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R osa had brought… a what? An Official Alliance for Skyli Restoration , Refurbishment , and Renovation ?

Daisy couldn’t seem to reply, blinking stunned toward Rosa’s excited face, and then toward the dozen-odd people clustered around her — including John - Ka , Gareth , and a few other vaguely familiar faces. While beside Daisy , Filak was glowering with pure glittering malevolence in his eyes, because of course he hadn’t understood any of what Rosa had said, right?

The truth of that snapped Daisy’s awareness back again, and she reflexively slipped her arm around Filak’s back, taking care to avoid her fresh ink. “ Ka -esh hjálpa ,” she murmured toward him. “ Fix Skyli .”

The comprehension flashed through Filak’s eyes, and then, thank the gods, John - Ka cleared his throat, and began curtly speaking in Aelakesh . Translating for Rosa , and then elaborating further, gesturing in turn toward the various orcs behind him. And as Daisy again studied their faces, she recognized Elgr , the big hungry orc from the garden, and his human mate Thomas , who was looking decidedly orc-like in his leathers and furs, with a pickaxe swung over his shoulder. And the tall orc beside Gareth was the same one from the dyflissa , though the orc was now stubbornly glowering away from Gareth , his arms crossed over his chest.

Filak still didn’t look happy either, his frown deepening as he listened to John - Ka speak, but even so, his shoulders had slightly sagged, and his eyes glinted on the last orc John - Ka had pointed toward. A tall, handsome fellow with pulled-back hair, and — Daisy blinked — a shocking quantity of scars all over his bare grey chest.

“ Tekkir tú neeanjarearhvelfingar ?” Filak demanded toward the orc, his voice sharp. “ Og burearlínur ?”

The orc nodded and spoke something back, while making a smooth arching motion with his clawed hands. And then he slung his arm around the shorter, severe-looking orc beside him, who was holding several books, and several complicated-looking metal tools, as well.

“William is one of our best stonemasons,” Rosa said firmly, perhaps for Daisy’s benefit, with a nod toward the tall scarred orc. “ And his mate Soren is a brilliant surveyor and engineer. Along with Tvalli and Ronan and Orval , too.”

She gestured toward three of the other orcs, all of them carrying a variety of books and papers and tools, and all eyeing Filak with similar uneasy expressions. “ And of course Gary is our best metalsmith,” Rosa added, with a proud nod toward Gareth , and then toward the pouting orc beside him. “ And he’s brought his… friend Hallr to help, too. And Elgr and Thomas also volunteered to come, because their son is attending school here at the mountain this week, and they think the Skyli must be close to the Skai camp where they live — and apparently they’ve also worked with Filak on digging there before?”

She shot another dubious look toward Filak , who was now eyeing Thomas and Elgr with what might have been reluctant approval. And when Elgr said something cheerfully toward Filak in Aelakesh , Filak twitched a wry, grudging smile in return, and even a small nod of his head.

“So we’re settled, then?” Rosa asked, raising her brows toward Filak . “ Kemur tú ?”

Filak’s shoulders rose and fell, his bottom lip jutting out, and for a brief, sinking instant, Daisy was sure he would still refuse. Would shake his head, and tell them he didn’t need their help, and he would do this all alone…

But before he could say it, Daisy’s hand slipped up his back, and briefly caressed against his shoulder, at one of the new marks she’d made. Her prayers for him, for strength, for courage.

The ink was still slightly tacky, and maybe she was streaking it, ruining it — but Filak’s sideways glance toward her was knowing, maybe even resigned. And as Daisy held his eyes, his words from the night before rose up between them, too. I uphold you. Stand with you. Trust you.

“Ach,” he finally said, to the watching, waiting group before them. “ ég kem .”

I come . It flared warmth all through Daisy’s body, and she squeezed him tight, and beamed up toward his face. He would accept their help. He would work with his kin, and save his home.

