Page 42 of Agor

“Thank you.” She accepted the bundle tentatively, then put it away. “He’s been pretty good at catching snakes and mice, but meat is meat. Right, Dumpling?”

At the sound of his name, the pup lifted his ears. They were big in proportion to his head. One flopped to the side, making him look goofy. He’d grow into them in a few months and would look fierce instead of silly. But for now, I loved Becca’s adoring smile as she gazed at him.

“You like him?” I asked.

“I...” She spread her arms out, shaking her head with a smile. “How can I not? Just look at him. He’s the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.”

The pup sniffed my boot and must’ve remembered me, because he stopped growling and went to lie on a fluffy pillow by the bed. His not-so-distant ancestors survived in underwater caves through the deadliest of winters, and he had a fuzzy pillow to sleep on.

Oh well, he was Becca’s dog now. And she clearly enjoyed spoiling him.

“I figured you’d like to have a dog,” I said, “now that you’ve stopped traveling and settled down in the wetlands. He’s from Ata’s latest litter, born two months ago. She’s of good blood. He’ll grow into a great dog too. I can teach you how to train him to make the best protector he can be.”

“That’ll be helpful. He’s quick and smart, but I don’t always know what he needs and if what I do is right for him.”

With her hands clutched together in front of her, she looked more like an awkward girl than the fierce woman I’d gotten to know. I didn’t feel very confident, either. Too big for this place, I was afraid to move, lest I break or knock over something, and remained standing by the stove.

I’d known many women before her. She’d known men before me too. But the feelings I had for her weren’t something I’d ever felt before, and I wasn’t sure how to talk about them.

I reached into my pocket, took a tin out, and put it on her table next to the stove.

“What is it?” she asked nervously.

“Mint.” I opened the tin, letting the fresh scent escape. “I hoped that if I showed up and you didn’t outright stab me with your sword, that we could have some tea together.”

“Oh, you had a plan.” She smiled, looking relieved. “All right. Tea sounds great.”

She filled her kettle with fresh water from the covered bucket on a stool by the door. After putting the kettle on the stove, she stacked some more wood into it to make the fire burn brighter.

“Please, take a seat.” She gestured at the little stool by the equally small table.

I eyed the stool skeptically. There was no way the flimsy thing would hold my weight. Moving the stool aside, I sat on the floor and leaned against the wall of the wagon, then rested my arm on the tabletop that remained below my chest level.

“That is probably safer.” She nodded, watching me make myself comfortable.

“I don’t want to break your things.” Everything looked so damn dainty and fragile in her place.

“Sorry, I don’t receive orcs here often.” She smiled. “If you’re planning to drop by again, I’ll try to get a chair made from solid logs or maybe carved from a slab of rock for your next visit.”

She placed two cups and a small jar of honey on the table.

“If you let me come by more often,” I said, “I don’t mind sitting on the floor or anywhere else you’ll have me.”

She paused in front of me. Her cheeks blushed as her eyes caressed my face. I couldn’t stop staring at her, either. She shivered slightly, and I’d bet my mace it wasn’t from the night chill. The buds of her nipples pushed against her nightshirt. She caught me staring and grabbed a shawl hanging over a chair by the small mirror on the wall in a corner.

“Thank you for all the presents you’ve been bringing.” She wrapped the shawl around her shoulders and stood in front of me again, not sitting down. She blew out a breath, as if ready to jump off a cliff or rush into a battle. “Agor, what are all those presents for? What does it all mean? You drop them off but never stay, never come in to say hi.”

“I’m here now.”

“Why? Is it that time of the week when your cock needs some action again or something?”

“Week? You think I only fuck once a week?” I leaned forward, placing my arm on my bent knee. “Sweetheart, I’d have you every night if you let me.”

She inhaled, trembling.

“We...” Her tongue darted out, wetting her lips. “We talked about it before. It can’t happen the way you want it. I can’t just...”

“There are so many ways I want you, Becca. Pick any way you wish. Just pickme. Please, come home with me this time.” I rose to my feet, bending my head under the low ceiling.

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