Page 79 of Bound to the Orc Warrior

“Sheevora’s right,” I say. “If we need more information on the other realms, I’m the one who can get it.”

“Oh, this is about far more than information, little witch,” Lukendevener says.

He’s not exactly mocking me, I don’t think, because his voice seems to operate on one setting, with the dial turned to “arrogant.” But I’m also not going to put up with his shit, either.

“I’m not little.” My hands go to my hips. “And I’ve got a power you can’t match.”

His huge head lowers toward me, a curl of smoke seeping from his mouth. Okay, so maybe I shouldn’t rile him. God, his teeth are as long as my forearm!

With a growl, Wranth takes a half step forward to place his body between us. His hands curl into fists, his muscles vibrating with barely suppressed anger.

Alarm flashes through me. Wranth’s itching for a fight. I think it’s been his main way to cope with everything in his life up until now, and with all the emotional turmoil of the past day, who can blame him for being on edge? But even though Wranth’s the most amazing warrior I’ve ever seen, what good are sword moves against fire?

“Enough,” Sheevora and Aldronn say in stereo.

“Lukendevener, these are our allies,” the dragon adds. “Treat them as such.”

Wranth stops growling and nods at Aldronn.

After several stretched seconds, the red dragon finally says, “Forgive me, witch.”

“Only if you tell me everything you know about my power and what I’m supposed to do to open the doors of Faerie.”

“Agreed.”

Excitement races along my nerves. Finally, I’m going to have answers!

Lukendevener reaches into the air in front of his chest and pulls out a fistful of scrolls.

I gasp, and Ashley says, “Oh, yeah. Dragons have invisible pockets that can hold anything.”

“Because we’re superior beings,” Drake says, bobbing his head.

Okay, so Lukendevener’s arrogance might be a dragon thing instead of a him thing.

And dude has scrolls. This is the closest I’ve gotten to a book since I’ve been here. I dart forward, scanning eagerly as heunrolls one on the ground. Only… I squint and twist my neck, but now matter what I do, it’s no good. They’re not onlynotin English, the symbols don’t resemble any letters I’ve ever seen.

“I can’t read them.” My shoulders slump. All this talk of huge dragon libraries, and I won’t be able to read any of it.

“Once the doors of Faerie open and magic flows freely once again, fae will be able to read each other’s languages. It might extend to humans, too. If it does not, there are translation spells,” Lukendevener says. “For now, I will read for you. Your power, typically referred to as ‘far travel,’ is rare and usually only found in a few of the elvish family lines.”

“My mother.” Wranth shifts beside me, a look of pride on his face that makes my heart pinch. I’m so glad he knows this about her, and how she used her power to save him. It clearly means the world to him.

I glance back to the dragon. “But I’m human.”

He turns one huge amber eye on me and takes a deep sniff. He’s so large it causes a breeze to flutter the sleeves of my shirt. “Yes. But maybe notonlyhuman.”

“What does that mean?”

Ashley comes over to my side. “Yeah! Explain.”

“The doors of Faerie used to open onto Earth, and many fae dallied there,” Lukendevener says, his tone pointed. “What doyouthink it means?”

The redhead’s eyes go wide. “You mean we’re part fae?”

“Is that why we have magic?” I ask.

“I will need to do more studies.” He sniffs Ashley. “A sample size of two is not definitive, but as for the two of you, yes.”

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