Page 8 of Secret Twins for the Orc

It won’t be long now before my furniture arrives and I can set up and have my babies back, and they’ll be safe and cared for and happy.

After hours and hours of driving, the sun begins to dip low in the sky and I exit the motorway. I get my first glance at Whispering Pines nestled at the foot of a gorgeous, rolling mountain, half surrounded by a lush green pine forest.

When I enter the town, I can’t stop the rush of emotions that come over me as I drive past an abundance of quaint, mismatching houses of varying sizes and shapes as if catering to a sea of different creatures—which is probably exactly the case. Trees line the streets of the suburbs, children of varying colors of the rainbow play in yards and even along the streets, as if there’s no worry of danger at all.

I pass through a more shopping-district looking area and I can’t keep my eyes off the darling little stores displaying a variety of knick-knacks and items that I couldn’t even hope to name, some jetting out puffs of smoke and some whirring and spinning in the window display. I can’t help but feel I stepped into wonderland.

This is going to be my new home, and it’s perfect. My life is finally, finally everything I’ve ever wished for. I have my career, I have my babies, and I have what is promising to be the perfect place to raise them.

The only thing missing is the father of my twins. But life doesn’t always go as planned, and this is probably the closest I’ll ever get to perfection.

And that’s just fine by me.

Chapter 4

Rhokar

Sitting in my office, I leaf through the paperwork on the oak desk before me half-heartedly, and frown. It’s a task I usually like, getting lost in forms and numbers and not talking to anyone, but today my mind won’t focus properly.

I’m waiting for my new hire to come in. She’s due any minute now, and she’d better not be late.

The clock on my wall ticks methodically, and I eye it. She’s got fifteen minutes.

And she’s a human, which is already a strike against her.

Humans are annoying. And prejudiced. Most of them expect everything to automatically cater to them and act like it’s your’ fault when it doesn’t. And they smile a lot with their flat little teeth, when really, they want to say ‘fuck you’.

Olistaire and I had been searching for several months to find a new project manager for the large lodge we’re just about ready to start building, but it involved a lot of talking. To people. So I’d foisted the responsibility off on my business partner, since he’ll be doing practically nothing now that he’s found and bought the new work site with half my money. He, in turn, had gotten Ismelda from city council involved, and I’d just left them to it. The council has recently started a whole venture to promote human tourism within our town, and have had their noses sniffing all through our business from the get-go due to our ‘community benefiting project perfect for attracting tourists and promoting human-fae relations’. And now they’ve gone and brought me a human.

I’d immediately argued the choice, once I’d realized.

And Olistaire had immediately shut me down.

“You want us to start construction on human-fae inclusive accommodation in our town, and not have any humans involved in management?” he’d asked with one eyebrow lifted sardonically, and at my huffed, “Yes,” he’d rolled his eyes.

“You’re going to have to get over being rejected by a human femaleone time in your life,you know. Ever since that woman walked out on you at Salt Lake, you’ve been like this. You can’t hold it against the whole race.”

“It isn’t about that,” I’d gruffed. “Firstly, you know how prejudiced they can be.”

“Isn’t that the point of this venture? To integrate our two sides better?”

“And secondly,” I’d continued over him, “all women are—”

“Oh, so now it’s ‘all women’, is it, you old orc bastard?”

“I’m forty-seven and younger than you,” I’d growled, and the conversation had very quickly devolved from there.

But not only is my oldest friend as bull-headed as they come, he’s conniving, too. Because he’d gotten Ismelda involved after that, and I hadn’t stood a chance.

That old witch is very persuasive. And unfortunately, very sweet and plump and motherly and impossible to say no to, so I’d agreed—although I’d refused any part in the process. If Olistaire’s so determined to have a human involved, he and Ismelda could deal with it for all I care. I’d done nothing more than look over the new hire’s admittedly impressive resume, and let them handle the rest.

So, now I’m to have a human coming into my office.

I drop my stack of papers and eye the clock again. Eight minutes.

My phone buzzes, and with a huff I answer.

“I have a Ms. Ella Davis here to see you.”

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