Page 12 of Unruly Hearts

"What about now?"

"That's the hard part. Our ways don't work here." I look around the cabin. Too small for an orc. "Can't hunt in a place that protects animals."

She props herself up on an elbow, looking thoughtful. "So make new traditions. You could help build the new animal enclosures - that's creating a home. Take me hiking - that's like hunting, just without killing anything." Her eyes sparkle. "Though maybe leave out the fighting part. We have enough trouble with poachers."

Something wakes up inside me when she talks about keeping orc ways. "You want that? To do orc things?"

"Of course." She kisses my chest. "It's part of who you are. And I want to know all of you."

All of me.

The words twist in my gut. The poker chips hidden in my belongings feel like they're burning a hole through the floor. How can I build anything real while keeping such secrets?

"What else?" she asks, oblivious to my inner turmoil. "Tell me about your people. Your family."

I tell her about growing up in the mountains with my siblings, about our dwindling clan and the desperate search for true mates. "We were strong fighters once, but fighting humans hurt us bad. Then sickness came. Worst was when mate bonds got rare. Without true mates, not many baby orcs."

"That's why Talon's mate and her pregnancy are such a miracle," she says softly.

"Yes. We thought we were dying out. Some still think we are." I stroke her hair. "That's why finding you... it means more than you know."

"Even though I'm human?"

"Because you're human." I kiss her head. "Shows orcs can change. Make new things."

She's quiet for a moment. "Did you come down from the mountains looking for a mate?"

"No," I say. Shame makes my skin hot. "I came for... other reasons."

She waits, but I can't tell her about the gambling, the people who want money, why I ran. Not when she looks at me like that, all trust.

"Want food?" I ask instead, like a coward.

"Starving." She stretches luxuriously, and the sheet slips lower. "Though food can wait."

As I lose myself in her again, I vow to find a way to save her center without gambling. Need to be a good mate. Make new orc ways that work for both of us.

If only the cards didn't call so loud from the forest. If only I could be the orc she thinks I am.

Her lips find mine, and for a bit, I think I can be better.

"Teach me how to say 'I love you' in Orcish," she whispers against my mouth.

My chest gets tight. "Kral zur matha," I say, words rough in my throat.

"Kral zur matha," she repeats. Human voice makes it sound pretty.

And right then, I know I'll do anything—anything—to be worthy of those words.

***

Axes hit wood while Talon and I cut trees by the bear place. Every swing doesn't stop me thinking about the sounds in that forest cabin—chips clicking, cards moving, people betting. My hands shake on the axe, I want to hold cards instead.

The thoughts take me back to that night in the casino, six months ago. The night I lost everything.

The special room is red and gold, full of smoke. I have won big money —enough to pay bad people, enough to start new. My pile of chips is the biggest at the table.

"One more hand," Romano, the casino owner, keeps saying, pushing another whiskey my way. His eyes gleam like a predator's. "All or nothing. Double your money or walk away broke.”

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