Chapter 22

22

T ryggr wanted to introduce Eben to his new kin.

Those unexpected, unnerving words simmered low in Eben’s belly as Tryggr promptly drew him to his feet again, tossed him his trousers, and began combing out his hair with his claws. “ So pretty, Ka -esh,” he murmured. “ Mind if I leave this down, for now?”

Eben didn’t mind, of course, and he was soon treated to the sight of Tryggr with his own long hair down, too. The dark shiny fall of it beautifully framing his handsome face, setting off his warm eyes, and Tryggr dragged his fingers through it with far more force than he’d used on Eben , his dagger glinting silver in his teeth. And Eben blinked as he watched, heat pooling in his belly, before he belatedly reached a shaky hand for the dagger, and plucked it out of Tryggr’s mouth.

“ This could break your teeth, sir,” he said, though his face was already burning. “ Or cut your mouth, also.”

But if Tryggr was bothered at being corrected by his pet, he didn’t at all show it, and instead winked at Eben , and reached to swipe a finger down the blade’s gleaming edge. “ Ain’t sharp thus, pet,” he said. “ Only the tip, ach? Don’t want a haircut every time I put it up, you ken. But ” — he leaned down and pressed a brief kiss to Eben’s forehead — “thanks for looking out for me, sweet thing.”

Eben’s face flushed even hotter, and he watched with awed fascination as Tryggr deftly wound his wet hair around the dagger, and then twisted it, stabbing it into place. “ Ready , then, pet?” he said lightly, though there was a distinct carefulness in his scent, too. “ Pa’s likely spitting knives out there waiting, I ken.”

Well , that was disconcerting, but Tryggr’s solid hand was again grasping Eben’s arse, and guiding him toward the door. Toward where — yes — there were two orcs waiting outside, both of them staring at Tryggr and Eben with blatant curiosity. One of the orcs was scarred and bulky, and vaguely familiar — Eben’s distant thoughts rapidly placed him as a former patient — while the other, taller and leaner with a dagger in his silver topknot, was entirely new. Except for the distinct flavour in his scent, which was very much like Tryggr’s .

“ Leave it to you, Pa ,” Tryggr said to the silver-haired orc, with an aggrieved roll of his eyes toward the bulky one. “ Couldn’t even let us get a damned bath in, ach?”

But Tryggr’s father only pulled himself up taller, frowning down his nose at his son. “ What’s this I’m hearing about you and this Ka -esh, son?” he demanded, with a brief, searching glance toward Eben . “ Heard you’ve been going around calling him your pet ?”

Eben couldn’t hide the sudden alarm in his scent, his body angling slightly backwards — but Tryggr held him firm and close, even as his other hand signed something toward his father that might have been, Watch it, Pa .

“ Ach , Pa , this is Eben , of Clan Ka -esh,” Tryggr said, voice clipped. “ He’s a brilliant medic and researcher, and the sweetest, bravest thing I’ve ever met in my life. So ach, we’ve decided he’s gonna be my new pet. An ’ Eben ” — Tryggr waved between his father and the bulky orc — “this is Pa , and Pabbi .”

For an instant, both orcs stared between Tryggr and Eben , with stunned disbelief in their eyes and scents. Until Tryggr’s pabbi twitched a little shake, and then gave Eben a warm smile, and a swift bow. “ Greetings , Eben ,” he said in a soft, pleasing voice. “ I am Ezog , of Clan Bautul . I well recall your great kindness in the sickroom when I was last wounded, ach? And this” — his gaze flicked sideways — “is Sigtryggr , most oft called Tryg .”

Eben attempted a polite smile between them both, though his rapidly whirling brain had noted that Ezog hadn’t actually explained his relationship to Tryg , despite the impressive depth of their scents upon one another. Suggesting that they’d been intimate for many years, but even so, Tryg’s scent — and only Tryg’s scent — also spoke distinctly of a woman . And suddenly Tryggr’s comment about what he’d witnessed with his pa and pabbi made even more sense than before, because Tryg was bedding both a woman, and this Ezog , while Ezog’s scent only spoke of Tryg .

It suggested at least some degree of inequality in the relationship, or perhaps even some unpleasantness on Tryg’s part. And Eben felt himself drawing back a little further, his eyes uneasy on Tryg’s face — and perhaps Tryg had caught it, his own eyes softening, his clawed hand running against his bound-back hair.

“ Ach , well, it’s good to finally meet you, Ka -esh,” Tryg firmly told him, in a voice and accent that was deeply reminiscent of Tryggr’s . “ I’ve oft asked after your scent upon m’boy, but he kept giving me the runaround! Saying you were just a friend, and naught more!”

He cast a brief, accusing glance toward Tryggr , who was now frowning straight back. “ Ach , you aren’t the only one who can keep a secret, Pa ,” he snapped. “ An ’ Eben was a friend, he is — but the more I kept an eye on him, the more I wanted to keep him, for good. An ’ I wanted to sort it out for myself, without having you poking your big nose in over it! Telling me I oughta be settling down with a woman, or a Skai , or some other such rubbish! You ken I’ve given it all a go, but none of it’s struck me like Eben , and I’m not changing my mind!”

