“I woke early this morning to come here. I hoped to cook something for Verus before he left on the long hunt. I hadn’t even begun when Saneth joined me. He accused me of causing trouble and poisoning Tavik. He said he was going to prove it, but when he searched me and found nothing on me, he?—”
“He touched you?” I snarled, launching to my feet. I fully intended to go after Saneth for even looking at Patrick, but Orthorr put a hand on my shoulder, shoving me back down.
“Do not leave Patrick while he is frightened because of bloodlust,” Orthorr ordered. “Keep going, Patrick. What happened next?”
Patrick looked worriedly at Yamileth, who shook her head. “Tell him, Patrick. He knows already that I am responsible for Tavik’s punishment.”
“It was not a punishment!” Tavik shouted. “It was poisoning! I did nothing to deserve it! It is not my fault he is?—”
He did not have time to finish his sentence before I lunged at him, tackling him to the ground. I would not allow him to say one more insult toward Patrick. No one was allowed to hurt my ravsol.
I only got two good punches in before Tavik came out of his shocked stupor and fought back. His meaty fist hit my jaw, sending me sprawling, but I was quick to recover, grabbing the arm that reached for me and twisting it behind his back. I was shoving his face into the dirt floor when two brothers who had been watching just outside grabbed me, hauling me off of Tavik.Two more stopped him before he could come after me again, holding him back with dark looks in their eyes. Should he keep pushing, they would lay him out without issue. I could only wish that he would test them. It would be a glory to watch.
“Remove them both,” Orthorr ordered. “I will speak to Patrick alone.”
Shaking off the hold of my brothers, I stomped out, stopping alongside Rath who stood near the entrance. “Watch over him,” I requested under my breath.
Rath dipped his chin once, slipping into the cooking tent with Finn following behind him. If I could trust anyone to watch over Patrick, it was Rath. He would keep Patrick safe until I could get to him again. In the meantime, I would make sure no one else was stupid enough to speak ill of him again.
Twenty
Nothing this morning was going as I had planned. What was supposed to be a nice gesture to make something for Verus to bring along on his journey ended up being a battle with me caught in the middle. I could only watch helplessly as Verus and Tavik rolled on the ground, punching each other. It took four barbarians to pull them apart, and from the look on Verus’s face, he wasn’t done yet. He only walked away because Orthorr demanded it.
A hand on my shoulder startled me, and I looked up to see Finn hovering at my side, a worried frown tugging at his lips. “Are you okay?”
My smile was more of a grimace. “I’m alright. Verus?”
“He will be fine,” Rath grunted from where he stood nearby, his arms crossed over his wide chest. He was an intimidating sight, but his scowl wasn’t directed at me. It was aimed at the tent flap, where a few faces peeked in, like he was daring anyone to get close to me. It was kind of nice, knowing someone was willing to protect me when Verus wasn’t around.
A barbarian I wasn’t familiar with ordered the group to disperse before joining us in the cooking tent. It was getting a little crowded in here, and no work could be done with all thechaos. Yamileth ignored it all, puttering around to check on the bread we’d made earlier. I was glad she hadn’t forgotten about it. It would’ve made this whole thing worse if the reason I was wandering around alone ended up being ruined.
For a long moment, the two barbarians spoke with one another, their words too fast for me to follow. When I glanced at Finn, even he was frowning, like he couldn’t quite keep up. He had only been with the clan for a few months. It wasn’t really surprising that he struggled when people were speaking quiet and quick like they were.
When they finally turned around to face me, their expressions were stoic, and I felt myself shrink away from them automatically. Finn rubbed my shoulder reassuringly, and I was grateful that he stayed by my side when the clan leader and the unknown barbarian stepped up to me.
“Patrick, this is Uttin. He is head of the warriors who protect our clan, including Tavik and Saneth. I would like him to hear your story again. Start from the beginning, please. From your first interaction with Tavik.”
It didn’t really feel like I had any other choice, so I started with the confrontation at the river and went up to this morning, when Saneth accused me of poisoning Tavik. By the time I was done, I was bright red with shame and embarrassment, and I couldn't look the two men standing over me in the eye.
“I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to cause so much trouble.”
Yamileth made an irritated noise, coming to stand by my other side. “What trouble did you cause? Existing? You did nothing to either of them. They are the ones acting like children.”
“She’s right,” Uttin agreed. “You have nothing to apologize for. It is we who need to apologize for your ill treatment. You are a guest in our clan and should not have been treated as such.I will speak with them both and make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
I jerked my head up, horrified at the prospect. From my experience, calling out a bully only made things worse. But who was I to argue with them? As Tavik said, I wasn’t part of the clan. I didn’t have a say.
“Um…”
Finn’s quiet voice caught the clan leader’s attention, and he turned to look at him, his expression soft for the shy man. “Finn? Do you have something to say?”
Finn bit his lip, shifting uncomfortably under Orthorr’s gaze. He only felt comfortable to speak when his bondmate stepped up behind him, putting his hand on Finn’s shoulder.
“I, um… I’ve had experience with men like Tavik. It’s possible that calling him out will only make things worse for Patrick. He’s already resentful. I don’t want him to get hurt.”
Orthorr gave him a soft smile, dipping his chin to acknowledge him. “We will take that into account. I assure you, Patrick is safe here. He is our guest, and I will not allow him to come to harm. Should Tavik or Saneth approach him again, the consequences will be severe.”
I wasn’t sure that would be enough, especially once Verus left. I almost wanted to ask that he stay behind. I felt safe with him. I wasn’t sure how I’d feel once he was gone.
