“Is that true?” he asked, pointing at my brother, accusing me of lying even though Savla was the one who spoke.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to say to you,” I huffed, throwing my hands up in frustration.
He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “Youwere trying to break into my employer’s office without permission.”
I narrowed my eyes, ready to respond, when Savla pressed his palm against my chest, pushing me backward and sliding between us.
“His mate’s in trouble,” he explained in a low, hushed voice. “She’sbeenin trouble since her lowlife uncle forged that will. His instincts are screaming at him to take care of her, but the only way to do that is to get that original will. You’ll have to excuse him. When our mates are threatened, we don’t act rationally.”
The elf blinked at him again, and then gave a slow nod. “I see,” he said, relaxing. “If it was my mate, I’d kill for her.” His eyes flickered to mine and for the first time, I saw understanding there. “Give me his full name, and I’ll help you.”
With a sigh, I held out the document Savla had compiled, of all the information we had on Emma’s father. The elf took it, tilting his chin toward the empty chairs in the waiting room. I glanced back at where everyone was sitting and pretending they weren’t listening.
Chastised, I ambled toward an open chair and settled myself down, avoiding eye contact. Savla sat next to me, peeking over at intervals.
“What?” I demanded, and everyone else’s head turned away. I sighed, pressing my fingers to my eyes. “Thank you for helping me,” I added, softening my voice. “I didn’t know how to explain it to him.”
“This is what mates do,” he said, shuffling his feet and not meeting my eyes. “They make you irrational and insane. After... after everything we went through in Hellplane, I can’t have that again. Iwon’thave that again.”
He sounded so firm, so determined, but there was another, deeper note of longing in his voice.
“If you won’t have that part, how’re you going to enjoy all the rest of it,” I said with a little wink.
He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Unlike you and Enka, I don’t need to fuck my mate to be happy.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Do you really think that’s all it is? Just fucking them makes us happy?”
He looked away, shaking his head. “I know it’s more than that, but then I think about Amu and Abu and I wonder if it’s worth it.”
I sighed, leaning my arm against his, knowing that he hated physical contact. He just rolled his eyes, inching away in his chair. I grinned, loving that I could still pester my little brother this way.
“When you meet her,” I told him, staring into the distance and thinking of my mate, “your world’s going to change.”
“What if I don’t want it to change?” he snapped, making my eyebrows jump all the way up. Savla wasnotan irritable person. “What if I finally have the life that I want and she’ll just come in and mess it up?”
I studied him for a long moment and then whispered. “What happened to Amu and Abu doesn’t have to happen to everyone, Sav. In fact, it probably never will on this plane. Just... give her a chance, alright? Allow yourself to be happy.”
He glanced at me quickly, giving my face a quick search before he looked away again with a sigh and a quick nod. My brother was stubborn, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew the probability of a male not giving in to the instinct to be with his mate.
I shuddered, not even wanting to think about it. There were horror stories for a reason. And that was one we’d been told since we were young. It was the basis of the stories of males stealing their brides and running away to the mountains.
These were the ones that were told over the fire and warned young orclings to heed the call of a mate. Savla knew all of that. I didn’t have to worry about him.
And moments later when the elf stepped into the corridor, holding a file up with triumph, I grinned, standing and striding over him, pushing the conversation to the back of my mind.
CHAPTER 47
Krusk
The County Probate Court was exactly what I expected of it. It smelled like a mix of old paper, burnt coffee and bureaucracy. There were bright fluorescent lights buzzing above me, pinging my sensitive ears and threatening to flicker at the worst possible moments.
Savla and I stepped up to the front desk, tusks catching in the harsh light. The folder in my hands held the original will, carefully preserved, and the envelope in Savla’s grip contained the filed copy. The one that smelled suspiciously of forgery. The helpful elf had been able to print a copy from the online database they had access to.
The clerk, a human who clearly hadn’t seen orcs outside of court sketches, blinked.
“Name?” he asked, voice clipped.
I leaned forward, tusks bristling slightly, my green skin tense but controlled.
