Chapter 2

Chapter

Two

MIRANDA

M iranda fell back and hit the floor.

The vent crashed in above her.

She writhed, but a heavy weight pressed her down. She contorted her body as she scrambled to escape. Jutting screws cut deep into her flesh. The metal was so hot. She couldn't breathe. Couldn't move. Couldn't get out!

Accept it .

Oh god, she didn't want to accept it. It hurt . Everything hurt. The burning, the cutting, the clawing. The screaming .

The screaming of her babies.

Oh god, she had abandoned them. She'd escaped from the vent and just left .

Stop . Breathe. Clear your mind.

She tried. She flexed her legs, hunched her shoulders, and dug her fingers into the metal.

Was this metal?

No, it was soil .

She breathed in deeply. She sucked in the pungent aroma of the world around her into her sinuses. The real world. The world her body was truly in right now.

Faeda.

Rich pine, crisp frost, and decomposing leaves.

"What is wrong with you!? I told you she had to drink it."

Her ears burned and her mind felt muddled. She tried to rise to her knees but couldn't manage it.

"Be quiet ."

There were people here. She was not in a vault. Not in a vent.

She was not on Earth.

"She's fine . Just pick her up and carry her back to the hall like we planned."

The hall. That sounded familiar.

Miranda tried to open her eyes then. The vent faded.

She parted her eyelids. As she focused on what was around her, everything blurred and swirled until she felt sick. She squeezed her eyes shut and took gulping gasps through her mouth to keep from vomiting.

"She's coming to! You said it would last."

"I said she was supposed to drink it, you fool!"

"But she didn't drink anything in the hall! What were we supposed to do?"

The hall. The hall of Rove Wood Clan.

Where Govek was.

Govek's words thumped with every beat of her heart, soaking into her veins. "You are not in a vault. You are safe. In the woods of Faeda. With me."

She managed, "G-Govek?—"

A hand slapped over her mouth as another gripped her arm. The sensation struck the confusion from her mind. The crisp scent of frost and clean air, the icy night breeze. She blinked rapidly. The ground below her was covered in blurry leaves and pine needles.

"Let her go, you fool!" The hands left her cold. It was cold .

It hadn't been cold in the vent.

She was so dizzy. Why was she so dizzy? And why were things blurry? What had these males tried to make her drink?

They'd gotten it in her mouth. "Y-you poisoned me?"

At Miranda's words, the two voices went silent.

She became acutely aware of the wetness on her top and chin. She scrubbed at her mouth with her dirty hands. The gritty mud was foul, but it covered the scent of the bitter liquid, and her mind cleared a little more.

"Let's go ." One of the voices hissed, distorted by the hushed tone. She heard the stomping of their feet retreating into the brush, growing quieter with each passing second.

"You're just going to leave me here?" She tried to sit up, but she was still too damn dizzy. "Help me!"

She put her forehead to the cold, damp dirt, taking deep breaths. "Govek! Please ... you said you'd be able to hear me."

What in the hell was going on? The disorientation was so sharp she wondered if she was in the woods at all, but one thing was very clear: she was not in a vault. She was not trapped in a vent.

And she'd gotten out of those agonizing memories on her own. It was stupid and irrational, but that little sliver of power gave her hope.

The seer had been right . She could heal .

The cracking of branches sounded, hard thuds hitting mud. Growing louder.

Someone was coming!

She let out a hard exhale that took some of her tension with it. Govek had heard her. She managed to get to her hands and knees. The effort was so enormous that she trembled from it.

"Are you alright?"

Her lungs seized. It wasn't Govek.

"What are you doing out here?"

She recognized this voice. It was the same one that had just been here.

They'd come back and were pretending like they hadn't known she was here? Why? It didn't make sense.

"Here, let me carry you back?—"

"Don't touch me," Miranda snarled, ready to rip this male's eyes out if he came within striking distance. She looked up to his face, trying to force her blurry vision to return to normal.

"I only want to get you to the hall," the male said.

"If you touch me, I'll scream bloody murder and everyone in the clan will hear it," she snapped. She blinked rapidly, shook her head. Squinted. " Wolvc ."

"Uh... yes. Yes, I am. You can trust me."

" I'm not going to trust the guy who did this to me ," Miranda snarled, and Wolvc scampered away from her. She would have grinned if she hadn't been about to puke. "What the fuck is wrong with you? How dare you? Govek is going to slaughter you when he finds out."

"Miranda!"

That voice registered as clearly as one of the Rove Tree's crystalline leaves .

Maythra .

The older woman came to the edges of Miranda's vision, blurry but distinct. "Miranda, you've been attacked. You're confused."

"Attacked by you ."

"No, of course not. Let us help you."

"You must think I'm a complete idiot. I heard you. All of you." She hadn't. The voices had been garbled and male, but Maythra had shown up far too quickly for her not to be involved in this.