His smile back toward her was slow and rueful, the fondness glinting in his eyes — but then he grimaced and glanced back toward John - Ka again, and muttered something in Aelakesh . Something that made John - Ka stiffen, casting a sharp look toward Rosa beside him.

“According to Filak , the Skyli is not yet safe,” John - Ka said flatly. “ Most of all for our human mates. You and Daisy ought to stay here today, Rosa - Ka , until we can be sure to secure this.”

Rosa instantly bristled, protesting back in swift, fluent Aelakesh , and Daisy felt half-inclined to agree, darting a betrayed glance up toward Filak’s face. But he was already looking regretful, his hand stroking her back. “ I am sorry, sólin mín ,” he murmured. “ I need you safe, ach?”

Right. Daisy’s thoughts flicked back to the collapsed room, the crumbling corridors, the stone that had nearly fallen on her head. To how Filak could protect her, surely — but how he needed to focus on fixing the Skyli , too. He needed this. Needed his people and his home.

“I understand,” Daisy told him, with an attempt at a smile. “ And I promised Rosa we would spend some time working together on her projects anyway, right?”

Rosa’s eyes betrayed a reluctant spark of interest, and Daisy didn’t miss John - Ka’s brief, grateful glance over Rosa’s head toward her. “ Ach , Rosa - Ka , you have much Daisy can help you with today,” he said firmly. “ And we shall return before nightfall, and spend the evening in the dyflissa together.”

Rosa’s eyes sparked even brighter, and Daisy was vaguely surprised to see Filak nodding too, his eyes intent on her own face. “ Return before nightfall,” he told her, carefully repeating John - Ka’s words to Rosa . “ And spend evening in dyflissa together. Ach , sólin mín ?”

Well. Daisy couldn’t argue with that, and she smiled up toward him, and then accompanied him back into their room to dress and pack for the day together. And Filak didn’t even protest when Daisy packed him most of the food from the new basket he’d apparently had delivered, and then he took his time kissing her goodbye, stroking her again and again, as if he already regretted deciding to leave her.

“It’s all right, Filak ,” Daisy said, caressing her own hand against his warm solid chest. “ Gott . And — stay safe, ach? ?ruggur ?”

She couldn’t deny the genuine concern in her voice, as visions of that collapsing room again swarmed through her thoughts. But Filak’s grin was soft and amused, his head twitching back and forth. “ No rock harm me,” he replied. “ I die of shame first, sólin mín .”

There were again a few more new words in there — had he been studying overnight, somehow? — and Daisy grinned back toward him, and gave him one last kiss goodbye. And as she watched him walk away with the others, his new ink stark and clear on his back, there was a strange, swerving twist in her gut, something between affection and fear. What if he still ended up hurt somehow? What if he didn’t come back? What would she do then?

But thankfully, Rosa was still bright and confident beside her, and once the group had gone out of sight, she gave an exaggerated sigh, and a roll of her eyes toward Daisy . “ There’s no convincing them when they think you’re in danger,” she said irritably. “ I swear, it’s like living with an obsessive overwrought dragon . Now , where to first? The communications office?”

Daisy readily agreed, and soon they were heading up through the mountain together, greeting various acquaintances as they went. And once again, Rosa’s cheerful chatter was so easy to smile and laugh at, so easy to slip into — and it turned out that her current communications projects were just as intriguing, too. Comprising everything from flyers and advertisements promoting Orc Mountain , to a new edition of her Manual for Modern Mates , to a brand-new in-progress publication entitled An Authoritative Guide to Orcish Anatomy .

“I think that one will be very popular with humans, don’t you?” Rosa asked, with a wink. “ And since Filak is our only Nor -ka-esh here, do you think he might volunteer to pose for a few illustrations?”

Daisy barked a laugh, and easily nodded. “ Oh , I’m sure he would,” she said. “ Although , he might not be so happy about me drawing anyone else.”

She was thinking about Filak’s reaction to her drawings of Kesst and Efterar , but Rosa’s grin was impish, her brows waggling. “ All the better,” she replied, “because then he’ll just have to punish you in the dyflissa afterwards, right?”

