Page 23 of Bound to the Orc Ranger

The ogre flails the mace, eyes barely able to see through the yellow goo. The weapon whistles through the air.

Taking a shuddering breath that stabs knives of agony into my side, I step out of the way. With a sharp pivot, I swing, putting my entire body behind the blow.

The moon steel of my blade strikes true, cleaving his head from his shoulders. His body topples to the ground, thumping like an avalanche.

My knees give out and hit the ground. I teeter but don’t release my sword until Olivia crouches before me, her soft hands caressing my face. She’s so close, but her voice comes from far away.

“Rovann! Are you okay?”

My lips feel heavy and hard to move, but I must tell her. If it’s the last thing I do, I want her to know what she means to me. “I love you.”

“Don’t you dare say that now. Not like this!”

Olivia’s dear face is the last thing I see.

Her frantic kisses are the last thing I feel.

CHAPTER SEVENTEEN

Olivia

Rovann slumps forward, and I catch his weight on my shoulder, using my whole body to lower him gently to the ground. He’s passed out, his eyes closed. But what really worries me is he’s gasping for breath, each pained inhale echoed by a hiss from his side.

“Oh, god.” There areholesin him. I slap a hand over the hissing one and glance all around. “Hurtle?”

Nothing. He chased the kelpie away several minutes ago.

A blue dot flutters close.

“Please,” I beg the pixie leader. “I’ll give you all the pizza you could ever want. Just go and get help. The orc village is supposed to be close.”

She darts away, and I can only pray she’s doing what I asked.

I bend over Rovann, pressing my forehead to his. “You stay with me, you hear? I love you, too, and if you die before I get to tell you that, I’m going to kill you myself.”

“That is illogical,” Hurtle’s dry voice says from behind me. “You can’t kill him if he’s already dead.”

“Hurtle!” I crane my neck, unwilling to let go of Rovann’s side.

“There, there, little human.” He nuzzles the top of my head for a moment before trying to push me aside.

I resist. “I have to—”

This time, he shoves with enough force to knock me onto my butt. Before I can protest, his horn touches Rovann’s side, right over the hissing hole.

The horn begins to glow, and an unfelt breeze lifts Hurtle’s mane until it dances behind his head. The silver light grows painfully bright, flaring like a sun. A tingle of magic shivers over me, and I throw a hand over my eyes to block the glare.

By the time I blink the spots from eyes, Hurtle’s on the ground, lying on his side, his huge chest bellowing with hurried breaths.

In contrast, Rovann breathes easier. The horrible sucking noise is gone.

“What? How?”

“I’m aunicorn,” Hurtle says, as if that answers everything. Then he passes out, too, leaving me sitting between the two most important people in my new world.

Night falls, darker than ever without any pixies around. How quickly I got used to them! For once, I wish this world had a regular moon instead of a goddess who comes and goes at will.

But no, without her, I wouldn’t be here. I wouldn’t have met Rovann or fallen in love with his strength, with his laughter, with his love of life.

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