When Skarde’s shoulders slumped and he grunted in a way that could only be interpreted as disappointment, she decided to share her story. If not with him, who else? At least he seemed eager to know more about her. Why? One could only guess, but it felt nice that for once, someone was interested in more than her body.
“We might as well get comfortable first if I’m going to share my story with you. It’s a long one.”
One moment,” he grunted as he placed his branch beside him and stood up to his feet.
Delilah watched him disappear further back into the cave and out of sight. She could only assume he could see in complete darkness. It only made her more curious about him, and wondered what other capabilities he had as well.
He quickly returned with a bundle of furs in his arms.
“You may keep these. Use them as you see fit.” He reached his arms toward her, offering what looked to be the finest selection of the bunch.
Don’t complain...if he wants to give you something, be grateful.
Delilah flashed him her brightest smile, despite feeling a tad bit guilty for the hospitality. Hospitality that didn’t exist when he threatened her in this very cave earlier in the day. She found it strange how much had changed in as little as one day. It left her wanting to know why, but it didn’t seem like the right time to ask.
After taking her new furs from his hands, Skarde organized his own on the other side of the fire before getting up again.
While his back was turned she took a deep breath and calmed herself. It had been a long time since anyone had given her anything. Women weren’t allowed to own property in Bethania anymore. Anything a woman ’owned’ either belonged to her father or her husband. If she had neither it belonged to a distant relative. Male, of course.
Kneeling down, she spread the furs out and then plumped one up to act as a pillow. The last fur she planned to use as a blanket. Her little makeshift bed wasn’t without the occasional lump and bump, but she was warm, safe and secure. And that was more than she could say for the past several years of her life.
“Here, take this.” He handed her a fillet of smoked fish.
Delilah recognized the tender flaked meat from earlier and eyed him suspiciously. There was zero chance she wanted to spark his temper again, even if he mellowed out and became somewhat tender afterward.
“A peace offering for frightening you. The varduush is softer and easier to chew.” He flashed her a gentle grin and popped some into his mouth.
She thought his comment was odd. Softer and easier to chew than what? Watching him sit down, she took a bite of her own. Flavor burst across her tongue. “This is delicious,” she groaned, taking another bite. “Just to be clear, I don’t have an issue chewing.” To emphasize her point further, she bared her teeth and ripped a chunk from the fish and chewed it. The result left a lot to be desired. The fish was just too tender and flakey to prove the point she was trying to make.
“Very flat teeth. Good for vegetables and soft foods, not for tough meat like deer,” he grunted and proceeded to bare his own sharp pearly whites.
Delilah watched his tusks bob up and down against his upper lip and then held her stomach while a belly full of laughter erupted from her mouth. The sound was completely foreign to her ears, but no less joyful than when she remembered. Why it was so funny she didn’t know, but watching him eat like a messy child without a care in the world let her guard down just enough to let Skarde in. He probably thought she looked just as silly with her smaller set jaw and flat teeth.
He seemed to regard her as if she lost her mind, but didn’t say as much and continued to eat his food like it was the first meal he’d ever eaten. It only drew her attention even more to his tusks. What purpose did they have? She thought it strange to have bone-like protrusions that seemed to serve no function for eating.
After a few minutes had passed and her laughter simmered down, a thought popped in her head.
“Is that why you took the deer from me earlier? After you had me spend all that time cooking it? Heavens that made me so angry, but then I realized I was getting upset over free food. That’s not the kind of person I want to be. It’s also the reason why I want to learn to set traps tomorrow. I want to be independent like you said. Take care of myself. I know I’m your prisoner, but I can’t just stand around here eating nuts. As good as they are, they just aren’t that filling.”
It was a truthful admission. One that felt good to get off her chest. She could only hope he understood her predicament. Then he did something that caught her off guard.
Skarde shot her an apologetic look. “I never meant to take you as a prisoner. I was supposed to kill you.”
Delilah’s stomach churned as a bolt of fear shot through her. Not this again. Things were just getting easier. She can’t go back to running and begging for her life. She just couldn’t.
“I do not like the look you give me now,” he growled lowly with a frown.
“I’m doing my best...to adjust. One minute I’m as good as dead and the next you’re telling me I can live. You take me as a prisoner, but then treat me well. I don’t know what to make of this.” She gestured between them. “And in the back of my mind I keep feeling like one wrong move, one wrong word and it’s going to be my last. And the worst part is...I don’t even know why.”
Placing the inedible remains of his food next to him, he firmly rubbed his temples and sighed. “It is not my intention to frighten you. I had planned to take your life, gently and swiftly. I had no desire to let you suffer.”
Delilah cleared her throat. Unsure how to respond to such an admission. Fidgeting her hands, she took a moment to gain enough nerve to speak her mind.
“If that was supposed to make me feel better, it does not,” she replied as the stomach continued to twist, turning her into an anxious mess.