Eben’s unease was now tangling with stunned, shimmering warmth — Tryggr really meant all that? — and he was distantly relieved when Ezog loudly cleared his throat, and elbowed Tryg in the side. “ We are most pleased for you, son,” Ezog told Tryggr , his voice firm. “ And most glad to meet you, Eben . I am sure you shall be very happy together.”

Oh . Tryggr shot Ezog a brief, grateful grin, followed by a pointed glance at Tryg — who was also twitching a wry, resigned smile, and clasping Tryggr on the shoulder. “ Ach , we wish you well with him, son,” he said. “ An ’ he’s a sweet little thing too, ain’t he? Prettiest Ka -esh I’ve ever seen, I ken.”

Tryggr looked somewhat mollified by this, drawing Eben closer into his side. “ Ach , he is,” he said firmly. “ An ’ the cleverest, and bravest, and a right dream to fuck, too. Gonna make me a real good pet, I ken.”

Well . Eben’s face was burning again, ducking into Tryggr’s shoulder, but he could taste Tryggr’s satisfaction, his hand gripping possessively at his arse. And that hand was now steering Eben away, guiding him up the corridor again, without so much as a farewell to his pa and pabbi behind him.

“ Leave it to Pa ,” Tryggr said irritably, once they were out of earshot. “ Getting all uppity about me mating a Ka -esh, when he’s never even bothered speaking vows to Pabbi ! Never mind fucking around with that secret new woman of his, too!”

Wait . Wait , Eben had only followed half of that, because — had Tryggr just said — mating a Ka -esh? Mating ? Swearing vows to one another? Permanently ?

But yes, wait, Tryggr was hesitating, angling Eben a searching, sidelong look. “ Ach , well, if you’d want it, I mean,” he said, a little rushed. “ Just — it’s not a small thing, for a Skai to take a pet, ach? An ’ a mate don’t seem much different, does it?”

Eben couldn’t even speak, just blinking helplessly at Tryggr here in the corridor, as wetness spilled from his eyes, and streaked down his cheeks. It couldn’t be true, he couldn’t mean it, he couldn’t — but oh, Tryggr was rapidly blinking too, lurching toward Eben , wiping his thumbs against Eben’s wet cheeks. “ Ach , don’t weep, pet,” he murmured, husky, as he leaned forward, pressed a gentle kiss to Eben’s forehead. “ Wanna make you happy, ach?”

But Eben was, he was, he’d never been so happy in all his life, and he was frantically, fervently nodding. “ You do, Tryggr ,” he gulped, between laughs, or maybe sobs. “ You make me so happy. You were so generous, you showed me so much, you helped me when you did not need to, you were just — just —”

He couldn’t even say it, there was no way to possibly describe it — and oh, oh, that was Tryggr’s mouth, Tryggr’s lips, finding Eben’s own. Kissing him, tasting his mouth, for the very first time, please — and Eben moaned, desperate, helpless, as he kissed Tryggr back. Let his tongue seek and tangle, revelling in the lingering truth of his own seed on Tryggr’s tongue — and then the scrape of sharp Skai teeth, and the taste of his own blood, too. All of it whirling together into a sweet, dizzying stream, and Tryggr was caught in it too, his own groan vibrating into Eben , his hands suddenly clawing at Eben’s trousers, yanking them down, spinning Eben away, pressing him hard against the wall.

And this wasn’t happening, it couldn’t be happening, Eben’s thoughts flashing back to that very first time he’d seen Tryggr . When he’d had that other orc bent over in this very corridor, caressing him, feeding his strong scarred prick up inside him, just — just — like this.

“ Good , pet,” Tryggr gasped, as that hard flesh fully breached him, and began sinking inside. “ Fuck , that’s so good. So tight. Ach .”

Eben wildly nodded and shivered, squeezing as hard as he could, grinding back onto that sweet, stunning certainty. His Skai , his orc, maybe even his mate, breaking the rules, fucking him in a corridor, where anyone might see…

But in contrast to that first time Eben had seen him, Tryggr was leaning in close, and again… kissing him. His warm lips sweetly skating down Eben’s neck, his collarbone, as his hand slipped around, and grasped Eben’s hard, straining cock. Stroking him, caressing him, in time with his gentle thrusts inside. Holding him there, making Eben his, flaring him full of impossible happiness, rewriting that first moment they’d met. I can show you the way.

“ So good,” Tryggr gasped, grinding harder, his lips quivering on Eben’s skin. “ So sweet, pet. So perfect, so pretty, mine —”

And oh, oh, there it was, Eben’s own release spraying all over the stone wall before him, furling him full of flaring, flying relief, while more of that sweet Skai seed surged deep inside. Flooding Eben from the bottom up, filling all his empty places, almost as if it had reached — he huffed a shivery little laugh — his heart.

“ So good,” Tryggr murmured again, hoarse, as his kisses kept pressing so sweetly against his skin. “ Ach , sweet thing?”

“ Ach ,” Eben whispered, soft and shimmering in his breath, his heart. “ Perfect .”

THE END