Just to the other side, not to be outdone, is an olive green goblin with a thatch of unruly brown hair. He holds up a griffin hatchling, its tiny claws curling around his long, fingers. I pause for a moment, admiring the bold cream and black coloring of its feathers and the red feathers that frame its ears like adorable puffs. The griffin chirps and the goblin, seeing my interest, grins.
“Best griffins in this part of Ov’Gorg! Great guards, or if you have a mind to train them as mounts, they are strong beasts.”
“I would not advise that,” a deep voice murmurs, startling me.
A familiar deep green orc stands next to me, his massive arms folded over his chest as he glares over at the goblin. His eyes cut over to me, even if he seems to be avoiding looking in Kassie’s direction. She’s still looking at the strange dog-like creatures, oblivious to what is happening over here. I’m willing to bet all the coffee in my cottage that Bodi broke the news to him. I know he did when, a moment later, Garval steals a glance at Kassie and swallows thickly before brusquely turning away from her.
My heart squeezes with sympathy, but I’m just glad that it got nipped in the bud. It’s a shame too, because I have a feeling that this big, protective orc could be so much better for my friend. It seems that he’s determined to do what needs to be done, though. Instead of staring after Kassie like a lovesick puppy whose affections can’t be returned, he is glowering at the goblin who grins unabashedly back at him.
“I believe Orgath told you that you can’t sell griffins here,” he growled. “They are fine for those who know what they’re doing, but not in the general population.”
The goblin gives an aggravated sigh and jabs a thumb toward the troll. “How come he can sell mawu pups? Shouldn’t there be rules about that too?”
“There are, and I will be speaking to him next. We have been lenient in the past, but not when we have humans present who can be easily injured by these animals should they purchase one.”
The goblin harrumphs but nods as he dons a large, wide sack, pulling the strap across his chest so that the bag hangs at one side. Carefully, he tucks the hatchling into it before scooping up another. Garval grunts with satisfaction and looks down at me.
“I would give those selling animals a wide berth until you have been here a while,” he suggests in a mild voice, all of his previous aggression gone as if it had been an illusion. “Once you get settled, I’m certain my brother would be delighted to help you pick out a companion should you choose one.”
I laugh, nervously side-eyeing the very last griffin before it too disappears into the sack. “Good advice. I think Casper is enough for me right now.”
“Casper?” He tilts his head with curiosity.
“My cat,” I elaborate. “Like a delfass but tiny.” I demonstrate his approximate size with my hands, and the orc snorts with amusement.
“And it’s a kit?”
“Nope, grown.”
He shakes his head as if he can’t fathom such a thing. “How are they of any use?”
I quietly laugh at his bewilderment. “Well, he’s a very affectionate companion, and good at getting rid of mice.”
Garval’s expression becomes contemplative, and he nods. “I can see how that might be useful. I hope to meet your Casper, then. Now if you will excuse me, I must attend to the matter of the troll’s mawu, if you can attract the attention of your friend.”
The stress on the last word, breaks my heart just a little for him but I nod. The look he gives me is grateful, and when he begins to lumber off, I shout over to Kassie, snagging ahold of her attention. There is a distinct warm, fruity scent in the air that I keep catching snatches of that’s returned and I know immediately how to tempt her away.
“Kassie, come on. I smell pie. Didn’t you say something about wanting to enter a contest?”
She brightens and hurries over to my side, casting only a curious glance toward Garval on her way over. Wrapping her arm around mine, she nudges me playfully. She drags in a deep breath and moans so loudly that behind her I can see Garval stiffen as if someone shoved a rod up his spine. I giggle despite myself and squeeze her arm with mine.
“That smells so good,” she sighs. “I could really use some pie.”
The sweet, seductive smell of blackberries teases my nose, mingling with the sweet-tart smell of cherries. She’s right. It does smell good.
“You know something? I think I could too. Let’s go see about getting into that contest.”