Daisy laughed again, even as her face prickled with heat, and with something almost like gratefulness. Because there was again no judgement whatsoever in Rosa’s eyes, only easy accepting amusement. As if taunting one’s orc in order to earn a humiliating public punishment was perfectly normal and understandable behaviour, barely deserving of a passing mention.

“Oh, and I also wanted to say,” Rosa added, quieter now, “thank you for that last night, in the dyflissa . We all know Filak would never come to us and ask for help of his own volition. Let alone telling us about something as incredible as finding a long-lost Ka -esh ruin.”

There was a distinct tinge of hurt in her voice, enough that Daisy hesitated, and studied her face. Her expression looked hurt, too, and resentful, and maybe still a little angry. Snapping Daisy’s thoughts backwards, to Julian’s claim about Filak’s own people not understanding him — and then to Filak’s own anger over this, too. To how he didn’t trust the Ka -esh, or anyone in this mountain. How he’d resented and feared them.

And Daisy was still watching, seeing, learning, and she took a deep breath. “ You were hurt,” she said slowly, more of a statement than a question. “ That Filak didn’t tell you about the Skyli , or anything else about his past, or the Nor -ka-esh.”

Rosa let out a shuddering exhale, a sudden spark flashing through her eyes. “ Yes , of course!” she replied. “ Sharing and deepening knowledge is a crucial foundational principle for the entire Ka -esh clan! And I mean” — she winced, glanced away — “obviously I understand if Filak didn’t want to tell me , but John - Ka ? He’s worked so hard, Daisy , he’s given up so much to help and protect the Ka -esh, and Filak has always just — ignored him. Dismissed him. Behaved as though John - Ka was his mortal enemy. As if Filak might even want to — to attack John - Ka ! Replace him!”

That was true fear, now, lacing through Rosa’s eyes and her voice — and curse it, that did make sense, didn’t it? Filak had arrived at Orc Mountain furious, reeking of blood, hoarding wealth, refusing to speak of his past, or to acknowledge his clan’s established leadership. Of course they’d seen him as a risk, or even a threat. And in truth, perhaps it was a testament to John - Ka’s leadership that he hadn’t had Filak forcibly questioned, or imprisoned, or worse.

“That must have been so difficult for you both,” Daisy finally said. “ But for what it’s worth, Filak has no interest whatsoever in replacing John - Ka . He’s just been… very hurt, by your clan. He just needs time. Patience . He needs you to… see him, as he is, without any judgement.”

Her voice sounded so steady, so certain, as if Filak himself were there, speaking the words to her, stroking his safe warm hands over her skin. Of course Filak didn’t want to replace anyone. Of course he didn’t want to attack anyone. His goal was helping his people, and that was all.

And in return, Rosa visibly sagged, and gave Daisy a wan, grateful smile. “ That’s … really helpful to hear,” she said thickly. “ Thank you, sister.”

Daisy waved it away, and then pulled Rosa into a quick, impulsive hug. Squeezing her perhaps too tightly, but Rosa instantly squeezed her back, and made a laughing sniffing sound into her shoulder. “ Now , some flyers?” Rosa’s wavering voice asked. “ Or maybe some orc pricks?”

Daisy chuckled and nodded, and joined Rosa in returning to the flyers. And with that last bit of tension out between them, it felt even easier than before to laugh and sketch and plan with her, and then to sit down side by side to work together. As if they’d been friends for years, rather than only a few days.

By midway through the morning, Daisy had drawn three new inked illustrations for Rosa’s flyers — a simple depiction of the mountain, a smiling orc with his arm around a pretty human woman, and a plump-faced, wide-eyed orc baby. And Rosa’s glee upon seeing them was truly contagious, enough that she dashed out into the corridor, apparently to show them off to random passersby, and then returned with — Julian ?

“He was skulking alone out there!” Rosa exclaimed, wagging a teasing finger toward him. “ Spying on us!”

