The Toll (69 page)

“
Hah.” Nugget’s g’pra dra
smirked, eyes never leaving my little bonded’s.

She’s obviously formed her own kinship
with my woman, enough to offer her a brind adna—the necklace Nugget
had used on me—she’d used as a ward—a safeguard. Kin indeed.
Infused with strong magicks, the plain looking piece, an old trick
to mask their weaker get, a protection offered only among those
deemed worthy of such a prized boon.

The dark and the light, magicks from
the old ways, wielded by Nugget’s lost one, just made the bauble
all the more potent, more powerful.

I could attest to it meself, how harsh
a punch it packed.

“
Bloody Ornthren.”
Phaestus, sighing heavily, muttering under his breath, was more
pleased to see his kin awake than anything, relief rushing his
craggy, world worn features. With a quick nod in my direction when
I glanced over, he left, melting back into the crowd hugging along
the wall, disappearing into the shadows as he made a swift
exit.

Nugget reeled me back in when her
fingers found my jaw, pinching it between thumb and forefinger
before her hand fell weakly to her side. “Promises. Promises,” she
said on a sigh.

Staring down at her, I snorted,
watching as her eyes slowly fluttered before closing
loosely.

She’d lost a lot of blood, my
obstinate, stubborn female, and despite my body’s need to
strengthen our bond, right this minute, I knew she needed
time.

“
Bloody hell,” I muttered.
Being a decent male was going to be a shitload of fucking hard
work. “The things I do fer ye, wench.” Rubbing a hand down my drawn
face, I wondered if I was even up to the task. “Gonna fuckin’ hump
me palms hairy,” I groaned into her neck, voice muffled into the
sweet smell of her soft flesh.

“
Can I watch?” she murmured
quietly, lids still closed, chuckling quietly when my cock jumped
against her generously bared thigh.

It had slipped from the sheets
covering her, her shapely leg, bared to my hungry eyes. The small
scrap of clothing covering my junk was firmly in place, but the
dragon’s tail of a cock snaking up, straight and out, wouldn’t be
contained for long.

“
Ah, fuck, I’m leavin’,”
Ketik’s voice, growling and hard, preceded his heavy foot falls.
“Bad enough I haveta hear ‘em, not gonna watch ‘em fuck in a room
full ‘o’ dumb arsed busy bodies.”

“
Then get the fuck out,” I
snarled low.

Nugget gasped, eyes snapping open,
head shooting up. She recoiled on a shriek, taking in all the
unwanted occupants of the room. At the horrified look on her
mortified little heart shaped face, my ears still ringing from her
outburst, I tried to appease my squirming, ear shattering
banshee.

“
Hold still now, Nugget,” I
muttered disgustedly, “I wasna gonna fuck ye in front ta everyone,
bloody hell, woman.” When she settled down, I glared down at her,
fighting a shit eating grin. “Not that me blood kin havena heard ye
wailin’ me name in ecstasy before, muffled as I bring ye ta
Mid-Realm, but this lot havena.” Hooking a thumb at the free
loaders hugging the wall, waiting for a show, I hoped to hell they
got the damned hint and scrammed.

“
Oh! Troll! You... You...
brute!” Beating at me weakly with her small little balled up fists,
I couldn’t help but smile. Fires of hell, was she beautiful when
riled. And she’s mine.
All
mine.

“
Ah! Bloody hell,
woman!”
I roared, shaking the ceiling hard
enough to rain red dust, rearing back as her tiny human fingers
gripped the small nip on my chest. Flopping back, she folded her
arms primly over her impressive bosom, tugging the sheet down into
a more appropriate position, taking that tantalizing peek of creamy
white flesh
—mine—
with her.

Prudish human, that
succulent strip of thigh was mine, a feast for
my
eyes.

At that thought, I
remembered the occupants of the room.
Damn, I’d forgotten ‘bout them.
Scowling hard, I eyed all the men evenly, letting them know
with a low growl and a hiss, that this female, and any part of her
gorgeous body, was mine.

