“Giveup, youbeast,” one of the now-swordless men gasped, as he charged straight for Natt, fists swinging. Natt again blocked him, hurling him bodily away, but here was another man, blade swinging wild. Natt knocked him sideways, and rolled out of the way of the next, but that meant he’d come up in front of the leader. And the asshole didn’t aim for Natt’s torso or his face, like he had every time until now — but instead, he cleaved his sword straight toward Natt’sleg.
Natt’s howl fillled the air, exploding in Ella’s thoughts, and the blood exploded too, spraying wide from the deep, vicious gash in Natt’s thigh. While the men shouted with triumph, one of them laughing — and in a breath they swarmed Natt’s crumpling form, arms swinging and steel flashing and no no NO —
Suddenly, Ella was moving. Scrambling wild and desperate out of the tree, jumping and sliding against its sharp trunk, not caring if her shift was tearing or her hands were bleeding. Natt was hurt, Natt coulddie. And the rage and the horror at that thought was enough to hurl her onto the earth, her feet pelting panicked and powerful toward them. Toward Natt, who she couldn’t evensee, under the mass of horrible, vicious men.
“Stop!” she screamed, her voice piercing shrill through the air. “Now! Atonce!”
Thank the gods, the men stopped. Clearly more out of surprise than anything, every one of their masked faces whipping sharp toward her, and Ella rushed straight into the midst of them, straight to Natt. He was crouched on the ground between them, his bloody arms curled protectively over his head, and he was liberally bleeding from cuts all over, his audible breaths gasping with pain. The sight shocking and almost devastating to Ella’s staring eyes, how could these men do such things, to one who hadn’t even raised aweapontoward them.
“He’s got awoman?!” the leader’s voice said, and when Ella jerked her head to glare at him, the asshole actuallylaughed. “You had awoman, orc,” he said again, with a sudden, hard kick of his booted foot into Natt’s crouching side. “You werekidnappingtoo, you beast?”
Natt’s breath had wheezed at the impact, and the fury and misery flared again, deep and agonizing in Ella’s gut. “You will not touch himagain,” she ordered, with all the power she could muster. “You will leave atonce.”
The man only laughed again, and then he reached out, and gave a mocking tug at Ella’s torn sleeping-shift. “Look, she’s already been caught in the foul orc-spell,” he said. “She’s probably chock-full of his spunk, too. Go take her and check, Colley, will you? And don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
He’d laughed again, actuallywinkingtoward the man closest to Ella — and in reply that man gave a hearty guffaw, and reached to grasp painfully at Ella’s upper arm. “Come along, wench. We’ll sort you out.”
Ella’s shocked, staring horror was broken by a guttural hiss from Natt’s throat beneath her, and she belatedly, forcefully yanked her arm away from the foul man’s grip. “You shall notdareto touch me again,” she barked. “And you shall leave these landsat once!”
The man only guffawed again and came a step closer, the scent of his nauseating breath swarming the air. “A stubborn little miss, aren’t you?” he said. “I’ll enjoy putting you in your place, wench.”
Ella could again only gape at him — did he truly mean to do what that sounded like?! — but again, Natt’s choked, desperate growl beneath her said that yes, perhaps he did. And when the man grasped for her arm again, this time Ella didn’t fight it, and let him pull her close — and then she scraped wildly at his face with her fingernails, yanking down his mask.
And he was — handsome. Clean-shaven. Young-ish, perhaps thirty. Not at all the filthy bearded ruffian Ella had expected, and she blinked at his face, while the shock swarmed again, and the recognition slowly crept across her thoughts. She was good at faces and names, one had to be in her line of life, and —
“Mr. Colin Galliford?” she said, her voice blank. “But — you were at mypartylast night.”
It would have been satisfying to see the horror flare across his blue eyes, if not for the fact that Ella was perhaps more disgusted, and more nauseated, than she’d ever felt in her life. Mr. Colin Galliford had been a particular friend of Alfred’s, Alfred had introduced him last night with genuine warmth, and he’d bent over Ella’s proffered hand with all courtesy, in every aspect the perfect wealthy gentleman.
“And Mr. Byrne, was it?” Ella said now, turning toward the man who seemed to be their leader, and watching the shock flare across his eyes, as well. “Mr. Jack Byrne, if I recall?”