Julian’s smile was sheepish, his face flushed. “ I did not wish to interrupt,” he said, with a wincing glance toward Daisy , “but Filak charged me to watch over you whilst he is gone today, ach?”

This prompted another affronted but amused tirade from Rosa about overprotective Ka -esh mates, even as she steered Julian toward the desk beside Daisy . “ Well , come make yourself useful, at least,” she said firmly, plucking up a familiar-looking letter, and waving it toward him. “ We’re overdue for a letter back to Rurik , and he’d love to hear from you, don’t you think?”

Julian sputtered and flushed even deeper, while Rosa flashed him a playful grin, and then set him up writing text for her new flyers instead. And it turned out that Julian’s day-to-day profession was actually as a scribe and record keeper, and he had the most beautiful lettering Daisy had ever seen.

The rest of the morning passed with astonishing speed, and for lunch, they picked up Rosa’s two adorable sons from the nearby nursery, and headed out into the garden. Where they chatted easily to Kalfr and Gwyn and Joarr , while Rosa nursed her youngest, and Daisy happily drew the surrounding snapdragons, and the holly bushes, and the unfamiliar stringy moss growing on a nearby rock.

“This moss is stunning ,” she said eagerly, to a bemused-looking Kalfr beside her. “ Do you know what it is?”

Kalfr gave a wry shake of his head, and shot a questioning glance over toward Gwyn and Joarr — but they both shook their heads, too. “ No idea,” Gwyn replied cheerfully. “ Maybe it’s in a book somewhere?”

But Daisy had read most of the published botanical books, and couldn’t ever recall seeing it before — and as she carefully drew the moss, jotting down a few notes beside it, she couldn’t help thinking that it really should be in a book. And what had Filak told her, back in the tunnel? Daisy make book , he’d said. Daisy draw.

The idea still felt preposterous, impossible, especially without Lew — but then again, Rosa did have all that printing equipment here, right? And Daisy had an impressive collection of new art now, too. Art from the mountain, the garden, the tunnels, the Skyli — not to mention all her drawings of Filak and various other orcs. So much that she’d gone through dozens of pages in her sketchbook, and… could it really be a book, somehow? A book of her own?

She was still considering that when they headed back inside, and then made a brief stop into the sickroom, so Rosa could check in on something with Kesst . But at the sight of the sickroom, Daisy was jolted out of her thoughts, because it turned out that Filak’s huge gaping hole was still just sitting there wide open in the floor, waiting for some poor unsuspecting patient to fall into it.

“Yes, we were supposed to have a Ka -esh repair team today,” Kesst irritably snapped, with a narrow, accusing glance toward Rosa and Julian . “ But instead, they apparently all took off on some mysterious urgent expedition! Leaving us here to suffer this appalling, abhorrent, utterly unconscionable travesty here in our own home ! And leaving Eft with the unpleasant prospect of denying our patients the care they desperately need, in order to heal anyone who’s mortally wounded by falling into this highly hazardous hole !”

Julian had begun uneasily backing away toward the door, while Rosa squared her shoulders, and launched into an apologetic explanation about the Skyli — but this only seemed to raise Kesst’s ire higher. “ They abandoned us for Filak ?!” he shrilly demanded. “ For a decrepit old ruin ?!”

Rosa winced again, and one of her wide-eyed sons clutched to her leg, while the other dashed over to join Julian at the door. And without at all meaning to, Daisy leapt in between Kesst and Rosa , and pulled herself as straight as possible.

“Filak will fix the hole,” she said firmly. “ Tonight . As soon as he returns. Also ” — she brandished her sketchbook toward Kesst — “ I almost forgot, but before I left here last time, I promised you a new portrait, didn’t I ? You and Efterar together?”

Kesst’s disgruntled frown slightly faded, and despite his dubious glance toward Rosa , he irritably waved Efterar over. And after only a bit of fussing, he even allowed Daisy to pose them together, with Efterar standing close behind Kesst , both his bulky arms slung around Kesst’s lean waist. And when Efterar pressed a brief, affectionate kiss to Kesst’s cheek, Daisy quickly asked him to stay there, and then drew them as well as she could. Taking special care to capture Kesst’s handsome features, and also his soft sidelong glance toward his doting mate, who was wearing a look of pure reverence on his harsh face.