“
Don’t worry, Bek,” Bo
offered graciously, “we didn’t see much.” Tossing a hand at Quaz,
who was still holding my bairn, cradling him carefully, as his ass
should, Bo grinned and explained, “He’s seen a lot more of your
bonded than even you have. Why, who do you think brought that
little lad into this world?”

“
Ye what?!”

“
Lord help us,” Nugget
muttered, struggling to sit up as she glared at Wind. “Quaz, give
me my baby, then you can run. Unless, you know, you like making
wall angels.”

Quaz quickly did as he was told,
ignoring my warning growl as he sprinted for the
doorway.

“
Oh, quit snapping at him
like that,” my bonded muttered, “truth be told, I did most of the
work anyways. He just sort of,” she shrugged, running a finger
along the length of our offspring’s little nose,
“helped.”

“
Bastard willna be helpin’
ye wit’ anythin’,” I rumbled low, “anymore.”

“
I’d hope not,” she laughed
softly, a small, secret smile playing at her lips.

This just helped sour my
mood.

“
You’re going to be
difficult for a while, aren’t you?” she breathed, still drained as
she laid back against the bit of wood I liked to use as a
headboard.

“
No’ fuckin’ difficult,” I
spat. “Ye be mine, woman. I’m bleedin’ pissed.” Grunting, I pushed
off the bed, standing up to my full, towering height, boner and
all, glaring at the rest of the room, who was still watching our
heated exchange with morbid fascination. “What ye lookin’ at, eh?
Be gone, then, nothin’ ta see.”

“
Troll.”
Nugget’s voice was getting a little growl to
it.

Fuckin’
adorable.

I’d have to bite at those
lips later, suck them into my mouth and-
Shit. This particular train ‘o’ thought is sure as shite no’
helpin’ me any.

Whirling around, I grunted, “What?” It
may have come out harsher than I’d intended, but at the dark scowl
on her sweet little face, the irritation I felt rolling off her
through our bond, I softened. “Fine,” then, much lower, “what the
fuck ever.” Turning back to stare balefully at the group, I sat
heavily at the foot of the large bed, shoulders slumping slightly,
resting my chin on my fist, waiting. Every few seconds a deep snarl
slipped out, my runes lighting up, unbidden.

“
Troll!”

“
Fuckin’
alright!”

Welcome Back

Nugget

Glaring at the back of his head, if I
wasn’t so relieved to hear his surly grumbling again, I’d brain
him.

Calder let out a soft little mewl,
sniffling in my direction, large blue eyes popping open wide.
Shaking my head as his little meaty fists flailed, I chuckled,
undoing the ties at my shirt to set him up for a
feeding.

“
Nugget? What do ye think
ye’re doin?” My surly mate-husband demanded in his deep, rumbly
voice.

Glancing up, I only stopped
for a second. “I’m going to feed my son,
our son.”
Lifting a brow haughtily,
I inquired politely, “Do you have a problem with that?”

“
If ye’re gonna whip yer
tits out in fronta everyone,” he muttered, giving a sharp nod, “ye
best be bettin’ yer sweet arse I do.”

Lips pursing, eyes defiant, I grumbled
right back. “Well, deal with it.” Gesturing to his chest, I argued,
“Your breasts are much bigger than mine, and you have them out on
display all the time.” At the look on his face, exposing my breast
for Calder as I watched my mate evenly, fighting back a wince when
my little man latched on a bit too hard, clamping down around a
mouthful, I murmured cheekily, “A little tit for tat, as it
were.”

Troll’s eyes flashed, filling with
heat at the sight, then anger as they drifted towards the others,
then acceptance as they drifted back and he watched Calder suckle
hungrily. “I dinna have titties, Nugget,” he muttered petulantly,
“an’ mine are nothin’ ta gawk about. Yers are-” Pausing as his eyes
flashed with barely banked heat once more, he cleared his throat
roughly and grunted, “Yers are mine.”

“
I’m beginning to rethink
this whole mate-bond-thing. You two are worse than a pair of old
married Travellers. Hmm. I think I like it.” A soft voice, chiming
and absent these past long months, had my gaze darting around the
room.

