Page 15

15

THE, IT’S NOT YOU, IT’S ME SPEECH

“S sshh, stay calm, I am not here to hurt you.” The second the voice spoke I tried not to gasp in his hand, because it was a voice I recognized. But this wasn’t all, I then saw Koro approach and when he saw me locked in another man’s arms, he didn’t even flinch. Instead, he walked closer and asked,

“Where?”

“Inside their tent.”

Again, I wanted to know if my mind was playing tricks on me, making me desperate to turn around and face him. The next thing I knew, was that there was a commotion coming from inside our tent before Koro emerged, dragging out the hooded figure. But then I spotted what else he had in his hand, making me shriek when the hand was lowered from my mouth.

“Is that a dead snake?!” But then I quickly turned around and snapped, “Orson, what the hell are you doing here!?”

His handsome grin was his only reply.

“He is working with me,” Koro informed me.

“Yeah, I know, he’s your brother,” I stated, folding my arms as I waited for my explanation.

“He’s not my brother… wait, why does she think that?” Koro asked, the lengths of material that bound his hands now tightening on the prisoner’s neck.

“Because she overheard my phone call with you when we were searching for her in the mortal realm, which was what made her run from me at the gas station,” Orson replied in an exasperated tone, making me close my eyes, shake my head, and lift my hands up to say,

“Wait, wait, wait… so let me get this straight, neither of you are the bad guy?”

“No,” Orson stated firmly.

“Then what about him?” I asked, pointing to the hooded figure trying to struggle his way free of the much larger Koro.

“Well yes, he is,” he replied, making me look back to Orson.

“But you’re not?” I asked, making him grin down at me once more.

“No, I was sent to protect you and if anything was to go wrong, I was to get you to your sister… but then you stole my truck and my wallet and took off to fuck knows where,” Orson said, recalling the last time I saw him.

“Ah yeah, sorry about that,” I said sheepishly, because yeah, I had totally done all that.

“After that, I searched for you, but the next time you popped up on anyone’s radar was when you were back home in Nelson and you had a HellBeast in your trailer, so I gathered you were protected enough at that point,” Orson said, filling in the gaps. Speaking of which, that same protective HellBeast came storming our way.

“YOU!” This next roar of anger came from Jared, who walked around the corner and found this little scene playing out right outside our tent. And well, clearly the dick measuring had finished and both men were still breathing, as Tyr also came striding around the corner.

Both men had various injuries to their faces, telling me that they had kept it as a fair fight. As for me, I groaned, not only at the sight of bloody lips, black eyes, and broken noses that were thankfully already starting to heal, but more the fact that one look at Orson standing too close making Tyr snap,

“And who the fuck is this guy!?”

“Seriously, Coffee girl, do you just go collecting overprotective men or do you post an ad somewhere?”

“Ha, ha,” I muttered, rolling my eyes before both men approached.

“You stay out of it!” Jared snapped back to Tyr, before turning his attention back on Orson. “And as for you, you got some fucking nerve turning up…”

I stood in front of the bear shifter and bellowed,

“STOP IT! Enough, both of you!”

This reaction finally got them to listen because I had finally hit my limit.

“Orson works for Koro, and what he is doing here is saving me from that guy!” I said, thrusting a hand out and pointing a finger at the bad dude Koro still held. “You know, the threat I had waiting for me in the tent that you two let me storm off toward because you were too focused on tearing into each other, regardless of what I wanted or how I felt!” I shouted, prompting Jared to first scowl at the threat before then trying to calm me down.

“Alright, Red, that’s enough, you made your point,” Jared said, making me snap,

“Did I? Oh goodie, well you can think about that fucking point as I go sleep in my sister’s tent!”

“Er, I…” Koro began, but I pointed a finger at him and said,

“Something to say, gypsy boy? No, I didn’t think so!” I argued, before walking off once more, this time to find Lerna so I had someone to rant to. However, in true HellBeast fashion, I didn’t get far, and I heard him growl,

“Tie that fucker up, as I will torture information out of him myself!” After this, I then felt Jared’s arms go around me from behind.

“Ella, just stop.”

I squirmed in his arms.

“Why? You going to stop being an assh…” My curse was cut off because for the second time tonight, I found a hand covering my mouth.

“I know you’re pissed.”

“Mou ink!” I shouted, my words muffled into his palm.

“I should have listened.”

I huffed and mumbled, “Mmo on.”

“You were right, you’ve been through a lot, and you don’t need my jealous shit on top of that.”

This time I didn’t try and say anything, instead letting him carry on.

“But gotta tell you, babe, just knowing that Viking arsehole has been there for you when it should have been me, is riding my beast hard.”

I huffed again, telling him what I thought of this excuse.

“And I know you think it’s just an excuse.”

“Ingo,” I muttered, still unable to speak properly, because he was clearly reading my mind.

