“I told you, Nana Madi,” Boukie giggles. “I told you Cavek’s gonna be my daddy very soon.”
“Yes, you did, my little trollbie girl,” Madi gushes with delight. “And you can help with the mating ceremony. Wouldn’t that be nice?”
“Can it be pink?” Boukie squeals, completely on board with the plan.
“But of course! Whoever heard of anything romantic not being pink? I am even having a nice tunic for your new father made in a suitably masculine rose,” she says, casting my mate a pleased smile. Cavek tries to swallow back his groan, but he isn’t fast enough to keep me from hearing it. I cough over my laugh and smile at my mother-in-law.
Another rough cough alerts us to the presence of one of the werewolves accompanying Garol. Serus mumbles something to Cavek before introducing the large male. And truly, this werewolf is the largest of them. Completely covered with scars, he’s a solid black male with amber eyes.
“Cavek... Mother, allow me to introduce you to Eral, Enforcer of the Evarue Tribe. Eral, you of course have heard of our mother, Madi, the queen of the trolls. This is my brother, Cavek, and his mate and children,” Garol concludes as his eyes slide over me and my children with quiet dismissal.
He doesn’t even bother naming us. We’re just extra baggage to him. It’s not that Garol doesn’t like us; he doesn’t find us important enough to even notice. But Cavek assures me that he barely views Cavek worthy of his attention unless he’s acting as a liaison. That makes me feel a little better, but I still think he’s a complete dick.
Eral proves to be far more charming, even if his focus is a bit unnerving. He inclines his head and smiles. Although he includes Cavek in his greeting, his eyes fasten on me with curiosity.
“A pleasure to meet you all. This is an unexpected treat. Unlike many of my brethren, my duties keep me in Ov’Gorg and I have never had the pleasure of meeting a human. I have heard you are much like we are in breeding form, but far fairer in countenance. I am delighted to see that this was not an exaggeration.”
I can feel Cavek bristling next to me. Although Eral hasn’t said anything out of line, his admiration is evident, and my mate takes exception to it.
“Eral, do not tease Cavek,” Madi admonishes him. “They are newly mated, and he is going to be territorial for quite a few years before he mellows,” she giggles.
The wolf nods to Cavek, a small smile curving the flexible lips of his muzzle.
“My apologies. I did not intend anything untoward in my observation. Simply... admiration,” he rumbles, his eyes gleaming.
Madi nudges my mate until he utters a short acceptance, but his arms wrap around me and Cavekji and he positions Boukie behind him as he frowns fiercely. Regardless of his verbal communication, Cavek’s territorial stance is loud and clear. Eral is completely unfazed. The atmosphere around us becomes tense as the males size each other up.
“Eral, since we will be allies, you must come to the mating ceremony. Bring a few friends. They have already done the deed, sadly, but that has never stopped a troll,” Madi says, breaking the silent tension of the moment.
Long canid teeth flash in a wide smile as he accepts the invitation. He turns to signal and two large males, one dark silver and the other purest white, materialize beside him so suddenly that I nestle into Cavek’s side.
“Allow me to introduce my brothers. Falo, the beta wolf of our tribe, and Arawl, the tribe guardian.”
The queen looks at the them, her face a shrewd mask despite all the pomp of ridiculous color on her.
“Tell me, what is it exactly that the Troll Middling Way Kingdom can do for you?”
Falo doesn’t even glance at me. He bares his fangs in a stark smile at Cavek and Madi and for once I’m grateful to be ignored. Where Eral, although a bit much, is charming, Falo is not only rude but almost frightening with the aggressive authority that pours off him. He’s not the alpha, but he wears power. That much is evident.
The other brother, Arawl, is the least threatening of the bunch, which makes me suspect he’s the younger of the males. He smiles and waggles his claws at Boukie but otherwise looks like he would rather be miles away from here. I can’t help but agree.
“We merely wish for aid against a common enemy. The Warue Tribe has attacked both of us. They would have more direct access to our territories if they conquer yours, so it is in our best interest to help you. I am sure you are intelligent enough to see that the Evarue would be advantageous allies for your kingdom,” he says with a smirk.
