There was a beat of silence between them, while something almost like astonishment flashed through Maria’s thoughts. He — wanted to speak to her. He wanted to teach her. He wanted to help her… understand? Amidst herfeeling?
“Ach, you are weary, woman,” he said, his voice back to clipped again, even as she felt his hand settle, big and warm, against the small of her back. “You shall further rest now.”
There was the distant urge to protest, to point out that she surely hadn’t been awake for even half a day — but then, far stronger, came the understanding that this was still an order. That Simon still expected her to obey. To do whatever the hell he wanted. To honour him.
But as he looked down toward her, his black brows raised over watching eyes, it suddenly felt — different. Not mocking anymore. But instead… waiting. Assessing.
So Maria swallowed, and then slipped away from his touch, and strode toward the bed. Feeling his steady gaze upon her as she went, close, prickling, intent.
It wasn’t until she was tucked under the warm fur again that she risked a glance back up toward him. Finding, still, that heavy, silent watching, almost as if he was deciding something — and then a curt, quick little nod. Heapproved.
“I shall stay, whilst you rest,” he said. “There is naught more to fear, whilst I am with you.”
Maria nodded back, while an inexplicable relief seemed to settle upon her, sinking deep into the softness of the bed. She’d pleased him, and now he would stay, now she was safe…
But wait. No.No. In the few hours since Maria had awoken today, Simon had subjected her to exposure, humiliation, and shame unlike any she’d ever known. He’d imprisoned her, he’d left her alone in a deeply precarious position, he’d thrown at her all these rules, thoseimplements, he hadn’t even offered a damned chamber-pot, and she was still wearing an actualloincloth…
But in this moment, as Maria watched him silently stalk over to sprawl in his usual place on the bench, his free hand grasping for one of his scattered stones, she almost… somehow…acceptedit. Yes, he was still horrible, his clan was still deeply appalling, and she probably still hated him, and she still wasn’t supposed to evencare, and…
And. “It pleased me, when you honoured me as you did today, even in the face of your fear,” his low voice rumbled, beneath the loud shirr of his rock against the blade. “After this, I shall take more care with you. I shall no place you in such danger again. I shall keep you safe.”
Oh. And somehow, there was more quiet, more relief. More warmth settling low in Maria’s belly, soothing the last of her tension, slowing the pulse of her heart.
She’dpleasedhim. He’dlikedit. She wassafe.
And with that strange, tenuous certainty rocking against her ribs, Maria closed her eyes, and slipped off into sleep.
14
Maria’s awareness returned with a low shirring sound, pooling into her ears. Smooth, steady, rock against stone, hissing again and again into the silence.
She yawned and rolled over, and let her bleary eyes linger on the sight. On this orc, sitting upon that same bench, sliding a stone against the gleaming scimitar in his lap. He was wearing trousers again, but nothing else — and without looking up, he gave a telltale jerk of his head toward Maria. Saying, again,come.
And this time, Maria didn’t protest. Didn’t delay, or hide behind the fur. Instead, she slipped to her feet, straightened her loincloth, and then strode across the room toward him.
The approval was there, flashing brief through Simon’s lingering eyes, and for an instant, Maria thought —hoped? — that he might reach for her, draw her close. But instead, he reached for something nearby — perhaps one of his tunics, rumpled and massive — and held it up before her.
“This day past, you pleased me,” he said, slow, deliberate. “You showed yourself eager, and quick to learn for me. And thus, as your reward” — he tossed the tunic toward her — “you may wear this today, should you wish.”
Wait, she couldwearsomething?! Maria blinked down at the tunic, thoroughly astonished — and before Simon could change his mind, she swiftly shook it out, and yanked it on. It fit rather like an oversized sack, reaching nearly to her knees — but she wasn’t complaining, because it was still clothes, and it still coveredeverything.Andafter an instant’s silent frowning at her, Simon even grasped for a long strip of leather that had been strewn nearby, and tossed that over, too.
Maria willingly tied the leather around her waist, and then rolled up the huge sleeves, all of which improved the ensemble significantly. And for an instant, there was the rising, highly irrational urge to grin at him, or to reach and stroke his muscled shoulder, or even to find his lips with hers. Tothankhim, good gods, for granting her the basic decency ofdressing, and not even in her ownclothes.
“Um, so does this mean,” Maria managed instead, “you’ll allow me to dress from now on, then?”
Simon’s eyes studied her for a moment too long, his black brows rising. “I no say that,” he replied, voice cool. “I say you please me, this day past, so I reward you. You please me more, I reward you more.”
Wait. Maria stared at him for a blank, blinking instant, while the disbelief crept through her thoughts. Simon was going to —bribeher, withclothes? This damned orc, who last night had been so intent, so sympathetic, almost even vulnerable — had now decided to play agamewith her?
And for an orc who supposedly hated games so much, this was surely a brutally effective one. Because Maria was already clinging reflexively to her new tunic, while also fighting the sudden, helpless compulsion to beg, or shout, or spit straight at his smug, insolent, arrogant face.
“Look, I already signed that damned contract,” her voice snapped at him, before she could bite back the words. “And as I showed you yesterday —again— I’m committed to this, and I’ve honoured you in multipleextremelyexplicit ways. There is no need whatsoever for you to start playing some kind of twisted newgamewith me!”
But the challenge was still there in Simon’s eyes, his lip curling. “This is nogame, woman,” he said, calm, infuriating. “I spoke of this to you before you slept, and since then, I have dwelt long upon this. There is much you must yet learn, if you are to earn my trust, and become a true Skai. But” — he leaned forward, and jabbed his clawed finger toward her — “you yet fear our ways, ach? You fear my kin. You fearme.”
Maria swallowed, and opened her mouth to make some very well-justified statements about his horrible clan, and their horribleways— but Simon hissed a low growl, and jabbed his claw again. “I no blame you for yourfeeling, woman,” he continued flatly, “but I yet no wish for your fear. I wish to have you again hungry, and willing, and eager to learn for me — butwithoutthis fear, ach? Thus” — his lip curled into something that might have been intended as a smile — “we seek new way. You seek to honour me, I seek to reward you.”
With that, he leaned back against the wall, as though supremely satisfied with this new pronouncement. Leaving Maria to gape open-mouthed toward him, while her thoughts clanged and clambered through her skull. “You’re truly proposing that you —trainme?” she said, the incredulity far too clear in her voice. “Like I’m some kind of disobedientlap dog? And I don’t get any kind of say in this?!”