Skarde grunted and looked away. “It is not my place to tell you, but seeing as things have already come this far...there is no point in keeping you in the dark. I have already divulged enough to earn King Erike’s ire and shame myself. I only ask that you never tell another soul.”
Delilah laughed nervously until Skarde gave her a chiding look. The way he spoke made her feel less like a prisoner and more like a friend. Other than the few things he gave her to do, and the few rules he imposed, Delilah didn’t honestly feel like a captive. Especially if she ignored his threats. If she was a captive, she’d be bound and tortured or worse, with no freedoms whatsoever. Right?
“Who would I even tell?” she finally responded.
“No one. Not ever. This is not just my story to share and I have been guarding it for as long as I can remember.”
“Until now?”
“Until now. Give me your word that my secret will never escape your lips.” He held her attention with the pained expression on his face and his deep eyes that pulled her into their endless pits.
She nodded her head, not knowing where his story would lead and what would happen once he was finished. Delilah surmised that whatever Skarde was about to share with her would change things. She didn’t know why, or how, just that there was a deep feeling in her gut that told her so. It was enough to stop her from finishing her food. As empty as her stomach was, she simply couldn’t eat now.
“When I was a youngling, my sire told me about The Great War and Kingdoms that have long since been destroyed or forgotten. Tension had always been high between my kind and the others we share this world with, but to keep the peace species intermingled and bred. Noble borns, princes, and princesses of all species were gifted off as mates to strengthen bonds between allies, but eventually human common folk had enough. They revolted against their kings and queens, deciding that they didn’t like the idea of consorting with monsters.”
His story took a quick break when he flipped his branch over and inspected the other side and frowned, appearing unimpressed with his own handiwork, but Delilah could tell he was trying to distract himself and not let his story consume him.
/> “The war was brutal and affected all sides. People were desperate for it all to be over. One day a troll by the name of Erike, gathered all the tribes of my kind and led them into battle, defeating those who wished to see us dead. With our victory also came defeat. Erike was pronounced the first king of our kind and he desired to see our people erased from history. We retreated to the mountains and the forests and anywhere else we could seek refuge, leaving our great cities left behind in the wake of the war’s destruction. Over time the others forgot our existence. Even the elves, orcs, fairies and other beings must have done the same, or were wiped out during the war for I have never set my eyes on any of them.”
Delilah continued to listen as Skarde told his story. It was intriguing and fascinating but horrifying all at the same time. She wanted to believe that humans weren’t as terrible as his story claimed, but she knew firsthand how awful they could be.
“From the very moment I opened my eyes, my sire taught me all about the treachery of humanity. Their vile and selfish nature. Their cold-hearted greed. In order to protect ourselves and prevent another way, it is forbidden to allow humans or any other sentient to know of our existence. To allow such an offense to occur is not only a violation of our sacred laws, but it goes against our vows...my vow.”
Her breath hitched slightly now that she was hearing the part of the story that affected her. It also seemed to be the same part that affected him. His angst was palpable in the thick, smokey air. She poked the fire to reduce some of the flames and motioned for him to continue.
At this point Skarde seemed less interested in the branch he was whittling and set it down once again. He focused only on one thing now. Her.
“When I was informed the humans entered the mountain, this mountain, which I have claimed as my own, I was angry. My plan was to be rid of them by any means necessary, but when I tracked them down and saw them violating you, I became furious and lost myself to the bloodlust. They didn’t stand a chance as I ripped them to shreds.”
“I remember.” Delilah’s hands shook at the memory of Mathias’ and Roy’s deaths. It was horrific, but it wasn’t justice. At least not by any human standards.
“It’s my fault they died. They were coming for me. If I hadn’t left the path, all those people wouldn’t have followed after me,” she replied solemnly, closing her eyes. How many others would have lost their lives if Mathias and Roy did not come across her?
“They had it coming,” he snarled. “No one should ever have to be subjected to such cruelty. Not even a human.”
She cracked open an eye at his dangerous-sounding voice.
“But you did not. I considered letting you live because you are female, but when I thought you had seen my face, the choice was taken from me. I was...conflicted. There was no choice, but to track you down, and when I found you, you did the last thing I thought a human would’ve done. Beg me for help. I was...unable to refuse,” he admitted softly.
She remembered bits and pieces from that night. Most of it was foggy, and she assumed it had to do with the snake’s toxins. “I remember seeing a shadow, but I thought it was another human.”
Skarde shook his head. “You thought wrong. I knew you were dying, but something told me not to let you die in that cursed place. Strange to believe I have lived here for nearly fourteen years and have never once come across it. And I hope to never see it again.”
“What do you think it is?” she asked, wondering what could spook him.
Skarde shuddered. “I do not know. Ancient ruins of some sort. Perhaps a village from before the war. So, I brought you here instead and waited for you to either live or die. My vow demanded that I take your life.”
“Then why didn’t you?” she asked, her curiosity getting the best of her lest he change his mind. But she suspected that he wasn’t. Not after everything he divulged. “I was out cold. It would have been easy.”
