Chapter 32

Killikwas here. He'd returned.

Louisa'sheart kicked and surged, her mouth dry, her gaze fixed to Killik's face. To his pale, taut, grim-looking face, with its furious flashing eyes. And for a hanging, frozen moment, those eyes only stared at her, and then flicked down her body, and up, and down again.

"Ach, woman," Killik finally said, his voice very smooth, as he reached out a hand toward her. "You shall now come with me, shall you not?"

Louisa'shead was already nodding, her hand reaching to clasp his, feeling the rigid tension in his clammy fingers against hers. "Good," he said, with a cold, empty smile. "And thank you, sisters" — his eyes flicked toward the assembled women — "for your kind welcome toward her."

Noneof the women seemed to notice anything alarming about this — Jule and Cecily both smiled and waved it away, and Kitty was even beaming toward Killik with unabashed approval. And while Rosa wasn't smiling, she still looked mildly gratified, raising her blonde brows at Killik's tight, rigidly smiling face.

"Aren't you going to say anything nice about Louisa's new outfit?" she asked, with an unmistakable challenge on her voice. "She looks fabulous, doesn't she?"

Killik'sglittering eyes briefly flicked down Louisa's body again, sweeping a strange shiver over her skin. "Ach, she always does," he said coolly, without sparing another glance toward Rosa. "Now come, woman."

Louisaswallowed and nodded, allowing him to draw her toward the door, even as she shot a helpless glance backwards. "Er, thank you all, again," she told them. "It's been so lovely."

Again, the women seemed to easily accept this, smiling and waving goodbye, while Killik yanked Louisa harder, dragging her out into the lamplit corridor. But he wasn't looking at her now, only staring straight ahead, his jaw flexing in his cheek.

"So you — got Simon's message, then?" Louisa asked him, through her too-tight throat. "Did you see Sune already?"

Killiknodded, but still didn't look at her, just pulling her along faster down the corridor. His fury almost radiating from him, leaching into Louisa's churning gut, and she drew in a breath. "Has anything else — happened? Or are you just — angry with me?"

Killikhuffed a low, sudden laugh, or perhaps a growl, his eyes cutting sharp to hers. "I told you, woman," he breathed. "No. No, to all of this. You were not to come here, and parade yourself all over this mountain, and play-act as our mate!"

Louisaflinched all over, and shook her head. "That wasn't at all my intention, Killik," she said, fighting to keep her voice low. "I didn't tell anyoneI was your mate. AndI didn't even want to come here, let alone stay here, but —"

Killikcut her off with another growl, louder and harder this time. And after a baleful look at the corridor around them — and the handful of unfamiliar orcs up ahead — he pulled Louisa sideways, into one of the dark rooms lining the corridor. An empty meeting room, perhaps, with only a large low table set in the middle of it.

"Then why are you yet here," Killik hissed, as he flipped one of his daggers out of his hair, and pointed it toward her. "You wished to make some ploy against me? Some vengeance against me for not falling at your feet last eve, or handing over my wolf to serve your whims?"

Louisastared back at him for an instant too long, as her exhausted, overwhelmed brain fought to catch up. Killik thought — he really thought this was a ploy? He thought Louisa was trying to gain — vengeance? By helping Sune?

"It — it wasn't," she snapped back at him, though her voice wavered. "Look, Killik, it wasn't anything of the sort. I was only —"

ButKillik sharply sliced his dagger toward her face, close enough that she staggered backwards into the solid wood table behind her. "You only came to my home, to all my kin, this very next day after I told you no," he snarled. "Just as you did with the camp! I have told you the truth of this again and again, and again and again you ignore this, and do only as you wish!"

Louisa'sbreaths were coming too fast, her gaze fixed on that dagger before her eyes, and she desperately fought for something, anything, please. "In what realm have you given me your truth, Killik?" she shot back. "You've hidden your truth from the moment we first met! Good gods, just today, I learned you and Ulfarr are apparently both regular teachers at an actual school, and apparently you like to use chains in your bed!"

ButKillik only gave a furious roll of his eyes, a wild jab of his dagger toward her. "I told you we taught orclings, did I not?" he hissed back. "And ach, how else do you ken I break through Wolf's grief, and bring him to his knees for me? With honey and kisses and pretty ribbons? This is not at all the same" — his voice deepened — "as you saying last eve you understood this, and then coming here this very next day!"

