Chapter Seven #2
“Sure. When books are stolen, I bring them back. They are living things, after all.” She grinned and ate her last taco.
“So, you hunt the living.”
“Yes.”
“Have you ever tried to hunt up a lover?”
She paused while sipping her lemonade. “Not until Cora has her baby underway.”
“Why not?”
“Because if I caught before she did, it would hurt our relationship. I need my sister more than I need to grow a family. Plus, if I have kids, she would need to babysit when I have to travel, so it’s a whole thing.”
“What about your partner?”
“I am thinking I would have driven him off by then. I can be abrasive.”
He smiled. “I think you would have to try really hard to drive him off.”
“I would manage.”
“What if you were tethered to a clan?”
“They would become my pimp, so to speak.”
He spluttered his lemonade. “What?”
“Or broker? I believe broker works. The speaker, I mean. The clan speaker would have the right of refusal for my services if they had a speaker.”
He sighed. “You know what I am saying.”
“Yes, and I owe you a kiss, and then we are even. Nothing owed.”
Tam-or cocked his head. “As speaker, I am allowed to lay claim to any woman who shows interest.”
“Only if they are affiliated with your clan.”
“Our clan is made of strays. Mixes like myself and those born between two clans and claimed by none.”
“And this means...”
“According to our treaty with Matthias, we can claim any unclaimed orcs.”
“When was that enacted?”
“Thirty-five years ago. We have a very young clan.”
“Hm. What is your specialty?”
“Trades. Welding, plumbing, and electrical. A bit of construction but not much.”
“Uh-huh. Why do I think you guys are sportier?”
He blinked. “Um, so, we are really athletic. Two clan members made it to the continental games and came back with a gold and a silver.”
She looked him over. “Weightlifting?”
“Powerlifting. Yeah. Before I was speaker.”
“So, ten years after the clan’s founding.”
“You don’t miss much, do you?”
“Not much. You taught Day-ek, so you had to have been a speaker for at least a decade before that. He’s twenty-eight and has been a speaker for six years. I don’t know how long the apprenticeship is for a speaker.”
He didn’t answer. “How long is it for a hunter?”
“Three years if you already have the basics. Seven years if you don’t.”
“How long was your training?”
“Twelve months. Matthias and Dem-rah were thorough on how prey behaves.”
“Yes, I suppose they would.”
“So, what was Abel-ur up to?”
“Ah, he was in the triathlon. Normally, he is solid stamina.”
“He was having a bad day?”
“He had been working with some teens heading off to university. It was early registration, so they did a huge session with computers lined up, and he has fast fingers on a computer. The second they got into the portal, he was entering their information. He calls it clan meditation.”
“Oh. How long was he working on it?”
“He started at three in the morning and kept going until the last kid was registered around six.”
“Three?”
“Four of the kids are heading across the continent.”
“Oh. Right. Time difference.”
“Yeah, their parents are going a little crazy, but we have found a clan to take them in under the traveller regulation, as temporary members without lasting partnerships as a requirement.”
“Okay. Nice. That explains why he was a bit brain-numb.”
“Yup. He is also used to delicate women being delicate. Your sister is... not.”
“Yeah, that was the weirdest switch-up.”
“You have a lot of orcs expecting you to act like a female in heat?”
She shrugged. “A few. They then learn that my combat skills are not theoretical. I fight, tackle, hunt, and torture for a living.”
His eyes widened. “So, the last thing that you want is to have to fight a lover.”
“Yup.”
“You are very spry for a sixty-year-old.”
“Matthias had us checked out. We don’t age. We became adults and just... stayed.” She looked at him. “How old are you?”
He smiled. “Forty-five.”
“Oh. Shoot. Younger than I thought.”
“Really? I think you already did the math.”
“Well, speakers get run through. I don’t know if you are appropriate as a person of interest.”
He grinned and took one of her hands. “You can’t even say it?”
“Nope.”
