Page 47 of The Orc Outcast's Conquest

Fuck, he almost didn’t believe his own senses. Almost wondered if this was a delusion. But another deep inhale proved it.

She wanted him.

How was that even possible?

Govek gulped hard. Fire burning in his gut, confusion churning. “Miranda?”

“It’s, uh, well, you know what gods look like, right?” She fidgeted.

“The Fades appear as light.”

“Oh.” She pressed her hands to her cheeks, large eyes looking up into his. “That’s not it then.”

“Miranda,” Govek said low, watching a shiver course over the woman’s frame. Fuck, her scent was growing so heady and thick he could almost taste it.

He wasn’t even certain what he’d done to earn this. The food he’d gifted her was almost insulting compared to what Yerina had demanded.

“A Greek god is like... the epitome of beauty, like the highest rank of hunk. Ten out of ten hottie.”

Blast. He didn’t understand half the words she said, but her meaning was clear enough. He raked a hand through his hair.

Govek was no fool. He knew what he looked like. Was she bolstering his ego because she was still worried he may abandon her in these woods?

Miranda’s face had turned a bright red, and she began to babble delightfully. “I mean, not necessarily that... that all orcs are attractive. I don’t know cause I haven’t met all of them, but at least with you it’s—oh jeez. You gotta stop me before I get going like this or I’ll say things I regret.”

He certainly didn’t regret anything she’d said so far. He wanted her to talk more. Lay her every thought out for him to examine.

“What do other orcs look like? Do they all look like you?”

Govek’s gut pitched. “No. They do not.”

He did not fit the aesthetic of Rove Wood orcs in any way. They were slender, unblemished, and regal. He was a beast next to them.

He stuck out among the warrior orcs too, even with all their brawn and strength. Like a dirt clod among smooth river rocks. At least the warriors were well proportioned. At least their hands were not so massive, a trait necessary to wield magic properly. At least their muscles were not so accentuated and bulging.

Govek did not fit in anywhere. He had no place.

“I wonder what a female orc would look like.”

The comment snapped him out of his thoughts and his brow furrowed, nose curled. “I cannot imagine female orcs being very pleasing to the eye.”

A giggle sounded, but Miranda covered her mouth with her hands, concealing the expression and disappointment made his chest tight. “Sorry. I’m sorry. I don’t mean to laugh.” His brows rose, and she admitted, “I was kinda trying to imagine a female version of you.”

He snorted. “Fuck, that must have been a horror.”

She giggled again, the sound breaking through her fingers and flooding through him. “You’re pretty manly, or should I say orcly? What’s proper?”

“The fuck if I know.”

“I think manly works. Regardless, I can’t picture it. Honestly, you seem pretty human to me.”

He blinked, reeling from her admission. “I’m unsure how you have overlooked the significant physical differences.”

Her hand lowered and the sight of her gorgeous smile forced air from his lungs, causing him to lose his breath. “I guess that’s true.”

Hoping to broaden that smile into a beam, he said, “Perhaps it would help if I wore a gown.”

“I—what?”

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