Two humans for two riders. One troll, and one elf.
Glancing over my shoulder, I see the woman has almost caught up to me. She reaches out, and I see my chance at safety flash before my eyes. So I leap forward and leave the other woman to climb onto the bear with the elf.
He catches me with ease, looking down and meeting my eyes.
In that instant, while chaos surrounds us, I know I’ve found what I sought.
Estela thought I was escaping Zlosa for the chance to find a mate—my ‘perfect half.’ It is not a husband I seek, but a safe future. If this troll is a kinder and more attractive master than Eneko was, all the better.
When the troll pulls me up in front of him, his large body cradles mine, and the sensation of invincibility settles over my skin. I allow myself to lean back. The smell of leather, incense, and stone overtakes me.
Gods. He definitely will be the one.
A noble man can be manipulated just as easily as a hedonistic one.
I slide my hand around his arm and feel the reaction behind me as he tenses. He needs to feel needed in order to get protective, so I spare a whimper.
It works.
“You are going to be all right now,” he murmurs.
The sound of his voice sends a shiver down my spine. It’s got a light accent that brings out the deep, rich tones of the common tongue.
A feeling deep in my gut that has always guided me begins to spread and take over.This isright.
“Thank you,” I say to him, a touch more pathetic than I feel.
One of the giants hurls into our path. The hulking troll man carrying me is unfazed. He reaches out his arm, and the ground beneath us groans as earthen chunks fling out from under the snow.
A pointed rod of stone forms before my eyes. He conjures something akin to a sword with swirling, sharpened rocks. He then rams the giant clear through.
I scream and press against him.
“Don’t look,” he says, as I hear the crunch of bone. His large hand comes to cover my back.
I lean into him.
This is exactly what I was hoping for.
Chapter 2
RA’SA
Snow covers the world around us as we travel away from Zlosa. The sun has just begun to set along the horizon, and it’s the first time I’ve felt like I can breathe all day.
The overworld is a torturous place, and I hadn’t intended on ever spending so much time outside of the mountains. However, I had been personally chosen by King Teo to help him rescue his mate—our new human queen: Estela.
I had anticipated our bringing home a handful of humans… but thirty-four?
Enduvida is going to be a madhouse.
After I’ve helped set up camp, I slink away from the bustling movement. The humans whisper to each other, and the elves laugh around the fire that they now build.
It’s all a strange, unwelcome assault on my senses. Trees line the area, and I lean against one, thinking.
I’ve never seen so many humans in one place. They’re flighty and look around like lostruh’glumdlorcubs, moving between tents, huddling together, and avoiding my gaze.
I never had a problem with the old custom of stealing them and helping them escape their giant masters. But when we stole Estela, I saw them as a curse on our people. Unnecessary risks.