Chapter 7

The baby coos. It stopped crying at some point. Funny, because I'm about to burst into tears. I dare a glance over my shoulder, expecting to see a hatchet sticking out of my backpack.

With a thud that makes me quiver, the monster collapses behind me. Glassy eyes and the dark staining his back make it clear he's joined that woman in death.

I was saved. Relief washes through me and I'm thanking Karma as I turn around, seeking my savior…

Another monster. Of course.

I try to shoot to my feet, but the backpack screws up with my balance, and my legs are jelly, and I fall onto my ass. My heart hammers against my ribs as I scramble away, holding the baby to my chest. I gasp for air, my legs trembling too hard to stand. My back hits a tree trunk.

This is insane. How many attempts on my life can I survive?

This new creature looks like the other but is also completely different. Also clearly a male, this one is terrifying. He's even taller than the first, pushing eight feet—an imposing mass of muscle. He's also naked from the waist up, but he has a black fur cloak over his shoulders. Black eyes stare down at me, wide with surprise. He shifts his weight between his feet, waiting, observing.

From this angle, his skin is the color of summer leaves, and his eyes glow in his chiseled face. Twin tusks—bigger than the other monster's—rise upward from his jaw, but they don't stretch his lip or anything. Black hair grows long from the top of his head, tied back. Over his pointed ears, his hair is trimmed to the scalp. A pair of leather pants and boots with fur trim cover his muscular legs. There's something to his posture—the proud way he holds himself. This is a warrior and a regal one at that.

He's a fearsome sight, but his intensity, his raw power—it's magnetic, even as it terrifies me.

He grunts, a guttural sound that vibrates through the cool air, breaking the silence. His gaze drops to the child in my arms. My heart races. More grunts. He's… communicating. He's not jumping to murder while I have the child.

But… why?

He points again, his barrel chest rising and falling with his breath. Frowning, I lower the baby in my arms.

The baby has calmed down now, and it breathes slowly as it blinks sleepily at me. I tug the fabric down his chin.

Oh. Oh.

The baby's skin is green, the same shade as this monster standing before me. I didn't notice it at first under this light. Tiny tusks push out the baby's bottom lip when it smiles at me.

Oh, shit. Oh, shit. I crossed a portal into another world and almost died… because of a little monster? A literal little monster? Questions flood my mind. How could I hear him from so far away? How did I cross that portal?

Where the fuck am I?

"Are you... are you the father?" I whisper, my voice quivering. I look up.

The monster narrows his eyes at me and makes no reply. Is he offended or doesn't he understand me? The latter is a strong possibility.

Should I leave the baby and go?

Another glance at the dead bodies around me stirs a dreadful thought—what are the chances of this orc being the baby's father? What if they're creatures who kill their young?

What if this fallen orc tried to attack me because he was the father and he thought I was kidnapping his son?

Dread is like lead. The tension coils tighter around us.

Slowly, I slip one arm from the backpack's strap and get to my feet. He lets me, though his gaze follows my every move. With my heart racing, I know I have only one chance. I tighten my hold on the kid with the other arm…

Then drop my backpack behind me. The thud makes him look down. That's it. I have half a second and this time, I use it. I dart back the way I came, diving into the tall bush.

The baby might be a little monster, but it's still a baby. It's innocent, and I won't leave it to die.

My feet skid on the mud, but I don't stop. My eyes are wide as I blindly follow my gut, hoping I find the right tree, the portal, hoping I can reach it…

A massive hand closes on my hoodie. He doesn't even have to pull. My momentum yanks me back and I wince, slipping on the dead leaves. I lose my balance. He lets me go for a second, but his hands close around my shoulders, keeping me up.

I stumble back into his stomach. My brain screams at me to run. My legs work, but his hold is inescapable. He grips me tighter and whirls me around, slamming my back against the closest tree.

I expect pain, but it doesn't come. He just holds me there, a big hand reaching for the baby. I raise a foot and aim.

Miss Congeniality, please, take the wheel.

I slam my foot down against his, then shoot my hand up, aiming at his throat. Just one problem.

I can't reach it. He's too freaking tall.

He catches my wrist, my arm a mere twig in his massive hand. I kick him again, but he doesn't even flinch. Should I knee his balls? Yes. Absolutely.

I put all my effort into this one kick, shooting my leg up as hard as I can. He feels my intentions because he slams his body against mine, ending the distance between us and stopping me from kicking him.

The baby whimpers, lodged between my breasts and his hard stomach. The monster holds me against the tree, his hot breath hitting the top of my head with every rise and fall from his chest.

My body trembles, but out of anger now. Again. Again, I'm caught, defenseless, alone. Again, someone's going to hurt me when all I did was try to help.

Defeat is so bitter, it makes me choke. I glare up at him, anger making me stupid.

"Kill me then," I spit, baring my teeth. "If that's all I'm good for, then fuck it. Kill me already."

Those black eyes stare back at me. His brows rise. He's probably surprised at how stupid I am.

I wait, but this time I refuse to beg. I refuse to ever beg for my life again.

The monster pulls back, inch by inch, releasing me. I gasp for air. He lets my hands go, but his arms hover by my sides, ready to catch me if I try to run.

And if things are not bad enough, more footfalls approach, the bushes rustling with the approach of others.

More monsters. Just what I needed.