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He starts to chuckle.
“No balls, human sweetheart,” he laughs. “Unmated orcs don’t have them.”
But she’s not listening. Because she’s noticed me.
And the look of betrayal in her eyes finally makes me move.
“You touched her,” I growl, and Vlog turns my way. When he sees me, he starts to smile, as if I’m here to help with what he’s doing. How did I let this happen? How did I allow my mate to suffer at their hands?
I should have taken her with me. I should have made sure she was safe.
I will regret this moment for the rest of my fucking life.
“Oran.Good. Hold her while we—”
“You touched her. Now you die.”
“What?” He stops laughing, but the smile doesn’t drop. Until I start to run forward. “Oran! Don’t forget you work for—”
He puts an arm up to defend himself, but his whole clan is pathetic. That’s why Cardan needed saving back on Iriaza, I realize with sudden clarity. Not because the Moban caught him unprepared during the rebellion, but because he’s weak.
I grab the proffered arm and pull up hard, using my height advantage as I hear bones snap. He twists with a howl, trying to get away from me, but it’s the worst thing he can do, just giving me more leverage. I snap his arm around, once, twice, and tear it from its socket. Blood sprays from the open wound, raining down on Ivy as Vlog roars with pain and shock. Naarsh computes what’s going on and comes at me. He’s not the brightest specimen of orc brainpower, but he’s big. I turn, jutting my lower jaw as I swing Vlog’s severed arm like a club and slam it into the side of Naarsh’s head.
His face snaps sideways, and his body pivots on one foot like I’ve seen Raven and Emmie doing when they dance, then gravity takes hold. Naarsh plummets to earth like a stone, sprawling across the dirt and tiles, breaking a tusk and lying still.
“My fucking arm!” Vlog is howling. “My arm!”
“Take it,” I say, shoving it into his chest. He’s so shocked, he actually takes it from me, wrapping his remaining arm around the dead weight.
Vlog’s last words stutter from his lips in disbelief as he looks into my eyes. “You work for us!”
“I am Oran,” I say, and clench my fist. “I work for me. And her.”
“You didn’t see what my father left you? It is a gold bar. Human gold. There is more where that came—"
“I care not for gold.” Stepping forward, I swing my arm in an upward arc, slamming my fist underneath his chin. His lower jaw cracks against the upper and his head is forced back. Vlog lifts from the ground, staggering back toward the edge of the pit, and I raise my foot then land it heavily into his gut.
He topples over the edge and comes down hard, head cracking against the side of the pit. Momentum pulls his massive body up and over, and his neck twists and snaps as he rolls. When he finally comes to rest in the bottom of the pit, his head is set at an angle, and his eyes are glazed.
I crouch beside the chair and start to untie Ivy’s wrists. “I’m sorry,” I say. “I should have… I’m here now. Nobody will ever hurt you again, I promise—”
As soon as her wrists are free, Ivy gets to her feet, turning and backing away from me. Her eyes are wide as she stares at my face, darting to the pit where Vlog’s remains lie still, and then to the exit.
“Drozna. You’re safe now.”
“Stay away from me,” she warns, still backing away. “You stay away. All of you just stay away. Don’t fucking touch me. Never again.”
I shake my head, not comprehending her words. I just saved her life. “It’s me. Oran.”
“Don’t you think I know that? I’m not going back down there for some other orc to use me as a punching bag. I’m not.” She’s on the other side of the room, near the exit. “Don’t you fucking follow me either. I don’t want you in my life.”
The words echo in my brain. She doesn’t want me. My mate doesn’t want me.
Should I be surprised?
As I watch her turn and run through the doorway, my heart twists and I let out a low roar. Of course my mate doesn’t want me. I’m a monster. A twisted thing. A failed experiment. The enemy. I can’t even blame the Moban for this. This is all on me.
The soft laughter draws my attention. Naarsh is grinning up at me through swollen lips, his eyes barely focused. “Fucking done it now…Oran. Cardan will kill her when he finds her.”
