by Liam Lawson
Trorm jerked a thumb at the draco-truck.
Abigail slapped his chest. “You’re not supposed to be driving yet!”
“I can drive fine,” Trorm said.
She glared up at him.
“I didn’t need to. The draco-truck can drive itself.”
She shook her head. “You kept the damn truck and made it drive you home. You’re such a freaking boy!” HAPPY.
Trorm had no idea what that last comment was supposed to mean, and the sunglasses didn’t offer any real clarification, so he shrugged.
“You, uh, know this guy?” The contractor asked, sounding uncertain.
“He lives here,” said Lilian from the doorway. “When we were attacked the other night, he fought off our attacker. That’s what happened to the room you’re fixing.”
The man blinked, then eyed Trorm’s staff with new, warry understanding. “Oh.”
That wasn’t quite how Trorm would have described events. Then again, he didn’t know what story the Maddens wanted to put out. The way Lilian put it though, it made it seem like she hadn’t been right there fighting as well. As if Trorm had single handedly defeated their foe and been the one to put the hole in the floor. Was she trying to protect her mother’s reputation or enhance his own? The men certainly seemed to be backing down now.
“You’re early,” Lilian said to Trorm.
Lilian Madden
Gender: Female
Emotion: HAPPY. SURPRISED.
Interest Level: 6
“So, I’ve been told,” Trorm said. “Is that pork and cactus fruit I smell?”
“We couldn’t find anywhere that sold antelope steak,” Lilian said with a grin.
“Believe me, we looked,” Abigail piped up. Her arms were still around his torso.
Abigail Madden
Gender: Female
Emotions: HAPPY.
Interest Level: 10
“What’s the occasion?” Trorm asked. “Did you perform a deed in the name of Thodos worthy of celebrating?”
For a moment, Lilian’s expression fell. DISAPOINTMENT. It vanished quickly and she fixed him with a flat stare. “Trorm. We’re celebrating you.”
He blinked. “Me? What did I do?”
“You want the long list or the short list?” Abigail said, then went on without waiting for an answer. “You protected us at the Stag back when Arlen attacked. You fought off the living spell when it attacked us her. And you got our Mom back.”
“I’m especially grateful for that last one,” Trisha said, coming to stand next to Lilian.
Trisha Madden
Gender: Female
Emotions: HAPPY. GRATEFUL.
Interest Level: 5
She cocked her hip and Trorm couldn’t help but take notice. Trisha wasn’t trapped in a teenager’s body anymore but nor was she aged back to where she’d been before. As a teenager it had been easy to dismiss her appearance. She was young and angry and the enemy. Before that, while far from unattractive, she was decidedly maternal and old enough to command her home with respect. Now…it was like looking at a new woman.
Both of her daughters were beautiful, but neither made an extra effort to enhance their beauty. Neither wore makeup, or at least, not a lot. Abigail tended toward frumpy clothing and Lilian’s attire was all practical. Trisha…Trisha wore a tight shirt and short shorts like her waitstaff, and her makeup was artfully done to enhance a stunning face.
“You’re not supposed to be driving, young man,” Trisha said, smirking.
“It’s going to take some getting used to, seeing you like that,” Trorm said.
Trisha laughed while Lilian rolled her eyes. “Tell me about it.”
“Come inside already!” Abigail released him from her embrace and pulled him into the house. “You can tell us if we’re cooking this right or not. We found the recipe on Pinterest when we looked up orcish food.”
“He kept that truck thing,” Lilian said to her mother as Trorm was pulled into the house, leaving the contractors gaping.
“Boys,” Trisha said, laughing.
Lilian and Trisha followed them into the kitchen where the pork was cooking, and it smelled like they had rice in the cooker as well.
“You should give Winnie a call,” Trisha said. “She’ll want to celebrate with us.”
Trorm’s face fell. “Winnie and I…we aren’t together anymore.”
The kitchen fell silent.
“What?” Abigail asked.
Trorm explained, in quick summation, what had gone on between him and Winnie.
“That…I’m going to cut her!” Abigail said. ANGER. “I’m going to put malware in her computer and make it so every time she tries to go online, she gets rerouted to rabbit stew cooking videos!”
Trorm blinked down at her. That was a more violent reaction than he’d expected.
“I’m so sorry,” Trisha said, stepping up to rub his arm. SYMPATHY.
“Yeah,” said Lilian, keeping her distance and crossing her arms. HOPE. “That’s too bad.”
Were his sunglasses malfunctioning again? He double checked the emotion and then Lilin’s interest level. Oh. Not only was she a paladin whose ideals didn’t always align with his own, but they lived together. Abigail’s interest level was higher, but she hadn’t been anything but supportive of his relationship with Winnie, which was admittedly confusing. He didn’t think that was typical of human women and if he was reading Lilian’s body language right, she didn’t want her interest in him to be this high.
Here was hoping that things wouldn’t get to awkward. Who was he kidding? Of course, they would. He put the thought aside and set about helping cook his welcome home dinner.
It was delicious and his stomach felt pleasantly full when he finally sat back at the table a few hours later. He was outright forbidden from helping to clean up. Trorm hated to be doing nothing while others were working, so he went to investigate the contractor’s work.
The bedroom had a door again and the floor had a decently laid out framework. A few more days and it would be fixed. They’d probably need to completely redo the flooring. Not an inexpensive prospect. It occurred to him then that he no longer had a job. With the university shut down the tutoring center was closed and that meant the work he’d just started was suddenly unavailable to him. He’d need to find another job. His staying here was supposed to make life easier for his host family, not more difficult.
“Hey,” Lilian said, coming up beside him in the doorway.