"I-I don't know what you mean, Miranda," Maythra managed, though the trembling in her voice betrayed her. "We found you here. Come, let my son carry you back to the hall."

"Your son ?"

"Rogeth," Maythra replied. "Wolvc is here too, but since you aren't comfortable with him?—"

"I'm not comfortable with either of them. Or you." Miranda's stomach churned, and she pressed her forehead back into the dirt, gasping. Using the clean, fresh scent of the fallen leaves to help clear her nausea. The cold prickled at her hands and knees as the damp soaked into her gown.

"Rogeth," Maythra whispered. "Get her. Wolvc, go in front to intercept him."

"How bad do you think my hearing... Intercept who ?"

"Dear, you're delusional. Please, just let us help."

"You mean Govek, don't you?" Miranda's mind flitted around and put together the pieces. "You're trying to make him lose his temper."

"Miranda, we would never?—"

"You want him to go crazy after seeing me hurt and attack in front of the clan," Miranda said, surprised by how quickly all the pieces fell into place despite how dizzy she felt. "You want him to be despised by them."

"Miranda, you don't know him. He has earned his reputation all on his own."

"Sure, on his own, with a lot of help from you ." Miranda rose to a crouch, rage giving her strength. " You cut up those animals, didn't you?"

Maythra's voice was laced with genuine confusion. "What animals ?"

"The animals Govek hunts. The animals that everyone says he tortured when he didn't."

"He does torture them." It was Rogeth who stepped forward now. "I'm the best butcher in this clan and even I can barely save them."

"If you were really the best butcher, you would know that those wounds were made after the animal was already dead. "

Rogeth fell silent.

"Why would you do this? Create such an elaborate rouse? What could you possibly hope to gain by making Govek seem like a monster ?"

"He is a monster. They'll all remember after this," Maythra said, her slender body trembling.

"Remember?" Miranda managed, bile rising in her throat.

"Yes, remember, " Maythra raged. "You've been distracting him with your vile cunt, letting the clan forget what he is. Letting them think that perhaps with you at his side, he might be manageable, but I know the truth. I know that there is no controlling that monster. "

Miranda's head swirled and her vision went blurry again. Fuck, how long was this stuff going to last ? "You drugged me. You're crazy." Another thought punctured. "How long have you been framing him?"

"I never. He has done all of it!" Maythra screamed, her voice so high and shrill that the two young orcs backed up a step. "Every last fucking thing! He's been vile since birth ."

"From birth?" Miranda sucked air between her teeth to quell her nausea. "What do you mean?"

"Corine knew it. She felt it when he was still in her womb. He's the reason she abandoned us all." Maythra actually began to cry.

"You... you think Govek is the reason his mother left." Her heart seized.

"Of course, he is. She would never have abandoned her mate or young Tavggol," Maythra said between growing sobs. "She loved them with every fiber of her being, and then Govek was conceived, and everything changed."

Miranda shook her head. The forest was growing clearer. "You really think an infant could drive their parent away?"

Maythra scrubbed at her eyes. "You weren't here , you don't know . You didn't see it. Corine was my closest friend. And she could not even tell me the whole truth of it."

"What did she tell you then?" Miranda asked carefully.

" Nothing ," Maythra exclaimed. "She only looked pained and conflicted, and I thought it was just a rough pregnancy and then she came to us in the dead of night immediately following the birth and begged my Zayvor, my mate, for his aid. To be her guide back to Estwill."

"She wanted to leave after the birth? Could something have happened immediately before ?"

Maythra's face contorted with rage again. "Our chief had nothing to do with his mate's betrayal! He is a good, strong, elegant leader, and Corine abused him terribly! Why, he told me that by the end she wouldn't even look at him."

That was enough of an answer on its own. She glanced at the two orcs who had edged to the outskirts of the clearing. Neither of them would meet her eye.

"And then they were gone ," Maythra sobbed. "I never saw either alive again. Only days after orc warriors found my Zayvor in the woods in bloody pieces and Corine had disappeared. This clan has never been the same. My Zayvor was the strongest male in the Rove Woods. His magic rivaled that of even our great chief."

Miranda's stomach dropped with pity even through the nausea, even as logic gripped her. "But how could you blame Govek for that? It's more Estwill's fault than his. He was just a baby."

"How can you believe that? If he hadn't been born, they never would have left!"

This woman was a slave to her own grief. There was no logic with her. "I am sorry for your loss. Truly." She glanced at Rogeth. "And you, too. It must have been horrible to lose your father like that."

Rogeth flinched. "He . . . wasn't . . ."

Miranda blinked in confusion, though she realized Rogeth was far too young to have been born around that time. He was younger than Govek.

"I have honored their legacy. By raising the babes of this clan whose mothers refused to do the duty. I alone take on the role the conquests of Oakwall Village abandoned. I am mother to this entire clan," Maythra said haughtily, as if the original agreement between conquests and orcs wasn't for the male to raise the babe on his own.