With her delighted squeal in my ear, we walk through the fair, delighting in the confections goblins are selling everywhere, the sugary smells this time making me moan with fond memories of childhood. A flash of fire and a puff of smoke draw my attention to an illusionist mage delighting the crowd, and game booths are set up everywhere throughout the market. Like any fair, there’s the chaotic sound of things toppling over, the snap of projectiles being thrown, and the noisy laughter and conversation of children and adults alike, regardless of the species. Someone in the near distance controls some sort of levitation magic that has children and adults bobbing in the air as they spin, somersault and dive, their safety harnesses keeping them firmly tethered to the ground.
There are also surprisingly normal things, such as a giant slide set at one side of the square. Even the equivalent of a dog pull, except that it’s juvenile delfass pulling people at wicked speeds. I can only just barely see them every now and then from a distance, but it looks fun.
The most endearing thing, however, is the train of large fluffy critters that resemble rodents in the face, despite their cloven hooves, and the puffy tails of chinchillas. About the size of a large Shetland pony, they vary in hues of tan and gray and are tied together in a long line with a rope leading from one harness to another. On their backs, all manner of children cling with delight, wearing broad smiles.
Kassie and I watch them trail by.
“You know,” she says, “I really wish I could have come to this fair when I was a kid. Despite the lack of mechanical rides, I kinda feel cheated now.”
“Same,” I murmur, my eyes settling on a sight that makes my heart pump with quickening beats as lust and ire war with one another.
Bodi smiles at me in a way that makes me squirm from the pure heat that crosses the space between us until Kassie, having spotted the pie eating contest, pulls me forward eagerly. I turn my head to look back at him over my shoulder, but he’s gone, swallowed up in the crowd again.
And of course, he’s still wearing those damn clothes, just as I knew he would be.
Chapter 12
Bodi
For just a moment the crowd had parted long enough to give me a glimpse of my Lynn before the gap closed and swallowed her up again. I growl with frustration as I crane my neck, attempting to peer through the crowd.
“Don’t hurt yourself, Bodi,” Garval says wryly from behind me. “I believe I heard them mention pies as they were leaving the gryphon paddock.”
My heart chills and I glance over at him. “Griffin paddock,” I hiss. “No one got hurt, I hope.” Even a scratch on my Lynn would be intolerable to me.
Garval stares down at me with amusement but shakes his head. “No injuries. I was able to cut the goblin off before he could even begin to tempt your female with a hatchling. More than one human was enamored with a mawu, however, and I had to threaten the troll with bodily harm for him to refund the buyers and take the pups back.”
I swipe a hand over my face and groan. “That is one disaster averted. We need to become a lot stricter during times when we have humans present. The mawu and griffin breeders will have to understand.”
“They will. Once I explained the rules, I had little argument over the matter.”
“Good,” I mutter, trying to recall what else he’d said.
He pauses for a moment, his eyes narrowing as he takes a good look at me. I puff out my chest, smoothing the silky fabric of my tunic that he’s no doubt admiring. It cost me a small fortune and I’ve been saving
it for a special occasion. As far as I am concerned, there is none better than this—wooing my mate. His lips twitch, and he shakes his head.
“You thought it was a good idea to wear that, did you?” he rumbles, amusement heavy in his voice.
I’m actually affronted as I stare back at him, my brow furrowing. “Yes. It is my best outfit.” When he continues to stare at me, I glance down at myself. “What’s wrong with it?”
His eyebrows rise, and a broad grin spreads across his face. “Not a thing if you are wishing to advertise your every blessing that the gods gifted you with to anyone who has eyes in their head.”
I stare at him, perplexed. “Of course. I want my female to be able to clearly see what she’s getting. I had intended this to be my mating day outfit when I purchased it, but I think courting her properly is of greater importance right now. It is very flattering, something females greatly enjoy. I’ve been assured as much by the goblin tailor.”