Afterwards, once Daisy had passed the drawing over, Kesst blinked at it for a long, silent moment, his swallow bobbing in his throat. “ Oh ,” he said. “ Well . This earns Filak a reprieve, I suppose. For now .”

Daisy shot him a relieved smile, and beside Kesst , Efterar looked distinctly relieved, too. “ We’ll handle it until tonight, right, Sweet - Fang ?” he said, with another kiss to Kesst’s cheek. “ Thank you, Daisy .”

Daisy waved it away, and then accompanied Julian and Rosa and her sons back to the communications office, where they were soon joined by two of Rosa’s close clan brothers — the tall cheerful medic Salvi , who Daisy had previously met during her stay in the sickroom, and his mate Tristan . Tristan was slim, handsome, and soft-spoken, and it turned out that he also worked as a scribe, and was therefore good friends with Julian . Enough that he picked up the letter from Rurik off the counter, and then cast Julian a searching, worried look.

“You are not… writing Rurik , brother,” he said warily. “ Are you?”

Julian grimaced and shook his head, while Salvi winked toward Tristan , and elbowed him in the side. “ We saw Rurik a while back, didn’t we, s?ti ?” he said lightly. “ He was not happy to be reminded of you, Julian .”

Daisy darted a curious glance up — this Rurik still had feelings about Julian , too? — but Julian huffed a surprisingly bitter scoff, and glared down at his writing. “ Ach , I heard,” he said coldly. “ And did Rurik not take a woman to bed soon after this? And did he not scent of several other women, also?”

Salvi wrinkled his nose, but then gripped Julian’s shoulder, and gave him a reassuring little shake. “ Mayhap ,” he admitted. “ But you like women too, do you not, Julian ? Mayhap you and Rurik could come to terms upon this.”

But Julian’s shoulder stiffened beneath Salvi’s grip, and a blotchy flush had begun to creep up his neck. “ Ach , just as you did with Tristan and your woman?” he shot back. “ This worked well for you, did it not?”

Salvi visibly blanched, and shot a brief, hunted look toward where Tristan’s gaze was now very intent on the counter. “ Ach , no, it was a mess,” Salvi said, raising both his hands, as his mouth pulled into a smile that didn’t reach his eyes. “ But I ken you are far wiser than I am, brother.”

Julian’s shoulders sagged, but for a long, awkward moment, no one spoke or moved. At least, until Rosa’s elder son Thorin sidled over to Daisy , and cast a careful, curious look at the sketch she was drawing.

“How you do this?” he asked shyly. “ Look like magic.”

Like magic . It shimmered oddly in Daisy’s gut, but it was clearly a much-needed diversion — so she handed Thorin a pencil and a blank sheet of paper, and guided him through drawing a simple orc face. A process which he followed with surprising dedication, and his result was easily identifiable as an orc, too. “ Papa Tristan ,” he said proudly, holding up the sketch beside Tristan’s still-silent form. “ Papa Tristan , look! You !”

Tristan turned around with a wan smile, but it brightened into genuine warmth at the sight of Thorin and his portrait. And his praise for Thorin’s efforts sounded genuine too, if still slightly choked — so after another moment’s watching them, Daisy handed Thorin another blank sheet of paper, and suggested they try drawing Papa Salvi next.

This earned her grateful glances from everyone else in the room, Rosa included — and once Daisy was settled with Thorin again, she was surprised to discover that she was again thoroughly enjoying herself. Thorin was an attentive, curious child, and his approach to drawing was both simple and refreshing, showing her a new perspective she hadn’t considered before. Another way of seeing, perhaps.

