Chương 99: 099

My stomach rolled, tension crashing through me, but when I risked a glance at Dura, she didn't look surprised. If anything, she watched me with careful wariness, waiting to see how I'd react. The truth clicked.

"You know already?" I blurted. She blinked, thrown.

"Yeah? Knew since we were dangling in the canyon of darkness." That long? How the hell had she figured it out? Henry stilled, wincing as realization hit.

"My apologies. With how protective Dura was over you, and how easily you interacted with her, I assumed you were aware and simply early on in your courtship." I waved it off.

"Nothing to apologize for. If anything, you saved me the trouble of figuring out how to bring it up." Though I had wanted a little longer to actually absorb the new information before actively doing anything with it… My gaze dropped to the dead Rock Snake, to the vivid red smeared across her blade. My stomach lurched.

"We should probably shelve that conversation for now though. I'm not exactly in the best headspace." Henry nodded and turned his attention back to Time. Dura edged closer, biting her lip.

"I'm fine with discussing it more later, but just…for the sake of my sanity, you're okay with this, right?" She went on before I could answer.

"Because I know orcs have a reputation, and I can be blunt as hell, but I'm not expecting you to declare undying love or anything. Bonds are just a starting point. We can build from there, same as anyone else. No pressure or-." Her nerves poured out of every word. If she hadn't looked so genuinely worried, I might've laughed. Instead, I caught her hand, squeezing gently to cut her off.

"Dura. I'm fine. We're fine." I met her eyes.

"I only figured it out today, so yeah, I'm still adjusting, but I'm not against it." Her shoulders sagged as tension drained out of her in one massive wave.

"Oh thank fuck. Some people get real squirrelly about how intense orc bonds can be. Would've hurt like a bitch if you bolted on me now." Not a chance in hell. Even if I wanted to, that pull in my chest wouldn't let me get far. I squeezed her hand again, smiling.

"Not gonna happen. If anything, it's actually kind of relieving, knowing we're bonded. It explains how quickly I got attached to you. Usually it takes a lot longer than that for me." Attraction came easily, especially for women built like they could bench press me, but the rest? The affection, the protectiveness, the constant, maddening need to be close? That was new, and knowing that she felt something similar to it was beyond relieving. Her smile softened, warmth bleeding back into her expression.

"Good. I just needed to make sure we were good." A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"We are, and we can touch base on anything else that needs saying later. For now…" I glared at the snake.

"We've got bigger problems." She winced, reaching for the corpse.

"Right. Sorry. Didn't mean to make things bloody so fast." I stopped her, forcing my hand around the slick body before I could second-guess it.

"I need to get used to it, and better the practice comes from this than one of us." If I froze when it mattered… No. That wasn't an option. I braced myself against the coppery smell, slinging the snake over my arm. Blood dripped onto the stone in slow, steady beats. Too familiar, too close to memories I didn't want. A cold floor under me, pain in my gut, the shine of the knife embedded there... Each one hit like a dagger.

I waded through it, focusing on the crunch of stone under my boots, the faint tang of lunch still lingering in my mouth, and the distant birdsong threading through the trees. I wasn't there, I was here. Alive and safe. And I was going to get past this. With that in mind, I stepped a little further out and waited, snake still in hand. I didn't have to wait long. A tremor rippled through the ground, faint, but unmistakable now that I knew what to look for. Stone cracked behind me.

I pivoted on instinct, staff swinging. This time, Dura didn't intervene. The impact sent the Rock Snake skidding across the stone. When it came to a stop, it didn't move again. Dura jogged up, poking it before a beaming grin split her face.

"Damn good hit, took it out in one blow." She jerked her chin at my ears.

"As a beastfolk, your hearing will help too, but learning to feel vibrations is important. There may come a time when something dampens your hearing, and you'll need another way to track movement." I nodded, scooping up the snake and tossing it beside the other.

"I'll work on both. There are plenty of these things, right?" She snorted, "Yup, an endless supply. They're not hard to kill for anyone trained, but it gets tedious fast." Her gaze flicked to the bodies, smile dimming slightly.

"You want me to take those?" I forced myself to look at the blood again. The discomfort bubbled, there but not as intense as it'd been before. I shook my head.

"I appreciate it, but no. Not this one, at least. I'm doing reasonably well, but I'm far from cured. I need to be able to work through the discomfort." I offered the not-bloody one.

"Though I'd appreciate it if you could take this one." She accepted it, stepping back.

"Alright. Just don't push too hard. You don't want to undo the progress you're making." Didn't I know it. I exhaled, then focused again, this time listening. It wasn't easy, despite how Dominicus made it sound. There was so much noise. Our heartbeats, the rustling leaves, the distant wildlife, it all blurred together into a mess of sound. Then, a crunch, subtle and out of place. Something shifted beneath us, a faint tremor trailing through the ground. I latched onto it, tracking the movement.

It stilled a few feet to my right, coiling. When it lunged, I was ready. Another quick strike and the second Rock Snake slumped. Time paused in his own training to nod with a muttered, "Good job." Warm pride sparked through me and, after a glance at his steadily growing pile, I nodded.

"Right back at you." This was definitely an improvement from our initial hostility. If the rest of the journey went like this, I could almost see it being… painless. Well, as painless as things could get with me involved. Karma would be delighted to learn we were getting along so well…