Page 24 of My Orc Contract Husband (Eastshore Isle #9)

Chapter Thirteen

Tarkhan

I felt her fear before I understood it, and my Kteer howled.

The terror on Sami’s face when she caught her aunt in her arms and whirled back to me?

Well, it told me all I needed to know. There was a man sauntering toward us, and I had no way of knowing for certain he’d been the one to scare the woman I loved, but when it came to taking my rage out on someone, he would do.

My claws sprang from my fingertips, and I was stepping toward him when my brain caught up with my instincts.

The woman I loved?

I forced myself to breathe, to meet Sami’s eyes.

Yes. I loved Sami with everything in me. She was mine, and I was hers, and I would protect her or die trying .

“Pierce,” she whispered to me, and it took me a moment to realize that was the name of the man her father had wanted her to marry; the man who had tried to force her to the altar. The man she’d married me to escape.

Luckily, it took me long enough to piece through that, that by the time the bastard had sauntered closer, my Kteer had calmed enough for me to be able to rein in my primal urges.

Instead of reaching for the man’s neck to rip out his artery, I merely moved in front of Sami and Sharon, blocking them from view.

To give him credit, Pierce T. Montgomery III was a handsome man in his sixties.

His hair was thick, his shoulders wide, and his suit—based on that brief experience I had with the tailor prior to the wedding—was impeccably fitted.

There was a certain sort of shininess around his eyes and chin that made me think his handsomeness wasn’t entirely natural, but that smile—predatory, shark-like—said he was used to getting what he wanted.

Not today, asshole .

“Samantha, you’ve been a naughty girl,” he drawled, as if he could carry on a conversation with her hiding behind me.

“Making me search all over the country. And this week, I’ve been looking for you all over this island.

Really…” Still smiling, he flicked imaginary lint from his shoulder.

“Don’t you know I have better things to do with my time? Come on, darling, we’re going home.”

He hadn’t even looked at her.

He hadn’t seen her, hadn’t had a conversation with her. Hadn’t embraced her or looked happy to see her .

If anything told me this male didn’t give two shits about my wife, then this was it.

“Sami?” I murmured, wanting her to know that I would do what she preferred.

I heard her take a deep, shuddering breath, then her small hand slipped into mine and she carefully moved to stand at my side. I glanced down at her, and when she lifted her chin, I was so damn proud of her strength, her bravery.

“I’m not going anywhere with you, Pierce. My home is here.”

The male’s sharp gaze had narrowed in on her, but his smile didn’t falter. “Nonsense, darling. Your father wanted you to live in the city with him. Since that’s no longer an option, the least you can do is honor his wishes.”

She swallowed, and I squeezed her hand.

“I don’t have any intention of honoring anything about my father, least of all some agreement he made with you when I was too young to make my own choices.”

Now Montgomery’s eyes narrowed, and his smile dropped. “You will honor that contract, Samantha. I have papers, signed by both myself and your father before he died, promising you would be my wife. We will finally unite this company?—”

“And then I’ll conveniently disappear?” Sami snorted her disbelieving snort. “I don’t think so.”

In a blink, Montgomery’s expression slackened, blanked to neutral. No more smiles, no more rage. It was as if Sami had guessed a secret, and he didn’t know how to respond.

“Do you see that van over there?” he hissed, leaning forward, trying to intimidate her.

“The black one?” There was a black van idling in the area the farm had designated for dropping off visitors, and a limo right behind it.

“My men are in there. All I need to do is raise my right hand, and four of them will be here, ready to do my bidding.”

I have to tell you, at this point, the ridiculousness of the situation had outweighed my rage. I no longer wanted to kill this male, but I was considering laughing at him. The bastard hadn’t glanced at me since Sami had stepped to my side—hadn’t acknowledged me… nothing .

What was that saying about ignoring the elephant in the room?

How about the seven-and-a-half foot tall orc?

It seemed like Sami was having the same thoughts. “Was that a threat?” She glanced at me, then at her aunt. “Did that sound like a threat to you, Aunt Sharon?”

To my surprise, the older woman pushed up on her toes to glare at Montgomery over her niece’s shoulder. “That was definitely a threat.”

“I thought so too. You know who would think that’s interesting?” Sami lifted her hand and waved toward the food stalls, turning it into a beckoning gesture. “My lawyer. She’s coming over now.”

At this point, I couldn’t help it any longer; I burst into chuckles .

Everyone turned to look at me, and while I should’ve been pleased to finally have Montgomery’s attention, I only had eyes for my wife. When she peered curiously up at me, I wrapped my arm around her shoulders.

