Page 61 of The Savage Vow
The door slammed shut, leaving Orlena alone with her employer.
Fear coiled in her gut.
Yambul’s gaze locked on to her. He advanced slowly on her.
“Who is your friend?” he demanded.
Orlena’s mouth went dry at the look in his eyes. She had seen him grumpy and upset, but never like this.
“I…I don’t know what you mean,” she stammered.
“Don’t lie to me,sukga!” he bellowed. “The female orc who’s been sniffing around you. Who is she?”
She held the items close to her chest. Her heart raced, and she took a step back.
“Her name is Bula. She’s a drifter who?—”
Yambul roared and swung his meaty hand. She ducked on instinct, the items in her hand falling to the floor. She scrambled backward, fear consuming her.
“Do not lie to me!” he hollered again. He advanced on her. “What is her true name?”
Orlena’s vision blurred from unshed tears. She shook her head frantically.
“That’s her name! She introduced herself to me as Bula. She’s a drifter. A nomad. She doesn’t have a home. I swear!” Orlena cried out. She hit the wall and slid to the floor. She was cornered with him looming over her. His massive shadow swallowed up most of the light. She curled in on herself, sobs tearing from her throat.
Something shifted in his expression. He studied her for a long, tense moment. Then his lips crept up into a thin, humorless smile.
“Is that what’s she been telling you? She has no home?” he murmured. A snort escaped him. “Then she lied to you.”
Orlena’s breath hitched. She had to bite her tongue to keep from screaming that Bula would never lie to her, but she didn’t want to feed the flames of his rage.
“Just as I’m sure she’s told you that you get to leave with her, didn’t she?”
The words struck too close to home. Panic surged. She bit down on her tongue to force herself to remain quiet.
“You don’t think I knew you took that fecking contract? What? So your lover can read it to you?”
“You lied to me!” she shouted.
She immediately regretted it, but all he did was throw his head back and belt out a sadistic laugh.
“And you think that piece of paper means anything? You think you get to leave me and be free? You will work for me until I tell you to leave,” he said.
“No! That’s not fair.” Her body vibrated with fear. There was no way that she would work for him forever. She would risk her life to run from him if she had to. He would have to keep her chained down to keep her from running.
“Don’t no one care about you,sukga.”
Even though she was a full-grown woman, he’d always called hersukga, girl, as if she didn’t have a name. It demeaned her. Made her less than what she was. It was because of her that his shop prospered. Her work, her craft, her skill. She swallowed hard and eyed him.
Could she run from him now?
Or would he grab her before she could make a run for it?
“You’re coming with me,” Yambul growled.
Before she could react, his hand shot out and seized her arm. Pain exploded, and he hauled her to her feet. She cried out, his grip iron tight.
He dragged her into the workshop. He grabbed rope and tied it around her wrists. The fibers scraped her skin raw as she struggled against them.
