Lost to the Orcs (Oyeon Orcs)

Chapter Thirty Three Delight and Sorrow

CHAPTER THIRTY THREE: DELIGHT AND SORROW

It burns.

Everything burns. My skin. My eyes. My hair. The air in my lungs. My chest hurts. It feels like the one winter it snowed and we had to leave school early. I walked to the foster home in the snowfall. Kicking and giggling and having the most fun since my parents died. I stepped inside and my foster parents shoved me in a hot bath. Everything stung for at least 30 minutes. It feels like that.

I crack my eyes open but slam them shut moments later with a hiss.

I grit my teeth and try to move. But I can’t. I can’t . My burning breath comes in choked aching gasps as I feel myself panic.

Muffled noises start to fill and echo around me. I’m under water again. Or down a tunnel. Why a tunnel? Was I down a tunnel?

“Sunkissed?”

And silence. I stop breathing. My heartbeat is too loud. I open my eyes, flinching and wincing at the brightness of this world behind my eyelids. Tears sting my dry eyes. I know that voice. I know that nickname. I know that beautiful face. “U’s?” My throat cracks. It is dry. It is a wheeze .

I hear him choke, his lips tremble and his beautiful gorgeous honeyed eyes melt before me as they spill down his cheeks. He holds my hand in his like he is afraid I will disappear. Or shatter. He kisses it with his lips. With his tears.

A rush of air, the scent of citrus, precedes the arrival of Jaedason. “Jae.” His word is a croak but he looks at me like I just told him the secrets of the universe.

“Ach, my mate. My beau’iful little lost. Is me.” He stumbles in the room, his rush nearly tripping him as he sits on the bed next to my hip. Pulling my other hand to him. He presses it against a more than scruffy cheek. As if he hasn’t shaved in a month.

That’s when I feel it. I jerk and gasp in surprise. Because I did. I felt it. I know I did. I look down my body, and there, my belly is much more distended than I last saw it. I swallow. My brow sweating. Fearful and awestruck. I pull my fingers from my mate’s hands. “Jae? U’s?” My words are hoarse. Trembling as bad as my fingers as I lay them atop my belly.

The fluttering isn’t light. It is harder than I would think at only two months pregnant. The rapid development of a mate bonded pairing. Hani said so. She did.

Another huffing puffing set of breaths makes me look at the doorway. Irf and Narod are there. Panting a little but none the worse for wear. “You made it back.”

Irf smirks at me. “Ock, cannae leave ye t’ my uncles now can I? Look at them. Unable t’ explain a thing.” I do look at them. They look stressed. Haggard and lost. In the time it took me to look at my belly and the other two to arrive; U’snar has dropped to his knees, holding me around my waist, his head in my lap. While Jaedason has me propped up before him, his hands holding me lightly to him, while his head resting on my shoulder. Just breathing me in.

Narod nudges Irf and he glares at the other male, before rolling his eyes and pushing some hair behind his ear. Narod pulls a skein of water from his hip and offers it to me. “Drink. Slow.”

I do. Trying for moderation. “What? How am I–? Addie?” It’s a mess. I know I was in my world for a month. I recall counting the days. Not knowing why originally but counting them nonetheless. Subconsciously wanting to get here.

“She is fine. Woke up weel afore ye.” Irf states. At my severe frown he winces. “Ock, I didnae know ye would be worse. Mayhap it were yer condition.” His eyes stutter over my belly before looking back into my eyes. “Her body didnae have yers. An’ she was healthy. So, she came t’ right away. Ye’re sustaining for two. Is mostly a speculation though. There is li’l in the texts t’ go off o’. We just waited, kept eyes on yer condition an’–

“How long?”

His lips thin at the interruption but he jerks a nod. “Nine days.”

I bite at my lips. “Including the month? Is time different be–

“Excluding.” Narod this time. He looks so serious. So solemn. His beautiful blue eyes looking haunted. I wonder what that is like. He watched his brothers mate die with her child and then his brother wither away. Just to watch the possibility of that all over again.

But then again, this world is like that. It is common to watch your family or friends, tribesmen fall ill and never come back after losing their loved ones. It is a sickness in this world I wonder if I’ll ever get used to.

“So a month and nine days.” My voice is so much better with each sip of water. “What is in this?” My brows pinch together in confusion. I feel so much better after.

“Was in the books.” Narod states. “Travel sickness it called it.”

“Veil sickness.” Irf corrects and it’s Narod’s turn to roll his eyes.

“Veil sickness.” He corrects himself. “For those who traveled from one Weave t’ the next.”

I shake my head. “A weave. Threads.” I softly snort and then sniffle. “Fuck. Can you guys give us a minute?” Irf nods before turning to leave. Narod follows with one of his teasing smirks on his lips. My lips tremble. “I’m so sorry.”

Both males lift their heads to stare at me with deep incredulity.

“I missed so much.” I clutch my belly to me. “The baby moves.” I choke thinking of all the little things I have missed. “And I didn’t know. I was gone. If I–If I hadn’t fought her–

“No.” They both state emphatically.

“She challenged you. You couldnae say no.” U’snar reassures.

“Not unless you wished to give us up.” Jaedason adds.

I sniffle. “Never.” I grip a hand from each of them. Holding them close to me. “You’re mine. And I’m never letting you two go. Ever.” The tears trickle down my cheeks and my sniffles turn to sobs as we kiss. We touch. We caress. We love each other as we laugh. As we cry. Until I fall asleep in their arms, in their scents.

I am home.