Page 13 of Bound to the Orc Warrior

My moon bound says something, the words incomprehensible.

“Why can’t I understand her any longer?” Zephyr asks. “She spoke clearly only a moment ago.”

“She must have opened the doors of Faerie. The magic started to flow again, allowing you access to your elfin forms and allowing the old translation spells to work.”

“And then they slammed closed all over again,” the cat sith says, “cutting off both types of magic.”

“I don’t want to be a biped again.” Zephyr stomps a hoof against the ground. “But not being able to talk to her is irritating.”

“Think of how much worse it must be for her, unable to understand any of us.” I pull the crystal imbued with the magic of the speaking stone from my pocket. This time, when I approach my bride, I’m pleased she doesn’t shy away. When I hold it out, she allows me to press the crystal to her light-brown palm. A tingle of magic zips through me, and she startles, clearly feeling it, too.

“There,” I say. “You should be able to understand everyone now.”

“Yes!” Her beautiful brown eyes sparkle as she gives me a radiant smile. “How did you do that?”

“Magic.” I lift the now drained crystal. “Just as you have magic.”

“Is that what did all of this?” Her fingers trail over the crystal that dangles in the cleft of her large breasts, pulling my gaze to them. “This crystal does magic?”

I jerk my eyes to hers. “You’remagic. You’re a witch.”

“Witch…” Her eyes go a bit distant.

“So, witch,” the cat sith purrs, “what magic did you do?”

“Hey, I’ve got a name.” She hooks a thumb toward that impressive chest. “Naomi.”

“I’m Shadow.” The feline dips his head, his words deferential in sharp contrast with his amused tone. “At your service.”

“I’m Zephyr.”

“And I’m Wranth.”

The unicorn narrows her blue eyes. “So what did you do? And can youneverdo it again?”

“Yeah, no promises on that,” Naomi says. “I have a home, a family, I want to get back to.”

She can’t know it, but her words cut me to the quick, slicing open the deepest wound of my soul. I flinch, unable to stop my reaction. My bride has everything I’ve always lacked and longed for. How can I gainsay her for wanting to return to them?

“Was that your home we visited?” I ask.

“Yep, that was Ferndale Falls.”

The growling metal beast, the buildings made out of dead wood instead of living trees, the human calling me “coz player” instead of orc—how am I supposed to belong in that magicless place? Yet I will have no choice. If my bride returns, then so shall I. For all the mystery that shrouds my life, there is one thing I know.

I can never give her up.

I am bound to her forever.

“You went to the human world?” Shadow looks at my bride with admiration. “You’re even more interesting than I thought!”

“Why’d you say ‘human world’ like that?” Naomi’s hands go to her hips, her elbows flaring wide. “Somebody better start explaining a whole lot of shit really, really fast.”

“This is—”

A loud cry cuts through the air, the sluagh.

A protective urge wells through me.

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