Chapter 8

Itshould have been another endless, sleepless night. What with Louisa's shouting brain, her still-trembling body, the tenderness between her legs. And strongest of all, the sweeping, staggering shame.

Whathad she done. Good gods, what had she done. She'd given Killik exactly what he'd wanted. She'd impaled herself, pleasured herself, while he'd watched, and judged. He hadn't even spoken a single word of kindness, and then he'd just turned around, and left. Like the smug, infuriating bastard he was, and now Louisa had agreed not only to his proposal, but to his… wolf. To another orc. Possibly even a worse orc. In her bed. For ten nights.

Itwas without question the most shocking thing she'd ever done, the most foolhardy decision she'd ever made. So why was she sinking so heavily into her bed, and feeling almost… relaxed. Almost… relieved.

Maybeit was just that she'd done something. She'd accomplished something, and gained even some small, whispering promise of peace. Her debts paid, her staff safe and fed, her land and her life finally her own, free of LordScall, forever.

Andmaybe, her traitorous thoughts whispered, as she yawned and curled up beneath the blanket, it was also… having help. Having a confident, decisive orc like Killik standing by her side, lounging in her bedroom, watching her obey him. And even gaining his own pleasure from it, even if he hadn't wanted to admit it…

Thevision of his wet-stained trousers followed Louisa into sleep, and into dark, heated dreams. Into visions of Killik's dagger, his claws, his smooth mocking voice, his wolf's massive solid prick. And maybe even his wolf himself, hovering huge and leashed and obedient in the darkest shadows, until Killik gave the command, and…

"Missus!" came a shrill, scraping voice. "Theorcs!"

Louisajerked and flailed up in bed, blinking blearily at the bright morning light, and toward — Gladys. Her small, silver-haired housekeeper, who was hovering in the doorway, her lined, usually genial face gone drawn and white. "Beg pardon, missus," she gasped, "but the orcs have finally come to the house! In the yard! PoorElise has gone and locked herself and the children in the cellar!"

Louisa'sheart kicked and galloped in her chest, and she dragged her shaking hands at her face. "Just — give me a moment," she managed, as she shoved out of bed, and stumbled over to the wardrobe. "How many orcs are there? What are they doing?"

"I don't know!" Gladys wailed. "But they've got shovels and pickaxes, and they're all by the well! As if they're going to dig a tunnel into the house!"

Wait. Louisa halted in place, gazing blankly at the threadbare work dress in her hands. The well. Thewell.

Shelurched over to the window, and yanked the drapes open with numb fingers. Because — yes. There. All the way across the yard, standing around the well. Three tall, grey-skinned orcs, gesturing and speaking to each other, and tying a rope around the sturdy support beams of the well's small shelter. And yes, yes, that nearest orc had to be Killik, the daggers in his hair flashing in the sunlight as he waved another one of the orcs — a huge, hulking fellow with a gigantic shovel — toward the well's black opening.

"They're going inside!" exclaimed a horrified Gladys, who'd rushed over to join Louisa at the window. "They're going to dig into the cellar! They're going to get Elise and the children!"

Louisabit back a strange, overpowering urge to laugh — good gods, if the orcs had wanted to get into the cellar, they could have simply walked into the house — and dragged down a thick, bracing breath. "There's nothing to worry about, Gladys," she said, as firmly as she could. "They're not here for Elise or the children. They're here to dig out the well for us."

Gladys' shocked face jerked to stare at Louisa, her mouth fallen open. "They're here to dig out the well?" she echoed. "But — why?!"

Louisaswallowed, fought to ignore the heat now prickling in her cheeks. "BecauseI asked them to," she replied. "Because we need the help."

Gladyskept gaping at Louisa, slack-jawed, and Louisa took the opportunity to yank on the dress, pulling it down over the shift she'd slept in, before lurching to the washbasin, and splashing cold water on her face. Killik had come to dig out the well, just as he'd promised. And he'd also promised to… to…

"I'm going out to meet them," Louisa said, her voice not quite her own. "I assure you, there's no cause for concern. But if you'd like to join Elise in the cellar, or ask Joan to drive you all to town for the day, of course you're more than welcome —"

"We're not leaving you here alone with them, missus!" Gladys hissed. "Though what you were thinking, to ask orcs for help, I can't fathom! It's already on the outside of enough for them to be camping on your property, and hunting your game, and…"

Shekept going on, louder and more frantic with every breath, but Louisa was already turning toward the door, and waving Gladys after her. Knowing full well that despite Gladys' protestations — which always came from a place of genuine care — she would be loath to miss an opportunity to investigate, or be involved in an exciting new development. AndGladys indeed trotted eagerly along behind Louisa down the stairs, even as she kept up a steady stream of fearful warnings, conjectures, and accusations.

