Page 61 of The Brute and the Blade

I groan into the kiss, heat and hunger searing through me at the scrape of her teeth, the dart of her tongue. "Careful, wife," I rasp, only half-jesting. "Keep that up, and we'll miss the victory feast entirely..."

She grins, wicked and wanting, but subsides, tucking herself back into my embrace. "Later," she promises, a throaty purr that sets my blood to boiling. "I'll hold you to that, husband..."

Husband. A shiver ripples through me, wonder and weight in equal measure. It still astonishes me, humbles me to my bones, that this wondrous female has chosen me. Claimed me, in the ways of her people as well as my own.

Our handfasting, just two months past, is a memory I'll cherish until my last breath. Lily, radiant in a gown of emerald silk, her eyes bright with tears and transcendent joy as she placed her hands in mine. Spoke the ancient vows that bound us, heart to heart and soul to soul.

The first union of human and ogre in the history of Agaroth...and gods willing, not the last.

"How go the negotiations?" I ask, as much to distract myself from the siren song of her closeness as out of genuine interest. "Has the council managed to hammer out the details of the trade agreement yet?"

Lily sighs, a sound of mingled satisfaction and strain. "Progress is slow," she admits, "but steady. There's still some resistance on both sides, some who cling to the old hatreds, the old hurts. And it's hard with the Skullcleavers' absence still looming over all—their leaders claimed they are fighting Arachs in the mountains, even though it isn’t the season for them. But the majority seem willing to at least try, to take these tentative steps towards a new way."

I nod, pride and relief a warm glow in my chest. When I first proposed the idea of a joint council, a body of representatives from both our peoples to shepherd this fledgling peace...I wasn't sure it would fly. Wasn't certain there would be any with the courage, the vision, to attempt such an audacious undertaking.

But Lily, my brilliant, dauntless mate...she convinced me it was not only possible, but vital. That if we were to have any hope of forging a lasting accord between ogre and humankind, we needed to lead by example. To show that cooperation, collaboration, was the only way forward.

And she was right. Gods, was she ever right.

In the span of a few short months, the council has already made strides I scarcely dared dream of. Negotiating treaties of trade and mutual defense, mediating disputes, fostering a fragile but real sense of fellowship among its members.

With Lily at the helm, her quick wit and quicker tongue working wonders, it's little wonder. She has a gift for it, for diplomacy, for finding common ground even in the rockiest of soil.

A gift I mean to see honored, exalted. Which brings me to the other reason I've stolen her away from the bustling great hall, the celebrations already in full swing...

"I have something to ask you," I murmur, turning to face her fully. Taking her slender hands in my larger, rougher ones. "A proposition, of sorts."

She quirks a brow, interest and a hint of heat sparking in her eyes. "Oh?" she purrs, a playful lilt. "And what might that be, my lord?"

I fight down the urge to sweep her into my arms, to bear her off to our bed and show her just how much her merest glance, her lightest touch, undoes me. But no...this is important. Too important to be delayed, even by the sweet siren song of her skin on mine.

"I want you to be my...my emissary, of sorts," I begin, unaccountably nervous now that the moment is here. "My voice in the wider world, speaking for the Bloodclaw Clan...and for all ogrekind."

Her eyes widen, lips parting on a quick, sharp inhale. "Grok," she breathes, something awed and apprehensive flickering over her face. "What...what exactly are you saying?"

I gather my courage, my conviction, squeezing her fingers gently. "I'm saying...I want to name you High Ambassador," I declare, holding her gaze steadily. Willing her to see the depth of my belief, my trust in her. "I want you to be our bridge, Lily. Our emissary to the humans, and to the other ogre clans. I can think of no one better suited, more uniquely qualified, to represent our interests...and to continue forging the connections, the understanding, that will cement a true and lasting peace."

She stares at me, shock and a burgeoning, disbelieving joy kindling in her eyes. "You...you really mean that," she whispers, her fingers tightening convulsively around mine. "You'd trust me with that kind of power, that kind of platform..."

"There's no one I trust more," I vow fervently. "No one I believe in more, Lily. You've already proven, a thousand times over, your strength, your wisdom, your unwavering dedication to our cause. To the dream of a world remade, where ogre and human stand as allies...as friends."

I lift her hands to my lips, pressing a fervent kiss to her knuckles. "But more than that," I rasp, my voice roughening with emotion, "you've shown me the power of connection. Of reaching across divides, daring to see the best in our enemies."

I shake my head. "You changed me, Lily. Opened my eyes, my heart, to possibilities I never imagined. And if you can work that same magic, that same miracle, on a grander scale..."

I shrug helplessly. "Then I believe, truly...that there's nothing you can't do. No barrier you can't break, no bridge you can't build."

Lily makes a soft, shattered sound, her eyes blurry. Then she's rising on her toes, winding her arms around my neck and crushing her mouth to mine in a hot kiss that sears me to my soul.

"Yes," she breathes against my lips, punctuating the word with fierce presses. "Yes, Grok, yes. Of course I accept, of course I'll be your...your voice. Your ambassador, your emissary in all things."

She pulls back just far enough to hold my gaze, her own filled with love. "We're in this together," she vows softly. "You and me, from now until forever. Whatever challenges come, whatever obstacles we face...we'll meet them as one. As partners, in every sense."

My heart clenches, too full, too fierce, for mere words. I can only crush her closer, bury my face in the silk of her hair and breathe her in. This female, my mate, my miracle...who's walked through fire to stand at my side. Who's faced down every foe to create a future together.

A future that once seemed as distant as the stars, as impossible as the sun rising in the west. But now...now, with every day, every small victory and tentative triumph...

Now, it feels close enough to touch. To taste, sweet and strong as summer wine on the tongue.

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