“Because Atox doesn’t see it. He’s too focused on what he’s about to say, and our graka, who can be as stubborn as he is, fears appearing weak before our people.”
“Why? She’s not the leader here.”
“She was the first human who came to us. Even if she weren’t our graka, she represents all of you.”
“She’s pushing herself because she recognizes that your people don’t want us here.”
“Someof my people,” I correct Tansey. She does notunderstand our ways, but she’s trying. “Their opinion does not matter. Want is irrelevant compared to need. We need females. Most of those who survived the war on Orcos were killed as their ships launched. Others were killed here until we learned the dangers of the terrain. We are the last of our people, and our grak will ensure we survive.”
“Not if your people don’t learn to read human women better,” Tansey says before she breaks away from me and the people gathered to listen to our grak. She marches up to our graka while our grak is still talking, puts her arm around our graka’s shoulders, and turns her away from our grak, who scowls not only because of the interruption, but because Tansey is leading his female away from him.
“Stop,” Atox orders, his voice carrying loud and far. When she keeps walking, totally ignoring Atox while whispering to our graka, Atox follows with ever-increasing strides.
Every instinct in my body tells me to intercept, to keep him from Tansey, but I know this male. He will not harm a female. And yet my insides push me to protect my female.
She’s not my female.
Yet.
And he’s my grak. I trust him implicitly, but risha or not, Tansey is mine to protect.
“Move away from her,” Atox warns with a definite growl to his voice. Being female will not save Tansey if Atox perceives her as a threat to his mate.
Tansey ignores Atox and helps Paloma sit on a log by one of the fires. I bound toward Atox, preparing to step between him and my female. Before I reach them, Tansey spins on her heels, golden hair flying behind her. Without any thought to what she’s doing, my female pokes her finger into Atox’s chest.
“Some mate you are, making Paloma stand all this time.” She pokes him again, ignoring the baring of his tusks. “She’s ready to collapse, and you don’t even see it. She needs more rest.Pregnancy might be easy for an orc woman, but Paloma’s human, not orc. There are differences, or can’t you see that?”
Atox stops baring his tusks. Worry fills his expression when he looks at his female.
I stop my approach, as it appears Tansey’s no longer in danger. She’s made her point. But my female doesn’t stop there. She pokes him in the chest again.
“You and your people don’t care about us one iota. You have no clue what it feels like to be pulled away from everyone and everything you know. To not know what’s going to happen to you or the ones you love. And yes, Paloma’s happy here. At least that’s what she says. I’m still not convinced you haven’t brainwashed her. Even if she is happy with her beast of a mate, that doesn’t mean the rest of us want to be here or submit to you and your warriors.”
Submit? Tansey did not submit last night.
Or did she? Was she attempting to manipulate me into letting her leave?
“Female,” Atox interrupts, but Tansey doesn’t stop. I don’t think anything could stop her now. Both pride and fear for her well within me. She is a fighter, as strong as any orc. But like many orcs, she doesn’t back down, even at the risk of her life.
She’s demeaning him in front of everyone. He will not tolerate this much longer.
“Tansey,” I call her name in a harsh voice, the same one I use on my warriors, one that tells them if they don’t listen, they’ll incur my wrath. “Cease, female. You will show respect to our grak or?—”
“Or what? You gonna cast me out? Good. That’s what I want. Get rid of me now, before I incite the other women and they start rebelling. You don’t want to see how much trouble we can be.”
“Tansey,” Paloma calls, no doubt in an effort to quiet her friend.
“Ask yourself if it’s worth keeping a bunch of human womenwho make it their goal to do nothing but cause trouble. Because that’s what I’m?—”
“Tansey!” Paloma shouts, this time stopping Tansey’s rant.
“What?” Tansey shouts back. “I’m in the middle of making a point here.”
“I think my water just broke.”
“What water?” Atox asks.
Paloma’s eyes lower to the ground.
