Page 20 of Bound to the Orc Renegade

“His heart beats a little faster than before,” I say. “Which means he got a light enough dose that his healing magic is counteracting it.”

“Oh, that’s awesome.” Her face breaks into a beautiful smile.

I grin back. It really is. Not only will Storm be all right, but we’ll be able to continue our quest.

I’ll have my moon bound brideandglory.

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Taylor

Mist returns with a dead rabbit dangling from her mouth, and Krivoth carries it off into the trees to skin and prepare, not wanting the blood to attract predators to our camp. I let out a soft sigh of relief. Even though I’m not a vegetarian, I’m also pretty sure I’m not ready to go all “wilderness survival girl” and deal with the reality of butchering meat quite yet. But I’ve had to hunt in a couple of games, so I bet I can work up to it.

“What about you?” I ask the cat. She’s awfully large, and Krivoth’s so big he looks like he could eat two rabbits all on his own. “Is one rabbit going to be enough for all of us?”

“Of course it isn’t.” She licks a paw and swipes it over her face. “I hunted for me first. I’ve already eaten.”

I shove the last of the sticks into the fire and look around for more. I’ve cleared everything out of the immediate vicinity—everything but pinecones, that is.

A mix of elation and frustration fills me. I’m thrilled I got my power to work and also antsy to get it to work when and how I want it to. “Gotta level up, Taylor,” I whisper the old mantra I use whenever I hit a rough patch in learning a new game.

“What’s ‘level up’?” Mist stops bathing to stare at me, her green eyes reflecting the fire’s light. I hadn’t realized it had gotten so dark so quickly. There aren’t any streetlights to keep night at bay here, and the trees block the last of the daylight.

“It means to get better at doing something,” I say, brushing my hands against my jeans. “I gotta learn how to use my power.”

“A kitten does not become a great hunter in a single day.”

“Are you sharing ancient cat sith wisdom with me?”

“No.” Her ratcheting purr-laugh rings out. “I speak only common sense.”

I laugh with her, amused that I assumed she doled out profound sayings like a side character in a video game.

Krivoth returns with more wood for the fire and the rabbit already threaded onto a spit. He nestles things that look like small ears of corn still wrapped in leaves around the base of the fire, then holds the rabbit over the flames. While it cooks, he gives me a first course of long thin pale green stalks that crunch like raw asparagus and taste kinda like cucumber.

“What are these?”

“Cattail shoots.” He points to the corn-ear things. “And those are the flower head.”

The smell of cooking meat hits my nose, and I effing drool a little as my stomach growls. I sometimes get caught up in a game and forget to eat for hours, and that’s exactly what I did today—I got caught up in trying to learn my new power. But all of this hasalso been a lot more physical than potatoing in my gaming chair, so I’m hungry.

The rabbit’s simple—Krivoth only added salt and some dried herbs—but it’s still one of the best things I’ve ever eaten. He peels the outer leaves away to expose the steaming inner cob of the flower heads, sprinkling them with salt. They’re so good too, sweet like fresh corn.

Mist watches us, amused. “You’re welcome.”

I thank her profusely, and Krivoth grunts his thanks as well.

When we finish, he banks the fire and buries these tuber things in the coals. I’m stuffed and yawning from a food coma, but I still ask, “Are those potatoes?”

He shakes his head. “The cattail root. It’s starchy like a potato. We’ll have them for breakfast.”

“Mmm,” I hum happily. I love potatoes.

He erects a tent over pinecone-cleared ground, spreads furs across the floor, and waves me in.

I crawl forward, grateful, then look back at him. “What about you?”

“I’ll keep watch.”

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