Louisastrode out into the yard with as much poise as she could muster, her head held high, her eyes sweeping over her property. Not finding any other obvious signs of orcs, though Joan was frowning from the stable door, and over by the well, Killik had already turned to face Louisa and Gladys, his arms folded over his chest.

Hewas standing alone now — the other orcs must have both gone down into the well — and his eyes had sharply narrowed, glaring down his nose toward Louisa. As if he disdained the very sight of her, or disapproved of her coming to speak to him — or, perhaps he was thinking of the night before. Of how she'd moaned and writhed beneath his cool commands, how he'd made that stain in his trousers…

Andcurse Louisa, she had not been looking for some kind of welcome from him, or even some kind of reassurance, had she? No. No. Absolutely not. And with effort, she raised her chin to frown back at him, and crossed her arms over her shabby dress, too.

"You didn't say you were coming this morning," she said, betraying only a faint waver in her voice. "You gave my staff a nasty shock, showing up unannounced like this."

Killik'slip curled, and his long claws drummed impatiently against his bare arm. "I did speak to you of this, woman," he snapped back. "It is not my doing if you did not pay heed. If you were too… full of other matters."

Too… full.He was talking about that, the utter prick, and Louisa gaped at him with sudden jolting fury, her hands snapped to fists at her sides. "Thatwas your doing," she retorted. "Every last bit of it!"

Killik'slaugh was sharp and mocking, his lip curling higher. "You ken it was not my doing," he hissed back. "For if it had been, every last bit would have gone where I wished it to be!"

Wait. Was he — was he judging her? Was he saying — he was… disappointed with the night before? He was disappointed with her failure to… to take every last bit of that giant stone, as he'd asked?

Asudden, stark bitterness shot through Louisa's chest, flaring hot and shameful in her cheeks, and she gritted her teeth, and fought to drag in breath. She didn't care. She did not. She wanted her well dug out, wanted to save her property, to escape LordScall, and that was all.

"Look here, orc," cut in a shaky voice, Gladys' voice. "Whoever you are. I'll thank you not to walk onto my missus' property without her leave like this, and start speaking such hogwash to her in such a disrespectful manner! As if she hasn't already borne enough from brutish bounders like you!"

Louisawinced, and shot an alarmed glance toward Gladys — who was looking truly terrified, now, her lined face gone almost white, even as she kept glaring up at Killik's now-unreadable eyes. And damn it, Louisa just wanted to get her well dug, and Gladys didn't at all deserve Killik's rubbish — and if this was ever going to work, Louisa's staff needed to be fully in support, not running about anxious and terrified of orcs.

"Thank you, Gladys," Louisa made herself say, with an attempt at a reassuring smile. "But there's nothing to be alarmed about, I promise. Killik and I are just teasing one another, aren't we, Killik?"

Sheaimed her smile up toward him, holding it with brittle, painful effort, and she didn't miss the faint bob of his throat, the slight incline of his head. "Ach," he said thinly. "Only jesting."

Louisaexhaled, and twitched a nod back that felt almost grateful — but Killik only glanced away again, toward the well. And then he swiped for the rope dangling down into the darkness, and gave it a sharp, purposeful yank, as he called down something into the well. Speaking in what must have been the orcs' tongue, the unfamiliar words harsh and strange, and ringing with cool, unmistakable command.

Andin response, the rope tautened. Quivered. As if — someone was climbing it. Surely the two other orcs who had been with him, the ones who were now digging the well.

Louisacouldn't seem to look away from that taut, trembling rope, her heart suddenly thudding in her chest. I shall bring my wolf tomorrow, Killik had said, and was this what he'd meant? Had he brought his depressed kin-brother here, today, to dig out her well?

Andmaybe he had, maybe — because that was unmistakable stiffness in Killik's shoulders, his jaw, as he glared down at the well's opening. At where an orc was already climbing up the rope, and swinging out to stand beside them. He was a tall, lean, bare-chested fellow, built much like Killik himself — but Killik hadn't spared this orc a glance. Instead, he was still frowning down into the well, toward…

Anotherorc. A much, much bigger orc, his body a huge dark mass in the shadows, slowly brightening as he heaved himself up, higher, closer. Climbing the rope with visible effort, hand over hand, while his broad back shoved against one side of the well's stone wall, his booted feet pushing against the other.

