Chapter 28

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

LILY

I hate this uneven road and how the cart bounces. Owen forced me to sit beside him up front instead of in the cargo bed where I usually ride with the other women. Except there are no other women on our ride home. Or men. Just Owen and me. I'd rather be in back with the scratchy hay. Anywhere other than with him.

Between the rut-filled road and the odd sideway glances Owen keeps throwing my way, I haven't been able to focus on what I'll say to my uncle. Owen guessed the truth, though I continue to deny it. Only Paloma knows for sure, but she's on my side, despite how she shuddered at the idea of being with an orc. She would feel differently if she knew Ryko like I do.

I'm not in a full-blown panic. Yet. We have at least another hour before we reach home and we'll have to stop for the horse to drink at some point.

"You can make this all go away," Owen says as he puts his hand on my knee.

My flesh crawls from his touch. I never thought he'd be so brazen as to make a move on me. I shove his hand aside. "Touch me again and you'll regret it."

He laughs. The type of arrogant laugh that makes a girl want to punch a guy. I'd do it too, except I'm in enough trouble. I'm still trying to come up with a good lie, a believable lie, as to why I was walking with an orc, alone in the woods. Even a well-crafted lie may not be enough. Council could take Owen's word over mine. My uncle definitely will.

Council's not auctioning Tamara off to a guy. They're giving her to a house full of men.

Poor Tamara! How can Council do that?

They have all the power. As bad as a monarch. A king. A grak.

When I left Pen'Kesh, Ryko's grak looked furious. I hope Ryko's okay.

Thinking of my brave orc gives me all the motivation I need. I'll fight fire with fire if necessary.

Owen's hand returns to my knee. "You're in no position to threaten me, sweet baby. Face it. You need my help. So show me what saving your hide is worth."

"I don't need you," I spit back at him, shoving his hand off me yet again.

"Yeah, you do. You just don't know it yet. Maybe you haven't heard about sweet, innocent Tammy and her mystery orc."

"I heard."

"She refused me, too."

My mouth drops open, shocked, even though I shouldn't be. "How could you do that to her?"

He shrugs. "She didn't take me seriously. Like you. What's it gonna be, Lily. The back of the cart or a patch of grass somewhere?"

"Stay the hell away from me." I scoot to the other side of the bench.

He takes the reins in his left hand and grabs me by my shirt, pulling me over to him. And forces my head into his lap. "Prove you're a good girl."

I bite through his pants into his thigh.

"Bitch!" He shoves me away from him. "I'm gonna tell everyone you've been screwing an orc."

I'm sorry I bit his thigh and nothing else, but the cart hit a pothole at the wrong moment. "Go ahead. I'll tell everyone you're the one screwing an orc. No, the other way around. You've been dropping your pants to get it up the ass by an orc."

When Owen reaches for my hair, I grab his middle finger and pull back hard until it snaps.

"You mother fucker!" He yanks back on the reins, bringing the horse to a sudden halt.

Shit, I didn't think this through! I shield my face, certain he's going to punch me, but instead he unbuckles his belt and pulls it free of the loops.

My eyes scan the area for an escape route. That's when I spot something blue moving in the trees along the road up ahead. "Something's out there."

"You really think I'm an idiot?"

Vints surround the cart. Five of them taking Owen by surprise. He doesn't have time to reach for the knife at his side as the vints converge on us like a hoard of locusts. If only they were locusts, or any other plague. Vints have a thirst for blood. Human blood.

I kick at the vint who tries to grab me. The bottom of my foot meets him square in the face. "Leave me alone!" I yell at the vint, still kicking as a second vint pulls Owen from the cart.

The sickening sound of fists pounding flesh rattles me and I falter and stop kicking for a split second. That's all the vint needs. With the opening I've given him, his blue-spiked tail wraps around my waist and drags me to the ground.

Five vints surround me. I don't hear Owen at all.

A new fear settles in my bones as one of the vints stands over me, the tip of his tail trailing down the side of my head. When a spike comes dangerously close to my eye, tears run down my face. I search for my voice and the words that will convince them to spare me.

Nothing comes out. I'm like a doe caught in a hunter's sights.

"I lost a lot of my men today, female. All because of you."

I recognize him. He was one of the vints Ryko and that other orc defeated. The only one who survived.