It made for a lovely afternoon, especially once the earlier conflict seemed to have been fully forgotten, in favour of cheerfully chatting and working together, and exclaiming over portraits. By the end of the day, Daisy and Thorin had drawn everyone in the room — including each other — and they were giggling together on the floor when someone new showed up at the door. Someone tall and pale and silent, with torn trousers, two broken claws, and dust up to his elbows.

Filak.

Daisy’s heart skipped, and for an instant she could only stare at him, her face heating, her eyes running up and down his lean, sweaty, dirt-streaked body. He was back, he was safe, just as he’d promised — and with a strange, breathless gasp, Daisy leapt to her feet, and hurled herself across the room toward him. Not caring how dirty or dusty he was, just desperately needing to touch him, to throw her arms around his waist, to bury her face into his warm sweaty chest.

For a breath, Filak stood very still against her, enough that Daisy twitched, made to back away — but then, oh gods, his arms snapped around her, and dragged her close. Crushing her against him, while he inhaled deep and ragged against her neck, and murmured low, hoarse words she couldn’t understand.

It was pure, shuddering relief, and Daisy pulled back to beam at him, to search his eyes. “ How did it go?” she demanded. “ How was the Restoration Team ? How much progress did you make? And how” — she groped for Filak’s hand, brought it up between them — “how did you break not one claw, but two ?!”

Filak’s laugh was warm and affectionate, and he waved Julian over, and spoke in rapid, incomprehensible Aelakesh . But then Julian translated it just as quickly, and it turned out that the day had gone even better than Filak had hoped. The team had secured the large domed room — the cathedral , Julian called it — as well as the main tunnel in and out. Gareth had also taken detailed measurements of the eye-opening apparatus — the sólarsyn , or sun-seer , apparently — so the Ka -esh smiths could forge parts to repair it, while the rest of the team had worked on clearing the worst of the debris, and calculating the extent of the Skyli’s size and sprawl and damage. They’d even dug a tunnel up to the nearby Skai camp — the Wolf - Camp — and had recruited some extra help there, too.

Filak’s eyes danced as he spoke, his words escaping in a long eager stream, and Daisy grinned back at him as she listened, and as Julian translated it all beside her. Gods , it was good to see him, and hear him, and even to see the tolerant roll of his eyes when she again raised up his hand, and gave a purposeful questioning stare at his broken claws.

“Filak says he only pushed too far digging,” Julian said, with a wry smile toward Daisy . “ And they will grow back soon. And until then, you shall enjoy them.”

As Julian spoke, Filak gave a teasing tickle of his now-blunt fingers to Daisy’s bare belly, enough to make her gasp, and then cast a furtive glance toward the children behind her. But she hadn’t noticed that John - Ka had returned, too, and he was currently being attacked by his two small squealing sons, while laughing and pulling Rosa close.

“You survived, then?” Rosa was asking him with a smile, her voice just loud enough for Daisy to hear it. “ It wasn’t a total disaster?”

“No, it was not,” John - Ka murmured back, as he pressed a kiss to her hair. “ And this Skyli was — ach. You must come tomorrow to see it, Rosa - Ka .”

Rosa’s squeal of delight was just as shrill as her sons’, and she hopped up and down in John - Ka’s arms. And when Daisy glanced back toward Filak , she found him watching this with surprising tolerance in his eyes, and his glance back toward her was even warmer. “ You must come tomorrow,” he told her, carefully echoing John - Ka’s words. “ Ach , sólin mín ?”

And now Daisy was squealing too, and squeezing him tight, while he softly chuckled against her, and caressed his hands up and down her back. “ Now dyflissa ?” he murmured, soft. “ Fuck me, sólin mín ?”

The longing lurched in Daisy’s belly with shocking strength, and she’d already begun to nod — but then she twitched and drew back, shaking her head. “ But first,” she began, with a grimace, “ I promised Kesst you would fix the sickroom. Sorry .”

Julian quietly translated beside her, while Filak’s brows snapped up, his lip curling with clear distaste. “ Kesst ?” he demanded. “ Over dyflissa ?”