“Hey,” he said back, glancing at her. EMBARASSED. Was that because of her unwanted interest level in him? He said nothing.
“I…think I owe you an apology,” she said.
She did? “How’s that?”
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I think I did everything right. I was in a position to legally help find Mom and you getting involved could have really hurt you. Telling you to back off makes sense in that light. But then I needed your help.”
“You don’t owe me an apology,” Trorm said. “You’re reasoning is sound. I am still not used to Aflana customs and your actions were wise. There is no bad blood between us.”
Lilian breathed a sigh of relief. “I kind of expected you to say, ‘I told you so’ or something.”
“What did I tell you?” Trorm asked.
Lilian looked at him, then shook her head with a small laugh. BEMUSED. She punched him lightly on the arm. “Sorry that you’re on the couch for now.”
“Okay,” Trorm said, not sure what the one thing had to do with the other. Were they changing the subject, or had he missed something?
“Hey, you started working at the tutoring center, right?” Lilian asked.
“This is a subject change, isn’t it?” he asked.
“Yes, so go with it,” Lilian said. “Also, I already know the answer, which means I also know you basically just lost your job.”
“I will correct this as soon as possible,�
�� Trorm said, glancing behind him at the hole in the floor.
“Don’t worry about the house,” Lilian said. “We’ll make something work. But…I’ve always thought that you shouldn’t work for money but work to learn. You know?”
Trorm shrugged. He’d never given it any real thought. “That sounds wise for someone starting out.”
“I think I can get you an internship with the police,” Lilian said. “A paid one. You wouldn’t make more than you would at the tutoring center, but you’d learn a lot more.”
“Wouldn’t my citizenship be an issue?” Trorm asked.
“No, you’re a student and this is just an internship,” she replied. “Besides, a few of the guys owe me favors.”
“I’d be grateful,” Trorm said.
Lilian nodded and left him.
Trorm fell asleep on the sofa later that night still thinking over what all this new job might entail.
He awoke to the feeling of lips pressed into his. He met the kiss instinctually, reaching up to pull his kisser into his body. She melted into him, warm and soft. Her full breasts pressed into his chest. His hands went around her, sliding up underneath her shirt to the bare skin of her back.
Bare skin…not fur. This wasn’t Winnie.
The thought pulled him to full wakefulness, and he sat up, tossing his kisser back to the end of the sofa. Trisha Madden giggled and fixed her hair.
“You’re not a bad kisser,” she said, smirking. There was something about her tone that wasn’t right. He grabbed his sunglasses and put them on.
Trixiel Madden
Gender: Female
Emotion: T@%$A#$D&F$#$
Interest Level: 8
“Trixiel,” he said.
She giggled again. “Oh damn. I was looking forward to watching Trisha when you came on to her later.”
Trorm’s brain worked fast. “You’re still alive. You’re inside Trisha.” He thought back to when he’d looked at Trisha with the sunglasses earlier. It had been her name there then, not Trixiel. “Does Trisha know?”
“Damn, you really are the full package,” she said, reaching out to run a hand over his arm. “Mind and muscles. Mmm.”
Trorm stood up and grabbed her.
“Ooh, rough play,” she said.
Trorm picked her up and started for the stairs.
“And where do you think you’re taking me?” she asked.
“To Lilian and Abigail.”
“No, I think not,” Trixiel said
“Why’s that?” Trorm asked.
“For one thing, I’ll play like I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she said. “For another, I’ll hurt Trisha if you give me away.”
Trorm froze.
“That’s right,” Trixiel said. “Now put me down. I’m not a sack of potatoes.”
Trorm put her back on her feet.
She sighed, looking up at him. A hand went up to cup his chin. “This isn’t going at all like I planned, you know.”
Trorm didn’t say anything.
She made a sound of exasperation and moved in, going up on her toes and pulling his face down to hers. They kissed.
“Mmm,” she said. “Yes. We’re going to have some fun, you and I.” Her hand slid down from his chin, briefly pausing at the place on his neck where Oana had blessed him. Did she know about the goddess of hedonism’s mark or was the positioning there a coincidence?
She pulled away. “We’re going to play a game, you and I.” She held up a finger. “First rule. You don’t tell anyone else about me or I’ll hurt Trisha. I’ll mess up this whole perfect little family of hers. You understand?”
Trorm nodded.
“Good,” she said.
“Rule two,” Trorm said. “You kiss me again or do anything sexual with Trisha’s body and I will wound you. She’d forgive me hurting her if it meant keeping you from raping her.”
Trixiel’s face went through several expressions, the reading on the sunglasses flickered between gibberish symbols over and over. “Fine.” She held a finger up under his nose. “But don’t you—”
Trorm bit her finger.
She yelped and stumbled back, eyes going wide.
“Let’s make something clear right now,” Trorm said, moving to loom over her. “I don’t know how you survived and right now I don’t know how to get rid of you without hurting Trisha. The only thing keeping me from destroying you is her and her daughters. You do anything to hurt them and I’ll kill you. You do anything to hurt Trisha, your game is over. I am not your pawn. I am not your plaything. Neither is this family.” He stepped in close, putting them almost nose to nose. “Do you understand me?”
More gibberish flashed across the sunglasses. A languid grin spread over Trixiel’s face and she arced herself forward, coming in close to his body. Any closer and they’d be touching. He could almost feel the energy between them, and he felt himself responding. He wanted her. And she knew it.
“I think we understand one another,” Trixiel said, lips almost brushing his.
She pulled away suddenly. “Sleep well, Trorm,” she said over her shoulder as she sashayed up the stairs, putting a little extra sway I his hips.
It was an effort not to stare at her ass.
Trorm fell back onto the sofa after she was gone, breathing heavily. “Shit.”
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