And rather than screaming, shoving, guarding her virtue her veryself, Ella’s wholly traitorous body had seemed to arch up against him, pressing tight. Earning an immediate, replying surge of his weight over her, his hips circling strong and deep, the telltale huge ridge at his groin grinding justthere, straight between Ella’s already parted legs, ohhell—
And it was only when those sharp, teasing, desperately thrilling teeth at her neck pressed harder, hinting at actual shearingpain, that Ella’s sanity seemed to swerve back into place, juddering all at once. Natt had broken into her room, threatened to kill her household, and now he was actually, honestly about tobiteher —
Ella kicked and shoved and flailed at him, far too late — but thank the gods, he backed away, his big body lurching off the bed with astonishing speed. Leaving Ella lying there spread-eagled on the bed, her sleeping-shift shoved up almost to her hips, her dazed eyes blinking as her shaky hand came up to her neck, feeling the tender, inflamed skin.
“Thehell, Natt,” she gasped, choked, and didn’t miss the sight of that long tongue snaking out, licking slow and deliberate at his lips. As if to catch every last taste of her, as if he were still longing for her blood…
Ella could only seem to stare, while the fear once again thudded and soared, and Natt gave a quick, twitchy shake of his head. And then only stood there, looking at her, while she looked at him, and her thundering heartbeat sought to pound its way out her chest.
“Ach,” his voice said, finally, almost a whisper, and his hand came up, rubbing hard against his mouth. “You shall rise, lass, and dress.”
Rise, and dress. Ella was staring again, caught entirely dumbfounded, and there was a jerky, impatient wave of Natt’s clawed hand, toward her adjoining dressing-chamber. “Up,” he said. “Dress. Warm clothes. For travel.”
What? There was still no possible way to move, or speak, and finally Natt’s huge body moved again, now coming over to grasp beneath Ella’s arm. Drawing her up, and out of bed, and half-guiding, half-dragging her trembly body toward the dressing-chamber.
“Dress,” he insisted. “Now, lass.”
Dress. For travel, he’d said. And it was as Ella stood there, alone in her dressing-chamber with an orc, that she finally, finally understood what he meant. Dress. For travel. Natt was — he was —
“You’re serious?!” she hissed at him, gaping at his black bulk in the darkness. “You’re —kidnappingme, Natt?”
There was only silence from his huge shadow, looming in this small room over her, but he was, he would, this couldn’t be happening, it couldn’t, not now —
“You swore to me tonight,” he said finally, his voice hoarse, “that if aught was different, you should come away with me. Ach, so now it is, and now you shall come.”
Ella kept staring, open-mouthed, trapped. “You — you can’t,” she gasped. “Youcan’t, Natt. I have awedding.”
There was an immediate, guttural growl from Natt’s throat, making his view on said wedding far too clear, and Ella’s thoughts frantically cast about, grasping for purchase in the darkness. “And,” she breathed, “and the — thepeace-treaty. You’re notallowedto kidnap women anymore. They — they’ll chase you, and catch you, andp-punishyou, Natt.”
It was appalling, how that thought seemed to dredge up even more fear, more jangling choking misery — but Ella could just make out the hard, reflexive shake of Natt’s black head in the darkness. “No,” he hissed. “They shall not. For you” — and that was the feel of his claw, touching light but purposeful against Ella’s chest — “shall leave a letter. And in this letter, you shall say you have gone east with this man, at his sudden demand last eve, to stay with his kin, and ready your new home for this wedding.”
Shit. That wouldn’t possibly work, or could it — but as Ella’s brain circled it, considered it, there was the appalling, twitching realization that perhaps,perhaps, it might. Alfred had in fact planned to ride home again late last night — there had been some urgent council of lords he’d needed to attend — and he wasn’t set to return again until just before the wedding.
And while Ella’s mother would be furious to learn of such a secret departure, she also wouldn’t dare to write Alfred to question him on it, not now. And Alfred was just as unlikely to write to Ella or her mother, and that would give Natt an entire unquestionedmonthwith her, to do with her whatever he wished —
“No,” Ella gasped. “No, Natt. Iwon’t. I refuse. I’ve been working toward this wedding for months.Years. And I only have a month left until the deadline, until I loseeverything. You can’t ruin this for me. Youcan’t.”
But there was only a close, curdling stillness, and then the feel of that huge body stepping silently closer in the darkness. “You mistake me, woman,” his voice said, very low, very steady. “You think you have a choice in this, when you do not. You shall dress. You shall write this letter. Andyou shall come.”
It was a threat, a promise, sending more jagged bolts of fear down Ella’s spine, the panic roaring high in her chest — and without thought, without sense, she was running. Shoving past Natt’s huge form, darting out into the room, sprinting straight for the door —
But then something huge and hard and hot grasped onto her from behind, dragging her bodily away from the door, and again clamping tight over her mouth. And as Ella’s flailing body kicked and swarmed and shouted at him, he only yanked her up closer, his hand pulling back harder, twisting her head sideways — and then, once again, there wereteeth. On her bared exposed neck, lingering close and sharp and deadly. Waiting to bite, to tear, todestroy.
“You shall come,” that mouth hissed, soft, cruel, vicious, against her throat. “And you shall either walk hale and upright beside me, or I shall carry your limp body, once I have drunk my fill from you. Which shall it be, woman.”
Ella was shuddering all over, the fear screaming wide and bright in her skull, and for an instant there was the twisting, overpowering urge to say bite me, kill me, do as you wish, you horrible wild beast — but then, slicing strong and strange through her thoughts, was the realization that Natt was — shaking.
And yes, Natt’s chest, Natt’s hands, Natt’s sharp deadly teeth against her skin, were trembling just as badly as she was. And his breath was loud and lurching against her ear, coming in heavy dragging gulps — and suddenly, somehow, the fight seemed to drain away from Ella’s body, all at once. Natt didn’twantto do this. But he would, if he had to.
I have been missing you, lass. I have been dreaming of how you tasted. I longed to make you my mate. I knew this could not be, for us.
Never me.
And somehow, trapped here in this gasping orc’s arms, Ella found the strength, or the madness, to nod. Again, and again, scraping her tender neck against those waiting, trembling sharp teeth, until that shaking hand fell from her mouth. Wanting her to speak.
“Yes,” she whispered. “Yes, Natt. I’ll come.”
8
