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Chapter twenty-two

Nash

I ’d killed plenty of times before. I’d killed in battle, and to protect my brother’s lands, though few rarely spoke of that. I’d killed when a fight had broken out and it was either that or be killed. There were no laws of the land that said I couldn’t protect myself.

But it wasn’t something I went out of my way to do. In truth, for as vicious a reputation as I had, I more enjoyed the times when my group could travel in peace, finding places like the clearing by the lake to take rest.

But now…

Now I wasn’t going to be satisfied until I had the blood of every orc in this clearing painting my body. I wasn’t going to be satisfied until I knew that each and every one of them who had the slightest bit of a hand in hurting Kai was rotting in an unmarked grave.

He was bleeding. That blood soaked my skin where I’d fastened his collar.

And there’d been a moment, one truly painful moment when I’d arrived at Koth’s little camp and found it empty, that I’d wondered if he was dead.

But no—the bond between us still existed. I could feel it.

I knew he wasn’t gone from this world.

But I didn’t know if he was hurt. I didn’t know if he was dying or being tortured. I knew nothing of what was happening to him, and it had driven me to madness to sit there and wait while Koth recounted his great capture of the Orc Lord to his companions.

Which… I had taken note that there were far fewer now than there had been when he’d initially left. I wasn’t sure if they were off in other camps, or if they’d left him because his desires were foolish. Attacking Axum had been tantamount to suicide. Whatever the answer, it would make what happened now easier.

At first, I thought I’d have to run straight to Kai and take whatever blade or bow the others had… but he let out a shout and lowered his body, slamming into Koth and landing a punch across his jaw.

“I swear if he has a scratch on him, I’m going to absolutely wreck you.” Kai’s threats were vicious, even if they were completely lost to Koth’s ears. The device around my arm let me hear the way he snapped, the way he’d so casually put himself in danger to make sure that he was a good distraction for me.

It let me hear everything, and every part of me was burning to get it back around his throat where it belonged. Seeing him without it now, seeing his mating mark on full, naked display, was almost too much.

That burning desire to protect him went in direct contradiction to the way he leaned back so he had a better angle to hit Koth again—Kai wasn’t delicate, or dainty. He wasn’t like any human I’d ever met.

He was strong, and he seemed hell bent on making the orc beneath him beg for mercy.

So as much as it pained me, and as much as it went against instinct, I turned my attention from Kai and Koth to the two others who were still standing. I knew them. They’d been among my people once… and as much as I would have granted them mercy if they’d gotten on their knees and begged for it, they had their attention on Kai and their would-be leader fighting on the ground, and I wasn’t going to give them a chance to betray me again.

I moved forward without hesitation, wrapping my arm around the throat of one of them so I could cut off his air supply. His body went limp almost instantly, and I used it as a shield when a dagger flew in my direction.

It was hard to concentrate, though, because Kai and Koth were standing now. When they were matched like that, my mate was smaller… and they were fighting so close to the cliff side.

The feel of something slamming into me, followed by a sharp stabbing pain, let me know I’d taken a little too long watching their fight. My eyes darted down to the second dagger now embedded in my shoulder, and with a snarl, I threw the limp body I was holding, sending him crashing into his friend.

They both tumbled to the ground, and I ripped the blade from my skin and drove it downward as I came to my knees, slamming it into the throat of my assailant. His eyes went wide, and for just a second, I saw it there.

Regret—regret that he’d ever crossed me, regret that he’d ever tried to hurt me and mine.

Regret, because if he’d stayed under my protection, I would have kept him safe with the same ferocity that I was now protecting Kai with.

I had to look away from his face as that expression faded and the light left his eyes. He’d chosen his side, and now he was suffering the consequences—guilt and remorse, my own regrets, had no place here. Not when there was still Koth to deal with.

Not when…

“Nash!” Kai’s voice was pitched up slightly, a little panicked, and as soon as I darted my gaze up, I realized why.

They were both by the cliff side, and even though Koth’s lip was split wide and there was a cut above his brow pouring blood into his stare, he still had his blade to Kai’s throat.

I froze where I stood, my eyes all for Kai’s wide, anxious expression and the anger that was still boiling just beneath the surface.

“You said you would give everything for your mate, Nash. Do you still believe that to be true?”

My eyes narrowed. “What do you want?” Because I knew the answer. I would give anything.

I would give everything.

“Would you die for him?”