“Perhaps,” Cavek says.
He seems reticent in dealing with them and I can’t help but to think that he would be able to do his job more effectively if he wasn’t trying to guard us from the very males he is trying to negotiate with. I clear my throat and unintentionally draw everyone’s attention to me. I blush and lean in to whisper to Cavek.
“I’m going to take Boukie out to the gardens. As we arrived, I saw other children playing out there under the watch of the guard. I think it’d be more appropriate for her than listening to this conversation.”
I watch him war with his own thoughts. But at last, he nods his head.
“Don’t go beyond the guarded fore-garden,” he whispers. I nod as he returns his attention to the werewolves. The white male, Arawl, gives me a sympathetic smile tinged with a bit of longing. Poor guy wants to escape too.
The peace of the gardens is a welcome respite, and I turn Boukie loose to run. A trollbie with fuzzy hair who she seems to know waves at her as she runs to join him. I wander around the flower beds, keeping Boukie in my sight as I admire the flowers. Between the blooms and keeping watch on Boukie, I’m so distracted that I almost stumble into a small group of female trolls before I hear them.
All of them are clad in the finest pixie-spun silks, with their manes of hair in various shades of lavender and dark purple flowing around their heads and down their backs. More than one has wires laden with gems or flowers knotted into her thick unruly mass of hair. Each of them varies in hue from moss green and jade to the most vivid emerald, almost as bright as that of Cavek. They are tittering and laughing together.
I smile, thinking maybe it would be fun to sit and have someone to laugh with. I haven’t had that since Sammi returned to live among the orcs, and I’m hardly shy at making new friends. I straighten my dress and prepare to step out from behind the flowering bushes and join them.
“Can you imagine, Cavek mating a human?” one of them trills with a sharp laugh. I recoil in surprise at the venom in her voice.
“I know. I feel rather sorry for him. There are many beautiful female trolls who would be quite pleased to mate bond with a strong, handsome prince like him despite his ordeal. Yet he would choose a human. Why? They are so... ugly,” another giggles.
“Quite plain. You saw her standing there with him, dressed as if she is one of us, but pale and colorless except for that dreary, dark hair. I wonder if she is as dull of wit as she is of color...? What Cavek must go through.”
“Please, don’t feel sympathy for him. If he wants to mate a beast, let him. She will never be one of us. Others may call her and the ugly child of hers a princess, but we are true noble females. She is nothing.” The last laughs scornfully.
My heart plummets and I withdraw before they notice my presence. All the trolls I’ve met have been so welcoming. I try to ignore it, to push the memory out of my mind, until much later in the evening when Cavek proudly introduces me to his two sisters, Mimi and Vandra. Mimi receives me with all the kindness in the world, but when Vandra nods to me and coolly greets me with a cold flare in her eyes I recognize her voice. She was the last who spoke among the females in the garden.
My eyes dart over to Cavek as he smiles down at his sisters, and I know I can’t tell him that she will never accept me.
Chapter 16
Cavek
I stand beside my father as the Evarue males depart for their overnight lodgings. They were offered rooms in the palace, but they had declined on the
excuse of finding such surroundings unrestful. I consider that a fair objection, but my whole attention is not on them.
Instead, I’m focused on the fore-gardens where my mate sits alone watching Boukie play with a young male troll. I recognize the male. He is one of the children of a female who coordinates the palace staff. Boukie must have found a friend in him on one of her numerous trips with Serus to visit Mother. It disturbs me that many of the children of the affluential families are giving Boukie a wide berth, but even more so that none of the females of court are even making an effort to be cordial to my mate.
I growl low in my throat and look around helplessly for my sister. Vandra knows all the females and organizes parties and events with them. I believe they are working on the summer solstice festivities. I know that Kate would enjoy that. Her eyes had positively lit up when I told her of our festivals throughout the year.
“Cavek, are you listening to me?” Father says with an impatient sigh.
