CHAPTER 20
Rudgar
I watched my female read her spellbook as I rubbed her tiny feet. She was like a happy cat, curled against me and mewling as I dug my thumb into the dainty arch. When I ran a finger over it, she giggled, her foot kicking out instinctively.
I lifted it to press a kiss to it, and she smiled at me. “Kissing my feet already? You haven’t even been bad yet.” Her words were a mischievous purr and I nipped one of her small toes.
“If kissing your feet is how I’m going to be punished, then I’m going to have to be bad more often,” I said with a grin.
“As if you aren’t already bad enough,” she sniffed, sending a wink my way before burying herself in her book again.
She was certain there had to be a way to bypass the curse or at the very least, find a way to focus her powers.
“When I was a teenager, I would accidentally use my powers all the time,” she’d confided in me. “And I could do so much damage.” She’d shuddered as she’d spoken. “So my mom decided that she’d bind them until I was old enough and trained enough to control them.”
Nibbling her lower lip, she’d shrugged, wringing her hands. “I didn’t get the chance to finish my training before she was gone, though.”
The bleak expression on her face had made me hug her close, trying to soothe the pain that was still so strong inside her at the loss of her beloved mother. I knew there was nothing I could do, but I wanted to behead Veron—that smug fucker—and mount his head on a pike to gift to her. When I’d told her that, she’d looked at me with wide eyes and patted my hand as if to calm me down.
“I’ve got this, don’t worry. I’ll face him when I’m able to control my powers and he won’t stand a chance,” she’d assured me.
I wasn’t so sure that was true. While I was certain my female would be more powerful than the puny fucker was, I was also sure that he would use underhanded methods to win if they faced off against each other.
That male wouldn’t understand fair play if it hit him across the face—and I intended to.
“He’s going to try to trick you,” I told her in a low voice, but she nodded right away.
“I know. He’s aware that my powers are bound,” she huffed, her lip curling. “But this time they won’t be, and I know he’s going to try to trick me.”
“He’ll use different methods,” I told her, running my fingers over her tiny toes and making her wiggle them.
“Definitely,” she agreed with a nod. “And I’ll need your help with strategizing where everyone should be positioned.”
My chest swelled with pride as I realized that my female was trusting me with her safety. And not just her safety—which was a big enough deal—but with the safety of her entire coven.
I leaned over to press a kiss to her lips, her precious face fitting neatly between my tusks.
“Thank you,” I whispered against her mouth and she shook her head, dropping her spellbook to her lap to wrap her arms around my neck, pulling me close and pressing her forehead against mine, nuzzling our noses together.
“No,” she murmured in a sweet voice that was filled with an emotion that I’d only ever dreamed of. “Thank you .”
Dinner had become a bit of a fiasco now that our clan had grown by leaps and bounds. Feeding six adult orc males was no easy feat. And with our pregnant chieftess, while she was cranky from hormones and making room inside of her for a half-orc youngling, there was bound to be bloodshed.
Still, I was awed to see that my usually grumpy brother was in the best mood of his life, his warm palm plastered to his mate’s lower back—no doubt soothing her aches with his heat. I glanced over at my own mate, wondering when we’d be able to start a family.
While I wanted a youngling—in fact, I could feel the longing for one growing inside me the longer I was in my mate’s presence—I knew that I wanted some time for ourselves. I figured that time as a couple would be well spent.
I wouldn’t be taking too much time, because I didn’t want much of an age difference between my youngling and Dristan’s, but still, a year or two of time where Zara and I only had to worry about each other and fulfilling our need to fuck each other unconscious every day and night didn’t seem like too much to ask for.
I turned a lascivious grin in Zara’s direction and she rolled her eyes, shaking her head. “Whatever you’re thinking, I’m vetoing it,” she told me while rolling her eyes.
A pout found its way onto my lips. “You didn’t even hear me out.”
“You’re thinking of sex,” she said with a shrug. “And I need to finish reading the spellbook before I can let you distract me with that dizzying dick.”
Everyone at the table stopped talking, grinning over at us like the perverts they were.
“Dizzying dick, huh?” Enka asked as he took a bite of the potatoes that Becca had made.
“Dizzying,” Zara responded with a firm nod. “He can knock you out with just one orgasm,” she sighed, shaking her head. “And I can’t afford the distraction.”
With a round of cackling laughter and wolf-whistles from Pen and Becca, Zara shrugged as she tucked into the crusty bread that she’d slathered with butter. She looked over at Savla, her expression contemplative.
“Can I get your help with something?” she asked and Savla gave a nod, lowering the fork of potatoes he’d been about to bite into before facing my mate.
I was a bit mollified by the fact that my mate was scented by my cum—and I’d be keeping her marked like that every day until I was able to fuck her the right way—but having her near these unmated males while I wasn’t able to claim her properly was setting my aggression off the charts.
