Page 35 of Scaled Hearts

“What’s wrong?” Kelly tugs on my arm.

I open my mouth, ready to warn her about the unwelcome visitors, but I’m cut off by the door being kicked off of its rusty hinge and falling to pieces on the floor.

My nose wrinkles as the stench of unwashed humans permeates the air inside of the hut.

“Kelly Brockhurst.” the one in the front says. “You have some explaining to do.”

16

Kelly

My heart rate picks up when I see Chet, Flint’s brother, standing in Old Agatha’s doorway.

“W-What are you doing here?”

He points at me. “I know you had something to do with my brother’s death. All the orcs tried to tell me that he caused some fight in the mines, but I know you and your sister were behind it.”

I breathe out slowly, feeling Angurus’ grip on my hand tighten. Though, I’m not exactly worried about Chet hurting me—he tends to be all bark and no bite—what I am worried about is Angurus’ temper.

If there is so much as a whisper of a threat that comes my way, I know he’ll blow his cover and shift into a dragon to take these guys down. He could end up causing the entire camp damage in the process, and that is something that I didn’t need on my conscience.

I let go of Angurus’ hand and step around him. He protests with a soft grunt that only I can hear from this close, causing me to put a hand on his chest and give him a reassuring smile. Or what I least hope is one.

“Why don’t we take this outside, boys.”

Surprisingly, the brigade shuffles out through the front door and into Agatha’s makeshift front yard. I follow them out, wishing that there was a door I could close in order to put something between this group and Angurus’ protective anger.

I hope that he stays back and lets me handle it.

Once I get outside, Chet rounds on me again.

“I know you had something to do with it, Brockhurst.”

I wipe my hands against my dress, hoping that no one notices the brand on my hip. It isn’t that tattoos or markings of any kind are forbidden here, but supplies were hard to come by and it would get them to ask questions about things they didn’t need to know.

“I didn’t have anything to do with your brother, Chet.”

“Like hell! It was either you or that damn sister of yours!”

I wince at his volume. “Look, I—”

“Shut up!” He whips out a knife, pointing it at me with a crazed look in his eyes. “Confess to what you did and maybe I’ll go easy on you.”

I frown at him. “The orcs aren’t going to tolerate you killing me or my sister, Chet. Our workforce is already down twelve, and they’ll be pissed if that number lessens anymore. Even if you do kill me, it’ll only get you and all your friends here thrown in the pits of the mine where they’ll work you until you die. You can’t possibly want that, right?”

He grins. “You think I haven’t thought of that?”

I blink at him in surprise.

Chet steps back from me, running a hand over his face and laughing into it. “I bribed them, you dumbass! I told them that they could fuck your sister as long as I got to kill you.”

My blood runs cold. “What?”

He drops his hand to look at me again. “They’re going to use her for a fuck doll. They’ll fill every hole up she has with their come and leave her to rot when they’re done. I told them as long as they look the other way, that’s what they get for a prize. Guess how many took me up my offer. Go on, just guess.”

It feels like the ground is going to open up and swallow me whole.

No… no, they can’t take Kara and offer her up on some platter to those sick bastards. I won’t let them. Even if it means fighting all of these barbarians until my dying breath.

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