Page 82 of Bound to the Orc Guardian

“Not without me!” Bellavesaria calls out, darting after him. “I’m an important part of this, too.”

I glance at my bride. “What’s that all about?”

“Just a little surprise.” My moon bound leans in to kiss my cheek, her lips soft.

I frown. “I hate surprises.” The only ones I like are the ones I make for her.

“No, you don’t. Not really,” she says, determination filling her voice. “You just haven’t had any good ones, but I’m going to change that, starting now.”

I grunt, but I believe her. She’s already changed so many things in my life for the better. What’s one thing more?

Even though Selena healed any potential dehydration while I was unconscious, she makes me drink several cups ofwater before she’ll let me get out of bed. My stomach gives an impatient growl after the second cup. Water is good, but water isn’tfood.

Gerna laughs. “Now I know my work here is done. If he’s ready to eat, he’s well on the mend.”

Selena chuckles as they link arms and leave the room together, my bride walking the herbalist to the front door.

Leaving me alone with my best friend.

“So,” Wranth says. “You went and got yourself a moon bound bride.”

I grunt, but it’s my pleased grunt.

“I don’t believe it.”

“Trust me, my friend,” I say, swinging my legs over the side of the bed. “I didn’t believe it either, not for the longest time.”

“What changed your mind?”

The happy notes of Selena’s laugh sings from the next room, pulling my gaze to the bedroom door.

“Ah, I see it now.” Wranth lets out an amused snort, his mouth quirking on the left side in his wry smile. He points at my face. “Lucky bastard.”

“Yes.” I glare at him. “And don’t speak of my mother that way.”

Goddess, my parents. I scrub a hand over my face. They never got over the hurt of me leaving so young, of staying away when I could have visited. Even though guards are granted leave several times a year for personal purposes, I never returned to Moon Blade Village unless it was in service of my king. Even being back here these last couple of weeks, I had only one awkward dinner with them, none of uscomfortable. I need to fix it if I can, for Selena’s sake, and for the hurt I gave Mother and Father, unable to talk about what kept me far from home all these years. They know about Bruna, of course, but I never spoke of how much her death haunted me.

A rough bark of laughter escapes Wranth’s lips. “I guess if a grumpy ass like you got a bride, there’s hope for the rest of us.” But underneath the bluster, there’s a note of longing. My friend has even less of a home than I, having no village or family to return to. Children are precious in Faerie, since we birth far too few, and Wranth is the only foundling I know of, no one ever able to solve the puzzle of his origins.

I push to my feet and clap a hand to his shoulder. “She would be a lucky woman.”

“No, I—”

“My god, another one. Are all orcs this stubborn?” Selena bustles back into the room and cocks a thumb in my direction. “You won’t believe what it took to make this guy come around.”

“Oh, I have some idea.” Wranth smiles—actually smiles—for one of the first times in years. “I’ve tried for a decade to beat new ideas into that thick skull on the sparring field.”

“New doesn’t mean better,” I growl. “Especially not that one-handed uppercut you think is so fancy but which leaves your left side wide open.”

“It leaves it open on purpose.” He jabs a finger at me. “It’s called a feint. Look it up, old timer.”

“Bah.” I knock his finger aside, fighting to keep from smiling, the old argument familiar like a favorite pair of pants slipped on for comfort.

“Get ready,” she says, pointing to my boots. “You can bicker on the way.”

I’m wearing a dark-blue linen tunic and pants, comfortable clothes for sleeping or lounging, and all I have to do is pull on the shoes to be ready to go. “Go where?”

“It’s a surprise, remember?” She flashes me a winning smile over her shoulder as she heads out of the bedroom.

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