“I see,” my foolish brother murmurs, looking not at all convinced.
I huff in irritation. What does he know about fashion, anyway? Goblins are at the height of such things, tailoring even for the high elves. I straighten my hem as I glare off into the crowd.
“Where did you say they went again?”
My brother smirks and points in the direction I had caught a glimpse of my female. “The pie eating contest. I believe that they are going to join so to enjoy the pie. Kassie seemed particularly eager.”
He chuckles for a moment and then chokes on it, his expression growing bleak as if recalling once more how he can’t have her. It’s surely some cruel jest, by one god or another, to have my younger brother feel such attachment to a female who’s already mated. I grip his arm firmly and give it a reassuring squeeze.
“Thank you, brother,” I say quietly before releasing him to slip into the crowd.
Despite the large turnout for the fair clogging the square, it doesn’t take me long to arrive at the long table set up for the pie eating contest. Now that I know where she was heading, I know exactly where to go. I had supervised the set up for this game as well as several others on this side of the square over the last hour.
I am excited to see her and breathe in her sweet fragrance, but when I arrive, pushing my way past a collection of orcs and humans crowded close to the event, a cold wave of fury crashes over me the moment I set eyes on my female. While Kassie sits to the right of my Lynn, on her left sits a male who I hadn’t wanted to see within two feet of her since our last confrontation.
Fellek.
The male leans toward her, his head dipping low as he rumbles something too low for me to hear. Whatever it is, it makes my female laugh in a way that has me bristling with aggression.
I don’t even think. I react.
In three ground-eating strides, I slide in just behind them. The flag is raised, preparing to start the competition. He leans over to touch the back of her hand as she begins to scoop up her first bite of pie. My skin prickles and my hand shoots forward, twisting in his thick mane of dark hair, yanking his head back savagely. He bellows, his arms flailing, and my Lynn nearly falls off of her chair from turning around so fast, her mouth gaping in horror back at me.
I know this looks uncivilized, but I can’t help it. Everything in me protested the male being anywhere near her and her food. It was too much like the bonding rituals in which one fed their mate. Too close. My instinctive reaction was not unwarranted, and not one among my clan would fault me for it. Unfortunately, dozens of human eyes stare at me from the crowd as if I’m a monster, forcing me to swallow back my fury before I carry out the full weight of vengeance against a male approaching what is mine. There are few things that will make an orc lose control, but when it comes to our mates, we are relentless in our savagery.
It is the alarmed expression on my mate’s face that makes me relax my grip. Fellek growls but does not dare to move against me. He is built as solidly as any orc of our clan, but he knows he has no chance of winning against me. Leaning forward, I speak low into his ear.
“Do not touch her,” I growl. “Attempt such a thing again, and I will not be held responsible for what I do to you.”
“You would threaten me… over a human?” he snarls.
“I would protect any human visitor to our realm,” I confirm, “but I will kill for her, for my mate.”
He blinks slowly, his eyes narrowing with hatred. “She is not your mate. I do not scent you on her.”
I grin humorlessly, baring my tusks in a wicked grimace. “Not yet, she isn’t. But she will be.”
Growling, he twists out of my loose grip and stands, overturning his pie in the process. His eyes snap over to Lynn for only a moment, but at my warning snarl he stiffens and steps back away from the table. He nods to the judge, his expression perfectly neutral.
“On second thought, I think I will pass on this contest.” With all the dignity he can muster, he leaves. I watch after him, the smallest of smiles pulling at my lips.
It is not often a male can enjoy such satisfaction. I wave away a troll who brings another pie and shake my head. I’m not interested in eating and still have my rounds to do. I just want to enjoy some time with my female.
The troll eyes me and exchanges a look with the judge who waves him off impatiently.
“Are you happy now?” My Lynn hisses at me like an angry delfass kit.
And her side, Kassie peers around her with wide eyes.
