Page 81 of The Orc Outcast's Mate

“But I need to talk to him. Let me up, Govek. I want to go find him.”

The fuck? “No,” Govek snarled, snapping his gaze up to hers. She jolted, hands falling from his hair to his chest. He worked to ease his fury but could not find the power in him to change his mind. “No, Miranda.”

“But I need to talk to him. I need to?—”

“You were gone, Miranda.”

“What do you mean gone? I’m fine now. Let me up.”

Did she not hear herself? Did she not see how insane this was? “No, Miranda. You are not well. He hurt you.”

“Govek.”

“No.”

She pulled her hands away from him and it felt like his blood was icing over. She searched his face a long moment before saying, “Govek, I need to know where my babies are.”

He opened his mouth to argue with her, but no words came out. He knew how important this was to her. He knew.

But she was important to him too. He couldn’t lose her.

“I have to talk to him, Govek. I have to at least try.” She took a deep breath. “The light in my head.. . it was because I touched him, I think. Which means I can just ask him questions without touching him. I really don’t know why I grabbed his hand to begin with. It was so odd, like a magnetic pull.”

She examined the hand that the seer had touched, rubbing it gently.

“Dredging,” Govek said thickly.

Her eyes met his again. “What?”

“He was dredging... pulling things up from the darkest depths of your mind.” It was one of the most intimate and unsettling conjuring’s the seer could perform.

“Dredging...” she said to herself. Her hands were shaking, eyes wide, and his stomach rolled. “I need to try again, Govek.”

“No.” His refusal shuddered through him.

“Govek, you don’t understand. I need to do this. I can feel it.”

Fuck! The image of her shivering and collapsing bellowed through his mind. “Miranda, dredging can cause irreparable harm, if not done carefully. Your mind may never recover if you try again.”

Her brows knitted. “But... what if it’s the only way? What if I won’t be able to find my babies any other way?”

“That’s not impor?—”

“Govek, don’t you dare tell me that my babies aren’t important,” she said so forcefully he felt the snap of it blister down every limb.

Anger rose up, balling in his chest, vibrating his hands. The light of the Fades began to glow at the back of his mind.

Why couldn’t she see this was not worth the risk?

Why couldn’t she see what this was doing to him?

He couldn’t lose her.

“Govek, I have to try again. I have to.”

He gritted his teeth, anger blazing in his gut and pulling his magic to the front of his mind. He fought it back.

“I can feel it, Govek.” Miranda touched the middle of her chest. “I can just... tell that this is what I’m supposed to do, that this is the only way to find them. You believe me, right? I know it sounds so crazy.”

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