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Andwith a hiss and a splatter,Ebenwas breaking beneath the lash, theSkaifinally, blissfully forgotten amidst the pain and the screams.
3
Forthe next few weeks,EbenfollowedGareth’sgood guidance, and just… observed.
Itwas his natural state, borne of many years of shyness, self-consciousness, and solitary, scholarly pursuits.Andthough he only caught a few brief glimpses of the tall, smiling orc from the corridor, he instead focused his attention on theSkaiorcs he did encounter, most of whom had ended up in the sickroom with various illnesses or injuries.
Andthe moreEbenobserved, the more he found himself… surprised.Manyof theSkaibore harsh faces and curt, dismissive demeanours, which — together with all the tales and warnings — had always been enough to keep him at a safe, careful distance.Butupon further inspection, even when a woundedSkaisnapped sharply at the sickroom staff, or glowered viciously toward any other patients who came too close, he would frequently soften when offered any kind of unexpected generosity, or when loved ones came to visit.Ahuge, horribly injured orc namedUlfarrhad nearly wept when his friendKillikhad shown up with a basket of snacks, andSimon, the massive and terrifyingEnforcerofOrcMountain, had fully ignored hispainful cracked femur in favour of doting upon his mate and son from his bed.
AndwhenEbenhad gathered his courage one afternoon, and collected some sweet treats from the kitchen to distribute to a handful of woundedSkai, they’d been surprised, and grateful, and evenkind— at least, until one big, blood-covered warrior had blatantly lookedEbenup and down, and invited him into his bed.Aninvitation that had instantly sentEbenfleeing back for the safety of his workbench, whileEfterarhad snapped a sharp reprimand across the room.Andin return, the orc — much toEben’ssurprise — had blushed, and winced, andapologized.
Butthe most enlightening situation of all happened perhaps a half-moon later, with the unexpected arrival of a new patient — a blonde, grievously injured human woman namedAlma.Herpale, weakened body had been covered with contusions and lacerations, and she’d inhaled smoke and particulates at length, before almost drowning in a river.Shehad only survived thanks to a daring rescue by a prominentGriskorc namedBaldr, who served as theLeftHandtoOrcMountain’scaptain — but during the rescue,AlmaandBaldrhad formed a deep, irrevocable scent-bond.Whichwasn’t surprising, perhaps, given the high emotions and close physical proximity inherent in such an event — except for the fact thatBaldrwas already mated to the mountain’sRightHand, a tall, gloweringSkainamedDrafli.
Ebenhad always foundDraflihighly alarming, for he seemed the epitome of the cold, vicious, dangerousSkai.Heprowled instead of walked, he reeked of human blood and death, and he only spoke with sharp, furious gestures, due to having had his throat cut by humans, whom he had then gone and killed with his bare hands.Drafliwas widely acclaimed as the best, most terrifying fighter in the mountain, andEbenhad often heard hushed, awed whispers of his many exploits in theSkaiarena— along with his many conquests in pleasure, none of whom he had ever appeared to notice, let alone favour.
Butat some point the year before,Draflihad strongly endorsed that change to theSkaimating customs, and had immediately sworn vows to thisBaldr.Draflihad been the firstSkaiin living history to take an orc mate… and now, not even a full year later, his new mate had turned about and formed a permanent, unbreakable scent-bond with a human woman.
Itwas a situation that would have been highly trying for any orc, especially aSkaias notorious asDrafli— but toEben’sgenuine astonishment,Draflihadn’t shown even the slightest hint of anger toward his wayward mate.Eachnight, once most of the sickroom’s inhabitants were asleep,DrafliandBaldrwould come and sit beside the unconsciousAlma’sbed, andDrafliwould firmly caressBaldr, and kiss his hair.Andeven across the room,Ebencould easily trace their fresh strong scents upon one another, untainted by any others.MeaningthatDraflihad continued to bed his mate, and favour him, despite the betrayal of the scent-bond with the woman.
“Youshould leave me,Draf,”EbenheardBaldrwhisper intoDrafli’sneck, on the third night of this. “Gofind someone else.Someonestronger.Better.”
Therewere no other orcs awake in the room to hear this —Efterarand his ever-present mateKessthad gone out together on a call — andEbenheld his breath as he listened, his body quiet and unmoving behind his workbench.Waiting, watching, asDrafliwordlessly hissed back at his mate, his clawed hands snapping out movements between them — speaking something in theSkaiclan’s sign language, somethingBaldranswered with a choked sob, and a shake of his head.
ButDraflisaid it again, and again — and whenBaldrkept weeping,Drafliwhirled up, grasped him by the neck, and…attacked.ShovingBaldrdown hard to the bed, so he could straddle over him, and…kisshim.