Itwas an astonishing show of strength, and Louisa couldn't stop watching, waiting, caught on the sight. On how the orc's huge hands kept steadily grasping up the rope, pulling him higher and higher, until Killik reached out one arm toward him, bracing his other arm around the nearest support beam. And with a deep grunt, the climbing orc's big hand clasped Killik's, and he pushed off and leapt out of the well entirely, landing before Louisa in a low, surprisingly graceful crouch.

Louisa'sheart was galloping now, hollering in her ears, as her eyes ran up and down the orc's huge, slowly rising form. Good gods, he was big. He was quite possibly the largest living creature she'd ever seen in her life — except, perhaps, for that Simon orc in the library. His shoulders were wide and packed with muscle, his hair-dusted bare chest broad and firm, his belly sturdy and thick. And his dripping-wet skin might have been a rich shade of grey, if not for the vicious-looking scars cut liberally into it, in varying shades of light and dark. Scars that worsened as they reached his face, and suddenly Louisa was looking at his face, caught in his dark blinking eyes.

Hewas — handsome, a distant chattering voice whispered. Handsome in a hard, rugged kind of way, with his thick black brows, his heavy square jaw, his strong nose that had clearly been broken multiple times. And even with his ears, not nearly as tall or elegant as Killik's, but which instead bore the puffy distortion of frequent close combat. But they suited him, somehow, along with that messy braid unravelling over his shoulder, and even — even those pale streaks of silver, threading through his otherwise black hair.

Louisaswallowed as she blinked at it, as her shaky hand smoothed her own silver-streaked hair back from her sweaty forehead. A movement that seemed to catch the orc's dark eyes, and for an instant, Louisa felt frozen beneath his gaze, beneath his own silent, steady perusal of her in return. Looking at her straggly hair — gods, why hadn't she thought to fix it before coming out here? — and then down at her tattered, threadbare dress, and her muddy, overlarge boots. And damn it, she truly looked a frightful mess, she hadn't made even the slightest effort, and what must he think, was he judging her, was he repulsed or revolted or —

"Er, I'mLouisa," she blurted out, as she thrust her clammy, tingling hand out toward him. "And believe it or not, I do bathe."

She'dattempted a wry, twisting smile, but oh gods, her face was already burning, her eyes dropping to where her hand was still outstretched, wavering, foolish. Gods curse her, why had she said such a damned stupid thing? No rational person announced to absolute strangers that they bathed, it was the most obvious giveaway that in fact the opposite was true, right? AndLouisa winced, shaking her head, about to drop her hand, when —

Whensomething caught it. Something warm and wet and solid, clasping carefully against her palm, and giving it a gentle, careful shake.

Itwas — his hand. The orc's hand. AndLouisa stared at it, at the sheer size of it, almost entirely covering her own — and then her gaze snapped up. Up to the orc's scarred face, and his watching, unreadable eyes.

"Ach, I am sure you do, LadyLouisa," he said, in a deep, rumbling voice. "And mayhap I ought to say the same."

He'dnodded down toward his own bulky body, and it took Louisa far too long to realize that he was talking about — the bathing. Because yes, he was wet all over, and his trousers were smeared to the thighs in dense dripping muck. And gods, how hadn't Louisa noticed, how much worse did this make her fool bathing comment, and why was she now staring at his trousers? At his wet, clinging trousers, and at…

Theridge, inside them. The thick, ever-growing ridge, visibly swelling against the fabric, tenting it out around it. A ridge that looked remarkably like a certain shameful replica, a replica that was still hidden beneath her blanket, and that had been buried deep inside her, twice. And why couldn't Louisa stop staring, why was she just watching it swell fuller and fuller, oh gods above, it was — he was —

"You're — Killik's kin-brother, right?" Louisa's cursed mouth demanded, and the shocked shame of it was enough to snap her eyes back to his face. To where he was looking decidedly flushed, his nostrils flaring, his chest filling with his breath. And his huge hand over hers had spread a little, covering more, his finger brushing soft and tentative against the rapid pulse in her wrist…

"Ach, LadyLouisa," he said, his voice a low, devastating caress. "I am Ulfarr, of ClanSkai. AndI am ever at your service."