Slowly, I remove my hands from Tansey. Her eyes are wide. Fear, though not of me. I offer her my hand, giving her the choice. “I will lead you back to the tunnels, if you wish.”
Blue eyes don’t even blink as they study me with suspicion.
“Or you may stay here. I do not know how our Grak plans to punish Baloq, but you may not wish to witness.”
“Will he kill him?”
“I cannot say for sure. Twice now, Baloq has defied orders. That cannot be tolerated. The defense of our people, our very lives, depends on warriors following orders.”
When she doesn’t take my hand, I step closer to her. “I am not Baloq, Tansey. I will not harm you.”
Her face hardens. “You already have, Verig. You refuse to let me return to my son. That’s worse than anything Baloq could have done to me.”
And with that, she marches off toward the tunnels without me.
TANSEY
Rage.Fear. Shock.
Relief.
So many emotions all at once.
And I just lashed out at the male who stopped Baloq from hurting me. Why?
“Tansey, wait,” Verig calls from behind.
I stop, mostly because he’s given me an excuse to stop and thank him.
I shouldn’t need an excuse. He saved me, and I’m letting…what, pride?... get in the way. Or is this still about Ethan?
When I spin around, ready to lash out at him again and ask him why he’s keeping me from going home to my son, I notice the blood on his face and hands.
I suppress the urge to ask him if he’s okay. I can’t soften to him, not if I want to see Ethan again. “I don’t belong to Baloq. Or you. I belong with Ethan.”
“Your mate?”
“My child. The one I told you about. The one you don’t believe I have.”
Green eyes widen for a brief moment. “I erred, female. I presumed your claim of a youngling was nothing more than a tactic to convince me to let you leave.”
“I’m telling the truth. My son’s just a little boy, without his mother. He’s staying with a neighbor. I didn’t even get to say goodbye.” Despite all my efforts to remain strong, tears stream down my face. It’s the first time I’ve cried since the orcs kidnapped me.
Verig wipes one of the tears from my cheek and examines it on his thumb. “I’ve seen the other females leak like this. I thought it a sign of weakness.”
“Sadness. Deep sadness. But I guess you can’t relate. You’ve never lost anyone you cared about, or you wouldn’t keep me from my son.”
His back straightens, and the softness in his expression fades, replaced by a coldness in his eyes and the tightening of his jaw.
“You have a choice. Return to the female quarters you’ve occupied this past week, where Baloq may yet again come for you. And next time, he will do so when I am not nearby to stop him. I assure you, he is a male who learns from his mistakes.”
“Can’t your grak stop him?”
“I’m unsure what our grak plans, only that he is not likely to execute Baloq for disregarding his orders. He could banish him, as he’s done with another warrior who disobeyed him, but even banishment may not keep Baloq from taking you.”
I can’t stop shaking. Verig’s arms find their place behind him again as if he’s in a military stance. I don’t understand this male. He flip-flops from raking his eyes over me to avoiding touching me.
“What will stop Baloq?” I ask.