“I’m so fucking proud of you, dkaar ,” I announced, dropping a kiss to her forehead.

I felt her melt against me, just as I scented Montgomery’s rage spiking again. “What the hell is this?” he growled.

Sami pulled away to beam up at me, then transferred her smile to her former fiancé, where it turned sickly sweet. “This, Pierce, is Tarkhan. My husband.” As Montgomery’s face began to turn purple, he switched her attention to the newcomers. “And this is my lawyer, Harper.”

The tall, smooth-talking woman took her cue, stepping toward Montgomery as she bounced her infant on her shoulder.

“Mr. Montgomery, I presume? I’m Harper O’Donnell, and I’ve been very much looking forward to meeting you.

” Her smile was just as sharp as his had been.

“Not because I want to know you, but because I’m excited to tear you a new asshole. ”

I choked on my inhale as it turned into a bark of laughter.

Unfortunately, Montgomery had ignored this delightful little speech, his rage directed entirely at me.

“ Husband ?” he snarled. “Impossible. You’re supposed to marry me .”

Sami’s arm slid around my waist. “And yet, I didn’t.

I married Tarkhan. Not because my father chose him, or because we were trying to rule the galaxy or whatever.

I married him because…” She tipped her head to smile at me just briefly before turning her attention back to Montgomery. “Because I love him.”

And in that moment, Montgomery could have fallen off a cliff for all I cared.

My wife— my Sami —had just told me that she loved me.

I opened my mouth to respond, to tell her I loved her as well, but Montgomery seemed determined to butt in where he wasn’t wanted.

“Impossible!” The word wrenched out of him on a laugh, even as he lurched forward, reaching for her. “You belong to me?—”

Romantic moment or not, I wasn’t about to ignore such a gross violation of propriety. In other words, I wasn’t going to let this fucking bastard touch the female I loved.

With a growl, I stepped forward, pushing Sami behind me to stand with Sharon.

“You don’t get to come near my wife, asshole,” I snarled, my hands going up defensively, claws out.

The sight caused Montgomery to rock to a stop. His gray eyes blazed as he eyed me with absolute hatred. “You don’t scare me, beast . I have more than enough men to take you down.”

“Oh, how interesting,” Harper cooed. “That was absolutely a direct threat. Did you hear that, sweetie?”

Since her daughter answered her with a loud belch, I assumed icy-toned Harper was talking to the infant. But then I heard Giza rumble. “Absolutely. I got it on my phone as well.”

“How delightful.” Harper’s smile was fixed. “Can you keep rolling and hold the baby at the same time?”

Giza’s grunt must’ve meant yes, and from the corner of my eye—I wasn’t dropping my gaze from Montgomery, just waiting for him to try to touch Sami again—I saw her hand off the baby. Then she stepped up to my side, helping to block Sami.

“There’s no need for violence, gentlemen, not when this can be settled legally.”

“ Legally ?” Montgomery snarled, gesturing dismissively at me. “Does this thing even have legal rights? Can it be married?”

“Yes.” Harper’s voice had slid into the positively frigid zone. “ He can. The legal system recognizes orcs like Tarkhan—and my husband—as having the same rights as you. Or at least, the same rights you’ll have until you’re convicted of a crime—voting, marriage, et cetera .”

Now Montgomery swung his rage on the lawyer. “Did you just threaten me, you monster fucker?”

“I did,” she agreed calmly. “But legally . There’s a difference between what I said and suggesting your goons can beat up a perfectly innocent male just because he’s protecting his wife and you happen to have more money.”

“Does he?” came Sami’s voice from behind me, sounding too sugary sweet to be believable. “We didn’t sign a prenup, so what’s mine is his. And Daddy had ever so much money. ”

Aunt Sharon’s little cheer came at the same time Montgomery understood Sami’s words.

With a muted curse, he lunged forward.

And I met him, not with blood as I wanted, but with strength. My hand wrapped around his lapel, not his throat, and when I lifted him, I was careful not to choke him.

“You heard them, asshole,” I growled. “My rich wife and I want you to fuck off. Don’t come back to Eastshore.”

“Impossible,” he choked. “We have a contract.”

“So do we,” I announced in satisfaction. “Sami is mine.”

Somehow, Montgomery managed disdain, even dangling from my hold. “You married her for her money, monster. You’re no better than you think me.”

I had married her for money originally. I never thought about her father’s money or even her nest egg, but just the mortgage?—

No .