Page 82 of Simon

Kiah clapped his hands and blew a bubble with his lips.

I readjusted the blanket around me, tucking it in around my body so I could use my hands to check on Simon. I kneeled on the ground and shook his shoulder. He was still warm, breathing, and let out a huff into the dirt.

“What did you do?” I asked again, irritated.

Was she going to sit there and coo over the fact that I said he was my mate?

“Ah, well, I had to put him out before he hurt himself. Thorn said it would be for the best.” She tapped the straw-like dart gun on her chin. “And I have to agree with him. Simon has the best intentions, but ogres are dangerous.”

I carefully rolled Simon over, my hands grazing his smooth skin as I searched for any signs of bumps or bruises. The faint scent of the ogre’s blood and dirt was there. Relief washed over me as I realized Simon was unharmed, his skin clean and untouched by injury. The lingering residue of the ogre’s presence clung to him.

“What did you hit him with?” I rubbed my fingers where the dart hit. It was as tiny as a pinprick, barely noticeable.

“It’s a dart that can knock out an ogre for a day. It works well, so the orcs can catch and decapitate them without much fuss. Clean and easy to clean up, you know? With Simon, he will be out for a few days.”

My mind raced before I went into full panic mode. Just hours ago, she told me their story. This must be the same poison that Thorn accidentally exposed her to when he captured her and then nursed her back to health. Ellie would have died if Thorn hadn’t massaged the special oil into her skin to revive her muscles. What about Simon?

I gritted my teeth and stood in front of her. Who cared if she had an orcling in her arms! “You don’t know that! Simon is so much smaller than an ogre! This could kill him!”

Ellie shook her head vehemently. “No, it can kill a human, not a person with special healing abilities from this realm. Remember, things here heal quickly. They have faster immune systems. Scratches heal in a few hours rather than days. Simon will be fine. Trust me.”

My mouth hung open in dismay as I turned to Simon.

“I can withstand the poison now that I am mated to Thorn. Iaccidentallypricked my finger when I was pregnant because Icouldn’t sleep. That was the best rest I have had in ages.” Ellie eyed the dart longingly in her hand. I grabbed it from her and held it away.

“No, you don’t. I need help with this.”

Ellie chuckled and raised Kiah back up on her hip. “Fine, party pooper. Let’s get him inside the tent.”

Ellie continued to explain her reasoning for why she darted Simon. He was acting crazy, not how an average male would act. When I told her I believed he was in a rut, she 'awwwed’in understanding.

He was protecting me in the only way he knew how. Simon wanted the threat destroyed and if I let it continue, he may have succeeded, but I couldn’t stomach watching him destroy the ogre piece by piece.

Ellie unceremoniously dropped Simon’s hand once we got him on the bed. She was stronger than I was. The arm she pulled seemed like a pillow behind her while I was huffing and puffing.

Again, I needed to work out.

“Might want to cover that.” Ellie snickered. “His dick is quite prominent, large even for a faun, isn’t it?”

I blushed furiously and covered it with a blanket. Not that it did anything to hide just how big of a problem it was. It was leaking and twitching. I groaned and slapped my forehead in distress.

“And what an interesting pouch he has.” Ellie leaned over to try and examine his covered bulge .

Even when Simon was drugged, the thing was all set to go.

I quickly covered the rest of his body with a blanket. “Heisrutting, as I said. At least that is what I have concluded. He’s showing the basic signs of what animals do when they need to expel their seed, and it appears your drug will not subdue it.”

Ellie hummed in agreement. “Told you that dart won’t keep him out for long. I’d say he has a few days, though, since I gave him an ogre dose. It will give your vajayjay a rest, at least.”

I turned away, covering my mouth with my hand.

“Yeah, smelled both of you a mile away.” Ellie looked at my shoulder. “No mark yet?”

I sighed and shook my head. That was the whole reason why we needed Starla.

Ellie carefully lowered Kiah onto the soft, plush blankets spread across the blanketed floor. As she did, I glimpsed his bright, curious eyes, taking in the colorful surroundings. Kiah’s tiny hands grasped the blanket, and he brought it to his mouth.

“I’d have him go for your shoulder or a neck bite.” Ellie pointed toward me. “That is how most of the realm does it. Only the orcs don’t, but I think that is because of their tusks. Could you imagine being bitten by those?” Ellie shuddered.

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