Page 27 of Boss Level

When I wake up, I’m surrounded by darkness. As my vision adjusts to the low lighting, I realize I am lying on an opulent bed covered in golden threaded blankets.

“My horde,” Cato whispers, catching my attention from where he leans against the wall to my left, and I blink a few times trying to see better. His fire bleeds out of his outstretched hand, lighting a fire, while embers break off and drift to torches spaced around the room. Illuminated in the warm glow, the cave around me takes shape. At the center of the room, is a beautiful lagoon. The room is filled with treasures.

“Wow,” I whisper, as he makes his way over to me. He’s not holding the egg, though, and I panic. “Where–”

“In the nest.” He points to a spot in the center of the treasure, right beside a fire. “After the wedding, we will all come here. This is where the egg will hatch,” he explains, and I nod.

“With your fire?”

“Yes.” He pulls something out of his pocket, lifting it to show me. “I wanted to give you this. Will you wear it for the wedding?” The golden body chain with purple stones sparkles in the firelight. It’s beautiful.

“Of course!” I stand from the bed as he steps up in front of me. He gently wraps the chain around my waist, and I can’t help but shift my hips to make the light cast off of the stones dance. Admiring its beauty, I almost miss him trying to pull me toward the mouth of the cave. He grabs our egg baby, and smiles.

“We should go. The others will be waiting for you. I just wanted to bring you here first. Kissing Cato, I nod. Excitement makes my feet move faster, but I am excited to come back here with my mates, so we can hatch our little egg baby.

Arlo

“Hi,” I say, as I take a seat in front of the massive fire. There are Orc’s everywhere. Mostly full-blooded, but also some half, like me. It’s nice not being the only one with tusks. My mother isn’t the only Elven woman here, either.

Tristan watches her carefully. He had time with her before I was born. Knew her in a way I don’t. His father is dead now, and mine is here. Fas watches me, not even hiding it. Our mother switches between the two of us. Tristan takes the seat on my other side.

“So, a wedding?” Our mother grins brightly, and I nod.

“Yes. Moon has eleven mates in total. Is there somewhere large enough to accommodate that?” I ask, and my father chuckles.

“Have you seen the size of us, son? We’ve got plenty of space,” he says before taking a sip of his mug of beer.

“Of course.” I smile, shaking my head.

“There’s something we want you to have.” My mother pulls something out of her pocket. “Both of you.” Tristan frowns but remains quiet. Watching.

“This was the ring I gave your mother when she returned to me,” Fas explains.

“We want you boys to have it. You can give it to Moon after you say your vows.” Our mother pulls a ring box out, handing it to me. It's beautiful. The stone is opal, set in a silver band.

“Wow. Thank you, this is incredible,” I say.

“That's very generous of you,” Tristan adds.

“There's one more thing,” Fas adds. “Take her to the waterfall tonight and give her this.” He hands me a beautiful silver Elven crown.

“That was mine when I was Queen. The waterfall will bring you peace before tomorrow’s big day. Tonight we will prepare. You will have privacy, and then tomorrow there will be a feast,” my mother explains. Moon’s parents and Grams, as well as Steve, will arrive tomorrow morning. The ceremony will be at sunset.

Tristan and I remain by the fire for a while, while the rest of Moon’s mates do their own thing until Cato and Moon arrive sometime later.

Tristan and I stand at the same time, clearly thinking the same thing. Moon spots us, and walks over.

“Hi,” she says with a sweet smile. I could stare into her eyes for all time.

“We have somewhere we want to take you,” Tristan says, taking Moon’s hand. She agrees easily, knowing she can trust us completely. We would never lead her into danger. If anything, she would run head-first into a dangerous situation while we tried to stop her.

“Where are we going?” she asks, more curious than anything.

“There’s a waterfall not far from here. My parents said we should take you before tomorrow,” I tell her, as I lace her fingers with mine. We walk in silence for a little while, but it’s comfortable.

The ring is in my pocket, and Tristan is carrying the crown. Later tonight, I’ll show the others the ring. They all have something of their own to give her, but this ring will represent all of us.

“Oh, wow, beautiful,” Moon whispers as we approach the tree line. It opens up, and I’m speechless. The sight is stunning. Breathtaking, really.

---