Daisy grimaced again, while Filak’s lip curled even higher, and a low growl burned from his throat. “ Nei , Daisy ,” he hissed, as something dangerous flickered behind his eyes. “ Ekki Kesst .”

A shiver ran up Daisy’s spine, but she drew herself straighter, and held his gaze. “ Nei , Filak ,” she snapped back. “ Kesst . Now .”

And yes, yes, she hadn’t imagined that flare in Filak’s eyes, or the heat in his slowly deepening growl. “ Bad Daisy ,” he breathed, baring his teeth toward her. “ Tú veist ae tú munt gjalda fyrir tetta .”

Julian quickly translated that one — you know you will pay for this , it meant — and it fired another hot, glorious shiver up Daisy’s back. “ Oh , really?” she asked, as coolly as she could. “ And what do you think you can do to me?”

And curse it, but Julian translated that too, and in return, Filak leaned in, and snapped his teeth with vicious, delicious menace against Daisy’s ear. “ You pay,” he growled, in common-tongue. “ You beg.”

Gods. Daisy could barely hold her chin up, but she somehow rolled her eyes at him, snatched up her sketchbook, and flounced out of the room. Leaving Filak to prowl along behind her, his steps utterly silent — but she could still feel the hot weight of his eyes, could almost feel his claws on her throat.

“Filak’s come to fix the hole,” she announced toward Kesst , as she rushed into the sickroom. “ Do you want another portrait while he does it, maybe?”

It was sheer desperation already, a frantic need to occupy herself, rather than either running away from Filak , or hurling herself at his feet. Because the feel of him behind her was still crackling with heat, with danger, with dark twisted promise, so strong she could scarcely bear it.

Perhaps Kesst had caught Daisy’s heightened state, because he smirked coldly toward Filak , and imperiously waved him away toward the back of the room. And once Filak had stomped off, the thwarted fury radiating from his stiff body, Kesst went and collected Efterar , and drew him down onto a nearby bed. Where Kesst first draped himself over Efterar’s bulky body, and then — Daisy’s breath choked — he yanked down Efterar’s trousers, and pulled out a hard, shockingly gigantic cock.

Daisy stared for an instant too long, her hand hovering over the blank sketchbook page — gods, it was too huge to be real — but Kesst only smirked again, and then began brazenly wrapping his fingers against it, stroking it up and down. Pumping it even longer and fuller, oh gods, while Efterar’s hips arched up, his eyes fluttering, his head tipping back.

And truly, it was a sight worth capturing, so Daisy took a deep breath, and began drawing. Not only that vivid extremity at Efterar’s groin, but also the hazy pleasure in his eyes, the hungry possessive triumph on Kesst’s face. And the way their tall bodies so easily curled into each other, the way the trust and affection between them felt strong enough to taste.

It was so absorbing that Daisy almost — almost — forgot about Filak , and the distinct sounds of crunching and thudding and scraping at the back of the room. At least, until something loomed up tall and menacing beside her, its deep growl crawling beneath her skin.

“Daisy!” Filak snarled, and his sharp hand caught her elbow, gripping far too tight. “ Hvae er tetta ?”

The dark crackling heat was bubbling again, throbbing and needy in Daisy’s belly, and she glanced toward Filak with as much courage as she could muster. “ Art ,” she told him, archly, as her trembling hand brazenly added in the string of glossy white now seeping from the head of Efterar’s gargantuan cock. “ Daisy artist.”

Filak’s fierce, ominous growl burned into her belly, his sharp-tipped hand clutching tighter at Daisy’s arm. And with a sudden wild flare of movement, he tore the page from her sketchbook, hurled it toward a smug-looking Kesst , and yanked Daisy away, toward the back of the room. Her feet tripping, her body trembling, her protests caught wordless in her throat. And she only vaguely heard Kesst’s disbelieving curse behind her, because Filak was hauling her toward where there was still a small crack in the floor, and then…

He dragged her down into it. Into the deep gaping maw, rough and rocky and terrifying — and with a furious wave of his hand, it swallowed them whole into the darkness.