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“Who was Eng insulting?” Abby looked around the bar as if she was ready to defend a female and punch Eng herself.

“Umm, he told me he was going to marry a human female, as if her say in the situation didn’t matter at all,” I replied, trying to avoid the question of who Eng was insulting.

Abby inhaled sharply and glared at the other orc. “Asshole. He might be some kind of prince, but that doesn’t give him the right to select a bride like he’s picking out a steak at the butcher shop.”

“Females are not like steaks.” It was a silly comment, but I wasn’t sure what to say with Abby so fierce before me. “He said her consent didn’t matter, and when I told him I would not allow such a thing, he taunted me. So I hit him.”

“I might just go hit him myself.” Abby narrowed her eyes and planted a balled-up fist into the palm of her other hand.

My hand-axe twitched. This side of Abby was intoxicating. All sides of Abby were intoxicating.

“Who was this woman Eng was disrespecting?” Abby demanded. “Who? She deserves to know so she can avoid him, and maybe even take out a restraining order. It would be terrible PR for the team, but I’m not going to let someone be a victim if I can prevent it.”

I squirmed, then decided I needed to tell her. “It was you. He had asked your name, and I told him. Then he announced that he was going to marry you whether you wanted to or not.”

She snarled, still glaring at Eng, then suddenly she froze. Her eyes widened as she turned to me. “You punched Eng over me?”

“He should not speak of any female that way, but especially not you. You are the smartest being I have ever met. You are strong and loyal, kind and thoughtful. Your dedication and persistence ensure your success in whatever you choose to do. Your beauty, your humor, and your competence amaze me. Anyone, male or female would be lucky to be your friend. And anyone you chose to love should thank the mountain gods for the privilege. Prince or not, Eng is not worthy to kiss the hem of your pants. I would die rather than allow his disrespect of you to occur without comment.”

I probably would die tomorrow once Eng had the night to stew over my assault, but as I’d said, my death would be in service to Abby. And that was okay, although I really, really didn’t want to die.

Abby’s breath caught in her throat. Her eyes sparkled even more green than usual. And a smile quivered on her lips, like she was almost afraid to let it take hold of her mouth.

“Bwat…that’s….thank you. No one has ever said those things to me.”

The sadness in her voice made me want to punch everyone who had ever made her feel less than the goddess she was.

“More beings should say those things to you. Because they are true,” I told her.

18

ABBY

What the ever-loving fuck was going on?

Bwat had hit Eng and knocked him clean off the stool and onto the very dirty floor of McHenry’s pub. The crowd immediately reacted, buzzing with excited comment and moving backward to ensure they weren’t in the fight-zone. I tried to push my way through the crowd, but thankfully Ozar was closer and managed to get Eng and keep him from busting a beer bottle and slicing Bwat to ribbons.

When I made it clear of the others and within arms-length of the orcs, I was shaking mad. While Ozar talked Eng out of murder, I stomped up to Bwat, grabbed him by the arms and yelled at him for starting a fight in a bar. I actually shook my finger at the guy. Yep, that’s how mad I was - threatening a green-skinned male over a foot taller than me who had enough muscle to throw me through the wall. Even as pissed off as I was, I would have thought twice about yelling at Ozar or Eng or Ugwyll like this, but somehow I felt safe scolding Bwat. We were friends. And the he’d always been so cheerful and outgoing, so adorably inquisitive and polite. I knew he wouldn’t hurt me. I knew I was safe with him.

It was an unfamiliar feeling, because for the last decade, I seldom felt safe expressing anger or frustration or anything besides encouragement around men.

When I’d grabbed him, the muscles in Bwat’s arms had been rigid, his eyes flashing fury, his mouth a grim line. I’d never seen him like this, but I wasn’t afraid. And honestly I wasn’t as angry as I was worried that Eng would kill this orc for assaulting him. Eng was an asshole like that, and I didn’t want to see Bwat dead.

It would be terrible PR for the team. Yeah. That was the reason I was worried. Feeling suddenly vulnerable, I released him and planted my fists on my hips instead.

Bwat relaxed “Abby, I’m sorry.”

He seemed to deflate in front of me, and his furious expression changed to one of chagrin.

I tapped my foot and eyed him, not because I doubted his sincerity, but because I really wanted an explanation for why this orc had acted so out of character.

“Eng was rude. He was…insulting a human female.”

That was not what I was expecting at all. “You were defending a human female?” I asked.

“Yes.”

He squirmed as if he’d done something wrong when all I could think of was chivalrous knights and unlikely heroes. Bwat was a Gawain. Not the stereotypical alpha-guy, but the sweet cinnamon roll who turned into a grizzly if the situation called for action.