Gwyn’s fear felt like a hammer, a deadly strike to her already-raging heart. This couldn’t be it. This couldn’t be happening. Not yet. Not now. She had to keep Stella safe, had to run, to fight this —
When behind her, Stella choked out a strangled sob — and then dodged away from Gwyn. Around her. Toward the door, straight toward the beast, Stella was going to end this, she was going todie—
“NO!” Gwyn yelled, too late, too late — but it was already done. Stella rushing into the beast, straight into the deadly danger of his huge arms, as he —
Huggedher?
“I’m so sorry,” Stella gasped, her voice muffled, her head buried in the beast’s muddy fur. “I’m so,sosorry.”
And wait. The beast was… that wasn’t… was thatSilfast?!
But yes, oh good goddess, beneath the mud and the sweat and the fur — no, thehair— it did look like an orc, an orc who’d perhaps been beaten and battered and left to drown in a swamp. And rushing into the room behind him was the unmistakable form of Kalfr, his grey face sweaty, his hands in fists, his tall body also streaked with muck. And his dark eyes flashed with both frustration and relief as they settled first on Stella, still wrapped tight in Silfast’s huge arms, and then upon Gwyn, standing motionless before her kitchen table.
“I tried,” Kalfr said, with an exasperated grimace. “The fool fought me off, and thencrawledhere.”
Gwyn’s relief bolted through her, strong enough that her feet staggered, her hands gripping at the table for balance. And she somehow managed a nod, an attempt at a smile, her traitorous eyes oddly searching beyond the open door, to where maybe — maybe —
But no. There was no sign of Joarr, no twitch of his amused grin, no familiar comfort from his solid presence. No, no, of course not, because what had Gwyn told him, before all this, back in the trees?
You don’t touch me again. You don’t even speak to me again. I am never, ever falling for your lies, ever again.
She clutched harder at the table behind her, gulping down heavy breaths — surely Joarr still wouldn’t haveleft, would he? — and fought for balance, for focus. She was Bautul. She was fighting this, fixing this. And she was supposed to be helping Stella, who had still almost disappeared within the embrace of the massive, muddy, hairy creature before them.
“You shouldn’t have come,” Stella was gulping, into his filthy chest. “You must hate me, Silfast. You ought to punish me. You ought to forget me, and take a new mate. A braver one. A stronger one. A better Bautul.”
But Silfast’s deep bark sounded just as feral and vicious as he looked, vibrating through the room. “There is no better, woman,” he growled at her. “There is no braver. I did not” — his huge shoulders rose and fell — “listen, or seek your truth, or speak my own, as a true Bautul mate should have done. And so you have struck back at me, with all your strength, to make me see this. To help melearnthis. This is just what a Bautul should do.”
Stella was sobbing again, protesting, wildly whipping her head against him — until Silfast’s next bark snapped her back to stillness again. “No, woman,” he hissed at her. “I swear to better hear you, but I yet shallneverbear affront against my sweet mate. I shall strike downanywho speaks ill of her, with all my strength.”
It sounded like a threat, burning from his cruel mouth — but in his arms, Stella had indeed seemed to stop weeping, her shoulders shuddering, her breaths dragging in slow. And as Gwyn blinked, blank, bemused, Silfast’s huge, muddy hand slid down Stella’s back, and gave her arse a firm, audible little slap.
And to Gwyn’s rising astonishment, Stella — shivered.Gasped. And then clutched Silfast even tighter, smearing herself in more mud, inhaling deep. “Then I must require,” she whispered, “excessivecorrection, my lord, don’t you think?”
Against her, Silfast’s huge body had gone strangely, suddenly still — and in his eyes, dark but unmistakable, was the unease. The uncertainty. The…fear.
And in that instant, as Gwyn kept blinking between them, so many things about their relationship made full and infuriating sense. Had they truly not talked to their healers about this? Or worse, had they been told tostop? In the middle of all the other stresses going on in their lives?
“All right then,” Gwyn said loudly, to the room at large. “Just so everyone is aware, many games of intimacy arefineto continue throughout pregnancy, as long as both partners are careful. Everyoneisaware of this, right?”
But there was only an abrupt, choked stillness, in which both Stella and Silfast had wrenched to stare at Gwyn, their eyes wide and stunned,waiting— and Gwyn groaned, and sighed, and dragged a hand through her hair.
“Right then,” she said again, her voice harder. “So. Here’s the list. Pregnant women will scar more easily, and nipple play can lead to contractions, so all that’s best avoided. Circulation will also be reduced, so you’ll need to avoid any overly tight restraints, and watch for dizziness or fainting. And, you need be able to check with each other regularly, so no gagging. I’d be careful with any claw penetration, too, but anything that isn’t sharp is fine. And obviously no impact on her belly, but I’m sure you’re aware of that anyway. Does that” — she paused, pulled in a breath — “cover the main points, for now? Any further questions?”
Both Stella and Silfast were still staring at her, both gone entirely immobile, so Gwyn kept talking, giving an uncertain shrug. “If, at some point, you’d like to bring me on as your midwife,” she said, “I’d be happy to go through a breakdown of your usual activities, and make recommendations. Or check Stella over, after an encounter.”
There was still no movement from either of them, just those wide staring eyes, as though Gwyn had said something truly shocking — and she shifted uncomfortably on her feet, and glanced toward Kalfr, who was looking as nonplussed as she felt. And goddess, maybe she’d horribly overstepped, maybe that hadn’t been the issue at all, and —
“You aresureof this, woman,” Silfast’s voice cut in, his eyes unnervingly sharp on Gwyn’s face. “I shall not harm my sweet mate in this? I shall not worsen her weariness, or push her into an early birth? Efterar says mating is good for her health, but in this” —he grimaced—“I must be only, alwaysgentle. Most of all with my mate so unwell, and humans so delicate.”
Gwyn blinked at him — good goddess, she needed to have a word with this Efterar, pronto — and jerked a hard shake of her head. “You’ll be fine,” she said flatly. “If anything, making drastic changes to your relationship dynamic during a stressful time is a far greater risk. You just need to be careful, and check in with each other — and your healer — on a regular basis.”
Silfast’s shoulders had visibly sagged, his head bowing down toward Stella’s, his eyes fluttering closed. While Stella just kept staring at Gwyn, her eyes so wide and dark, her hands trembling against Silfast’s muddy, hairy chest. “You’re sure, Gwyn,” she whispered. “You’resure.”
Gwyn fervently nodded, and didn’t miss how Stella seemed to collapse into Silfast’s muddy body, how his huge clawed hand had again given a sharp, heavy slap at her arse. And how Stella again shivered all over, her lashes fluttering, her mouth letting out a hoarse, broken gasp.
And Gwyn was probably going to regret this, but she squared her shoulders, and twitched her head toward the half-closed door of her bedroom. “You’re welcome to make use of the bedroom, if you like,” she said. “Though I’d be very grateful if you’d wash the bed-linens afterwards.”
Stella was eagerly, frantically nodding, and already tugging Silfast toward it. And after one last, oddly penetrating look toward Gwyn, Silfast staggered after Stella, and then slammed the door shut with a piercing, resoundingthud.
