Chapter 24
Graz
I am absolutely done with riding horses, I can tell you that. I just want to sleep in a soft bed and have my mate with me again. But I know, even once we make it back to Kalishagg, that it’s still weeks, if not months away. I want to be there with her during this, but who knows how long Gusak will keep me around to wrap things up before I can go to Eyra Cove?
Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like I’ll be able to get rid of him anytime soon. But I’ve already sent off a note to Lo’zar, charmed with a drop of magic to travel the world to wherever he’s found himself, and warn him we’re coming—with the caveat that he should stay on the lookout for Gusak. I don’t know if the boss is really willing to give him a pardon or simply waiting for the right moment to strike.
But I wouldn’t mind having my best friend at my side when my whelp comes.
I make quick work of devising another container for Gusak, something he can keep close to him. I find an old pocketwatch casing and make some alterations, then pour in a few drops of magic before imprinting my wish on it and sealing it away, just as Vienne and I discussed.
I’m ashamed to admit that I keep the rest, stuffing the box away deep down in my pack. Then I sell Jaks at the stables, and break down Izzy’s cage into panels I can take with me. He’s coming along whether Vienne likes it or not. At least he seems to have returned to being his old self again. And selling Jaks once and for all pads my wallet nicely.
Kugara confesses to turning me in to the boss, which shouldn’t surprise me, but it certainly helps me feel less guilty about leaving her behind.
Gusak is surprisingly merciful once I hand over the watch. After looking it over carefully, he nods in approval and slips it into his pocket.
“Now go live your life, bookworm,” he says with a snort, slapping me on the back— hard . I choke a little as I stumble forward. “I hear there’s a boat leaving in not too long. Maybe you should be on it.”
I can’t tell if it’s a threat or an encouragement. Either way, the second he says I’m free to go, I’m hauling ass with my bags and my lizard for that ship.
Ugh, it’s too bad we had to choose an island, though. We’ll have to cross the sea anytime we want to come or go, and my stomach doesn’t like the sound of that. Izzy, too, seems displeased with the constant rocking of the boat.
I can’t wait to be on dry land again, and see Vienne with my own eyes instead of just in my dreams.
* * *
After ages on that goddamned boat, we finally arrive at the Frattern Islands: little more than windswept cliffs that overlook a choppy sea. But as we approach the harbor, the swarm of activity that is Eyra Cove is obvious. Many other ships are anchored there, awaiting passengers coming and going. Ramps lead up from one platform to the next, connecting all the different levels of the city. It looks precarious to me.
This is my new home, though, so I’d better get used to it.
Foolishly, we didn’t make any arrangements as to how we’d find one another, both of us thinking it would be a smaller city. Irritated, I drag my bags off the ship along with Izzy, and make my way through town searching for some kind of inn. I have enough coin to stay for a time, and hopefully find somewhere we can live more permanently.
It’s shocking to see so many humans and trollkin alike bustling about Eyra Cove, all mixed up together. Though the winds are sharp, the sun is shining, and I’m surprised to find myself filled with... hope. An excitement for what the future holds.
Once I’m settled in with Izzy in his cage once more, I stuff my hands in my pockets and go searching. I still have my box with me should I truly struggle to find Vienne, but I have a feeling that I’ll see my mate again when the time is right.
Fate has played many games with us. What’s one more?
I stop a few places along the way to grab a bite to eat and admire some of the artisanal goods on sale. It looks like respectable craftsmen from all over gather here, and I find many serious warriors and other freelancers carefully inspecting the gear before they buy.
That’s when something truly massive catches my eye. It’s not an orc or a troll, towering above the crowd.
It’s an ogre.
I blink a few more times, wondering if what I’m seeing is just an optical illusion. But when he steps into view, all of him, I know I’m right.
I thought ogres had all gone extinct, and yet here’s one walking among us like he belongs here, and next to him...
A human. She’s rather small, with gratuitous dark hair tumbling down her back, and her hand is clasped tightly in his. They’re smiling at one another, the mutual affection clear in their faces.
I know my cue when I see it.
* * *
Vienne
I feel like I’ve been waiting forever. I’m still not showing yet, but it’s tiring searching the city every day for my wayward inventor. Too much walking makes me sleepy, and the different smells all make me want to vomit.
I hope Gusak didn’t change his mind and decide to keep Graz captive after all.
Taking up a room at the inn, I start asking around about my taboo topic: humans and trollkin couples. Finally, I’m directed to the leatherworker’s shop.
“That’s where you’ll find the weirdos,” the barkeep says, rolling his eyes. “They caused me a whole mess, you know.”
I don’t know what he means by that, but I follow the instructions anyway down the gangway to a row of shops. The leatherworker’s has a nice storefront with lots of high-quality boots, gloves, and armor on display, perfect for anyone trying to repel an arrow or simply look fashionable. I’m eyeballing a pair of fur-rimmed boots when a bright and eager red-headed woman comes to the counter.
“See something you like?” she asks. Beside me, a human man starts leafing through the goods. I catch him trying to steal a buckle from the corner of my eye, but before I can move or speak, a huge, blue troll approaches the man from behind.
“Put. Down.” The troll’s accent is thick, but his words are clear. The man freezes, then drops the buckle and backs away. The troll crosses his arms and watches as the human quickly makes himself scarce.
The red-headed woman isn’t surprised in the least, though. She rolls her eyes and says, “Raz’jin, gurak ag sar .”
