Page 67 of His Orc Lady

Itismy problem—because it concerns her. But I don’t want her to think I see it as a burden, so I keep my mouth shut and consider her question instead. Anything too extreme would frighten her even worse and put us back in the same spot, but maybe…

“Do you trust me?” I ask.

She turns her gaze up, her dark eyes shining. “Aye. You know I do.”

“All right. If I promise I will only take you so far as to put your toes over the line, will you let me try something?”

Mara hesitates, then nods.

“Close your eyes, sweetheart.”

She stares at me, then lowers her eyelids. Her long, dark eyelashes come to rest on her cheeks. Her breaths quicken, her chest rising and falling.

I step in front of her and take her hands. “I will hold you for theentiretime. I won’t let you go. And you can hold me as tightly as you’d like.”

Mara grips my hands and gives me the tiniest of nods. I act quickly, not wanting her to change her mind. I take a half step backward, leading her.

“Keep your eyes closed. I’ve got you,” I instruct. “My feet are now over the threshold. You’re so close. Here we go…”

I draw her out with me and stop the moment both her feet have crossed to the outside. Above us, the great door to the Black Bear Hill looms in the darkness, the iron reinforcing it whitewith frost. But it’s the woman standing in front of it that holds my attention.

“You’re so beautiful,” I murmur. “I’m going to kiss you now.”

I lower my lips to hers, checking for any sign of distress. Mara’s breaths are shallow and quick, but she’s not panicking yet, so I kiss her quickly and touch my tongue to hers when she opens her mouth for me. Then I lift my head and nudge her gently backward, into the shadow of the door and over the threshold.

“You can open your eyes now.”

She blinks up at me, her lips parted. “Was I really…? Did you…?”

“You stepped outside, Mara.” I kiss her again, more deeply this time. “You did it.”

Her eyes well with tears, and she throws herself in my arms, shivering and laughing breathlessly. When she calms, I draw away from her.

“You told me that you disliked the outdoors because nothing good has ever happened to you out there,” I remind her. “Now, it has. And I will be here every day to help you multiply those experiences, all right?”

She sniffs and nods. “Aye, that sounds good.”

“Nothing I do will evererasewhat you went through,” I murmur. “I know that.”

Mara goes up on her tiptoes. “But it will help. Every little thing will help, I know it.”

We walk together to the guards’ bench, and Mara crosses out her name in the ledger, her eyes shining with pride.

Then she takes my hand and tugs me deeper into the Hill. “Come on. I think this calls for cake.”

Epilogue One

MARA

The summer solstice, seven months later

“I think that’s enough pins to hold even your hair,” Jasmine says, surveying her work. “Unless you mean to partake in very vigorous dancing, that is.”

From the other side of the room, Ritta lets out a laugh. “Dancing? Is that what’s expected of her on her wedding day?”

I glare at my friend’s reflection in the looking glass, but she simply winks back and takes another biscuit from the tray Carrow brought for us from the kitchen.

“I’m not responsible for whatever happens after the wedding,” Jasmine replies primly. “Dawn and I had no part in planning that.”

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