Kinna reached for Abby to pull her aside, and Abby let go of her sister’s arm. But the gesture only managed to draw Morok’s and Hula’s attention to her.
“And who is this?” Morok asked. “Care to introduce us, Uthar the Hunter? Is she part of my horde?”
“It is not your horde,” Uthar growled.
“Uthar the Hunter is our captain,” Lonar said. “We have chosen him, and our mage has marked him with the sacred tattoos.”
Morok nodded. “And I see your human bride is also heavy with child.”
Beth bristled at those words. For one, she hated that expression. And two, it sounded even worse coming from Morok the Unhinged. Then she noticed his gaze move from her to her sister. She shuddered but tried to remain in control and not react. She didn’t like the way he was looking at her sister.
But the real, visceral hate came from Hula, the female orc who everyone knew couldn’t have babies. Beth did her best to look away from her. She could understand why Hula envied her, but she didn’t find it within her to hate the female back. She was sure she was suffering enough just by being Morok’s mate and being treated the way he treated her. Like she was worthless. Useless. When, in fact, it was probably him who couldn’t have children. So, Beth did her best to not engage Hula in the staring contest she was trying to initiate.
They were all silent, and then Uthar said, “You are not welcome here.” And the tension increased tenfold. “Your horde has no business in this area. Go back to where you came from, Morok the Unhinged. You once lived here, and everyone knew you, but you’re not the same you were then. And you’re not surrounded by orcs we want to have around. The hordes that live here thrive in peace, quiet, and a sense of community. You have no right to come here and disturb that.”
“And you have no right or power to send me away. I will leave when I want, and only if I want. That may never happen.”
Uthar grunted, but he’d said all he had to say. He turned on his heel and pulled Beth away from Morok and Hula. Lonar, Abby, and Kinna followed him.
“I want to go home,” Beth said.
“All right.”
“I’m sorry I made us come.”
“Don’t be. This is our place. We’ve lived here since the war ended, and this is our fair. He’s the one who shouldn’t be here. He’s bothering everyone, see?”
Beth looked around. Indeed, most of the other orcs regarded Morok with the same apprehension and unease she felt.
“Still, I have a bad feeling now.”
“There’s no reason to worry, my love. Maybe this encounter was good. Necessary. Now he knows that the horde has chosen me, that I have the sacred tattoos, and an orcling on the way. My horde doesn’t want him. It’s mine. There is nothing for him here, and now it should be as clear as day.”
“I hope you’re right,” Beth sighed. She exchanged a glance with Abby, who looked a bit confused. She would have to fill her in about who Morok was and what he wanted. “I just want to go home.”
“We’re going home.”
Chapter Twenty
Beth woke up with a start. For a few seconds, she didn’t know where she was. Her brain was foggy, and her head felt heavy. She just wanted to curl back under the covers and sleep, but Uthar was already jumping to his feet and looking for a pair of pants.
Someone was banging on their front door.
“What’s going on?”
“Stay here.”
Of course she didn’t stay there. Her head cleared a little. She yawned and grabbed her phone off the nightstand. It was 3 AM. Uthar was downstairs, and she heard him and Lonar talk, but couldn’t distinguish the words. She got out of the bed and put on a robe. She slipped her feet into the sandals she usually wore around the house and went downstairs to see what the fuss was all about.
“The mage is there. I woke her up as soon as...”
“Let’s go!”
Beth was wide awake now. Something terrible was going on. She caught up with Uthar just as he was about to disappear in the darkness outside. Some of the streetlights still worked, but not many. The orcs hadn’t cared about having the town lit at night, since darkness didn’t bother them.
“My love, wait!”
“You stay here, Beth.” He cupped her cheek with his big hand for a second before letting go and rushing out. “Close the door.”