Page 87 of The Orc Outcast's Conquest

“How about just in the woods, then? We’ve been doing fine so far.”

“You will not survive, Miranda. The winter is too harsh.”

“I’ve survived worse, believe me.”

“Miranda.”

“Govek.”

He sighed raggedly, releasing her to rake a hand through his hair. Stepping away. Closing off.

She’d pushed him too far, and she’d about reached her limit too. Her head was pounding, and the chilly wind was growing oppressive. It matched the storm brewing behind Govek’s brooding eyes.

She bridged the small gap between them and wrapped herself around his arm, forcing him to relax under her again. “Let’s talk about this later. We’ll have plenty of time while we’re trapped in the blizzard.”

Her words made him tense further, so she rushed in. “For that and a lot of other much more fun things.” She stroked a hand down his chest, along his stomach, and he let out a low groan when she stopped. “I guess we can’t, though, can we?”

“What?” His voice was strained.

She tried to hide a grin at his telling expression, like a child who’d just gotten his new toy swiped. “You said having sex twice would get me pregnant. Obviously, we can do other things.”

Her mind was swimming with all the delicious ideas rolling around in her head.

“It has to be twice in succession. Within the same quarter of the day.” He stepped a little closer. “What are these other things?”

She cast him a mischievous look. “So, you mean to say there’s a time limit on it? How does that work?”

“It is the Fades design, Miranda. That is all I know,” he said quietly, drawing her near. She could feel his warmth as he loomed above her, his eyes sparkling. “Now, tell me what other things you want to do.”

“Aw...” she said, walking her fingers back up his chest. His breath left him in a rush, and she could feel his heartbeat thumping hard and fast against her fingertips. “But if I tell you, then that ruins the fun of exploring on your own.”

His low growl hummed delicious pleasure up her spine and her hands made it up to his shoulder, pulling him down for a kiss.

Only to be blasted by a harsh, bitter wind.

And not just wind, sticks and leaves, too. They smacked her cheeks, and yanked at her hair. The trees whistled with the force and branches bowed around them. Swirling.

They both looked to the sky and found the clouds rippling in odd patterns. The coloring was strange too, casting the forest in an eerie glow.

“We have to go back.” Govek tugged her in the direction of the cave. “Hurry.”

He set a punishing pace, but Miranda did not utter a word of complaint. The electric feel to the air was growing thick. The wind was picking up, and a distant thud radiated through the trees sounding far too much like the thud of Govek knocking over the tree.

Then there was another. And another.

“G-Govek,” Miranda barely managed. Her lungs were burning, and her legs screamed from the effort of hiking at such a fast clip.

The wind bellowed and howled, bending the trees all around them. She watched them sway and go still.

But the roaring sound of the wind didn’t stop.

“Hurry!” Govek demanded, but she couldn’t keep up. Her knees threatened to give way and her lungs burned, ready to explode, and she tripped on a root.

Govek snatched her up, gripped her wrists tight and yanked her into his body as they were pelted with more leaves and twigs. They stung as they scraped her skin and ruthlessly yanked at her hair, spiraling around them like a cyclone.

“G-Govek, this wind is . . .”

She broke off as he yanked her up into his arms and sprinted, hurtling through the woods at a speed that was unimaginable.

---