I turn and meet the stern gaze of my sire. I had known it was a matter of time before Father would have another assignment to take me far away from my family. It’s not unreasonable, as my brothers have tasks that also take them away many days at a time, but I don’t hate it any less.
“Yes, I hear you.”
He nods, pleased. “I know that your mother wishes to organize a mating ceremony for you, but that can wait. Now that you are mated, you are able to fulfill all of your regular duties. The males of the Evarue Tribe are leaving the Middling Way and I wish you to accompany them. Speak to their alpha, observe the activity of the werewolves in general, and report back to me in four days’ time.”
“If this is a diplomatic mission, perhaps it would be better if I take my family with me, to put the tribe at ease.”
“Don’t be absurd, Cavek. Females and younglings do not belong on sensitive missions such as this,” he scoffs with a shake of his head. “Your family will not expire without you.” He clasps a huge hand on my shoulder and squeezes it with all the paternal warmth he can offer. “You will be home with them within just a short time. I know it is difficult when you are newly mated, but this is for the best. You will see.”
Kate is not pleased when I tell her as we ready ourselves for bed. Boukie and Stitch are soundly sleeping in the mound of pillows on Boukie’s mattress, and even Cavekji fell asleep just as we were arriving home. I hate the look in my mate’s eyes when I explain my mission.
I rub my hands along her shoulders. “I won’t be gone long. I swear it.”
“The last time you went away dealing with werewolves you were lost to me for a year. I don’t know if I can bear that again,” she whispers in a choked voice.
I nudge my broad nose against her narrow one until she tilts her head up to look at me.
“Don’t be silly. That was a completely different tribe. They have another whole syllable to their name. Surely that counts for something,” I attempt to poorly jest. Her answering smile is strained but she makes a valiant effort for my sake.
I slip out of our bed in the very early morning. I don’t wish to wake my family. I would rather them sleep than watch tearfully as I leave. I don’t think my heart can take that. So, silently, I pull on my armor and weapons and grab my bow. It has been so many weeks since I’ve readied myself for battle it feels foreign. I kiss my mate and Boukie before lingering in the doorway of Cavekji’s room. He stirs only briefly, his eyes flickering open before settling back down into sleep.
I pick up his tiny trollbie doll, ready to tuck it back under his arm, but something makes me pause. I raise it to my nose and smell the lingering scents of my family all over it. The touches of Boukie and Kate from when they played with Cavekji, and the stronger scent of my son. Without further thought, I slip it into my pack. I’ll be sure to bring it home.
With that final vow, I leave my den and step out into the thick mist.
KATE
I sit at the low table with a basket of tubers, idly peeling the skin off them one by one. Serus sits across from me, a look of concern on his face. It’s sweet for him to worry about me, but nothing seems to convince him that it is not necessary.
He holds Boukie in his arms as Cavekji plays on the small rug beside us. I’ve looked everywhere for his favorite trollbie toy, but I haven’t been able to find it, so in a last-ditch effort I pulled a strange animal from the newest collection of beasts that Cavek has been hard at work on.
Just looking at them made me misty-eyed, thinking of Cavek sitting in front of the fire with me in the late hours of the evening, his hands crocheting with practiced ease. Having him gone the last couple of nights has been rougher than I anticipated. The children are handling it well, though. Boukie is confident that her daddy is safe and will be home soon, and Cavekji is blissfully unaware as he chews on the ear of his new toy. Stitch rests just a foot away from him, his bat-like ears sticking straight up, as if just waiting for an opportunity to steal the toy.
Serus sighs. “I do not like leaving you here alone,” he complains as he leans over to pick up Cavekji. The baby burbles happily at his uncle as the male sets him on his large knee and begins to bounce him.
“Uh, Serus. I wouldn’t bounce him so much. He just ate and he might—”
Too late. My son, in one of his more glorious moments, spits up all over his uncle’s lap. Now that he’s starting to eat mashed berries and grain, it’s colored a bright purplish-pink. Serus looks so horrified that I wince in sympathy but don’t bother to hide my chuckle as I pluck him from his uncle’s lap so Serus can clean up. I use a spare rag beside me to quickly wipe my son’s face.
