.
They wanted to steal away Raye’s son. They wanted her son forthem. They would take him away to that vile Orc Mountain, and make him fight alongside them in this endless awful war.
And if Raye had still nursed any last whispering twinges of doubt, they were crushed beneath the sight of Kalfr…nodding. Nodding. Such a small, stupid motion, to destroy Raye’s entire life, her future, her son.
Her heart was rampaging now, the fury and panic screaming through her entire body, blaring through her brain. No. They wouldn’t. She would do anything.Anything.
And… it wasn’t too late. Not yet. Not even with the sudden sharp look Kalfr aimed over his shoulder toward the cottage, the mutter from Gaelfr beside him…
And before she could question it, Raye lurched toward the cottage door, staggering with every step — and with a desperate yank, she swung the door open. Confronting both orcs with the sudden sight of her standing there in the doorway, still dressed in her sleeping shift, her hair a wild brown mess in the moonlight.
Kalfr flinched, his face suddenly blank and frozen in the silvery light, while beside him, Gaelfr slowly shook his head, and a growl rumbled from his throat. As if Raye needed any further confirmation, any more certainty of what she needed to do…
“Then please, keep him all to yourself, you horrible hideousbeast,” she spat toward Gaelfr’s rigid, unmoving face. “And I never want to see either of you again, as long as I fuckinglive.”
She gave herself one brief, petty moment to meet Kalfr’s gaze, to drink up the horrified, desperate shock in his eyes. And yes, those were the empty meaningless apologies, already escaping his lying,lyingmouth —
But Raye slammed the door shut, and barred it tight against them.
She would never trust an orc again.Ever.
1
Men were creeping around the cottage again.
“So this is the weaver’s place?” a deep voice called out, as boots stomped over the plants in Raye’s garden. “The one who’s been hiding away anorc?”
Raye’s hands froze over the loom, and she shot a helpless look over her shoulder, toward where Svein was practicing his letters at their small table. But just like they’d always rehearsed, he set down his pencil, covered his small pointed ears, and headed toward his tiny room in the corner, and the dark, cramped little tunnel they’d dug under his bed.
He gave Raye a hopeful smile on the way by, as if to offer her some comfort, when she should be the one comforting him. She should be the one protecting him, and running out and raging at the trespassing men. She should be the one dragging Svein away from this pinched little prison, off to somewhere he would only be loved, and valued, andsafe.
