Page 103 of Bound to the Orc Warrior

“Oh!” Tumbletoad drops his pack again and races over to the kitchen, running his hands along the counters and cupboards, touching the live wood that’s part of the tree. “Hello, house! I will be your brownie.”

“Think we can leave him to it?” Naomi whispers, leaning into my side.

I meet her eyes. “I think he’ll be busy for a while.”

“We’ve got one more stop.” She takes us back to the cleaning stone clearing, where we left the door crystal to Earth.

I brace my abdominals as if going into battle as we step through the door.

I’m about to meet the parents.

The forest of Earth tingles with a little more magic than the day before. It’s still not enough to be completely comfortable, but it makes me wonder what this realm will feel like once the doors have been open for a while.

“Here we go,” my bride says.

In a blink, we stand in a small room, the smell of parchment heavy in the air. There’s a table topped by a flat rectangle of glass. Instead of being clear, it’s black, and a picture of Naomi holding a book slides across the surface.

“I thought you said Earth doesn’t have magic.” I point to the bespelled device.

“We don’t. That’s a computer.”

I mouth the unfamiliar word.

She picks up some other type of contraption and punches several buttons, then holds it to the side of her head. “Hannah, I just got to the bookstore. Can you come over?”

Her friend’s voice says yes, and I shake my head. Perhaps humans really do have a magic all their own.

“Let me make sure the coast is clear. We probably don’t have any customers, but I want to be sure.” My bride cracks open the closed door and sticks her head out. “Yep. We’re good. Come on.”

Her voice is excited, her eyes dancing with joy as she leads me into the same room I visited on my first trip to Earth, the one filled with books.

A middle-aged couple leaps to their feet as we enter, and I know immediately they’re her parents. The woman looks a great deal like Naomi, her skin a few shades darker, her hair more tightly curled. The man is taller, with pale skin and straight, sandy hair touched with gray.

Naomi runs forward, and they fall into a group hug, her caught on either side by their love.

A pang pierces my heart. I’m so very happy for her. Clearly, her family loves her very much. My moon bound must have had a lovely childhood, full of all the things I never had. And I’m glad, so very, very glad for her sake that she has this.

When they pull apart, Naomi gestures me forward.

“Mom, Dad, I know this is going to be a shock, and I’ll explain, but there’s someone very important I want you to meet.” She places a hand on my arm. “This is Wranth. He’s an orc from Faerie, and all the old stories Nana used to tell are true. Wranth, this is my mother, Rose, and my father, David.”

I tip my head as they murmur uncertain greetings, blinking up at my height in disbelief.

“There’s more,” Naomi says. “Wranth has saved my life multiple times. I love him very much. And… he’s my husband.”

Her father stares, while her mother marches straight up to me, her head tipping back to meet my eyes. She pokes me in the chest. “My daughter says she loves you, but how do you feel about her, Mr. Orc?”

“Naomi is the most brilliant and beautiful woman in all the realms.” I look at my moon bound, meeting her beautiful brown eyes. “I’m the luckiest man alive to have her love. I would give anything for her. She holds all of my heart.”

Her mother purses her lips for a few moments, studying me closely. Then she gives a sharp nod. “You’ll do. Welcome to the family.”

Rose throws her arms around me, and David steps forward, his hand outstretched for a shake. “Welcome.”

Happiness wells in my chest, rising to fill my throat with emotion. My bride has not only gifted me with her love, she’s also brought even more family into my life.

Rose steps back and taps my hand. “Now, son. It’s high time you explained the green.”

Naomi’s happy laugh pulls an answering smile from me.

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