Page 41 of His Orc Lady

But he extends his hand to me, palm up. “Come on. We’ve missed dinner by now, but I’m certain we can find something in that pantry. You’re friendly with the kitchen staff, aren’t you?” At my hesitation, he adds, “In my humble experience, trouble is easier to handle on a full stomach.”

Now that he’s mentioned food, my stomach rumbles, and I realize he’s right. We did miss dinner, and in fact, I missed several meals over the past couple of days, too preoccupied with thoughts of Owen.

“All right,” I murmur, taking his hand. “But if Earna catches us looting her stash of secret kitchen cake, I will lay all the blame on you. I’ll tell her you used your manly wiles on me to get in my good graces.”

Owen laughs and tugs me forward. “All right. I’ll take full responsibility, as long as I get a slice of—what did you call it?”

“Secret kitchen cake.” I shove my feet in my boots, pick up my dress from the floor, and draw it over my head. “You’ll like it, you’ll see.”

Chapter

Eleven

I didn’t realize how late it had gotten during our talk. Most of my clansmen have retired for the night, and the hallways are empty. Those orcs we do meet merely greet us and hurry on their way, no doubt eager for family time and rest. I hold on to Owen’s arm, unwilling to let him go. If this will finally spread rumors that I’ve found my mate, so be it—I’ll be telling Owen about our bond soon enough.

A cat pads from around a corner, and I start, jerking to a stop. “Oh! Where did you come from?”

Owen chuckles and leans down to run his palm over the cat’s sleek fur. “This is Thistle. He’s Willow’s cat. He was most displeased during our journey, but I think he has settled in nicely at the Hill.”

The animal winds around our legs, rubbing himself against my skirts, so I lean down and scratch behind his ears. He seems to like it—a rumbling purr resonates from his chest, surprisingly loud for such a small creature.

“Well, this might solve our mice problem.” I look up at Owen. “I can’t believe I never considered getting a couple of cats to keep our larders safe. We never had them at the old palace, I suppose that’s why.”

Even with such small things as this, I’m still stuck in the old ways sometimes. Perhaps it’s time to let the Mara who lived there go, and figure out once and for all who I amhere.

The cat saunters away, disappearing down the corridor. Without thinking, I take Owen’s arm again, pressing close to him. It’s a luxury, being able to do this without having to hold back.I know my reasons for waiting were valid—arevalid still, since he hasn’t decided what he intends to do—but I’m glad we could remove one barrier between us at least.

I lead Owen through a shortcut that has him exclaiming in surprise, a narrow passageway rising sharply from one level to the next.

“This Hill is amazing,” he says, his voice slightly muted as he climbs the incline after me. “I still feel like I haven’t seen all of it, and I’ve been walking around for days.”

I bite my lip, glad that he’s behind me so he can’t see my guilty expression. I’ve been thinking of how to approach Gorvor with a request to show the Heart of the Hill to Owen, but unless he remains at the Hill and swears his allegiance to our king, I can’t see it happening. I might trust Owen implicitly, but Gorvor does not—and he would never put the safety and prosperity of our clan at risk as a personal favor to me. What’s more, I wouldn’t ask it of him. So Owen will have to wait a while longer.

“There are parts we don’t use,” I call over my shoulder. “I used to spend days exploring the palace, mostly to hide from weapons training after we arrived.”

The corridor levels out, and Owen catches up with me. “They had you participate in combat exercises here, too?”

I shrug. “Not after I made it clear it wasn’t something I wanted. But Gorvor remembered I used to be quite good before I decided to make myself the laughingstock of our class. Andsomany women finally got an opportunity to be warriors like they’d always wanted, so they held tests and trials.”

I turn left, tugging on Owen’s elbow to get him to follow my direction. We’re approaching the great hall from a different corridor than before, and I see how alert he is, how mindful of every twist and turn, no doubt committing them to memory.

“Everyone is required to do a basic training course now,” I continue, my feet carrying me faster now that the kitchens are close. I’mhungry, much hungrier than I thought when Owen proposed a late-night dinner. “It’s more so people don’t hurt themselves by accident. Or so they’re able to defend themselves if the need arises. But no one is told they’re useless if combat is not their vocation.”

“And all professions are treated equally?” Owen asks, blue eyes wide.

I give him a solemn nod. It’s one of the things I’m most proud of, achieving a system that promotes respect in the clan. The cleaners and cooks are just as necessary to our prosperity as warriors, hunters, gatherers, or farmers. Gorvor praises them all in his audiences, and their wages reflect the equality.

“We could learn a lot from you,” he murmurs. “Humans, I mean. It’s one of the reasons why Lady Willow was sent here, to discover why your clan works so well when the human lands are close to civil unrest.” He quirks an eyebrow at me. “Mind you, a lot of people would be happy if the duke just lowered the taxes, get them back to the level they were before our last war, but he claimsthat’snot the issue.”

“Of course not,” I agree. “It’s much easier to blame others.”

Owen closes his hand over mine and draws me closer to his side. “Well, perhaps Lady Willow’s report will have an effect if she can showcase how you do things here.” He sniffs the air. “I, for one, am most interested in how your cooks prepare boar roast. I had some last night, and it was so tender, it melted in my mouth.”

I laugh and allow the change of topic to a lighter one. We enter the great hall to find most of the torches extinguished. The chamber is so vast that the ceiling is now shrouded in shadow, and the corners seem black and fathomless.

Owen shivers lightly beside me. “I think I just remembered we’re underground. With gods only know how much earth and rock piled right on top of us.”

I cock my head to the side. “Does it make you uncomfortable?”

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