Her fingers found mine, tightening them without even looking at me while she looked at Savla. That alone was enough to calm me down. She already knew me so well. Nuzzling against her hair, I listened as she said,
“I read this section on channeling magick and I think I know what I need, but I’ll need your artistic skills to craft it.”
His nod was immediate. “Of course. Just tell me what you need and I’ll get it ready for you,” he said in his deep, solemn voice.
I was going to have to come to terms with my mate being best friends with this male. Because as much as I hated it, it was true. She loved all three of the males who had saved her life, but this Savla in particular had a special bond with her. It helped that he was quiet and listened while my mate lost herself in her words and stories.
“I’ll show you the illustration after dinner,” she told him with a grateful smile. “And I’m sure I can get the wood that you’ll need from nearby.”
“You’re a craftsman?” I asked with interest, tilting my head at Savla. My father had spoken about the craftsmen of the old clans. How they’d made everything that the clan could need until modernity and manufacturing had replaced them.
He knew of very few craftsmen left on their plane, but their work was treasured and passed down from son to son. Savla nodded, his brow furrowed with discomfort at being the center of attention.
“Yes,” was his succinct reply before he went back to eating.
“He’s being modest,” Krusk said, reaching over to slap a proud palm to his brother’s shoulder. “He’s an artist. His work is without equal.”
Savla ducked his head while Enka nodded his agreement. “He made every piece of furniture in our home. Our father was a master craftsman as well.” He puffed his chest with pride. “And he’s going to teach me how.”
Krusk snorted a laugh, taking a bite of his roast. “He’s been trying to teach you for years. You don’t have the disposition.”
“I do,” Enka growled, turning a scowl in his eldest brother’s direction. “I just haven’t had time until now.”
“Tell that to the log that you tossed into the fire because you couldn’t get it to bend to your will ,” Krusk laughed and even Savla’s lips quirked into a smile.
Enka’s expression darkened with embarrassment and annoyance. “Well it could have if it wanted to,” he argued, taking a bite of chicken and chewing with fury.
“Would you mind if I watched your process?” Becca asked Savla with eagerness, leaning forward while Rok had his arm wrapped possessively around her waist. “I’ve read so many books on orc artisans, but I never thought I’d be able to meet one.”
Savla swallowed, eyeing Rok for a long minute before nodding. “If your mate doesn’t mind.”
“I’d like to watch as well,” Rok said with a shrug and a grin. “I’ve always been too busy fighting to give much attention to the finer arts of the clans. It would be my honor to watch a master craftsman at work.”
Savla’s eyes ducked and he shook his head. “I’m not a master—”
“That’s just because he hasn’t had a chance to be judged by his peers,” Krusk interrupted, beaming with pride. “Our father would have been able to take him, but when they died…” he trailed off with a shrug, losing some of the joy that had been in his voice before. “But I’m sure he wouldn’t mind if everyone wanted to watch.”
Savla turned incredulous, betrayed eyes his way, but Krusk ignored him, going back to eating his food with gusto.
“I’ll bring the spellbook to you if that’s okay,” Zara told him in a low voice, and I was certain that she sensed how uncomfortable he was. “My coven is still getting used to the idea of being around this many males,” she added with a small smile. “I don’t want to frighten them to death.”
Savla nodded his understanding before Enka leaned over him toward Zara.
“Are there any cute witches in your coven?” he asked in a low whisper.
My mate snorted out a laugh before nodding. “Super cute. All of them. Did you want me to introduce you?”
He contemplated it for a moment before shaking his head. “No,” he said with a sigh. “I’ll focus on getting used to this new plane and my new job before going back to the hunt for my mate.”
I grinned at him, since the new job was working for me. “Are you settling in well? Are the others bothering you? They mean well, but sometimes they can come across aggressive.”
All three of the new males shook their heads at once. “Not at all. They’re helping us as much as they can. They’ve been great,” Enka assured me and I reminded myself to text the males that worked with me to thank them.
While I’d been preoccupied trying to woo my mate, they’d taken over the daily operations of my security firm, fulfilling the contracts that I already had in place while training these new males on their roles.
I made a mental note to give them a big bonus soon in thanks. While they’d complain about it—proud bastards that they were—they deserved it.
“What kind of tool do you need, Zar?” Enka asked, curiosity lighting his eyes.
“It’s a wand,” she said with a grin.
“A wand?” Pen asked, sitting up with eager interest. “Like the bippity-boppity-boo kind?”
Zara laughed, leaning against me as she held her hands out to emphasize her words and my heart melted in my chest at the trust she showed me with such ease now.
“Not quite. That was a bit long and thin. This will really just be for focusing my magick since it’s… well… explosive I suppose would be the best way to describe it,” she said with a bashful grin. “I’ve blown up more things than I care to admit.”
Becca and Pen laughed. “I’m going to need some stories and evidence,” Becca insisted and my mate’s laughter joined theirs.
She dove straight into a story about blowing up the table that she had been practicing on when she was six years old and I relaxed, running my palm over her back to keep us connected as she settled with ease into the clan that I had made my own.