Chapter 23

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

PALOMA

" H elp me!" Lily shouts as she runs into our sector. "They're killing him!"

"Who?" McCullough asks as he grabs hold of her arms to steady her, she's shaking so bad and out of breath.

"Vints! They're beating him up?"

"Who? David? Carson?" McCullough names off the guards not currently in our sector.

"An orc."

"Geez, Lily, don't scare us like that. Now go sit down and calm yourself." McCullough shakes his head as he walks away.

Owen saunters over, drags those dirty brown eyes of his up and down Lily, a grin slithering onto his face. "You been screwing an orc, Lily? Because you know what'll happen to you if you have."

Lily pushes past Owen until she reaches me. "Help me, please. He's outnumbered!"

"A fight between an orc and a bunch of vints? We should stay out of it."

I have no desire to get involved with any orc, or vints, for that matter. Nasty creatures, those vints. Orcs, too. Let them kill each other, but there's a desperation in Lily's eyes, as if this is… personal. No, that can't be it.

"Lily, I'm sure the guards will break up the fight," I whisper, trying to calm her as I put my arms around her, but I don't believe they will. I need to find out if there's more to this fight. I've never seen her this upset, but I need to calm her down if I'm going to get any information from her. She's inconsolable, muttering something about knitting in a cave. Why would anyone knit in a cave? She's not making any sense.

"Get back to your table, Paloma." Owen orders. "You've got customers."

"Lily needs me." The moxxels looking at the leather goods at my table will wait or move on. Or steal the goods lying there unguarded. I couldn't care less either way. Lily's crying and most of what she's saying is unintelligible because she's so worked up.

"I'll tell your uncle you've been screwin' an orc, Lily," Owen threatens, making the situation worse. "No one will go near you again. I wouldn't want to be in your position when I tell your uncle all the disgusting details about you and that orc."

"She's not involved with an orc, so shut the fuck up, Owen," I spew back at the bastard.

"I saw one of them filthy beasts back on the trail she always takes."

"How do you know what trail she takes?" I don't even ask him why he didn't bother watching out for her if he thought an orc was following her because I know the answer. The fucking coward would rather see her attacked or killed than risk his own neck.

"None of your business. But I saw him heading in her direction. I didn't think she'd be stupid enough to fuck an orc.

Despite my intense dislike of Owen, I agree with him regarding the orcs. The very idea of being with an orc… I shudder. Even if Owen's right, I won't condemn Lily. I can't. She's a good person. One who's clearly in distress .

"We have to help him, Paloma!" she cries, clutching at my arms.

"Shh, Lily. We can't help anyone until you calm down."

"You can help me, Lily," Owen says, running a hand down her back to her ass. "We can help each other. I'll keep quiet about the orc. Once you're with me, you'll forget all about that animal."

I swat his hand off her. "Get out of here, Owen."

"Watch how you talk to me, Paloma. I can tell the Council about how you've been spending your time here with an orc and a pair of vints. Blowing them for money."

My mouth drops open. I'm shocked he'd spread such blatant lies. Though I shouldn't be surprised given how he just threatened Lily. The bastard is power hungry. He'll say anything to get what he wants.

"Go ahead. Spread whatever lies you want. Lily and I will vouch for each other."

"Except she hasn't been here," he says, quite certain of himself.

I place my hands on my hips. "I can lie as well as you. Better. Want to test me on it? We'll see what Council thinks about you blackmailing Forsythe's daughter into blowing you."

"You wouldn't," he says, raising a hand.

He doesn't get the chance to hit me as Lily pulls me away from him. "Why won't anyone listen to me? Ryko needs help. There are six vints out there beating him up!"

"You mean those?" I ask as a group of four vints drag an orc into the center of the market. I've seen that orc before, always watching Lily from a distance. He's outnumbered, bloodied and bruised, but damn, the male hasn't given up. He takes every opening to punch one of the vints or reach for one of their knives. Those spiked tails bat him back, like a horse's tail swatting flies.

"No, no, no!" Lily says when two vints finally restrain the orc and a third starts punching him, repeatedly .

I wince, hating the violence, and worse, hating that I'm starting to feel sorry for an orc.

When Lily tries to run toward the fight, I grab her. Owen was right. She's more than a mere acquaintance of that orc.

"Let go! I've got to help Ryko!"

"He's an orc. They're indestructible." I don't believe what I'm saying, but if Lily intervenes, she'll end up hurt or killed.

"Please, Paloma. He doesn't deserve this," Lily begs.

"He really means something to you," I whisper, too low for Owen to hear.

"Yes," she says, tears streaming down her face.

Regardless of how I feel about the monsters, I hate how everyone's standing around watching as if this is a sporting event. All except Lily. She's pleading with me, knowing full well she's outed her secret, something she'll pay dearly for when Owen tells our council.

The crowd gathering around the fight cheers when another vint strikes the orc's chest with the spikes on his tail. I wince as blood streams down his chest.

Four to one. Fuck.

"Maybe we could create a diversion?" I can't believe I'm going to help an orc. "If we distract the vints, then the orc will have a chance to escape."

"I'll do anything," Lily says, calming quickly as she focuses on me, as if I'm the key to the orc's survival. Damn, I hope not, because this is hardly my bailiwick. When I'm not selling goods in Pen'Kesh, I'm working in the fields of New Earth.

"He means a lot to you, doesn't he?" I ask because I have to be sure before I risk both of us.

Lily's beautiful tight curls bounce as she nods. I can tell she's eager to look back at the fight, to check on the orc, but her eyes lock to mine. She's desperate.

To save an orc.

Her orc .

I shudder at the mere thought of touching one of those green monsters. Their tusks that jut out from behind their lower lips unnerve me. I certainly can't envision, let alone understand, sleeping with an orc.

But Lily… I don't know, she's always been a sweet woman who just never found her place in our colony.

"Get your ass in gear, Lily," Owen calls over to her from where he's standing atop a table, watching the fight. "I'm getting the cart and we're going home."

The bastard is cheering the vints, telling them to crush the orc. When did he become best buds with the vints, the people who have been causing so much trouble for our colony?

Lily swipes at the tears rolling down her cheek. Those tears aren't for how Owen will ruin her. They're for that orc out there.

Owen glances over at us again and sees she's not packing up her sewing box. He jumps from the table, pushes a bantaran out of his way, and storms toward us. I've never seen him look so mad.

The bastard grabs Lily by her hair and yanks her along with him. "I told you to get your ass in gear, you monster fucker."