“Can I show you to your sister’s place? It’s tricky to find in the dark.”
She looked at his hand on hers and nodded. “Okay. You lead the way.”
Never gathered her garbage into a ball and walked it over to the troll can. She always left a little extra for him. She stroked the metal. “Having fun in there?”
He chortled, and the can pressed against her.
“You know it?”
“Oh, he and I go way back. He was the first thing I ever hunted. He was eating packaging out of my backpack after school, so I asked Dem-rah if he could install him here, and he did. He’s really happy now.”
“What is he?”
“Um, smaller than you think.” She tapped her fingers rapidly on the top of the can.
Tam-or put his trash into the garbage and handed her the helmet. “Follow me.”
“Yes, Speaker.”
He gave her a narrow-eyed look, and she pulled her helmet on and got on her bike. He got into a dark green SUV, which made her smile for some reason, and she started her bike and followed him back toward the neighbourhood where she had completed revenge.
He turned right instead of left and drove down a road that paralleled the one to the clan territory. The house was surprising and difficult to pair with Cora’s sensibilities. It was quiet, pretty, and had lovely gardens that Never had no trouble seeing in the dark.
“Did she give you a key?”
“No. I don’t need one.” She walked up to the front door and phased through it. She then turned and opened it for Tam-or.
She smiled. “Want to come in while I ransack her stuff?”
He chuckled. “I would settle for some tea.”
“Revenge of the taco?”
He chuckled. “No taco has ever caused me upset.”
Never led the way into the kitchen, feeling the weight of fatigue on her. She filled up the kettle, and it was her favourite kettle. While she waited for it to boil, she got two cups ready. They were her favourite set.
She rubbed her head. “Goddamnit!”
“What?” He walked up to her and rubbed her arms.
“This is my house. She fricking bought me a house.”
“I thought you had to register.”
“I do, but she can give it to me. Like a personal rental or a family home.”
He curled her against him, and she slumped.
They stayed like that until the kettle boiled. She sighed and left him to pour the water over the tea bags.
“Why do I think that that is not the way you prepare tea?”
“Uh, because I am a shaman? The bagged tea is for visitors.”
She handed him his cup, and they walked into the living room. “Yeah. This is my house. She likes things a bit more modern.”
“This is very comfortable.”
“I know. If she did what I think she did, I am drooling at the thought of my bedroom.”
“May I go looking?”
“Sure. Me and my tea are going to make out.” She cuddled up on the couch, leather squeaking.
He laughed and headed upstairs. She heard him moving from room to room, and he came down with a slight smile on his face. “How much is it rated for?”
“Two thousand pounds.”
His smile was beaming. “You don’t say.”
She laughed, getting further into the couch.
He drank his tea in some long gulps and looked at her. “Come on. You have worked hard; you need to rest.”
“Are you usually this caretakerish?”
He chuckled. “I am. Comes with being a speaker. The health and well-being of those around me are my concern. Also, you are a neighbour of the clan, so I am trying to keep you pleasant-minded.”
He followed her up the stairs without her teacup, directed her toward the shower, and grabbed a soft robe from her closet. “There. When you come out, I will make sure that you are comfortable, and then I will make an appointment to see you tomorrow.”
“I will need to sleep for twelve hours.”
She pulled her phone out of her suit and sent her sister a message. The response was Happy Birthday.
She smiled and went into the bathroom, pulling off the layers of hardened leather.
There were a few rough patches of skin, but she was in fairly good condition when she stepped into the shower and let loose the magic that bound her hair.
It unravelled swiftly, and she groaned when she was able to dig her fingers into the crown of her head.
She massaged her scalp, shampooed it, and went through her rituals to get her mind and body working together again.
After she conditioned her hair, she rinsed off and felt almost well and strong again. She was still exhausted, but she didn’t feel drained anymore.
A blast of magic combed and dried her hair. It was swirling at ankle-length, and she untucked it when she wrapped herself in her robe.
