Page 66 of His Orc Lady

I recognize this part of the palace—I’ve been here before, both alone and with Mara, and I know I’m close. I only hope I’m not too late.

It’s not that I don’t want her to go out. She should if she wants to, and I hope that with time, we’ll find a way for her to do it safely. But I don’t even know what time it is—it might stillbe night, for all I know. This far north, the nights are longer, especially in the winter. And she hasn’t been outside in years, so she might not know that she needs to be careful. The thought of her wandering out all on her own…

The corridor spits me out into the entrance hall, and I call out, “Mara?”

Then I notice that one wing of the front door is open, and a cloaked figure is standing on the threshold, looking out.

She glances over her shoulder, her beautiful eyes wide. “Owen! I didn’t expect you so soon.”

I run the rest of the way, stopping right in front of her. I pull her into my arms, unable to stop myself. “I woke up, and you were gone.”

“Aye, I left you a note,” she mumbles against my shirt. “It said?—”

“I know, I found it.” I take her shoulders and hold her at arm’s length. “You scared me.”

Her eyebrows climb up. “I did? But—oh.” She palms my cheek and strokes her thumb over my skin. “You remembered my story?”

I don’t want to bring up her bad memories, but my mind did go straight to the tale of her childhood. “Ah, yes.”

“I’m so sorry.” She goes up on her tiptoes and kisses me. “I had the idea to come here and practice, and I didn’t have the heart to disturb you. You looked so peaceful.”

“Next time, please wake me. I want to be here for you—even if it’s only practice.” I glance from her to the open front door. “What kind of practice did you have in mind?”

Mara bites her lip and shuffles a step away from me. Only now do I notice that she’s wearing her wool cloak and sturdy boots, different from the slippers she wore last night.

“I thought I could start bypeekingoutside at least,” she admits. “Usually, I try to avoid even that. It fills me with dread.”

I take her hand—but don’t draw her back toward the threshold. This has to be her decision. “All right. Tell me if I can help. Otherwise, I’m here to peek outside with you. Every day, if you want it.”

Mara swallows thickly, then nods. “I told the guards just in case. And signed myself into the logbook.”

Off to the side, I notice the two guards stationed there, both younger orcs. They’re both trying to look alert, but at this early hour of the evening, they’re content to sit on a bench, sipping from their mugs of tea.

“Good thinking,” I tell Mara.

She gives my hand a tug. “Come on, then.”

We walk forward slowly—and stop just in front of the wooden slat on the floor marking the threshold of the Black Bear Hill. The door stands ajar, one side only, the other still closed against the cold. I peer outside. It’s so early, the sky is still mostly black, and with the clouds covering the stars, the blackness is impenetrable, apart from the square of light spilling from the doorway.

“This is as far as I’ve come in years,” Mara whispers.

I squeeze her fingers. “You’re doing so well. Is this too much for you?”

She looks up and shakes her head. “No.”

We stand there for long minutes, and the sky lightens to a dull gray. Mara gradually relaxes beside me, her breathing evening out. I don’t move, not wanting to break this moment.

Finally, she draws in a deep inhale. “Iwantto at least poke my toes over the threshold. I know it’s only a foot farther than we are now, but it feels symbolic.”

“You don’t have to,” I tell her. “This is your first day of practice.”

She purses her lips. “Aye. But I want to ride outside with you someday. Perhaps even visit your family.”

My love for her spreads through me, filling me up. She’s so brave, so determined in the face of her fears.

“We can work up to that,” I rasp. “You have months to build up your resistance. Years, even.”

But she hesitates, tilting her head to the side. “If this was your problem, how would you approach it?”

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