Louisagrimaced, dragged in a shaky breath. "Look, I told you, I didn't plan to come here," she managed. "Sune needed help, so —"

"So why did you not take him to the camp?" Killik's harsh voice cut in. "Why did you not take him to the closest place, to where you knew he had kin? You ken you needed to bring him all the way here? When you knew we were away?"

Louisa'sbreaths heaved harder, her stomach now churning in her belly. "Sune said — it was best to come here," she countered. "I just wanted to help, I offered to stay outside, or go camp somewhere else, but —"

"But then why did you not!" Killik shouted at her, his voice ringing through her ears, scraping into her skull. "Why did you defy me, and betray me, and destroy all I have done!"

Louisastared at him, at his enraged flashing eyes, at his dagger still pointing at her face. Its sharpened tip so damned close, curdling genuine fear in her belly, drawing bitter misery behind her eyes. WouldKillik truly punish her over this? Would he call the deal off, or would he — would he hurt her? And why was she shaking, why was she on the verge of weeping, why did she keep tolerating this, again and again and again —

"I — wasn't," she choked. "I wasn't, Killik, I swear, I —"

Butjust then, there were — voices. A rising swarm of voices and footsteps, and now — a person, lurching into the room. It was — Sune?

Butyes, that was Sune, but his lean body was on crutches, and he looked — furious. Hopping with astonishing speed straight toward them, toward Killik, and — Louisa bit back her yelp — he swung up one of his crutches, and hurled it straight toward Killik's head.

Killikleapt sideways, easily avoiding the flying crutch, but Sune kept hopping toward him, signing toward him, his hand's movements far too swift for Louisa to follow. But clearly Killik understood, his eyes shifting as he watched, as his hand flipped his dagger upwards, tightly gripping its blade in his palm.

Andthen — then more voices, more people, surging into the room. Cecily, and Timo, and — and Ulfarr. And both Cecily and Timo lunged for Sune, both of them loudly pleading with him at once, while Ulfarr froze in the doorway, his big body utterly still, his eyes fixed blankly on Louisa's face.

Louisawas still breathing hard, her heart pummelling against her ribs, the cursed wetness now streaking down her cheeks. And damn it, Ulfarr looked shocked, and then aghast, the colour draining from his face — and then he came toward her with jerky, erratic steps, and…

Anddragged her into his arms.

"Ach, Louisa," his voice rumbled, as he folded her trembling body into his, curved his warm safe arms around her back. "Ach, do not look thus. Do not scent thus. You are safe here. Safe."

Oh, gods. It was like he'd cracked something, broken something deep inside, and Louisa clung to him, buried her face in his chest. Sank into the stark, stunning strength of him, the steady solidness of him, the sound of his thudding heartbeat beneath his warm chest. Safe here. Safe. At peace.

Butthen — Ulfarr stilled. Stiffened. His breaths caught, his hands clenched on Louisa's back. And then he slowly, carefully drew himself away from her, and turned toward the door. Toward — oh. Maria, and Simon.

Theywere standing immobile inside the doorway, both of them staring at Louisa, and at Ulfarr. And while Simon's face was again grim, disapproving, Maria looked pale, and shaky, and… afraid.

"Louisa?" she said, though her voice wavered. "Could we… speak to you for a moment? Alone?"

Therewas an instant's empty, dangling silence, hanging over the room. AndLouisa's rapid sweeping glance found Cecily and Timo looking uneasy, Sune darkly frowning, while Killik looked downright murderous. And beside Louisa, Ulfarr's face looked suddenly haggard, almost bleak — but he twitched a nod, and then strode with jerky steps toward the door. Keeping his head down, and giving Maria and Simon a wide berth as he slipped out the door, even as his head ducked lower toward them, his hand clenching over his heart.

Louisa'sbelly twisted as she watched him go, her heartbeat thundering louder in her ears — and then Timo and Cecily silently tugged Sune along, too. LeavingLouisa alone with Simon and Maria, and — Killik. Who hadn't moved in the slightest, and was still tightly gripping his dagger's blade in his fingers, even the sharpened tip, enough that blood was dripping toward the floor.

"I shall not stop you, or refute you," Killik said toward Simon, his voice emptier than Louisa had ever heard it. "But much of this was my doing, so I wish to stay."

Simonangled a searching glance toward Maria, who sighed, and nodded. And then she clutched a hand to her own dagger at her side, and turned toward Louisa.

"I'm sorry to tell you this, but you deserve to know," she said, her eyes glinting with pain, with regret. "Ulfarr can't be your mate. Ulfarr's not — safe. He's — a monster."