Page 18 of Orc’s Promise (Knotty Monsters #3)

CHAPTER SIXTEEN

TANSEY

F inally. After hours of labor, we’re seeing some progress.

Paloma’s fully dilated, and while neither Ossa nor I can understand each other’s language, we’ve developed a hands-on system.

She places my hand or points to what she needs, and I let her direct me.

Anything more complicated and Paloma translates… between screams.

It’s the middle of the night, and whoever’s talking outside our door is rather loud, distracting me and Ossa. Paloma, too. Ossa glares at the door again. Enough is enough.

I fling the door open, about to ask whoever is out there to quiet down, but when I see Verig standing with Atox, I lose my shit. All I can think about is how he doesn’t want kids, at least not mine, and yet he’s here waiting to see this baby born.

“You’re making a lot of noise out here. Quiet down,” I snap at them, then slam the door shut.

Ossa cracks a smile. She has no clue what I said, but I think she got the gist.

“Attaki hydro.”

“More water,” Paloma pushes out Ossa’s request while trying not to push the baby out .

I open the door and walk by both orcs, ignoring them completely. A slight growl reverberates down the tunnel. I’m sure Verig’s eyes follow me. Screw him. He doesn’t deserve my attention.

A few minutes later, I return with a pail of water, again keeping my eyes trained on the door without glancing at either orc. The moment I enter the room, Ossa leaves. I guess there’s something more she needs that she cannot describe to me or wait for Paloma to translate.

“A peli tananni a fumika sartog,” Ossa says when she returns.

I look to Paloma to translate.

“She says her brother’s an ass.”

“She does look rather pissed off. I wonder why.”

“I’m not sure, but I think it has to do with an orc Ossa’s dating. Or trying to date—” Paloma lets out the mother of all screams. This is it. The baby’s coming.

The next few minutes fly by with Ossa giving precise directions, never losing control of the situation. I’m glad she’s here.

Within minutes, we hear the cries of a newborn. This kid has strong lungs! That’s such a good sign.

I can’t believe how excited I am about the birth of a human-orc child, but when I take a look at the baby, I instantly fall in love with her. Ossa hands me the little girl, and I mean little. I expected a bigger baby considering how big Paloma’s belly was, but this baby’s only six or seven pounds.

I set her down on the trunk that I’ve lined with furs to clean her off as best I can before swaddling her in an incredibly soft suede towel. My colony uses wool towels, better for absorption, but they’re not nearly as soft as what the orcs use.

This sweet little girl’s light green skin is as soft as I remember Ethan’s.

The ridges on her forehead don’t look strange to me or strike me as ugly.

I peer inside her mouth to make sure it’s clear of mucus, especially since I don’t have a bulb syringe to suction it clear.

Nothing there. Including tusks. Or teeth.

I guess we’ll see in time if she takes after her mom or dad.

“Tansey,” Ossa calls. “Hands. Here.” She’s still between Paloma’s legs, but it doesn’t look like she’s delivering the afterbirth. Fear shoots through me. Something’s wrong. I don’t want to put the baby on the floor. I could forget myself and step on her.

Ossa grabs the baby from me, flings the door open, and shoves her in Atox’s arms, quickly slams the door in his face again, and returns to the bed. I see another head pushing through the birth canal. Twins!

“Attaki fusha.”

When Paloma doesn’t translate—she’s rather busy pushing—Ossa holds up a towel. She needs more.

I duck into the tunnel, closing the door behind me, and brush by Verig and Atox, whose eyes focus solely on his newborn. When I see how Atox is looking at her, I suddenly envision Verig holding a child—our child. Oh, god, what is wrong with me?

I brush by both orcs and head to the nearest storage chamber to grab a pile of towels. When I pass by the orcs again as I enter Paloma’s chamber, I hear Verig say, in Common, “There is more to a person than her appearance.”

I shut the door and lean against it, trying to calm my emotions.

Verig meant for me to hear him. But I’m not sure if he’s saying he sees something in me beyond my looks or wishes I’d see something in him.

Fucking orc. There’s a lot of goodness in him. And some negatives, too. I see it. All of it. Especially how he wants me to forget and give up on my son.

When I set the towels down, Ossa nods toward the door. “Daughter.”

Instructions to retrieve the baby? I’m not sure why, but okay. She’s in charge. And she’s got her hands full, literally, helping guide the second baby out. Either way, it’s not the time to ask questions, but to follow orders.

Didn’t Verig say something similar to me once?

Fuck, I shouldn’t be thinking about him.

I open the door a crack to maintain Paloma’s privacy, considering it’s more than her mate out here. I lean my head to check on who’s in the corridor. Atox hasn’t left with the baby.

“I should remove the door from the hinges,” Atox says in Common, annoyance on his face as he holds the baby in his arms. “The hinges won’t last at the rate these females are coming and going.”

So fucking judgmental, these orcs.

I lift my chin to get his attention.

“You. Big guy. Give me the baby.”

“This is my daughter.”