“
Vidi?” I breathed, taking
in the flowing white shirt covering her tall frame, masking a bit
of her feminine shape. Long hair flowing freely around her
shoulders, white and tangled in a curling, wild mass, they were a
stark contrast to the tall black boots and black pants she’d
donned, accompanied by a long length of material bundled in her
long arms that I could only guess was a cape.

“
Hello, bright eyes,” she
called softly, cautiously approaching the bed.

“
How did you find me?” I
was a little dumbstruck, just plain happy at a chance to see her
again. “Are... are you alright? Did Madga- No, of course she
didn’t,” my eyes strayed to the Elementals gathered around, “they
helped you, didn’t they?”

“
Actually, no.” Smiling
softly, Vidi sat carefully on the side opposite Troll on the bed,
ignoring his grumbling mutterings of ‘manly chests’ and ‘breasts’.
“I was looking for you already when they found me.” Glancing at
Zeme, she gave the Elemental a grateful smile, gaze turning back to
take the hand I offered her, the one that wasn’t cradling Calder
close. Letting our fingers slip loose, she held out the length of
the necklace I’d put on Troll, now a long length of braided
leather, the ends of one section having been broken, which were now
slightly frayed. Unraveling or not, the magic remained, humming low
as she held it up for me to see. “If I’d have known all that was
going on, I never would have interfered. I only wanted to help.”
Regret laced her tone, but I shook my head.

“
You can’t predict how
things will go. I didn’t know.”

Troll flung an arm at Niniane and
huffed. “No, but she does.”

All eyes turned to Niniane and she
cleared her throat. “I don’t see everything, not anymore, and I’m
not a Fate. I used to see the potential of what could be, not
what’s to come.” Deep sorrow filled her eyes and she gripped the
edge of the long blue cloak, light blue silk lining the inside. “I
couldn’t see. I’m sorry, nothing should have come to... to what it
did.” She was referring to much more than what she let on, and I
was rather apt at reading between the lines on this one.

“
No, it shouldn’t have,” I
said slowly, “you can nudge things along, as much as fate allows,
but you can’t take a man’s will, can you?”

“
What?” Startled, wondering
blue eyes met mine. “No.”

“
You didn’t
make
him do anything,
did you? Did you suggest he do such a thing? Did you drug him
and...” I felt sick as the thought filtered through, but,
considering the things she’d been willing to do, I had to be sure,
“make that male do it?”

“
What? Of course not! No.
No! I’d never-”

“
She dinna help anythin’
any, though, either. Dinna be makin’ excuses fer her, Nugget. Do
her good to let her stew in it.” I didn’t blame Troll for his
animosity about all that had transpired, feeling my own
overwhelming sense of it so often.

In a way, though, in the back of my
mind where I try to hide all my niggling worries, I still wondered
if he regretted ending up with me.

Granted, Niniane hadn’t forced us two
together, exactly, but she’d orchestrated events—to what extent,
and how far back? I wasn’t sure I wanted to know—but I wouldn’t
trade our bonding, or the child who came from such a pairing, for
anything. It all happened, we happened, we’re going to make this
work, make us work, end of story.

“
Fates should call ye back
fer judgement again,” Troll growled. “Ye abused yer powers,
meddlin’ wit’ things best ye be left outta.” My bonded was
overwrought, emotions high, chest heaving, body tensed up, muscles
bunching, working himself into a right state.

Nudging him with my foot, I held out
my hand, wiggling my fingers when he stared at it for a long
moment.

Once he took it, shuffling closer, I
squeezed my fingers over the bony ridges. Calder fussed a little
and I readjusted him, letting go of Troll’s hand to pat the
infant’s wide little back.

Troll’s eyes were immediately stuck to
the sight, hands slowly reaching out to brush tenderly over his
son’s spine.

A long breath left Troll and he
squeezed in behind me, murmuring, “Thank you,” into my neck as his
legs bracketed either side of me, settling me into the cradle of
his hips.

We both needed this right now—this
intense need, craving for each other’s touch gnawing at us—the
contact soothing and calming us both.

Focusing back on The Lady, standing
firmly before us, lips tight, her blue eyes flashed with suppressed
emotion. “I’m sorry for what became of things,” she stated firmly,
“but I’m not sorry he found you.”