Maria felt her eyes squeezing shut, her body bracing for the impact, for Ulfarr’s final croaks, for a dead-eyed emptiness left behind. And despite everything Ulfarr had said and done, suddenly there was a furious, desperate urge to rush forward, to grasp at Simon, to beg and plead, to stop the revenge, the death, the winnowing of his kin,please—
“Your father deserved this, for all the harm he brought to our kin,” Simon’s voice said, powerful, utterly certain — and when Maria’s eyes blinked open, it was to the sight of Simon glancing toward…Tristan and Salvi? Yes, they had somehow appeared too, standing at the rear of the other orcs, their eyes on Simon’s face. And as Maria watched, Salvi slid his arm around Tristan’s shoulder, and pulled him close.
“Then finish it,” Ulfarr wheezed again. “Do yourjob, Enforcer.”
But above him, Simon —stood. The movement smooth, sure, just as certain as his voice had been. And as he towered huge and menacing over Ulfarr, he brushed off his hands, flicking drops of blood down onto Ulfarr’s convulsing, defeated body.
“Ach, I no ken I shall,” Simon replied, cool, clipped. “Salvi, come tend to him, ach? And Efterar,youonly help if he is near death.”
Simon’s eyes had angled sideways as he spoke, to where — Maria stared — Efterar and Kesst had also materialized, standing still and silent amidst the circle of watching orcs. And in response to Simon’s statement, Efterar accordingly shrugged, while a look of unmistakable satisfaction stole across Kesst’s black eyes.
“And no one shall healthis,” Simon continued, with a dismissive flick of his hand toward Ulfarr’s bloody groin, “with no my leave. No until our fallen brotherearnsthis reward, ach? Until he works for our clan, and our kin, as one who seeks to be an Enforcer should. Until he again gains my trust.”
Something warm and flickery was sparking in Maria’s chest, and only bubbled higher when Simon slowly turned. His movements so fluid and careless, his clawed hands easy at his sides, his gaze sweeping over the watching orcs. Settling, oh so briefly, on Maria, before passing by again.
And as Maria followed his eyes, she realized, with a true jolt, that nearly all these orcs were Skai. Apart from Kesst and Efterar, Tristan and Salvi, and Baldr, they were all orcs she’d met over these past days — orcs like Killik and Halthorr and Fulnir, Balgarr and Igull and Argarr. The Skai whose allegiance Simon had worked so hard to gain.
“I am your Enforcer,” Simon’s voice continued, unwavering. “And this is my judgement, upon an orc who sought to steal a woman his brother has claimed. This is my judgement upon an orc who sought to break the peace our brothers have so fiercely fought for. This is my judgement upon an orc who sought to claim my place, and thenranfrom me, to huntmywoman.”
No one moved or spoke, beyond Ulfarr’s choking breaths, and Simon prowled around him in a circle, again fixing his gaze to his fellow Skai as he passed. “Shall any of you stand against me in this?” he demanded. “Shall any of you spurn my judgement, or back Ulfarr’s claim against me as Enforcer?”
There was yet more silence, and more shivery warmth in Maria’s belly as Simon held his eyes to hers, and then passed by again. As if she truly were a Skai, able to question him, to challenge him, to freely speak as she wished.
But no one moved, protested, spoke. At least, until Simon had finished another prowling circle, his glittering eyes again catching on Maria, then on Joarr beside her. And this time Joarr laughed aloud, the sound blithe and bright in the stilted silence.
“Ach, no, brother,” he said firmly, his voice carrying. “No after a lone human felled him with only a dagger, ach? Withyourdagger. Uponyourteaching.”
Joarr smirked at Maria as he spoke, and she could feel Simon’s eyes flicking back toward her too, warm,approving. “Ach,” Simon said, voice gruff. “My woman has learnt much from her time with the Skai. She has brought me great honour.”
Great honour? A hard ripple of heat raced up Maria’s back, her disbelieving eyes fixed to Simon’s face — but yes, good gods, he’d meant that. Great honour. Fromher?
“Ach,” Simon murmured, and it was as though his eyes were looking into her, through her. “And this woman has taught me much, also.”
She had? But Simon was still seeing her, still nodding, stillapproving. “You ken, my brothers,” he said, “how this woman tasted, when first I brought her before you? You tasted her shame? Her fear?”
None of the orcs replied, but Maria could suddenly feel the force of their attention on her, their judgement. Their memories of that moment, when she’d stood in her loincloth before them, trembling, terrified.
“Maria came here seeking freedom,” Simon continued, his voice flat. “Seekingpeace, amidst the suffering she had borne. I saw this. Iknewthis. Even as I knew I must lead a rut upon her, to gain her for my own, in the ways of our fathers. Ach?”
Still no one spoke, and Simon started striding again, catching his brothers’ eyes as he passed. “Iforsookthis way,” he said, “to gain this woman’s peace. And in this” — his eyes flicked back to hers, held there — “I have gained much more. I have gained her blade, and her hunger, and her ripe womb. I have gained her willing, eager fealty. Ach?”
There was more silence, watchful and careful, as the orcs’ glances kept searching Maria, prickling against her skin. But her own eyes remained fixed to Simon, to his certainty, his strength.
“Thus, in the face of this,” he said, “I call the Skai to seek a new way, with this rut our fathers granted us. I no call for anendto this, but” — his gaze again swept over the watching orcs — “for achoice, for our mates. I call for them tochoosethis rut. To choose when, and where, andwho.”
And where there might have once been panic, there was instead warmth, spreading wider, burrowing into Maria’s belly. While her mate’s deadly, powerful eyes once again caught to hers, holding her, knowing her,approving.
“I wish to gain our mates’ true hunger,” Simon said, his voice deepening. “I wish to hear them beg for our strong Skai ploughing, whilst all our clan bears witness. Ach?”
And as Maria looked at him, it was as though the warmth smoked, smouldered, and flashed up into furious, crackling flame.Wish to gain our mates’ true hunger. Wish to hear them beg for our strong Skai ploughing…
Simon was making a new way. Seeking it, here, with his words, with these orcs’ perceptions, withher. And now he was tossing it toward her, alight and alive and bursting with power. Withhope.
And Maria caught it. Held it. Treasured it. Her mate, the father of her son, knowing her. Trusting her. Honouring her. Skai.
“I love you, Simon,” she said to his watching, glinting eyes, her voice quiet but clear. “And I would be honoured if you would lead a rut upon me, at any time or place you might wish. But only” — she smiled, warm, rueful — “with you? Please?”
And in the stunned, stilted silence, there was —peace. Peace in the way Maria’s mate was smiling at her, so slow, so crooked, so true. In the way he prowled closer, his huge hand catching hers within it, and raising it to his mouth. In the way — the craving kindled, exploded — he sucked off her fingers, one by one, his tongue twining and caressing, cleaning off the remnants of Ulfarr’sblood.