I stare at her. She can speak Trollkin? The troll answers with something that’s clearly in jest. Then he hops over the counter, right in front of me, and sweeps the woman up into his arms.
“Oh!” I cry out, and the two of them turn abruptly to look at me. The troll frowns, closing his grip protectively around the woman, who must be his mate. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to surprise you. You just surprised me. I’ve been looking for you!”
The woman gives me a funny look. “Us?”
“Well, yes, sort of.” I wring my hands together. “Looking for a pair. Like you.”
The woman’s eyebrows go up, and then she nods vehemently. “You found us. There are others here, too. Are you...?” She trails off.
I grin. “Yes. He’s on his way.”
The woman looks simply gleeful. “Well, are you looking for a place to stay? We have some friends with a little more room.”
And that’s how I meet Telise and Raz’jin, the fiery, red-headed woman and her troll mate, who’s just as fiery and just as red-headed. They have a son, too, who appears to be one hundred percent troll.
“That’s just how it happens,” Telise explains. “They come out like one or the other.”
The proof is in the pudding. When I meet Mia and Cragnorr, the ogre-human couple, I understand immediately. They have two daughters: an ogre girl who’s already the size of a human teenager, and a younger daughter who’s all human. She looks just like her mother, whereas their oldest looks like her father.
It is strange, but beautiful. I wonder how ours will come out.
Mia, a lovely young woman who never stops talking, is happy to put me up at their home. Cragnorr, on the other hand, who’s as tall as a house and built like one, too, almost never says a word. I still haven’t heard him speak except in grunts, or the one time he had to stop his tiny human daughter from eating a bug she found.
Still, I haven’t heard from my orc, and I hope he’s all right out there, and that he’ll be with me soon. But I know I just have to be patient.
Then one evening, while I’m watching over the two little ones, Mia’s loud voice rings out.
“Vienne!” She throws the door open. “Vienne, he’s here!”
* * *
Graz
Seeing my woman again... there is no greater relief in the world.
I lunge at Vienne the moment I see her, tangling her up in my arms and squeezing her for all she’s worth. She laughs, burying her face in my chest as I finally set her back on the ground. Then I lean back so I can get a good look at her, and her sky-blue eyes are glittering bright.
Graz, she says, the relief in her voice palpable. You made it.
Of course I made it. I gesture to Cragnorr, the huge ogre who stands a few paces behind me. How could I miss this guy?
Mia and Cragnorr understand right away that Vienne and I could use a moment together to collect ourselves, so they gather up their children and head off into town to do some shopping.
The moment we’re inside the room they’ve lent Vienne and the door is closed behind me, I’m on top of her, pushing her down to the bed and then crushing her mouth with mine. My sweet mate curls her legs around my waist, pulling me in tighter against her.
Witnessing her with my own eyes again is a gift. Her belly is slightly curved, so only I would notice. I’m only sorry that she’s had to go through so much of her pregnancy alone already, but the future will be ours.
I’m so glad you’re here, she says while she kisses me harder. One of the advantages to speaking inside your mind is that you can do it while you’re plundering your mate’s mouth. I’m so glad you made it.
I wouldn’t miss it for the world. I pull away long enough to examine her flawless body. How are you? How is the whelp?
We’re fine. She takes one of my hands and guides it down between us, resting it on her belly. Not much happening yet, but soon, I’m sure.
I’m awash with the joy of knowing she’s safe and sound. And even better, she’s discovered what we were looking for—a community where we might be able to belong.
It isn’t long before I have all of Vienne’s clothes peeled off, and she’s lying naked in front of me, her perfect cunt hidden by her brownish-blonde curls. I test every part of her body with my mouth, sampling her throat, her sweat, her nipples. Then I pull her strong thighs apart and attack her between them, drinking her up like the most delicate nectar, playing with her until she’s writhing and bucking. I squeeze my fingers inside her, stroking her and winding her up wilder and wilder until she’s perfectly ready for my cock.
But she has matters to attend to, as well. Before I can fuck her, she falls to her knees in front of me and takes me between her lips. I nearly buckle forward at the sensation of her wet tongue.
You taste so good, she murmurs, licking me up before sinking me into her throat. My eyes roll back in my head and my balls tighten as she pleasures me with her mouth.
Wait, wait. I’m gasping, holding onto her shoulders so I don’t let go too soon. I need to be inside you.
Vienne grins around my thick cock and releases it, then climbs back onto the bed. She spreads her legs, touching herself with a wicked look.
Fuck. I can’t hold off a moment longer.
I’m going to stuff that cunt so full of me, I growl as I climb on top of her, grabbing both her wrists in my hand and pinning them above her head. My woman’s hips rise up to mine as she demands me with her body.
I guide my cock through the pink, swollen lips of her cunt, gritting my teeth to keep from plunging right into her.
Oh, you’re so tight, I mutter as I push into her, watching her petals unfurl for me. How such a small body can take mine is a mystery. Vienne moans as I thrust shallowly, trying to get her used to me once more.
And then, I sink into her. What bliss it is, to be together again. My mate’s silky depths welcome me in, swallowing my cock until I can’t fit any more of it inside her. Then, slowly, I make love to her, devouring each of her moans and cries, finally feeling at peace as our souls come to rest next to each other once again.
The harder I fuck her, the more she screams something unintelligible, and I bury myself as deep as I can before I let it all go. Vienne pulses around me, squeezing me, drawing every last drop of my seed from my cock that she can.
Then I roll her up in my arms and collapse to the bed, finally back where I belong.