CHAPTER 46
Krusk
Iheld my mate’s hand in mine, lifting it to press a kiss to the center of her palm as she dozed next to me. It seemed that I had exhausted her during our last round of fucking and after visiting Grandma, she needed rest.
I’d taken her to my place, needing to have her in my bed. And now that she was there, I didn’t want to leave her.
But I had to. There was no other choice, because I would be investigating what had happened to her inheritance and I was going to get it fixed as soon as possible.
Rising from where I’d been sitting next to her on the bed, I looked down at my beautiful mate, her hair spread across the bed, her body curled around my pillow as she slept. My heart melted as I eased my way out of the bedroom, doing my best not to disturb her.
Making my way into the living room, I saw my brother leaning back on the sofa, his head tipped up to stare at the ceiling. I smiled, even as I shook my head.
Savla was the strangest of us three. An artist in an orc’s body. He often got lost in his thoughts, pondering designs and ideas. He was a master carpenter, able to do things with wood that I couldn’t believe.
He’d only been able to whittle tiny things while we were in Hellplane. Here, he could hone his craft. I knew that he had a workshop somewhere in the building, but he was so private, I hadn’t been able to visit yet. I already knew that when I did, I would be awed at what he could create.
He looked over at me, his head rolling on the back of the sofa and gave me a nod, before gesturing me closer. I got there, taking a seat on the small, sturdy coffee table in front of him.
“I did some digging, and you’re right. There’s something fishy. The probate hasn’t been approved. They’re finding some discrepancies with the signatures,” he said in a low voice.
Frowning, I tilted my head at him. “What the hell does that mean?”
He shrugged. “I have no idea. That’s why I asked Rudgar to talk to his friend, Kor.
He was busy with his son, but had a few minutes to spare for me,” he said with a contemplative look.
“He explained that it means the court is seeing something wrong with the will compared to the previous one. The deceased person’s signature is different as well as the witnesses. ”
I frowned, my hands clenching in my pants. “Which means it’s probably forged.”
He gave a slow nod, his eyes lighting with annoyed fire. “I looked into the uncle as well, and he didn’t even hesitate to move into Emma’s house or start using her money.”
My growl was a low, feral sound in my chest. I didn’t like the idea of anyone taking advantage of my mate.
My mate, who’d had to work four jobs, living in a run-down hovel while she struggled to keep Grandma in a safe, comfortable place.
She’d been hungry, exhausted and grieving over the last year and her uncle had been the reason.
The growl got louder as I got to my feet. Savla stood with me, his own eyes swirling with annoyance.
“What are we going to do?” he asked, and I clenched my fists to stop myself from releasing a battle cry.
No, first we were going to do it the legal way. Things were different on this plane. I wanted everything handled to cover my mate before I decided anything else.
“When is the court open until?” I asked, looking down at my watch. It was almost 1:00 pm and I needed to hurry.
“Four, I think,” he said, stroking his fingers on his chin. “But Kor said we’d need some information and possibly a copy of the old will.”
Nodding, I considered my options. “I can ask Grandma. She might have the old one or she can point me in the right direction.”
I grabbed my phone, lifting it to start dialing when I realized that there was already a message on my phone. From a number that I didn’t recognize. Opening it, I smiled down at it.
Grandma: The name of Jonas’ lawyer is Hanson Pryor. He’ll be able to help you with anything you need. Take care of our girl.
I typed out a quick thank you before holding out the message for Savla to see. He was on it, grabbing his own phone and doing a quick search.
“We don’t have an appointment,” he told me, already turning to head to the door, “but since this is an emergency, I can’t see why he wouldn’t see us.
I glanced back to the bedroom door, sending a silent promise to my mate to get everything dealt with. For the first time in a year, she was able to rest comfortably, and I wasn’t going to disturb her. Like Grandma had said, I was going to take care of this for her.
She was never going to have to worry about money ever again. I’d make sure of it.
As it turned out, the lawyer was booked solid for the afternoon. The elf who manned the front desk folded his arms across his chest and glared at me as I tried to explain.
When explanations failed, I decided I was going to get my way around him by force if he didn’t let me in in the next five minutes.