Before Miranda could even think of how to respond, the thundering sound of feet and the cracking of branches sounded in the distance. Getting closer.

"He's coming!" Wolvc yelled as Rogeth's still blurry form took shelter behind him. Coward.

"No!" Maythra screamed, as Miranda got to her feet. "It must be in the hall! We have no witnesses!"

Too bad , Miranda thought as Govek's brutal, hulking form burst through the underbrush and hurtled into the clearing.

He skated to a halt and the sight of him took Miranda's breath away.

He was gone. His eyes were glassy pricks, glowing in the darkness. His breathing was labored and his muscles were bunched, ready to spring into action. His fists were tight, ready to swing.

His gaze landed on Miranda, piercing her right through. She froze and her rational thoughts winked out. He looked like he was ready to rain pure carnage down on them all.

And she wanted to let him.

That single moment of hesitation was enough permission for Govek. He ripped his eyes away from her, found Wolvc, and slammed into him. The young male barely had time to flinch before Govek's fist connected with his jaw.

The crack ricocheted off the trees and reverberated all the way up Miranda's spine. Blood exploded from Wolvc's mouth as he fell. Govek followed him down and raised his fist again as Maythra screamed for help.

Miranda wanted to let Govek vent his fury and get revenge on her behalf, but it wasn't fair. He would regret this to the depths of his core just as he did everything else.

"You stole my mate. "

Oh lordy, him and his fricking voice . Unfortunately, he seemed too far gone to notice Miranda at all. All his attention was focused on the male that cowered beneath him.

Govek hesitated and his grated words revealed why. " I challenge you, Wolvc. Stand up and face me . "

Wolvc coughed and choked. Unable to get up. He only held up his hands to fend Govek off. "I—yi—" The sound came out garbled and strange. His jaw hung oddly loose. "Y-yield."

Govek's face contorted and Miranda's heart fell right out of her chest.

His fist rose, tightened, muscles bunched. " I'm not fucking done. "

He would kill him.

Miranda lost every sense of reason she had and rushed in. She grabbed the fist that was in the air and yanked it to her mouth. Govek's attention snapped to her and adrenaline spiked down her spine. He was so terrifying, but the surprise loosened his muscles enough for her to pull his fist down and unclench his hand. She extended his finger, drew it to her mouth, and licked from his knuckle to the tip of his claw.

Everything seemed to go still, from the males, to Maythra, to the wind in the trees. But most importantly, Govek froze.

His mask of blind rage fell from his face and something closer to complete disbelief settled over his features.

"What the fuck?" Rogeth said and almost gained back Govek's attention.

She sucked his finger into her mouth. She kissed and licked him carefully, trying not to cut herself on the sharp edge of his claw. The taste of salt and burned wood washed over her tongue.

Govek's eyes bulged, and he shivered. "Miranda." His hand twitched as if trying to get it away from her. "Not safe."

"Is that so?" she asked softly around his digit.

"Miranda!"

It was Maythra who called for her this time. For fuck's sake, had she really not given up? Her two orcs were retreating. Rogeth supported Wolvc's weight as they loped through the woods.

Miranda glowered at the woman. "Fuck off, Maythra. He's not gonna go crazy. Except for my cunt , of course."

Govek twitched, eyes wide as he slid his gaze between the two.

"He's a beast , Miranda." Maythra balled her skirts in her fists. "One way or another, we will?—"

The threat made Govek tense again, but Miranda had no problem soothing him. She stroked his arms. Pushed for him to look at her instead of the vile woman. "Hey, tough guy."

He swallowed thickly and his eyes flickered over her.

"My tough guy." She continued to rub him. "I'm okay. See? I'm just fine."

He shuddered, almost made a move to step past her.

"They didn't hurt me," she said quickly. "But my stomach hurts. I feel sick. Can we go?"

"They grabbed you, Miranda."

"Yeah." She stroked up to his jaw. There was no denying it. She knew she smelled like them where they'd grabbed her arm and covered her mouth. "Yeah, they did. And I want to get away from them. Let's just leave. Let's just find a quiet place to calm down. Okay?"

Govek growled, still undecided.

"Please, Govek?" Miranda murmured. "Please don't attack them. It would make me upset if you did."

His face twisted with anguish. It made guilt roll through her stomach. But still she pushed.

"I wouldn't like it if you attacked them. Can't we just let them be for now? Once you're calmed down, we can talk about what to do, okay?"

Govek took a deep, shivering breath and closed his eyes. Then he nodded.

"Why don't you pick me up, tough guy?" Miranda said. He lifted her before she'd even finished. "Let's go calm down. Together."

"Yes," Govek whispered, and Miranda touched her forehead to his, gently stroking her hands through his hair. He cradled her into his frame and began to walk away.

She only glanced back once to find Maythra still standing there, shaking and glowering, before she ran off to find the two other orcs.