John shot her a sidelong look, a curt nod. “You said you wished to work in my library, and learn Aelakesh. Yes?”
Rosa’s gasp of delight bubbled up on its own, and she couldn’t help a bright, eager grin toward his blank face. “Truly, John?” she said, clasping her hand to her heart. “I wouldlovethat.”
John nodded again, as if he’d expected no less, and then sharply turned a corner. And here, again, was his library, spacious and high-ceilinged and lovely.
But this time — Rosa’s steps hesitated behind John — there wereother orcsin it. Two orcs, in fact, rather disparate in size, sitting side by side at the room’s large wooden table. And when one of the orcs turned to look at them, blinking with long-lashed eyes, Rosa’s breath choked off in her throat, her belly twisting tight.
It was Tristan. John’slover. The orc who, along with Salvi, had tried to prevent her from leaving the other day, and who’d growled at her with such ferocity. And who, Rosa noted with deep misgiving, looked even more handsome than she remembered. His skin a silvery grey, his eyes large and expressive, his mouth sensuous and full.
“You shall work and study here with Tristan today,” John announced toward Rosa, the words slicing through the whirl of jealousy currently clouding her brain. “He is our best scribe, and shall teach you well. I have also brought these tools you wished for.”
He waved a hand at the empty side of the table, which indeed boasted an impressive variety of writing and binding tools. But that meant — Rosa twitched — John truly meant her to work here, across a table from hislover. Who happened to be sitting beside — she twitched again, and then openly stared — the massive, deadly orc who’d single-handedly fought all those men yesterday. Simon, of Clan Skai.
He was wearing a tunic today, and appeared in surprisingly good health compared to his bloody state in the sickroom. But the parts of him that Rosa could see — his craggy face, his neck, his huge veined forearms and hands — were still heavily marked by cuts and scars, some still raw and angry-looking. And his glittering eyes were staring straight back at Rosa, with a look that could only be suspicion, or perhaps even dislike.
Rosa couldn’t help a reflexive shudder, and a fearful, uneasy glance up at John’s face. “Um,” she said. “And you’ll stay too, John, won’t you? And help teach me? And read to me, like you said?”
John’s brows furrowed together, his head giving a decisive shake. “There is much I must now address today,” he said flatly. “Thanks to our wise, foresighted Skai” — his mouth thinned, his eyes narrowing toward Simon’s hulking form — “I must now spend these next days mired in plans and meetings, staving off the new war-plots of men.”
Oh. Rosa fought to hide her disappointment, but likely failed miserably. “And I can’t — come with you? Like yesterday? And learn?”
“You shall better learn here,” John replied, his voice firm. “This is what you wished for, pet.”
Rosa felt herself grimace, her eyes darting toward Tristan — who was looking back toward them, his brow delicately furrowed. “And mayhap, John-Ka,” he said, soft, “you shall return to us at noontide, and review our work.”
John shot Tristan a look that was heavy with unspoken meaning, sparking another unnerving flare of jealousy deep in Rosa’s gut. “Ach, I shall seek to do this,” John snapped. “Does this appease you, woman?”
Appease you. As if Rosa were suddenly pelting him with insatiable demands, and she felt herself shrink back slightly, her arms crossing against her chest. “Okay,” she heard herself say. “I suppose.”
John’s eyes briefly closed, and she could see his shoulders rise, and fall — and then he purposefully stepped closer to her, and circled his hand gently around the back of her neck. To where it was familiar, steady, safe — and even more when that hand tilted her head up, drawing her eyes to his.
“You shall stay here, little pet, whilst I do what must be done,” he said, his voice smooth, reassuring. “You shall do good work, and seek to please me upon my return. Whilst I am gone, you shall ask your questions of Tristan, and know that he shall help you on my behalf, and keep you safe.”
Keep you safe. Rosa’s eyes darted again to the table, this time lingering on Simon’s giant, watching form — but a purposeful little shake of John’s fingers snapped her gaze back to his again.
“And you shall not fear Simon,” he continued. “He has sworn only to work here today, and not frighten you, lest he risk the captain’s wrath. Ach?”
Rosa could only swallow and nod, wholly caught in the glittering power of those eyes. “Very well,” she heard her voice say, quiet, shameful. “I shall seek to please you, my lord.”
John gave a satisfied-sounding grunt, a triumphant pat to Rosa’s hot cheek — and then, without another word, he spun on his heel, and stalked out of the room.
Rosa watched him go, her arms still wrapped tight to her middle, while the contented-feeling warmth that had filled her all morning seemed to seep away a little, vanishing into the stone all around. Because that, just there, had been John —manipulatingher. Again. Hadn’t it?
And as much as Rosa couldn’t deny that she’d fallen for it, again — or that she’d perhaps evenlikedit, in the moment — it was still a chilly, unsettling reminder of what he really was. What allthisreally was. The food, the bath, the reading.
John wanted to prove this to her. He wanted her to stay. Not because he liked her, or valued her — but because he didn’t want herbloodon his hands.
And now that Rosa knew about John’s goals — helping women like her was hislife’s true aim, he’d said — it all made far more sense than it had before. This was personal, for John. And it wasn’t about her. It was about hiswork.
And if Rosa had learned anything from yesterday’s chaos, it was just how much John cared about his work, and his responsibilities. And letting a woman like Rosa die — or even letting her run away from him — would surely call into question his competence, his integrity. It would weaken his standing as a leader before his people.
John didn’t truly care. Rosa wasn’t truly his pet. Heneededher to stay. And it didn’t matter, itdidn’t, Rosa was only here to save her own future, three weeks, and that was all…
Rosa felt herself swallow, her eyes fixed unseeing to the floor — until she jumped at the sound of a cough, coming from the table. “Should you wish to join us, Rosa,” said a soft voice — Tristan’s voice — “I could teach you and Simon our letter-forms together.”
Rosa couldn’t help a suspicious, miserable glance toward him, and his infuriatingly handsome, symmetrical orc-face. Which blinked back at her for an instant, his eyes wide and dark, before he ducked his head, his pointed ear-tips turning a faint shade of pink.
“Or not,” he said, even softer than before. “As you wish.”
