“Love, ye are brave and strong and kind and caring, and ofcourseI love ye.”
Her smile was hesitant at first, but slowly grew.
“Youdolove me,” she whispered. “You do. How could I have doubted?”
Because of the twisted hold yer bastard of a father has over ye.
Never again would she doubt. Never again would she wonder.
My grin answered hers.
“I love ye,dkaar. Being captured by yer father and spending months in that hellhole was the best thing that ever happened to me.”
Lillian burst into laughter and threw herself forward, flinging her arms around my neck. I gathered her close and hefted myself to my feet. I might be weaker than usual, but I would have to be three days dead to not be able to lift my Mate and crush her to me.
By the time I’d finished kissing Lillian, the rest of the Bloodfire and Battleborn warriors had arrived. They spread out behind us, led by my brother and Vrogul Stormseeker. I knew we were a fierce lot, greater in force to Bladesedge. I didn’t want a battle, but Drakolt had to know our combined forces would not be an easy foe.
With my Mate in my arms and my clan at my back, I turned to face the Bladesedge clan. Drakolt held his pregnant mate, and the other two females now stood with each of the males from the chief’s side, one smiling while the other had her eyes locked on the clouds, as if embarrassed to be watching us.
That only made me grin wider.
Even turning to Tarbert, who still sat scowling atop his horse, didn’t diminish my joy. I reached for the clasps of the fur I wore around my shoulders and shrugged out of it.
“Here’s yer cloak back, Tarbert. Mayhap it’ll warm yer frigid soul.”
The old man’s nose wrinkled in disgust.
“I would not wear it after you.”
Because I was an orc? Or because I’d humiliated him? I shrugged, my grin turning to a smirk as I made a show out of arranging it across Lillian’s shoulders. ‘Twas large enough that it brushed her heels, and heavy enough I would have to help her walk, but ‘twas a message.
“Then,” I told Tarbert as I fussed over my Mate, “yer cloak will shelter and comfort yer daughter in the way ye never did.” I glared up at him. “She willno’ go back to slave for ye, auld man. I never want to see ye again, but my Mate has a kind heart.”
My arms tightened around her. “So if ye’re verra, verra lucky, ye might have the good fortune to ken yer grandson.”
Tarbert’s eyes widened, and his gaze dropped to Lillian’s stomach. Up until that moment, had he truly not understood what I was saying? Lillian was my Mate and I loved her; our son would grow from that love, if he wasn’t growing in her womb already.
‘Twas Drakolt, seemingly unbothered by my treatment of his Mate’s father, who stepped forward.
“The next chief of Bloodfire?”
“Aye,” I drawled mildly, “and cousin to the nextBladesedgechief. Would ye have them each inherit their fathers’ hatreds?”
The other male reared back.
“I dinnae hate—fook.” He glanced at his wife, who was making little shooing motions…then sighed and rolled his eyes and stuck out his hand. “I suppose ‘twould be foolish to condemn our sons to such a fate.”
“Foolish indeed,” I agreed, clasping his forearm.
Behind me, behindhim, murmurs and mutterings spread. I wasn’t the only one here who recognized how historic this handshake was. With one handclasp, Drakolt and I had wiped out generations of feuding. Nay, ‘twas because oflove. Today, here and now, love was stronger than years of anger and violence.
Sorcha twined her fingers through her Mate’s, and I felt Lillian step up to my side once more. When I glanced down at her, her grin made my heart expand and myKteervibrate with satisfaction.
“I suppose this means ye’re going to want to come visit,” Drakolt sighed.
I shrugged. “I could learn to not completely dislike ye, especially if yer father-in-law isnae around.”
The other male snorted. “He’s yer father-in-law as well.”
