Page 9 of The Orc's Promised Bride

“The stream is just through those trees.” He pointed to where the water burbled nearby. “I’ll only be a few steps away.”

She wrapped her arms around herself but nodded. He grabbed his water bucket and hurried, not wanting to leave her alone any longer than necessary. When he returned, she visibly relaxed.

He knelt beside her and dampened a clean cloth.

“May I?”

She nodded again and he gently drew the shirt down over her shoulder.

“This might sting,” he warned, as he began cleaning away the dried blood, glad to see that the bleeding had stopped.

She flinched as he dabbed at a deeper scratch, but she didn’t object or try to move away from him.

“You said your brother’s mate is from Earth as well. Did a storm bring her too?”

“No. She simply said she felt something pulling her.”

“I felt that as well - during the storm.”

But if Wulf had called to Kari, who had called to Jana? And why had she appeared alone and unprotected?

I will protect her now, he swore.

Unless another shows up to claim her, a voice warned but he ignored it as he focused on her injuries. Her sweet scent wrapped around him as he worked, and the mate bond sang with joy at their closeness. He found himself stroking the delicate skin and she shivered as his rough fingers traced her shoulder, but she didn’t pull away.

CHAPTER 6

Jana surreptitiously watched Lothar’s face in the flickering firelight as he tended to her, his big hands moving with surprising gentleness across her injuries. Her skin tingled where he touched her, sending little sparks of awareness through her body. Her gaze traced the strong lines of his jaw, the determined set of his mouth as he concentrated on his task. A mouth framed by two gleaming white tusks.

She shook her head, still not quite believing that this was all real.

He finished cleaning the claw marks and retrieved a small pot from a leather satchel. He applied an herbal paste with an odd pungent smell to the scratches before wrapping a clean cloth around her arm. She pulled the rough linen shirt back into place as he moved to her ankle, breathing in the masculine scent that clung to the fabric. The garment was far too big but being clothed was a significant improvement.

His fingers brushed a sensitive spot on her ankle and she sucked in a sharp breath. Green eyes flicked up to meet hers, full of concern.

“Did I hurt you?”

“No,” she whispered. “It’s fine.”

The fire crackled beside them, sending showers of sparks up into the night. Despite her situation - lost in a strange place with an equally strange companion - she felt oddly safe. Her initial fears seemed to have disappeared. The memory of being held against his broad chest as he carried her through the forest sent a wave of warmth through her that had nothing to do with heat from the fire pit.

She shifted slightly, watching as he applied the same herbal paste to her ankle. His touch was so careful, so at odds with his massive size and fierce appearance. The same hands that had wielded that sword with deadly precision now tended to her wounds with infinite care.

Questions burned on her tongue, but she held them back, letting herself sink into this moment of peace. The forest sounds had settled into a gentle symphony around them - leaves rustling, night birds calling, the snap and pop of the fire. Her body relaxed despite herself, tension draining away under his ministrations.

She flexed her ankle experimentally as he tied off the last bandage, then blinked in surprise. The throbbing had dulled to a manageable ache. Not only did her ankle feel better but whatever he’d put on the scratches had taken away the sting, leaving behind a pleasant cooling sensation.

“Better?”

“Yes, thank you.”

He moved to the fire, hanging a battered pot over the flames. The water inside caught the firelight, rippling with amber reflections. Her stomach growled as he pressed a dark strip of what looked like dried meat into her palm.

“Eat. You need your strength to heal.”

She sniffed it cautiously before taking a small bite. The taste was unfamiliar but not unpleasant - rich and slightly sweet with an undertone of berries.

He settled beside her, close enough that she could feel the heat radiating from his body, but not so near as to make her uncomfortable. He stared into the flames for a long moment, as if gathering his thoughts.

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