“Yeah, I figured that out.” I enter the corridor, glare at Verig, wondering why I even like him…because I do. “She’s my charge until Ossa says otherwise.”

“But I’m grak.”

“So?” I slide the baby from the king’s arms. She’s half naked as he’s undone the swaddling, probably to count fingers and toes.

I hold her against my chest as I re-wrap the furs around her.

These tunnels are cold and drafty. Sometimes I don’t understand men.

They’re an entire species unto themselves.

Orc, human, vint…it doesn’t matter. They can plan a complicated siege on the enemy, but they can’t figure out how to wrap a baby in a blanket.

“Explain to her what a grak is,” Atox orders Verig, who merely looks at me and raises a brow. I can see it in his face. He’s laughing inside, though I’m not sure why.

“I know who you are,” I snap at Atox. If he’s expecting me to kowtow to him because he’s in charge of this colony, forget it. Especially since he’s the guy responsible for keeping me from my son. Here I’ve been venting my anger at Verig, but Verig doesn’t make the rules .

“You’re the king. And he’s your second.” I struggle to hold back my tears. Holding this little one is bringing back so many memories of Ethan, making me miss him all the more. My arms have never been so full of something so precious and yet empty at the same time because this baby isn’t my Ethan.

“Shouldn’t you be out gutting or torturing someone?” I snap at Verig before I spin on my heels, step back inside Paloma’s chambers, and slam the door closed behind me without waiting to hear his reply.

I don’t want an answer. I want my son.

He could convince their king if he wanted to.

The door rattles as someone pounds on it.

“Your grak wishes to see his female and his youngling,” Verig’s voice travels through the wood.

Of course, it’s him, eager to connect a parent and child, just not me and mine.

With the first baby in my arms, I stand in the corner, out of Ossa’s way as she delivers the second baby. Paloma screams with what I’m hoping is her last push because she’s got to be exhausted after eight hours of labor.

The baby slides right out. Slippery little thing. A boy! And as cute as his sister. Ossa quickly bundles him in a towel and leans over Paloma, handing her the second baby when the door crashes open and bounces off the stone wall.

Atox charges in. These orcs do nothing half-heartedly.

“Are you well, mate?” he asks in a gentle voice I’ve never heard from him. Genuine concern for her. I relax a little, seeing that he really does love her. He bends over and kisses her forehead.

“Exhausted,” she answers. Of course, she is. The hard part is over! Sweat coats her face, but she’s all smiles as she peels back the fur blanket to show off their son. “Isn’t he gorgeous, Atox?”

“He?” Atox asks as he turns to me with a scowl on his face, as if I did something wrong. Then he looks from Paloma to Ossa. “Two? ”

“A girl and a boy!” Paloma says. “That’s why I was so big.”

Atox and Ossa speak in Orcan, and this is where I get lost. First, she pats her brother’s chest and flashes enough tusk that I’ve come to realize is an orcan smile, as if she’s congratulating him, but then she punches him in the stomach.

Now Paloma and Atox exchange words, confusion on her face as Ossa leaves.

My eyes seek out Verig for an explanation, but he’s not here.

That’s when I realize I miss his presence. That’s the truly baffling part of this entire night.

“You’re upset, Atox,” Paloma says. “Is this because you didn’t want a boy?”

As the new parents fawn over their son, seemingly forgetting I’m still holding their daughter, Verig finally enters the room. He looks unsettled, though I’m not sure why. They’re orcs. They’ve seen—hell, they’ve caused—their share of bloodshed, and Ossa cleaned up all the messy stuff.

Paloma kisses her son’s cheek. “Babies are born with all the goodness and potential in the universe. As long as they are raised with love and have good role models, they will be fine.”

I look at Verig, wondering what he’d be like as a dad.

He’s standing in the opposite corner of the chamber, staring at me.

I’ve gotten used to his watching me. It no longer unnerves me.

In fact, the way he looks at me sends a pleasant shiver through me.

Until his eyes land on the sweet bundle in my arms.

He has no clue what raising a kid is like, how the parent is the kid’s entire world. How, when a child’s mom disappears without saying goodbye, it can destroy them on the inside.

“This is why you need a mate of your own, Verig,” Atox says. “They offer a wisdom we do not have. Now, take the other female from here. I wish to be with my mate and our younglings. Alone.”

I’m caving under the pressure of Verig’s gaze. A part of me wants to give in to him, to say ‘yes, I’ll perform this risha ceremony with you’, but I can’t. I shift my gaze to Paloma. “Are you sure you don’t want me to stay?”

“Just a few minutes of privacy, I think, Tansey, if you don’t mind. You can wait in the tunnels with Verig.”

Verig and me… Alone. Without anyone else nearby.

Blood rushes from my face. He’s going to say I belong to him, that I need to bond him, that I should forget about Ethan.

“Yes, Graka.” I use her title for the first time. I’m not sure why, but it seems proper. God help me, am I assimilating into their culture?

I hand the little girl to Atox, nod at the new parents, and rush out before Verig can catch up with me. In fact, I slam the door behind me, putting him on notice that I don’t want to deal with him.