The words clenched deep in Ella’s belly, but she gave a twitchy nod, and left the letter out on the desk, where she knew it would be found. And when she stood again, looking up at Natt’s huge form before her, she felt strangely dizzy, twitchy, numb. She was being kidnapped by an orc. She was being stolen from her home, against her will, under threat of her owndeath.
But when Natt’s hand came down to find hers, his huge clawed fingers threading close between her own, there was another odd shock of familiarity, of warmth, of ease. Enough to keep her head held high, her body still, her eyes steady on his.
“My good, brave lass,” Natt’s voice said, soft, warm, so approving it made something ache, deep inside. “Now come with me.”
There was nothing else to do, locked in this moment, in his hand, in his shimmering black eyes. So Ella nodded, and took a breath, and went.
9
Leaving the house was utterly, unnervingly unreal.
Natt kept hold of Ella’s hand — or perhaps she kept hold of his — as they quietly crept through the dark corridor, down the main staircase, toward the front door. As if Natt knew the layout of the house already, knew just where to go, how to avoid that creaky floorboard, how to silently snap the steel latch open.
He led her out into the chilly autumn darkness, and then drew her around the side of the house to the shrubbery beneath her window. Where — Ella’s breath caught — he’d stashed his sword, and a heavy-looking pack, and a water-skin.
“You didn’t even have yourswordup there?” Ella hissed at him, appalled, because how had she not noticed that fact? “How thehellwere you planning to kill my whole household?”
There was a twitch of a smile on his mouth in the moonlight, and he took a long, gulping drink from the water-skin. “I ken I might have choked them,” he said, holding out the water-skin toward her. “Or mayhap drunk their blood, after I feasted upon yours.”
His mouth was still quirking, the asshole, as though threatening to kill Ella’s entire household was all an amusingjoke, and Ella snatched the water-skin from his hand, and took a long, fortifying drink. While her thoughts turned, and turned again, and if he trulyhadn’tmeant to kill anyone after all, maybe she could run back, and start screaming —
But as always, Natt seemed to see far too much, and the instant she’d finished drinking, he stuffed the water-skin into his pack, and immediately began striding off toward the forest, dragging Ella by the hand after him. “We shall walk, and run,” he said, over his shoulder. “We must build your strength again.”
Ella glared at his broad bare back, and she had to jog to catch up, to fall into a trotting step beside him. “And where, exactly,” she demanded, “are you taking me?”
Natt’s eyes shifted, casting toward the south, and Ella felt her steps beside him falter, her gaze following his. Toward the mountains. Toward —Orc Mountain.
Oh. Oh,gods. Of course Natt would take her toOrc Mountain. And as often as Ella had looked at it over the years, perhaps even admiring its craggy smoking bulk, it was still an impenetrable fortress, teeming with vicious orcs, threatening injury and imprisonment to any humans who ventured near. And to women, more than all else, because as much as Ella had fought to ignore the tales, she’d still heard of how the orcs would share women, pass them around, use them again and again until their bellies swelled full and their huge sons broke free —
No.No. Suddenly Ella’s feet were scrabbling, kicking up earth, fighting to run. Needing to escape this horrible fate, to get away, back home, somewhere, anywhere,please— but Natt’s clawed hand was still clamped firmly to hers, their fingers intertwined. And that big body spun very close, too close, radiating warmth against her, while his other clawed hand came around to her back, snapping her flailing form tight against him.
“Hear this, lass,” he said, his voice firm. “This mountain is not what you humans think. Have you forgotten what I once told you, of this?”
Had she forgotten. And blinking up at his intent black eyes, it was far too easy to dredge up the memories, the words, the way his mouth had twisted as he’d spoken. I know what you humans say of this mountain, he’d said. But it is not just this. It is a place made for those like me. It speaks its tales of ages and heroes past. It is the only place I am truly safe.
Ella swallowed hard, but her heart was still racing, the fear churning deep. “It might be safe foryou,” her shaky voice countered. “But I’m awoman, Natt.”
Natt’s arm against her back suddenly felt very large, his body huge and hot and close above her. And as Ella blinked up at his scarred face, there was a twitch on his mouth, and — she gasped — also at his groin, that telltale hardness flaring deep and thick and powerful against her belly.
“Ach,” he said, “you are, lass. But you aremywoman. I shall keep you safe.”
His woman. The sheer, brazen audacity of that statement was enough to catch Ella up short, her body gone stiff and breathless against him — and when she shoved hard at his solid chest, thankfully he backed away, though his eyes had shuttered, his hand still clamped tight to hers.
“I amnot,” she managed, “yourproperty, Nattfarr. Inever have been, especially since you disappeared for nine wholeyears. And if you think that me coming with you tonight somehowchangesthat, you’d do well to remember that you threatened tokillme if I refused!”
Those eyes narrowed, gone to glittering black slits in the moonlight, and Ella could feel the slight flex of his claws against her hand. “I did not,” he said, “threaten your death. I would never do this.”
Ella heard herself laugh, hoarse and high-pitched. “You did,” she said, her voice rising. “You said you would bite me, and feast upon myblood, and carry my body away!”
“Ach,” he growled back, his lip curling. “And you would yet live, and soon regain your strength. I should never kill you. We swore apledge.”
Oh, so they were back tothatagain, and Ella scoffed at him, and gave a hard shake of her head. “No,” she snapped, “we were young, and stupid, and you asked me what I thought was a stupid, meaningless question, so I gave you a stupid, meaningless answer!”
The snarl from his throat was steady, simmering, and he shook his head too, whipping the black braid behind him. “No,” he said. “You knew. You are not a fool, lass, as much as you might now wish to act the part. I asked for your fealty, and you gave it!”
Ella felt briefly struck still, staring at this appalling orc’s appalling face. And instead of arguing that last point, like she perhaps should have, she jabbed a finger into his bare chest, and gulped at the too-thin air. “And then youleft! Youleft, and you never even bothered to saygoodbye!”
Natt’s eyes were still narrow, still angry, and he shook his head again, jerkier this time. “I had reasons for this, woman.”