Oh.Ohhhh.Ebenstartled, his breath choking in his throat — but if they’d noticed him, neither of them seemed to care.Instead,Baldr’seyes had fluttered with palpable longing, his body pressing into the scrape ofDrafli’sclaws, the deep, dragging bite of his kiss.AndwhenDraflidrew away, and then shovedBaldrover onto his front,Baldronly moaned and arched for him, even whenDrafli’sclawed hand yanked down his trousers, exposingBaldr’smuscled, trembling arse to the room.
Fora breath,Draflionly gazed down at that bared arse with hooded eyes, his hand curving slow and proprietary over its smooth green skin — and then he shoved at his own trousers, too.Releasinghis own long, bobbing, leaking prick, with vivid scars laddered all the way up its grey length.
Ebenshivered all over, his vision briefly blurring, and suddenly it was as though he was back in the corridor, watching that tall, laughingSkai.BecauseDrafli’sprick looked far too much the same, jutting hard and hungry from above sagging trousers, seeking its way between quivering arse-cheeks… and then slamming deep with a sharp slap of skin, while his helpless lover gasped and writhed beneath it.
Fuck.Andthough a distant part ofEbenpointed out that this was certainly against the rules, he couldn’t seem to move, let alone speak, caught in the vision before his eyes.Baldrflinching and writhing and moaning beneath hisSkaimate’s onslaught, the look on his face pulling low and familiar inEben’sbelly, whispering of that perfect mingled pleasure and pain…
Draflieven kept speaking in their sign language as he drove inside, one hand swiftly moving beforeBaldr’sfluttering eyes, while his mouth kissed and scraped atBaldr’sshoulder.Ashis hips kept snapping him in deeper, faster, flooding all his mate’s senses at once — andEbennearly staggered beneath the scent ofBaldr’slurching, shattering release, sweeping across the room, whileDrafli’sthrusts slowed into sweet, steady circles, his lips gently kissing at his trembling mate’s neck.
Itwas a dazzling display of skill and force and tenderness, the kind of attention that would have hadEbenblatantly spreading and begging in thedýflissa.Andbefore he could compromise himself any further, he belatedly rushed for the sickroom’s back latrine, yanked down his trousers, and took his own straining prick in hand.Andas he stroked, the visions swarming his scattering thoughts were again all that tall, laughingSkaiin the corridor, touching his own bent-over lover with that same heady blend of skill, tenderness, and command.Slidinghis fat, scarred length in and out, again and again, while the orc moaned and shuddered beneath his sharp claws, that firm slap of his hand…
Ebengasped as his release sprayed out, shooting down the latrine in furious arcs of spurting seed and sweet, shattering pleasure.Youlike that?More, sweet thing.Ican show you the way…
Butonce it was done,Eben’sbody felt shaky and weak, his heartbeat pounding far too loud against his ribs, his skull.Andhe sank heavily back to the nearest wall, gulping down deep breaths, and rubbing at his eyes.
Fuck, what had come over him?Hewas only meant to be observing, learning, not drowning in lust over a randomSkaiin the corridor.Andnot longing for what he’d just witnessed, either, aching all over at the thought of a deadly, capable mate who would offer such loyalty, such unflinching care and kindness, even amidst his own loss and pain…
Ittook far too long forEbento collect himself, to walk on shaky legs back out toward the sickroom.Wherehe instantly caught sight ofBaldr, now sprawled in the bed with his eyes closed, his scent speaking of quiet, steady sleep.WhileDrafliwas… he was…
Drafliwas standing tall and silent over the sleeping woman’s bed, and holding a sharpened dagger over her throat.
4
Drafliwas going to kill her.
Ebenfroze to shocked, horrified stillness, as alarm blared and screeched behind his eyes.
Nevertrust aSkai, never trust aSkai…
Drafli’shead whipped around towardEbenwith sudden, deadly purpose, his eyes snapped to narrow slits, his lip curled to show all his sharp teeth.Asif he would killEben, too, without hesitation or regret — andEbenneeded to run, to hide, to collapse the nearest tunnel behind him.Ormaybe dash back into the latrine and cower in a corner, wait for the sweet scent of human blood to filter through the air…
Butno.No.Hecouldn’t.Hecouldn’t.Thewoman was a patient, she was defenseless, she wasEben’sresponsibility.Andthat certainty was enough to makeEbendraw in a shaky, shallow breath, to focus his hazy eyes on the vicious, murderousSkaiwith the dagger.TheSkaiwho looked so, so different from how he’d looked only a short time ago, when he’d tended to his distraught mate with such intent, ardent care.
