Page 59 of Bound to the Orc Warrior

She gives an embarrassed smile but is clearly pleased.

“I’m Taylor.” The short woman grins. “I got the other tele-power, telekinesis.” To prove her point, she makes the pot of conditioner fly up out of my hand and settle on the bedside table.

“You’re the healer.” I point to Selena, then swing my finger toward Ashley. “And you—”

She rises up into the air a couple of feet. “I can fly.”

“We really are witches.”

“Yep!” She pops the p and grins as she floats back down to the floor. Then she points to a stack of folded clothes waiting on the foot of the bed. “I brought you some clothes that should fit, since I think we’re about the same size. We’ll get you your own things from the weavers as soon as you want, but I thought you might like to change before then.”

“Oh, god, is there a bra?” My cheeks heat. “I, uh… I kind of lost mine.” It’s not a total lie. Who knows where those pixies are or what they’ve done with it.

“No, I don’t really have any spares.” Ashley’s cheeks turn pink, but the smile she shoots me is so pleased I bet her orc has a thing for shredding underwear, too.

“I had the leatherworker measure your shoes,” Taylor points to my sneakers, which sit over against the wall. “You should have new boots by tomorrow.”

“Thank you. You’ve all been so kind.”

“This is nothing.” Ashley waves a dismissive hand. “Wait until you meet Olivia. She got the best power of all.”

The bedroom door opens to the sound of meaty smacks and deep grunts—the guys sparring. Then it closes again.

“Sorry I’m late! It was for a good reason.” A woman bustles into the room, carrying a covered plate. She’s medium height and build, with olive skin and wavy brown hair. She pulls the cloth from the top with a magician’s flourish. “Ta da! Nonni’s famous Italian walnut crescent cookies!”

The rich scent of nutty sweetness fills the air, and my stomach growls.

I grab one of the crescent-shaped pieces and bite into it. Butter and sugar and walnut explode across my tongue. Another bite, and the cookie’s gone, leaving me licking powdered sugar from my fingers. “Did you conjure these?”

She waggles her hand in the air. “So-so. I conjured the ingredients, then made the cookies.”

“That’s actual cooking, and you don’t get to call it any different,” Ashley says.

“Agreed.” Grace bites into a cookie. “Conjuring ingredients is the Faerie equivalent of grocery shopping. You’re still doing all the hard stuff by hand.”

“Well, thisisconjuring.” Olivia holds out her hand, and a paper coffee cup appears. She hands it to Ashley. “Your macchiato.” Then she looks at me. “What’s your favorite coffee or tea?”

“Or soda,” Grace says.

“Oh. My. God. You cannot be freaking serious. Coffee?” I’m so excited, my voice squeaks as I stretch out my arms and make gimme hands. “Caramel latte.”

Another cup pops into existence, and Olivia hands it to me. Then she makes everyone else a drink too.

I cradle my coffee between my palms and breathe deep before taking a sip. It’s perfect, the bitter espresso offset by the milky sweetness of caramel syrup. I moan. “Oh, god, I missed this. I didn’t know how long it was going to take to get back to Earth again, but it was already too long away from coffee.”

I take another long sip, my eyes closing in pleasure. When they open again, I find all of the women staring at me. “What?”

“Did you say you’re going back to Earthagain?” Ashley asks.

“As in, you’ve already gone there?” Grace adds.

“Yeah, I went back for a little bit the very first day I got here.”

They all crowd closer, settling onto the edges of the bed all around me.

Taylor leans forward. “Tell useverything.”

I’m just finishing up telling them everything we know about the tether and my teleporting when Wranth bursts into the room almost at a run. He falls to his knees by the bed and clasps my hands in his. “My bride! You’re awake.”

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