“But I’ve been going out of my fucking mind with worry and now I’ve just got you back, I didn’t need that fucking Viking trying to…”

At this I pulled my hand from my mouth and faced him.

“Trying to what, Jared? Steal me away…? Do you really think so little of the love I have for you, that all it would take is a handsome man to…”

“Not helping,” he growled, and I promptly ignored that, with nothing more than a warning finger pointed his way.

“…to take me from you. You think I am that weak? That my words mean nothing?” I threw at him, making him stumble for a response.

“No, I… I just…”

“You just didn’t trust me,” I snapped, turning to walk away again, only for him to grab my hand to stop me.

“That’s not true.”

“Then prove it,” I stated, snatching my hand back and folding my arms across my chest.

“How?” he asked with a shake of his head.

“By watching me handle it and not saying a fucking word or taking one step to do anything,” I tested.

“Ella.”

“No, Jared, which is it…? Because you either trust me, or you don’t?” I asked, pushing him for an answer.

“Fine,” he gritted out.

“Fine,” I repeated, now walking back over to the group of men who looked as if they had just finished tying up the prisoner and getting ready to integrate him.

“Hi, me again. Sorry to interrupt,” I said, even nodding to the prisoner who shrugged against the pole he was tied against. Then I walked straight to Tyr and said, “Can I have a word?”

Tyr gave me a smug grin, that I had to say wasn’t helping matters.

“Sure, Bál ásynja.”

Jared didn’t let the endearment slide, and he yelled,

“Fire Goddess, really, Ella?!” To which I shot him a look and drew a finger across my lips, telling him to be quiet. Something he, again, gritted his teeth at. Then once we were out of earshot of the others and within ear shot of Jared, I turned to Tyr and said,

“This should work.”

We were next to a ruined house that was in too bad of a shape to use for anything. The dead charred tree leaning against it, told me that it had been set on fire at one point.

“What do you wish to talk to me about, little…?”

“Yeah yeah, little human, mortal, princess… whatever. Listen, Tyr, I really appreciate you protecting me and saving my life,” I said, making him grin.

“You are welcome, for it became my vow and I will continue to do so.”

“Great, thank you, that’s erm, nice of you.”

He winked, making me shake my head to get myself back on track.

“The thing is, you’re a nice guy and all, but I am not interested.”

“Excuse me?” he asked, clearly surprised because obviously his ego hadn’t expected this.

“Being as honest as I can be, it’s not you, it’s me,” I said, and I swear it was like this was the first time he had ever heard these words uttered from a girl… and well, to look at him, I couldn’t say I was all that surprised.

“I’m afraid I am not following.”

I resisted the urge to groan and decided… fuck letting him down gently, because clearly, Viking boy needed it spelling out. Something I started to do in a very obvious way, making sure Jared could hear every damn word and therefore proving my point.

“That HellBeast over there, he means everything to me. Yeah sure, he’s growly, broody, can be a total pain in my ass, and talk about slow on the uptake when a girl likes him…”

“Ella…” Jared warned, making me sigh.

“But the point I am getting at here is, I love him. I’ve always loved him. Even when I didn’t think he loved me, I knew I still did. I fell in love with him the very first time I saw him, and nothing is going to change that. Not if thousands of other men lined up to meet me, not even if a Viking God as good looking as you saved my life, would I ever love another.”

“I under…” Understanding dawned over his features, but I wasn’t done.

“I would even go as far to say as I am obsessed with him. Dream of him every night, dance in the meadows, sing at birds type of sappy love,” I said, still not willing to leave it at that, and I was quick to interrupt him once again,

“Yes, I think I am getting…”

“Like our love is the type that poets write sonnets about, I even considered naming my vibrator the HellBeastanator, but in the end I just went with Bob.”

“Er…?”

“Now of course, I don’t need one because my man is mind-blowing in the sack and can do this thing with his tongue that rolls around sort of like this…” I started trying to show him, which was when Jared finally got the point, making me squeal when I was suddenly flipped over his shoulder.

“Alright, that’s quite enough of that,” he stated, making me chuckle before lifting myself up to wave at Tyr and say,

“But I think you’re a great guy and deserve to meet a great goddess someday!” To which I received a smack on the ass.

“You made your point, love,” Jared said, making me grin in victory. He put me back on my feet and in a new vacant tent, and I was still smiling.

“Oh good, which means next time you will what…?” I asked, rolling my hand around, making him groan.

“Next time?! Fuck, but just how many Gods are you expecting to…”

“You will what, Jared?” I said more forcefully.

“I will let you deal with it,” he conceded in a dry tone.

“Damn right you will!” I added, and when I turned to face the bed, fully intent on being in it for longer this time, I felt his arms go around me and his lips came to my ear before he said,

“Sorry, baby.”

I released a sigh before telling him,

“Yeah, well there is one way you can make it up to me.”

“Yeah, and what’s that, sweetheart?”

I looked back at him over my shoulder and granted him a wink as I said…

“By doing that thing with your tongue.”