“Really, Serus. I have a lot I plan on getting done around here today. I can’t possibly get away. Truthfully, I’d rather just stay here when Cavek isn’t here. But I want you two to go. You know how much Boukie loves visiting Madi at the palace. I insist.”
I don’t want to tell him that with Cavek with me, I would feel alone in the palace surrounded by the courtly females who pass their days in the palace. Although Mimi was delightful when we met, I dread running into Vandra and any of her ilk any time soon.
Still, Serus doesn’t look convinced, and I know why. Rumor has been spreading that Boukie has foresight. Her disturbing accuracy on many things over the last year since humanity was once again contacted by the fae leaves little doubt that it’s true.
“Mommy, come with us,” Boukie says, her lower lip trembling.
I learn across the table and take her hand, squeezing it gently.
“All right. Let me get a few things done around here while Cavekji naps, and Uncle Serus can come back in a couple of hours and get me. Does that suit everyone?”
Neither look happy but they reluctantly agree and, before long, leave for the palace. I hold Cavekji on my hip as I watch them disappear from sight. My son is fussy today and as soon as they leave, he wails inconsolably. It takes some effort to soothe him into a fitful slumber and I wonder if he’s already starting to cut teeth. Trolls develop faster than human babies, but it didn’t seem too early for a human baby to begin teething.
I stretch the kink out of my back from a solid hour of stitching and hear a thump at the door. I frown impatiently. It’s too early for Serus to be back already. I told him to give me a few hours, but it hasn’t been more than half that yet.
Excitement stirs within me. Maybe it’s Cavek? What if he’s back early? And good timing too that we can take advantage of while our son naps.
With a tug, I pull on the door, but no sooner does it open than a sweet strangely familiar scent fills my lungs and I succumb to the darkness of sleep.
I wake what has to be hours later in unfamiliar surroundings. It’s cold and dark, with only the faintest light streaming down through the canopy. To my relief, Cavekji sleeps on the moss beside me. A gargantuan mawu stands a few feet away as his rider looks down at me in silence. I cough to clear the lingering effects of the sleep from my chest before speaking.
“What’s going on?” I can’t keep the
fear knotting in my stomach out of my tone.
The rider tilts their head and then slowly a gloved hand comes up and pushes back its hood. I draw in a sharp breath as I see the face of Vandra. Her lips curve into a disdainful smile.
“You recognize me, I see,” she says, her voice a soft and throaty purr. “I suppose it is just for you to know who has orchestrated your end. If you had only stayed in Ov’Ge, this never would have been necessary. You were never supposed to come here. I arranged for the Warue Tribe to take Cavek.”
She scowls. “They were only supposed to keep him imprisoned for a short time so that he would forget his infatuation with you. I even took measures to ensure that word of your brat would never reach my family. You and that... thing are ruining everything! The elves will never allow us to join them in their courts if we mingle our blood with humans,” she sneers.
“What are you going to do?” I ask, drawing Cavekji into my arms. He begins to stir as the sleep starts to fade from him.
Vandra touches a hand to her chest innocently.
“Me? I am not going to do anything. I am just leaving you and your brat here in the northern territory, in Warue land. They do so love to tear apart human flesh from what I recall. You thought the Evarue at court were frightening? They are pups compared to the Warue,” she laughs cruelly as she pulls her hood back down.
“Goodbye, Kate,” she says calmly. With a sharp nudge of her knee, the mawu turns and lopes away, leaving me and my son alone.
I tuck Cavekji against my breast as Cavekji begins to whimper. The few luminous flowers barely produce enough light to see a three-foot radius of the perimeter around me. I shiver as an icy wind sweeps over me, but it’s less for the cold and more for the dread in my belly as I hear a savage howl travel on the breeze.
The wolf when he approaches is large but doesn’t look as healthy as those I saw at court. His fur is mangy and has many bare spots from years of fights, and his eyes appear to leak a nasty mucus.
The Troll Bride Page 12
