Page 15 of Orc’s Promise (Knotty Monsters #3)

CHAPTER THIRTEEN

TANSEY

I can’t believe I slept with Verig. An orc . I’m not even sure why I slept with him. There are a lot of ways to give in to one’s desires, but sleeping with an orc?

And yet he’s not a monster, not like how the people back in New Earth always talk about the orcs. Nash was the monster disguised as a human. Vengeful, selfish. I fell for his charm and good looks, and didn’t see the monster beneath the exterior until it was too late to escape.

From the moment Nash first punched me to the time he stole Ethan from me, I let fear rule me.

Fuck, that psycho didn’t even want his son. Nash never cared about Ethan, never changed a single diaper, held him, or looked at him with anything but disdain. Taking Ethan from me was the ultimate way of hurting me.

And he paid for it. We both did.

The door to Verig’s quarters opens with a bang and I jump. When I see it’s Verig, my entire body relaxes. “You startled me.”

“Come. Our grak is speaking soon to all our people. Your presence is required.” He turns away, as if he’s here only to deliver a message and has no interest in me. As if he’s done with me.

That would make leaving easier.

And yet this need to understand what about him captivates me so deeply, so completely, that for one fleeting moment last night, all I could think about was Verig. I’d forgotten about Ethan… and that scares me.

I grip Verig’s arm, stopping him from leaving. “You never asked why I came to Kovos.”

“The reason all of us are here. The cendagi brought us.”

“I meant me, specifically.”

The ridges on his forehead rise slightly. “The cendagi chose you because you were young and female, capable of bearing many younglings.”

“I wasn’t forced here. Not exactly. Why would you think that?”

“The cendagi brought all five species of Kovos here for a purpose we do not yet know. But it’s clear they manipulated circumstances.

Each colony needs something the others have.

We orcs need females. The humans need weapons or a way of defending themselves.

The bantarans who are rich in technology are poor at feeding their people, despite their technology. ”

“What about the vints and moxxels? What do they need?”

“We are not yet sure. We only know the vints cannot be trusted and will attack at any opportunity.”

“And yet you attacked my colony.”

“Because they broke the treaty. We provided protection from the vints along their border, but your people did not give the females promised to us. So, we took what we earned.”

“People can’t be traded like livestock.”

He cups my cheek. “Perhaps they should not be, but they are on many worlds, my little sossa flower. Orcs do not sell or give away our people. Until coming to Kovos, we never needed to acquire females in this manner, but we are desperate. Without females, we will die out as a species. Humans appear to have no rules against selling their people. Why would you wish to live in a colony that would sell you?”

I’m not sure what to say to that, except that no matter the situation in New Earth, I have to return. Ethan’s there. I’ll gladly risk myself if it means giving him a better life.

“You are more than needed here, Tansey,” Verig continues as he holds my face with both hands.

“I want you here. I’ve never asked anyone to perform the risha with me.

Not even Haaka. We were matched by our parents.

An agreement made when we were young. When we mated and had a youngling, risha became optional.

Haaka did not see the necessity, and I never insisted because the ritual didn’t hold much meaning to me then.

But now that Orcos is lost to us…” He falls silent for a moment before taking a deep breath. “Risha would forever bind us.”

“And you want to perform this risha with me? To marry me?”

“Yes.”

It doesn’t surprise me. It’s why I’m here, why all the women are. Still, hearing him say he’s never performed this ceremony with another, never cared to, does something to my heart, but I can’t allow it. I can’t make a life here. Not without Ethan.

I place my splayed hands on his magnificent chest and caress him as I think about everything that’s happened since I arrived. My views toward the orcs are shifting, mostly because of Verig, but that doesn’t change my goal.

“You don’t know me, Verig,” I say as gently as I can to let him down. “And you’re pushing me to do something I can’t even think about right now.”

“I will protect you from all others. Give you all that you need. I would never sell you as your people would.”

He has a point. A really good one.

“All that is mine would be yours.”

I look around the sparse chambers. A bed, furs, a chest of clothes, and weapons hanging on the wall. And the knife I tied to my side. The one he gave me. To protect myself when he’s not around to protect me.

“I will demand no less of you than you demand of me,” he adds, as if we’re in a bargaining session.

Like the head of the prison yard citing the extra benefits if I accept her deal.

Protection from the male guards. Protection from the rival gang.

Access to a lawyer, a real one, not the one appointed by the state.

All great incentives, but there’s always a price.

“What precisely does that mean?” I ask Verig, though I shouldn’t be encouraging him. But I’m curious. He’s essentially laying out a proposal. Not the romantic kind, but I’ve had that. It did not end well.

“It means if I demand sex of you, you may demand it of me. If I demand you kill a potha and prepare the meat, you may demand the same of me.”

Well, that’s very…romantic? Hell, I don’t know why we’re having this conversation. How did we even get to this point? I wanted to get off a cold floor last night, and now we’re talking marriage.

“I don’t like when anyone makes demands of me. I’m no one’s slave.”

He tilts his head. I have to admit he’s adorable and handsome when he’s confused and trying really hard to understand me. Ah, fuck, there I go again, letting the male’s good looks and charm sway me. Talking with Verig confuses me. More than sleeping with him.

“Ethan more than wants me, Verig. He needs me. I’m his mother.”

I see that sadness return to his eyes. I don’t understand it, but I’m hoping it means he’s considering letting me go. Not that I’m entirely sure I want to go. If it weren’t for Ethan, I could see staying here with Verig.

When I arrived here three weeks ago, the orcs were the monsters. Nothing had been clearer in my mind. Now, I’m starting to understand them and to see my own people through the eyes of another.

I’ve heard too much, seen too much back at New Earth, and from Paloma, to ignore what the orcs say about them. All of it makes me wonder if Ethan and I will ever be truly safe there. But there’s no place for Ethan here among the orcs. Especially with a male who doesn’t want a kid.

And if I break off from Verig, I’ll be as vulnerable as ever. His knife, while it’s a nice gesture, won’t stop an orc like Baloq.

So much to think about, and Verig’s patiently waiting for me. He’s second in command here and cannot ignore his responsibilities. And yet he’s not forcing me to come with him.

I take Verig’s hand in mine, a move that causes the ridges on his forehead to rise and the corners of his mouth to lift in a sexy grin.

“Don’t take this the wrong way, orc. I’m not staying here. Not for long. Nothing and no one will keep me from my son.”

“You are a fighter, Tansey. But so am I.”