“He’s right,” she made herself say, her quiet voice still somehow piercing into the room’s taut stillness. “My name is Maria, and I’ve come here to bear Simon a son.”
6
Wait.Wait. Maria had come to bearSimona son?
But before she could correct it, address it, the room immediately erupted into chaos. Into all the orcs and women chattering at once, many with uneasy expressions on their faces, some with downright disapproval. While Simon just kept staring down toward her,throughher, his huge arms flexing against his chest.
Gods, what thehell. One thoughtless grope in the corridor — one monstrosity grown in his trousers — and now she’d come here to bearSimona son? Really?Really?
“Silence,” cut in a deep, menacing voice — the big, heavily scarred orc, who had raised both his clawed hands, his eyes intent on Maria’s. “We welcome you to our mountain, Maria of Preia. I am Grimarr of Clan Ash-Kai, Captain of Five Clans. And this” — he reached for the woman before him, the one cradling theorc baby— “is my mate Jule. The mother of my son.”
Jule. That sounded vaguely familiar, and Maria’s thoughts churned as the woman again smiled warmly toward her, bowing her dark head. “I was once Lady Norr, of Yarwood,” she said, “if that might ring any bells?”
Goodgods. Maria’s gasp of shock was fully audible, echoing through the room — this wasLady Norr, and she was trulyhere, alive in Orc Mountain, wearing men’s trousers, and lugging about anorc baby?! But thankfully Lady Norr didn’t seem offended, and only gave a wry laugh, a tolerant roll of her eyes at the scarred orc beside her.
“You know, I seem to be getting this a lot lately, Grimarr,” she said. “You really need to stop telling people youateme.”
The huge orc actually smirked back down at her, his thick brows rising, his black tongue flicking out to curl against his lips — but Maria scarcely noticed through the continued pounding in her skull, her wildly racing heartbeat. It was only random, sheer luck of the gods that she and Lady Norr had never been properly introduced, that she’d caught a nasty cold before that ball at Norr Manor two years ago, and that Lady Norr wasn’t at this very moment saying,Wait, I know you, it’s the runaway Duchess of Warmisham —
“Should you truly wish to make this pact with us, Maria of Preia,” continued the orc captain’s deep voice, “you shall now yield to our hearing, and our terms. Do you yet wish for this?”
The panic and the relief were still clanging through Maria’s chest, but she somehow jerked a nod toward him. “Um, yes,” she croaked. “I do.”
“Good,” replied the orc captain. “Then our brother Nattfarr shall next Speak with you, and seek your truth. After this, Simon shall judge your fate.”
Wait,Simonwould judge? Maria’s eyes darted back up to where he was still standing with the rangy orc beside the door, his black eyes still glaring down at her,intoher. “She hold orcling also,” Simon snapped, jerking his head toward the — theorcbaby, still curled in Lady Norr’s arms. “ThenI judge.”
Oh gods, now Maria had tohold the orc baby?! And how did Simon know, how in the gods’ names had heseenthat — but no one argued this plan, and Lady Norr even shot Maria another encouraging smile, and then strode over to sit beside her. After which the rest of the orcs and women settled down too, thankfully turning their attention not toward Maria, but instead toward one of the orcs, now seated straight across the table from her.
This orc sported an astonishing amount of jewelry, including a bright gold nipple-ring, multiple rings on his clawed fingers, and a thick gold band around his huge bicep. And tucked under his bare arm was one of the pregnant women, a very pretty blonde one, who was also wearing an extensive array of jewels, several of them brazenly glinting beneath her highly revealingcape.
“I am Nattfarr of Clan Grisk, Speaker of Orc Mountain,” said the orc, his low voice carrying, his eyes glittering. “Shall you speak your truth to me, Maria?”
Even across the distance of the table, there was something unnerving about this orc’s eyes, and Maria’s panicked gaze had again, inexplicably, darted up toward Simon — but his scowl back toward her remained rigid, forbidding, unrepentant. Wanting Maria to agree to this, whatever the hell it was. Expecting her toyield, for hisjudgement.
So Maria again nodded, quick and frantic, and soon found herself caught in the strangest, most surreal interrogation of her life. With this disconcerting orc asking her an astonishing number of prying questions across the table, his eyes not once leaving hers, while Maria spouted off an assortment of deeply personal answers, despite the room full of highly alarming strangers listening to every word.
Yes, I truly wish to bear an orc a son. Yes, I wish for a financial settlement in exchange. Yes, I know it may risk my life. Yes, I have a husband. No, I hate my husband. I never wish to return to him or touch him again.
Thankfully the orc didn’t ask after her husband’s name, or details of her home in Preia — though he did ask, with damnable coolness, aboutSimon. Would Maria truly take Simon as her mate, for up to a full year, or perhaps even longer, while she carried his son? Would she truly mate with him, even if the mating act might cause distress or pain, or build a lasting and powerful bond between them? Would she vow to obey and honour him before all his kin, and follow the ways of his clan?
Much to Maria’s rising humiliation, she freely agreed to all the orc’s audacious questions, without the slightest hesitation. And it was only once the orc had finally seemed to finish, his dark eyes angling toward the captain again, that Maria managed to gather her wits, and blurt out what she surely should have said, prior to even beginning all this.
“L-look, I know I said I wanted to bearSimona son,” she stammered, darting another furtive glance up toward his still-scowling face. “But in truth, he’s already made it very clear that he’s quite unimpressed with me. So I’d be happy to take any of you, if that might help matters along?”
The stillness snapped again across the room, almost as though Maria had hurled out some kind of grave, deadly insult — and she didn’t miss the sudden frown on the pierced orc’s face, or the wince from the blonde woman under his arm. And from behind them, Maria could actually hear Simon’sgrowl, deep and vicious — and when she forced her gaze back up, he seemed to be almost vibrating in place, his dark eyes fierce and furious on hers.
“Your scent is already strong upon Simon, woman,” cut in the captain orc, a tangible warning in his deep voice. “And his upon you. Thus, no other orc in this room shall touch you without his leave.”
Oh. But surely Simon would give his leave, surely hehatedher — but before Maria could argue that perfectly valid point, the captain raised his hand, and gave a purposeful gesture toward Lady Norr. Toward — thebaby.
And this was a test, Maria knew it was a test, and if she wanted her revenge, she had to face whatever fresh hell this awful exhausting day wanted to throw at her. But even so, it felt almost impossible to follow the captain’s eyes, to turn her head toward it. Toward —him.
“His name is Tengil,” said Lady Norr, her mouth curving up into another encouraging smile. “He’s three months old, and he likes to be held. Watch the claws, though.”
And then Lady Norr held the baby toward Maria, offered it, waiting — and somehow, as if by utter desperate instinct, Maria reached out, and took it. Took this final, frightening death-knell of her future into her arms.
And. In a blinking, broken instant, everything just — vanished. The humiliation, the confusion, the exhaustion, all swept away, and leaving only — this.