Tam-or was still here. She could feel him. “I am good to sleep. You can go and speak elsewhere.”
He emerged from her bedroom. “Just keeping it warm for... holy hells.” The last was said on a soft exhalation.
She looked at him and walked past him to her bed, a huge swinging platform with a bed on it, covered in pretty quilts and soft throws. She folded back the bedding and paused. “You lay in my bed?”
“It looked fun. I wanted to warm it up for you.” He stood in the doorway. “You look... pretty.”
She wrinkled her nose and let her robe drop before climbing into bed.
His hand on the doorframe made the wood crack.
“You owe me a kiss.”
She yawned. “You wait until now?”
“It suddenly took on importance.” He smiled. “But as you are settled, I will come to you.”
Never looked at him as he approached and knelt at her side. He gripped her arms and pulled her up toward him, threading a hand through her hair as his lips pressed against hers.
She bent her arms and gripped his shoulders. The kiss started sweet and got hotter as he tasted her, and she pressed against him.
She felt the hand not controlling her head moving down her back, stroking her skin. Shivers ran through her as the touch was soft, careful, and delightfully warm.
He slowly calmed the kiss and lifted his head. “You still owe me another kiss.”
Never frowned. “What?”
“Well, obviously, that was my kiss to you.” He smiled.
“Oh. Right. I am sorry. Too sleepy. Catching jackasses really takes it out of you.”
Tam-or eased her back into her pillow and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. He smiled. “I have never seen an orc with no tattoos before.”
She laughed. “I am not technically an orc.”
“I know, but I am thinking of all the designs I would want to see on you and how it would be enthralling to be there as they went on.”
“Marks would bind me.”
He stroked her jaw and neck. “They would tether you. Not a binding, just a link. Like your bracelet.”
He pressed soft kisses along her jaw and kissed her again. “Think about it. The Darings would gladly have you as a member.”
She smiled sleepily. “What does that tattoo look like?”
He grinned and pulled his shirt off. She blinked. He took her right hand and traced over the glyph for his clan. “This is for the Daring Claw. Should I turn the light on, Never?”
She smiled. “No. Not necessary. It has ridges?”
He smiled. “That depends on the artist that you use.”
She leaned forward and licked her tongue along the ridges and could almost hear the blood surge in his veins. “Daring Claw.” She leaned back. “Anything else of note?”
He swallowed. “This is my speaker mark.”
She looked at the long descriptive mark that went from the rightmost collarbone to the left. Never traced it with her finger, reading the words as she went. “He who speaks for his clans to ensure fairness and harmony.”
When she went to trace the words with the tip of her tongue, he groaned, and his hands braced him over her, making her bed swing. She finished the tracing and said, “Yes, that’s what it said.”
He was shaking. “Was there a reason for that?”
“Well, I was born blind and lived like that for several years. The tongue is fairly accurate at learning textures and tastes if it’s trained. I am going to rest now.”
He smoothed her hair off her forehead. “That was torture.”
“I know. Good night. How long will it take you to get home?”
“Using the easement? About five minutes. Your house and garden back up against Daring lands.”
“I am going to give Cora the biggest wedgie.” She smiled and snuggled down in her bed. “You might want to put your shirt on.”
He grinned and pulled it on over the multitude of marks and scars. He scrubbed a hand over his hair and smiled, kissing her quickly before he was in the doorway.
“Was that really the reason you used your tongue on me?”
She yawned and snuggled in deeper as the bed rocked her slowly. “No. I just wanted to see if your nipples got as hard as mine did.”
He paused, snorted, and asked, “What was the assessment?”
“You are made of a bunch of fun textures. I look forward to exploring again at my leisure.”
He groaned and then left her house. She heard him engage the lock for her before he left. His SUV started up, and she was glad she had parked off to the side, close to the garage. He drove off, and she smiled as sleep claimed its due. It had been a very busy day.
She dreamed of tattooed powerlifters with slow smiles all night.