Page 94 of The Orc Outcast's Mate

“Oh yeah. There’s plenty.”

“I’m going to become a glutton,” Govek said as she heaped toppings onto the bun.

“Oh, don’t worry. I won’t let you get fat.” She brought the new plate over. “I have lots of ideas on how to burn off the calories. I bet you have a bunch, too.”

He growled low, lingering a hand down her back as she drew near and set down the plate.

“You gonna have me for dessert?” she asked, and his eyes lit with hunger that had nothing to do with the food.

Then a pounding came from the door.

“Oh, no,” Miranda moaned. “Who is it now?”

Govek pushed her to the side and walked to the kitchen window, throwing it open to snarl. “Get the fuck off my porch!”

Miranda burst with laughter, suddenly knowing exactly what kind of old curmudgeon Govek might eventually become.

An orc voice stammered. “We mean no offense. We only wish to ask if you plan to stop the merger?—”

Govek slammed the window shut and the voices could be heard outside, bickering back and forth about trying to knock again as he made his way back to the table.

“We’re gonna have to find somewhere else to hang out, aren’t we?” Miranda asked.

“Likely.” He picked up his burger and chewed for a few long moments, relishing it. “Do you enjoy waterfalls?”

Chapter

Sixteen

GOVEK

“I’m not going to change my mind about going to find them, Govek.”

Miranda’s clipped tone made Govek’s gut clench as he rose with his breakfast bowl and carried it to the sink. Three days of Miranda’s cooking and he still couldn’t believe how good it was.

Nor could he believe anyone would go to such effort to please him.

“I’ll pack the rest of that,” Govek said, nodding to the skillet of peppers, potatoes, and onions Miranda had diced up and fried in butter. His stomach was full, but his mouth watered. “We can take it to the falls and have it with the fish I’m going to catch. Unless you want to pick a new spot.”

Miranda sighed heavily, crossing her arms, and glared at him. He could feel that glower all the way to the pit of his stomach. “You’re changing the subject again.”

Of course, he was. He had no desire to fight with her. They’d been going in circles for days, and no amount of logic and reason could turn Miranda to his side. He’d truly hoped in time she would come around.

But she hadn’t. Instead, she seemed even more convinced that the children she’d cared for on Earth had somehow made it to Faeda.

And she was determined to find them despite all odds.

“Govek.” Miranda leaned heavily against the tabletop. “Tell me what you’re thinking.”

“I’m thinking...” He paused to examine her. The heavy bags under her eyes, the slope of her shoulders, the slow way she carried herself. “I’m thinking that you need more sleep.”

Her body sagged, and she looked away. “We both do, don’t we? I’m sorry I keep waking you up.”

That wasn’t the issue for him. It was the wailing. The crying and shuddering. The babbling about being trapped and crushed and burned.

Horrible images flashed in his mind of what had happened to Tavggol. The idea of Miranda going through something even remotely similar made him want to vomit. It made the imprint roar and quake with a desperate need to protect her at all costs.

He would not be able to protect her outside of the Rove Woods. Not without aid from his fellow orcs.

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