“Of course it would have been easy,” he grunted. “But it would have been wrong. Should you have succumbed to the snake’s venom, it would have been an honorable death. To steal that from you would have been...dishonorable. ” Skarde turned his attention to the outside. “And then you woke. Maybe it was seeing the smile on your face as you paraded around my den, singing and laughing without a care in the world. Or maybe it was when I realized you hadn’t seen my face that night, and if I killed you, your death would have been on me and not King Erike or the gods for their demands. Killing those other humans was easy. They were violent, disgusting, vile. Monstrous. Everything you’re not.”
A pang of guilt stabbed her chest. Hadn’t she thought the same thing about going as well when she first saw him? Didn’t she think he was somewhat beastly? It wasn’t until she saw him under full lighting that she realized that he was more human than beast.
“What is it?” he asked, unaware of how horrible his story was making her feel now that she understood him a little better.
He wasn’t some beast or monster killing for the sake of it. He didn’t want to take her life because he wanted to, or enjoyed the idea behind it. She understood that he was loyal to his people who only sought anonymity and safety. She was simply an innocent caught in an unlikely situation.
“When I was younger, we used to tell scary stories about monsters eating children and adults in the forests. I always thought the stores were true until I grew up and realized our parents were just trying to keep up safe from wandering off and getting lost. I never...I never realized there was actual merit to them,” she admitted, her cheeks grew red with embarrassment. “I thought you were one of them.”
He grunted again and looked away from her and she didn’t know how to take it.
Delilah was so used to taking her frustrations out on her work, but there was nothing here to do besides sit. Nothing to focus her mind on to erase her conflictions. She considered offering to help him whittle his branch, but had no idea where to even begin. While the work looked easy, she knew people paid a lot of money for craftwork in Bethania. It was understood that woodworking took years of practice to hone the skill.
“I am one of those monsters you speak of.”
In a moment of haste, she ditched her bed and rushed to his side, offering comfort and support in the form of a gentle squeeze on his left shoulder. “No...you’re not. We were all wrong...I was wrong.”
“Do you honestly believe that?” he asked with skepticism lacing his voice.
Exposing his vulnerability to her only endeared him even more. He was nothing like her father, the councilmen, the guardsmen...Mathias. Nothing. Sure he was different in a lot of ways, but the scariest, harshest parts of him were nothing but his loyalty and devotion to his people, not some sick, perverted selfish desire to control another being, despite its initial appearance.
“Yes.”
Delilah’s breath was stolen from her chest when he reached up and tucked a stray piece of hair out of her eyes. His calloused hands were gentle across her forehead and cheek, but it was the warmth his touch provided that caused her to lean in ever so slightly.
Chapter Fifteen
Skarde
It was well into the night, but he couldn’t sleep. The silence unnerved him. The temperature irritated him. His restlessness agitated him. He spent hours whittling down the branch that would serve as the new pole for his spear, and when finished, he carved a new spearhead. Just in case.
In all that time he couldn’t figure out why he felt the overwhelming need to reassure the human female. The reasoning was beyond him, but it didn’t change how good it felt. The only thing he knew was that it was becoming increasingly more difficult tolerating the occasional fearful or pained glances she sent his way. One moment she was carefree, and the next she would tense up like prey.
He was well aware that these changes were due to his behavior toward her and even went as far as trying to convince himself it was the reason why he was acting so...strange toward Delilah.
He was almost convinced too, until he felt pain in his c
hest when she admitted she thought he was a monster. It was almost more than he could bear. And if she hadn’t also admitted to being wrong one torturous moment later, he was sure he would have died from the guilt and unease.
Now that she knows, perhaps she will not look at me in fear or disgust.
After everything he had done, how could she be the one to comfort him? After murdering the other humans in front of her, chasing her down like prey, sealing her fate and forcing her will to bend to his own because of his vows to his people, she sat by his side and reassured him.
He never thought he was a monster, not until he’d realized his mistake of forcing his own hand in her fate. It was difficult to admit because harming a female was considered wrong. They were life bearers. They brought joy, love and life to their tribes. And as human as she was, he was sure she was the same.
Or she could be if given the chance. Skarde couldn’t dislodge that thought from his mind. He did not intend to mate her like Astur had suggested. And perhaps that was his problem. A seeded idea inside of his head from Astur, a male who would do anything to have a mate.
Skarde muttered curses beneath his breath at the male. Unfortunately, it did nothing to erase the memory of her leaning into his touch when he pushed a strand of hair out of her face. Or the way her heavily lidded eyes closed and the breathy sigh escaped her soft, pink lips.
Enticing. Erotic.
No! She is human, not a troll, and can never be your mate. You risk too much already. Skarde shook his head, as if the thoughts would fling from his head.
Everything happened because he opened up and let her in. A human of all beings. When he explained to her why things were the way they were, she reacted in a way he hadn’t anticipated. He could see the guilt on her face, eating her away. It was the same face from when she was ill and unconscious from snake venom.
The Lonely Troll Page 10