Page 140 of The Orc Outcast's Miracle

He exhaled so hard his lungs felt deflated.

Her body stretched. A smile worked onto her face as Govek collapsed.

“I was having the best dream,” Miranda said, her voice husky, her face cuddling into his chest. “But this is so much better.”

“You’ve—you’ve been—” She was awake. She was fucking awake. She’d come back to him.

Miranda jerked up then, looked at him, placed her palms on his cheeks so she could brush his tears away with her thumbs. Her brows were furrowed with concern. “Oh, Govek. What’s going on? Are you sick?”

“You were gone for four days.”

Her eyes widened, and he collapsed, sobbing into her chest, riding out the storm against her. He released every drop of tension and fear and doubt he’d held inside him for far too long.

“It’s okay,” she murmured against the top of his head. “I’m okay.”

He could not get control of himself. He needed to feel her. Absorb her. Be one with her. He leaned in and collided his lips with hers, drinking her down.

She met him eagerly, delving her tongue into his mouth first, humming with pleasure. She pushed her hands under his shirt and stroked her fingertips down his chest.

Fuck, it had been far too long, but now was not the time. He forced himself to push her hands away. He gently stroked her hair, looking deep into her eyes. Those gorgeous, hazelnut eyes. Finally seeing them.

“Fuck,” he managed as his throat closed again. He didn’t want to even blink the tears away. “I thought I’d lost you.”

“I’m sorry,” Miranda said, her own eyes filling with tears. He brushed them away with his thumbs. She’d woken up smiling, and now he was making her cry. “I’m sorry. I remember now... the dredging and... and...”

“I know.” He nuzzled her face, kissed her forehead, wrapped his arms around her so he could rock her. “I know. Evythiken told me all of it.”

“Oh god,” Miranda whispered. “That was... I didn’t think it would be like that.”

“I know.”

“I didn’t think.” She gulped, tightened her grip around him. “There... really was nothing I could have done.”

His chest lightened, and he looked into her eyes again. He stroked her hair back from her face, her tears off her cheeks.

She trembled. “I... died with everyone. We all did. Together. I couldn’t have saved them.” Her voice cut off in a sob and Govek wrapped her up tight. “I couldn’t have. And it was instant. No pain. Just gone. It was the healing they did that hurt...”

Fuck! They’d hurt her?

And they had used his mate badly.

How should he address them now?

“Fuck them to the depths,” he seethed between clenched teeth and Miranda tensed, moving in closer. Held him until her sobs died away.

Miranda cupped his face. Her beautiful eyes soaked into his soul. He relished her. Cherished the feel of her body pressed to him.

“Govek, even though it hurt, I’m so glad they did it.”

His breath caught in his throat.

She stroked his cheeks tenderly, down to his tusks. She eased his turmoil with memories of that first time she’d touched him. Examined him. That first taste of being caressed with tenderness.

“They brought me back, Govek. And it was unnatural. It went against the clockwork of time. It fractured my mind because of how unbelievable it was to me, but they didn’t kill me,” she whispered. “Humans did. We killed our own planet, Govek. We brought about our own destruction.”

He shuddered, pressed his forehead to hers. “I’m so sorry, Miranda. I wish I could take away that pain. I wish you never had to endure that death.”

“I don’t.”

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