“Yes.” The word came out before I thought about it, and Koth’s smile spread across his face, even though it caused the split on his lip to bleed more.

“But what fun would that be? I thought I wanted to kill you, Nash. But maybe what I really want is to know that you suffer.”

It took my brain a few seconds too long to connect what he meant, and by the time I started forward, I was too late. Whatever strength Koth had, he used it to throw Kai behind him.

Over the edge of the cliff side.

And then, like the coward I knew him to be, he ran.

Before, I would have chased him—instinct still wanted me to, because even though he’d gotten a head start, I knew I could easily outrun him.

But that was before, and now my entire focus was on Kai and the way I couldn’t see him anymore. I ran to the cliff side and felt something in my chest squeeze tight.

He was there, a few feet down, clinging to a branch with his face gone a little pale. There was every chance Koth might return and drive a blade through my back… but I didn’t care.

I couldn’t think of anything but flattening myself to my stomach in the dirt and reaching my hand out to Kai.

The second his warm fingers slipped into mine, I felt like I could breathe again. It was only a slight struggle to pull him up and to safety, and by the time I did, Koth was long gone.

I needed to track him down.

I needed to take off in the direction he’d gone.

Instead, I took Kai’s face gently in my hands and tilted his head up so I could meet his gaze.

“Little Mate, are you okay?”

Kai’s expression drifted over a spectrum of emotions. Anxiety, fear, a small pulse of misery, before it finally settled on relief. “I’m fine… I was…” It sounded like he couldn’t quite catch enough air in his lungs. “I was going to give Mol a message to take to the city, but we were attacked. I… fuck, I…”

I cut off whatever he was trying to say with my mouth against his, warm and hot and demanding. I didn’t know if he was trying to apologize, or to tell me he hadn’t been trying to run off at all—it didn’t matter. I didn’t care why he’d left, only that I’d found him, that he was here and whole and okay . My tongue slid between his lips, and licking into the taste of blood with the sweet undercurrent of his own flavor was nearly enough to send me over the edge.

It was nearly enough to make me forget we were exposed, in a place where Koth could easily come back while I was distracted to kill us both. I stood, dragging Kai with me as I did, our lips still connected.

His arms were tight around me, and I practically had to pry him off so I could step back.

“Are you okay?” Kai’s fingers were already answering his own question, carefully searching along the cuts and bruises I’d gotten during my capture. When he was satisfied, he looked over my shoulder. “And where did that asshole go? I wasn’t through with him, I was—” His curses faded into a garbled mess of human language as I murmured the words to make the band fall from my upper arm. When he realized what I’d done, he trailed off… then he tilted his head back for me as I strapped it carefully around his neck and pressed my lips to the seams of it to say the words again.

“If I ever see this off your throat again, I may lose my mind.” I murmured the confession against his skin, and felt it when his heart started thundering against my lips.

“I love you, Nash. I don’t think I said it, and I don’t know if you really understand what it means… but fuck, I love you. I don’t even like fighting, but I’d totally wreck anyone for you.”

Kai lifted his head, and his blue eyes were wet . This time when I leaned in to kiss him, it was less fire, less demand.

It was all sweet want… adoration. It was the human word he used called love . The word I knew to mean mate… It meant we were fated to be together for all life, through death. Forever.

“I love you too, Kai. I would give the worlds for your safety, to have you at my side. I would give all and everything for your smile.”

The smile in question blossomed over his face now, and he leaned in closer, pressing his body flush against mine and making me forget for another moment that we were open and exposed in a place where there were dead orcs to our left and a fugitive rogue somewhere in the trees.

“I’ll give you anything you want. I—”

I cut him off with another swift kiss and took his hand in mine.

“Once we’re back at camp and I’ve sorted Koth’s escape, you can give me your tears of apology for running.” He opened his mouth to protest, but I kept on. “Your cries of pain when I spank you…” At that, he bit his lower lip, and the heat in his gaze was nearly scorching as I finished. “And your sweet, swollen stomach when I breed you.”

He stared at me for a brief second, then nodded once. Twice… and tugged me forward. “That… okay. I think I can do that. But, uh… you lead the way.” Kai looked up at me almost helplessly. “I’m pretty shit at directions, Nash. I think I’d be lost without you.”

From the expression on his face, I knew he meant more than just in the woods… and in truth, I knew my answer was the same.

I would be lost without him too.