Simon (Promised Mates of Monktona Wood #3)

4. Chapter Four

Chapter Four

Lucy

Durz’ thick thighs rubbed against each other when he stepped forward. His loincloth moved in a way that kept his private parts covered, but my face went red at the thought of a brisk breeze.

My head snapped up, and I looked his way when realization hit me.

Did he just say he was going to smell me?

“I beg your finest pardon!” I raised my hand to my chest and couldn’t help but notice its small and delicate appearance. It was a stark contrast to his, which was large and robust. I found it surprising because my hand was typically swollen and bruised from my day-to-day activities of collecting plant samples, caring for animals, and occasionally dropping heavy objects on it.

I was clumsy.

“You will not be smelling any part of me!”

The wolves behind me chuckled, and Elmira bolted from an unknown location, standing in front of me to use herself as a shield. “You heard the human. Back off.” Elmira stepped forward, shoving her finger to the giant’s chest. “It seems you haven’t learned your manners yet. Haven’t you learned anything from the manual our gracious queen made for you?”

Sugha snickered from behind him. His shoulders rose and fell. “Does Durz strike you as a male that would want to read?” Sugha lifted an eyebrow and smiled.

No, I didn’t believe so. Durz was the exact type of orc I pictured in my head: large, muscular, and his brain the size of a pea.

“Suppose not.” Elmira shared the thoughts in my head and backed away but still kept my body covered. “You stay away from Lucy. She is my charge, and I won’t have you making her feel uncomfortable. It’s under order of the queen.”

Durz didn’t care. He still stared at me like I was a puzzle he was trying to figure out. I was the same. I stared at him with questions. This was the first time I’d seen an orc in person. When I first heard that orcs lived in this realm, I thought them to be hideous, like in the Lord of the Rings . Thank heavens he didn’t look like those orcs. Sugha and Durz were the opposite. They were easier on the eyes.

I also didn’t feel threatened by them as I should’ve been. The more human-like males were who I had trouble with. I could see having conversations with Sugha was going to be easier than Dutton, or any of the other men around me. I couldn’t put my finger on why that was, but I was already relaxing at the thought of it.

“I won’t bother her,” Durz said to both of us when he turned away. “She isn’t my miresa—er, mate as you all call them. But if she was, I would have carted her off and made her mine, no matter what your order was.”

My face grew red, and I looked away. Shifters were similar in their actions. One could construe their acts as barbaric, but that was the way the cultures were in this realm. It could also vary from couple to couple.

When my face was turned away, I saw a shimmer in the darkened part of the wood. I tilted my head to get a better look.

Elmira and Durz argued, but I blocked them out when the bushes moved and the light sources reflected off something inside the darkness of the brush.

“Hey?” My voice came out stronger than I intended, but it made the arguing stop behind me. “Do you see that over there?” I pointed in the general direction of the shrubs. It was a reasonable distance away, but there was no denying something was there. A thump sounded, and all the wolves behind me stiffened.

“I’ll check.” Durz removed the blade at his side and widened his stance. The males took off with him and fanned out around to give him space.

As they arrived at the location, they parted the dense undergrowth, their weapons slicing through the foliage with a sharp swish. The leaves rustled and twigs snapped, accompanied by the earthy scent of crushed vegetation.

“Anything?” I stood on my tiptoes as I tried to see over the wall of female shifters that gathered around me.

Sugha stood by my side with his arms crossed.

“Strange,” Durz said when he sheathed his sword. “No scent, but there was something there. You can see where someone broke the branches and indented the soil. The only remains was some fur on the branches.” He came back with the rest of the crew and held up a minuscule amount of hair in his claws.

I squinted my eyes and saw it was only a few threads. “So, an animal?” I rose to my tiptoes again and plucked it from him.

He grunted and turned away. “Aye, no smell, though. Strange.”

I concentrated on the fur, my eyes crossing as I felt its fibers. It was soft and smooth, not coarse like most animals you would find in a jungle. Normally, you find fur to be slightly coarse from living outside. I was also surprised that the orc and shifter, with their exceptionally strong noses, couldn't detect a scent.

Dutton came closer and took to sniff from my fingers. I shied away but held it out for him.

He tutted. “Yeah, no smell.”

“That’s what I said, wolf. No scent,” Durz snapped.

Dutton’s muscles tensed, emitting a low growl that reverberated through the air. With a rigid posture, his back stood straight like a steel rod. A mixture of disdain and revulsion twisted his lip, emanating a palpable sense of disgust. “Wolves’ noses are better; I’m just making sure.”

Durz scoffed and slammed an arm over his chest. “Orcs are stronger. We know the Wood. What we say goes.”

Feeling the tension rise and watching the shifters gathering around with bags of peanuts and jerky to watch a fight, I stepped between them.