I give my female an enigmatic smile as the judge raises the flag again. He gives me an impatient look. “Now are we ready?”
I nod and the flag swooshes down, beginning the competition.
Lynn picks up her spoon from where she dropped it in the pie pan and scoops up another bite. A strange scent fills my nose as the fruit nears her mouth. I’ve enjoyed my share of blackberry pies since my youth, and the sour note clinging to it makes my stomach twist. It is clearly too subtle for the human nose because Lynn doesn’t notice anything amiss as she takes a bite. My nostrils flare, alarm rising within me though I can’t name the source. She takes another bite, and then another, my strange anxiety mounting until something in my brain clicks. That terrible smell! It is somehow tainted! I slap the spoon out of her hand with enough force to send it flying before she can take another bite and haul her off her chair.
My female shrieks and thrashes, and I can hear humans shouting in panic, but it’s nothing compared to the frantic worry filling me. Unable to break from my iron grip, Lynn picks up her pie and smashes it all over my front, surprising me enough to loosen my grip so that she can break free. I blink at her, swiping a hand through the deep purple fruit, the stain rapidly spreading over my expensive tunic and dripping down on my best breeches. I don’t even care about them though; my mind is filled only with the need to get to her. I rise and step toward her, stilling when she stumbles back, staring at me in betrayal.
I hate seeing that look on her face, her eyes wide with fear and reproach, but I can’t let it stop me from doing what must be done. There’s no time to lose. No time to stop and explain or attempt to cajole. This is about her life, and I refuse to risk that!
Ignoring the mess covering me, I stride toward her in two quick steps, jerking her up into my arms. She tries to scream and so I take the opportunity to push my finger down deep into her throat.
“Forgive me,” I whisper as I ruthlessly make her gag.
Her body heaves and she vomits, spewing hot purple bile and bits of pie down the front of me. I grimace but remove my finger, steadying her with one hand as I peer into her eyes. Her glare is murderous, and she slaps my hand away before spinning away and stalking into the crowd. Kassie throws me a worried look before trailing after her.
With a murmured apology to the judge and those staring at me with disgust, I follow after my mate. I know that I’m the last person she wants to see, and that there is a strong likelihood that she will not even wish to speak to me. She may even request that I be replaced as her guard, and my
heart seizes at the thought. It would be smart to give her space, but still the worry nags at me. I can’t rest until I have assured myself that she’s okay. My dread is realized when I hear a panicked shout and a feminine voice scream my name.
Shoving my way through the crowd, I break through, my eyes widening in horror as I see my Lynn crumpled on the ground, her face pale and drawn. Kassie leans over her, tears streaking her cheeks, her gaze frantic as it whips around, searchingly, until it lands on me. She scrambles to her feet as quickly as she can while I rush to their side. My knees give out, and I crash painfully onto them at my mate’s side, my hands brushing worriedly over her.
“Please, Bodi, is she going to be okay?” Kassie hiccups, her voice watery with tears.
“I will make sure of it,” I promise, my voice tremulous.
Dragging my female into my arms, I push up once more onto my feet to stride through the crowd. I can feel Kassie attempting to follow, and I bark out an order to a guard watching me with concern.
“Accompany the female following me to the healer. I’m heading there now with her friend.”
Jerking his head in a nod, he heads over toward Kassie. I can distantly hear the murmur of voices and her soft sobs. I block it all out, my concern for my mate overriding everything as I carry her through the crowd to the one person I know who can help her.
Chapter 13
Lynn
My head is pounding when I come to, making the muffled voices in the background painfully loud. I’m distantly aware of the fact that I must have fainted. As I had walked through the square, furious with Bodi’s strange, interfering behavior, I had gradually begun to feel sick and by increments worse the further I walked. Feeling my body give out had been one of the most frightening experiences of my life, but waking up in a strange place is pretty high on the list too.
How to Claim a Human Mate (Monstery Yours #6) Page 9