Page 16 of The Orc's Stolen Shepherdess

“That was before.” His mouth was a flat line and his eyes were devoid of all warmth. “That was before the warriors came to these woods.”

“Don’t tell meyou truly believe the warriors are as dangerous and vile as the gossips say!” It was on the tip of my tongue to bring up Caivid. To tell Father about how kind he’d been, how generous.

“It isn’t just the gossip. Some of my own friends have agreed they are dangerous. They’ve talked to some of them, seen how angry they can get, and how they fight so brutally with each other.”

“Not all of them are like that. Some of them are nice—”

“It doesn’t matter ifsomeare nice,” my father contested. “Chief Sythcol has confirmed that more may be settling in the Rove Woods by the end of the winter. These woods will be filled with them.”

“So, you chose Jophel?” I nearly spat.

“He’s a good man,” my father said before quietly adding, “And. . . he’s still unmarried.”

“Youcannotbe serious!”

Father wouldn’t meet my eyes.

“You know how I feel about him!” I shouted loud enough to wake the Fades. “All Jophel ever talks about is having a wife to do his cooking and cleaning and raise his children for him. Why do you think hehasn’t found a wife by now?”

“That was a long time ago. When you were still children. He’s changed, Susara. The years have humbled him.”

“What about his actions just now made you think he’s changed?”

“You must give him a chance. He’s the only man I found that said he’d let you continue to go into the woods with the flock.” I could see the desperation in my father’s face and it made my stomach churn. He’d really tried. He’d tried to find me a husband.

And the only one he found wasJophel.

“I cannot marry him, Father,” I said firmly. “I will not. He’s lying about letting me go with the flock and you know it. He’ll chain me to the stove the first chance he gets!”

“Better chained to the stove than dead!”

My breath caught in my throat and my father’s eyes widened as he realized what he’d said. He raked a hand over his face. “Ican’tlose you, Susara. I already lost your mother. I can’t bear to lose you too.”

“I won’t marry him. I won’t. And you can’t force me. Headman Gerald would never allow it.”

The silence was so oppressive, my lungs burned.

Finally, he murmured. “I won’t force you to marry him, Susara, but he is taking over the flock. Tomorrow morning is his first day.”

My throat felt choked, and my eyes prickled, and my vision blurred.

I saw his throat work in a gulp. “I’m sorry, Susara. This is the only way to keep you safe. If you can think of an alternative by morning, I’ll consider it.”

Before I could break down and make a fool of myself, I turned on my heel and stormed down the hall to my bedroom. The small space had been my place of protection and reprieve. Now it felt like a cage.

I paced over to the bed in the corner, picked up my wool-stuffed pillow, and threw it hard. It bounced off the wall almost lazily, lacking the violence of my anger.

He was giving the flock,myflock, to Jophel.Jophel!

How could he steal my life away so easily? How could he just burn my future to the ground? The pain was so sharp I could hardly breathe.

I looked out the window into the darkening woods. Just a few moments ago, I was out there with my flock, walking the paths I’d always known. Laboring and laughing. . .

With Caivid.

With Caivid, the warrior orc.

The exact threat that my father was so afraid of.

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