Page 84 of Bound to the Orc Warrior

Wranth, on the other hand, scowls at his food like it’s offended him somehow. I know he’s being all worried and protective, and it’s super sweet.

“It’s going to go great,” I say. “I can feel it.”

He only scowls harder, the big grump.

I’ll simply have to prove him wrong.

I crunch on a tooth-cleaning berry and open one of the pouches containing the paired crystals, which glow light-blue like a pixie. My pants pockets are full, so I shove one of them into my bra, right between my boobs. I glance up to find all of the orcs staring at me, their expressions a little stunned.

“Did you know she could keep somethingthere?” Brokk asks Wranth.

He grunts his negative grunt, and I laugh.

Aldronn takes the other paired crystal and places it on a clear spot of ground.

“Okay!” I stand up. “Where are we going first?”

“Ketalia.” Shadow looks up from grooming his shoulder. “As we saw yesterday, it’s a very secret realm. If anywhere remained safe from this Dark God, it’s there.”

Wranth grunts his yes grunt.

“Okay.” I stand and walk over to the stone, then squint up at the dragon perched on top. “It’s not going to zap you if I use it, is it?”

“It will not.” Lukendevener lifts his feet from the top of the pillar until he’s hovering in midair, his wings still folded on his back.

“How are you doing that?”

“Dragons have the most powerful magic in all of Faerie.”

“Oh, yeah?” I grin up at him. “If you’re so all-powerful, then why can’t you do whatIcan do?”

Zephyr gives a delighted whinny. “I like you.”

Wranth moves to guard my back. “How many people are going this time?”

“If we think this is a safe realm, it can be just me and Shadow, with you coming along by tether. Or I can teleport you, too?” My voice goes up at the end of the sentence, making it a question.

“No. Save your strength.”

“Well, you certainly needme.” Shadow comes over to stand by my side, leaning his shoulder against my thigh.

“I will start the timer,” Lukendrevener says. He tosses a glowing purple crystal down to Aldronn. “This will glow for twohours. When it starts to flicker, you only have ten minutes left to open any final doors.”

“Okay, then,” I mutter. “No pressure.”

Shadow strokes his cheek across the side of my leg with a quiet purr. “You can do it.”

“Thanks.” I reach down and dig my fingers into the soft fur of his mane, grabbing hold. I grip my necklace with my other hand and shuffle forward until I can press the back of my knuckles to the standing stone. Closing my eyes, I reach toward Shadow with my magic. Home. I need his home.

A bright green rope, the same color as his eyes, weaves outward from his heart, leading off into the forest in the direction of the cat sith den. For all his catitude, he really does love his home.

But it won’t help me find Ketalia. I push deeper, seeing nothing and yet more nothing. Is this even going to work, since Shadow was born here in Alarria?

“Think of Ketalia,” I whisper. “Think of the tales your people tell of it. Think of how they describe it.”

A purr rumbles to life beside me in an echo of the harmonizing, and as I fall under its hypnotic spell, a shimmer of dark green flashes within Shadow, a thin thread twisting in an invisible wind.

Even as my fingers dig deeper into his fur, my magic reaches out and snags the gossamer thread. It’s whisper thin but strong, and I send my magic flowing along it.

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