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“I know,” he repeated.

“Good job. Your reaction time–”

“I know. Go away, Bwat.”

I did go away, but I was smiling. Eng had prevented a goal in a spectacular fashion. I had blocked a shot with my leg. I had stolen the puck and successfully passed it to Ozar. And I had managed to complete the first period without having to go to the penalty box.

By the third period, I had blocked two more shots, and I had diverted a pass from the enemy to Ugwyll. I hadn’t fallen, and while I had twice impacted an enemy player, none of those contacts had resulted in my going to the box.

I was beginning to wonder if I might actually be good at defense. I’d never been the biggest or the strongest, but I had realized that defense was not entirely about strength. It was about anticipating and calculating what the enemy might do next. It was about watching and knowing where the humans would go before they went there. And I was surprisingly good at those things.

Hopefully the coach would agree.

35

ABBY

“Come on, Ozar!” Jordan screamed beside me. “Move your ass!”

Ozar was moving his ass, and the puck, but he made the unfortunate choice to pass to Knax who plowed through one of the human players and earned himself some time in the penalty box.

But none of that mattered, because it had been Bwat who’d stolen the puck from one of the Flyers and passed it to Ozar before nearly crushing one of the human players against the boards. The human had narrowly escaped, and Bwat had landed on his rear, but he’d taken possession and made a successful pass! And hadn’t gotten a penalty! Well, hadn’t gotten a penalty yet. I wasn’t going to get my hopes up that he’d finish the game without at least one trip to the box.

“Am I imagining things, or is the team getting better?” Stephanie asked.

“Ozar says the new coach has helped with their strategy and communication, and Willa’s training is also helping them be nimbler on the ice,” Jordan said.

We fell silent, watching as the Flyers took the puck and began a complicated passing maneuver. I held my breath, worried as I watched the orc teamwork fall apart before my eyes. They were all stumbling around, chasing the puck like a bunch of clumsy puppies. As soon as there was an opening, the humans would take their shot, and I wasn’t sure Eng would be able to stop the puck before it flew past him into the net.

It happened so fast, I barely registered what was going on. The shot. An orc launching himself forward. The puck ricocheting off the side of his calf. Bwat. Suddenly #BwatHappens was taking on a different meaning.

“Ouch, that had to have hurt.” I winced, worried what kind of lump and bruise Bwat would have tonight.

“He’ll be fine. Nothing ice and a little stretching won’t take care of,” Willa said. “These guys are built like steel.”

Like a tree trunk, Dylan Emmet had said. And Bwat had accepted and owned that description, even though he brushed it off by saying his limbs were more like twigs. Still, I remembered how sensitive the orc’s skin was under my light touch, the way Bwat’s muscles tightened, the way goosebumps pebbled along his flesh as I lightly traced my tongue along his arm. He wasn’t moving as if the puck seriously hurt him, but that didn’t mean I wouldn’t examine every inch of his skin very thoroughly tonight for injury.

A task I’d truly enjoy.

I was so busy imagining sexy-times with Bwat that I nearly missed seeing the next shot–and the incredible save by Eng.

“Holy shit. Did he just catch that in his mitt?” Jordan asked, having to shout over the cheering of the crowd.

“Yes, he did.” There was a smug expression on Willa’s face that seemed uncalled for, even given her position as team trainer.

As everyone began to chant Eng’s name, I eyed my friend suspiciously, then turned my attention back to Bwat. He was making his way over to Eng. As he exchanged a few words with the arrogant orc prince, I noticed he was smiling. He was having a good time. And I was pretty sure that was a first for him during a game.

The Tusks managed to fend off the Flyers during the power play, and when Knax rejoined his team from the penalty box, my shoulders loosened a bit. Knax wouldn’t make a huge difference in terms of their ability to score a goal, but having the extra orc on the ice would help.

Down on the ice, Ozar was battling for the puck along the boards, and I saw Jordan’s hands tighten on the arms of her seat. A human defenseman had the orc pinned—or was attempting to pin him. Given that Ozar outweighed him by what seemed to be the mass of a small vehicle, the effort wasn't going particularly well. Ozar shoved backward and the human bounced off him. It gave the orc just enough room to gain possession, and he took advantage by elbowing his way free and snapping a quick pass to Morag.

Morag had the puck for all of three seconds before an opposing player stole it.

“Dammit,” Jordan muttered.

On my other side, Stephanie yelled for the defense to “take those fuckers out” and reached for her nachos. Willa didn't react at all. She was leaning forward in her seat, elbows on her knees, gaze fixed on the ice with an expression that seemed more intense than usual. I followed her line of vision and saw…Eng.

Hmmm.