“It’s an emergency,” I told him, holding my hand out when he parted his lips to speak. “My mate’s father was a client of your boss and—”
“You have to make an appointment,” he explained for what felt like the millionth time. “There’s no barging in this office.”
He scowled at me, looking me up and down as though seriously unimpressed with me and my attempt at physical intimidation as I leaned over the desk. I understood that he was right. I knew it in my head, but still, he needed to bend a little.
“His mate’s father is dead,” Savla said in a deadpan voice from next to me. “We think her uncle forged the will. We just need a copy of the original to take to the court to verify.”
We both turned to look at him, blinking at the same time. Then we turned back to each other. The elf frowned at me, his pointed ears twitching with annoyance the way they had been for the past fifteen minutes.
“Is that true?” he asked, pointing at my brother, accusing me of lying even though Savla was the one who spoke.
“That’s what I’ve been trying to say to you,” I huffed, throwing my hands up in frustration.
He rolled his eyes, crossing his arms over his chest. “You were trying to break into my employer’s office without permission.”
I narrowed my eyes, ready to respond, when Savla pressed his palm against my chest, pushing me backward and sliding between us.
“His mate’s in trouble,” he explained in a low, hushed voice.
“She’s been in trouble since her lowlife uncle forged that will.
His instincts are screaming at him to take care of her, but the only way to do that is to get that original will.
You’ll have to excuse him. When our mates are threatened, we don’t act rationally. ”
The elf blinked at him again, and then gave a slow nod. “I see,” he said, relaxing. “If it was my mate, I’d kill for her.” His eyes flickered to mine and for the first time, I saw understanding there. “Give me his full name, and I’ll help you.”
With a sigh, I held out the document Savla had compiled, of all the information we had on Emma’s father. The elf took it, tilting his chin toward the empty chairs in the waiting room. I glanced back at where everyone was sitting and pretending they weren’t listening.
Chastised, I ambled toward an open chair and settled myself down, avoiding eye contact. Savla sat next to me, peeking over at intervals.
“What?” I demanded, and everyone else’s head turned away. I sighed, pressing my fingers to my eyes. “Thank you for helping me,” I added, softening my voice. “I didn’t know how to explain it to him.”
“This is what mates do,” he said, shuffling his feet and not meeting my eyes. “They make you irrational and insane. After... after everything we went through in Hellplane, I can’t have that again. I won’t have that again.”
He sounded so firm, so determined, but there was another, deeper note of longing in his voice.
“If you won’t have that part, how’re you going to enjoy all the rest of it,” I said with a little wink.
He scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Unlike you and Enka, I don’t need to fuck my mate to be happy.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “Do you really think that’s all it is? Just fucking them makes us happy?”
He looked away, shaking his head. “I know it’s more than that, but then I think about Amu and Abu and I wonder if it’s worth it.”
I sighed, leaning my arm against his, knowing that he hated physical contact. He just rolled his eyes, inching away in his chair. I grinned, loving that I could still pester my little brother this way.
“When you meet her,” I told him, staring into the distance and thinking of my mate, “your world’s going to change.”
“What if I don’t want it to change?” he snapped, making my eyebrows jump all the way up. Savla was not an irritable person. “What if I finally have the life that I want and she’ll just come in and mess it up?”
I studied him for a long moment and then whispered. “What happened to Amu and Abu doesn’t have to happen to everyone, Sav. In fact, it probably never will on this plane. Just... give her a chance, alright? Allow yourself to be happy.”
He glanced at me quickly, giving my face a quick search before he looked away again with a sigh and a quick nod. My brother was stubborn, but he wasn’t stupid. He knew the probability of a male not giving in to the instinct to be with his mate.
I shuddered, not even wanting to think about it. There were horror stories for a reason. And that was one we’d been told since we were young. It was the basis of the stories of males stealing their brides and running away to the mountains.
These were the ones that were told over the fire and warned young orclings to heed the call of a mate. Savla knew all of that. I didn’t have to worry about him.
And moments later when the elf stepped into the corridor, holding a file up with triumph, I grinned, standing and striding over him, pushing the conversation to the back of my mind.