He didn’t move, or reply, but curse him, he was another close friend of Alfred’s, another one who’d come all the way from Tlaxca for Ella’s engagement-party. Or forthis?!
“It’s thelord’snew wench?” one of the other men whispered, far too loudly. “Theheiress?”
The rage surged behind Ella’s eyes, and she whirled toward the man, no doubt another shameful coward who’d freely partaken of her hospitality last night. “The heiress, indeed,” she snapped, with as much chilly haughtiness as she could muster. “I am Miss Ella Riddell, currently one of the wealthiest women in the realm, and the betrothed of yourfriend, Lord Tovey of Tlaxca. And here you aretrespassingon my land, and threatening todefileme!”
The words were greeted by utter silence, but for Natt’s still-gasping breath beneath her, and Ella winced at the sound, and shot him a furtive, fearful look. Gods, he looked utterlybroken, but he’d still managed to somehow sit up on the ground behind her, his black head bowed, his hand clenched tight to his thigh, the blood still streaming red between his fingers.
“We beg your forgiveness, miss,” came a smooth voice, Byrne’s voice. “But you’re in the forest, alone, wearing a tornsleeping-dress,and looking, ah —quiteunlike the dignified woman we met last night. And, you’re with anorc.”
Ella’s eyes had still been fastened to Natt, and that awful sight of his streaming red blood, and she belatedly whirled back toward Byrne. “Iownthis land,” she said, through gritted teeth, “and therefore I can walk upon it at whatever hour I wish, wearing whatever I wish. I could not haveconceivedthat I might find my party-guests trespassing at this hour, seeking to force hapless women to their will, and trying tokillinnocent unarmed people!”
Her words rang against the trees, against the men’s staring eyes — but then one of them laughed, the sound harsh and mocking. “This one’s notpeople. He’s anorc. And you’refraternizingwith him.”
The rage bloomed again, almost too powerful to be borne, and Ella clenched her hands to fists, and very nearly spat at the coward’s still-masked face. “My betrothed husband’s lordfathersigned this treaty with the orcs,” she growled. “And thus, I have eagerly sought to support it, with all the means at my command. And therefore” — she shot another furtive look at Natt, her thoughts searching, churning — “I have recently hired this orc to patrol my lands on my behalf, and alert me of any trespassers. And this morning, I was enjoying an early leisurely stroll, when he came to warn me that there were unfamiliar armedcowardsbarging throughmyforest!”
The men didn’t speak — there was a satisfactorily stunned look in Byrne’s eyes — and Ella stalked toward him, and glared at his masked face. “And then, you almostkilledmyemployee,” she hissed. “Before my maiden eyes. Do you know how much this shall cost me in surgeons’ bills? And how deeply and irrevocably scarred I shall be, thanks to this cowardly, crude,unthinkablyviolent behaviour on your part?!”
Byrne finally backed a step away, thank the gods, and his eyes darted uneasily between Ella and Natt. “Our apologies, Miss Riddell,” he said, his voice smooth and ingratiating. “We were truly unaware of your unusual, uh, arrangement. We only sought to protect you, and defend your honour against what we believed to be a true threat.”
Ella gave an unladylike snort, and crossed her arms tightly over her chest, feeling her heart hammering against it. “You shall leave my lands atonce,” she said thinly. “And you shallneveragain return, without my express permission. Or else I shall have my betrothed — and the Sakkin magistrate, and perhaps even Lord Otto himself — haul you up on charges of trespassing, and attempted murder, anddefilement!”
There was a flare of something Ella couldn’t read behind Byrne’s eyes — particularly at her mention of Lord Otto — but he took a step backward, and bowed his head. “Very well, Miss Riddell. We shall depart, and you shall have no need to speak of this unfortunate misunderstanding again. And once again, our deepest apologies.”
Ella gave a stiff, imperious nod, and watched as Byrne signalled to the men, and they finally retreated, with the dogs at their heels. Several of the men still giving Ella uneasy glances over their shoulders, but she kept standing there, glaring, until they’d finally vanished from view, and she could hear the distinctive sounds of horses’ hooves, moving into the distance.
It was only then that Ella whirled around, and rushed back to Natt. He was still sitting there on the ground, his bloody hand pressed against his dripping-red thigh, but his head lifted to look at her — and at the sight of his bruised, battered face, streaked with blood and cuts and dirt, Ella felt something lurch in her throat that might have been a sob.