“Isn’t there a rare plant that can cancel out the smells and scents of beings? Shifter, fae, and animal?” I held onto the fur with my fingers and glanced between the two heavily breathing males.

Durz grunted in response and nodded once. “Aye, yellowcress. It grows in the northern mountains with the dragons, but we have grown it here in the south as of late. Helps keep the ogres away from the human females. We should grab a sack from the farm keepers,” he told Sugha, who was wiping a tear from his eye from the earlier scuffle.

“I already brought some. Can never be too prepared.” He held up a bag. “Now leave the human bean alone. Give the poor thing some space.”

Elmira blinked several times. “Bean? What do you mean, bean? Who is a bean?”

I giggled. “I think he means human be-ing. ”

Sugha’s face turns a deep shade of green. “Ah, right. Be-ing . I am still learning the human sayings. My apologies.”

Despite him being a green man—male—and larger than the shifters, I felt better with the monsters , as everyone in Bergarian seemed to call them. Even Durz, with his habit of smelling and his aggression over Dutton, I found comical.

The idea that an animal or another being covered themselves in yellowcress meant that we were being watched, and it unlocked a new fear inside me. Something was out there, watching, and it did not want to be found. With the fibers in my hand, I knew I had to figure out if it was really an animal that was particularly smart or something different entirely.

“It’s no matter, a large group like us won’t have any problems dealing with whatever it was,” Dutton said. “As long as Lucy adheres to the rules, there should be no problems.”

I gave a slow nod. It wasn’t like they could go after whoever was hiding. There was no scent, and splitting up now would not be wise. The light sources were setting, and as long as I stayed with at least two or three shifters or an orc, I should be safe.

The group worked quickly to unload most of the supplies. Despite leaving a lot of my gear in the wagon, I retrieved a rudimentary microscope, one that was easy to travel with and not completely electric like back on Earth. I had to make do with no electricity and use a small candle to use as light to see through it.

When the bonfire was at full roar, I unfolded my small worktable and got to work with the strands I still held tight to. I didn’t have much to work with, and I would not lose them.

I placed the five that I had between the glass slides and carefully slid them under the microscope. My heart raced with the prospect that I could find out what animal that was staring at us from the bush.

I closed one eye, and my tongue poked out at the side of my mouth. It was a terrible habit, but it was the only way to get the microscope to adjust just right, so I could get it into focus.

I clicked my tongue. Huh.

I wasn’t looking at just animal fur or hair.

It was both.

Human hair is pigmented evenly and has a greater density towards the cuticle, while animal hair tends to have more centralized pigmentation and a higher overall density.

My hair color was similar to the fur. Did I somehow contaminate my sample? I plucked some hair from the top of my head and pushed it under the microscope.

The color was close to identical.

I let out a puff of air and shook my head.

Possible cross-contamination.

That meant it must have been an animal because an animal couldn’t have both. No worries about a being trying to hurt us, then.

I heard a loud smack, and Dutton jumped over the fire to run away from Elmira, who was rubbing her butt. She let out a playful growl, and her claws lengthened as she chased after him.

Hmm, yes, strange courting practices.

The soft, setting light sources cast a warm, golden glow over the shaded area, painting the sky with hues of orange and pink. As I stood there, a gentle breeze rustled the leaves, creating a soothing melody. The delicious aroma of food wafted through the air, inviting me to indulge. However, a shadow hovered over me, and I stared up to see Sugha smiling down at me. “Lucy, why don’t you come eat? The exploring hasn’t even started yet, and you’ve started working.”

“Right, sorry. I was trying to figure out if it was an animal or person that was in the bushes.”

Sugha hummed thoughtfully. “I’m sure it isn’t anything to worry about. Besides, with two orcs at your party, I doubt they would even try to come close. Whatever it may be. Animals stay away, and if it was an ogre, they’d make themselves known.”

Yes, ogres. Ogres are large, smelly creatures and, luckily, are loud. We should know when they were coming. They have a taste for humans specifically and want to ‘use’ them in not such wholesome ways.

I wanted to throw up at the thought of that.

Ogres aren’t too bright though, so outsmarting them would be my best way to evade them. I was not worried.

“And with two orcs here in the party, that won’t cause tension?”

Sugha huffed a laugh. “I am the smarter orc. I know when to pick my battles. Have no worries, dear Lucy, I will let Durz think he is in charge, for the sake of the mission.” He cupped his large hand to his face and whispered, “We all really know who is in charge, though.”

I snorted and stood, brushing off my skirt. “Indeed. Thank you. You’ve made me feel comfortable. That’s hard to do.”

Sugha’s eyes softened. “Of course. We may look like monsters to everyone else here, but really, we only wish to keep the ones we care about safe.”