Page 60 of Summoning the Orc

Rudgar had pulled me from the cab into his arms and apologized, but I hadn’t wanted to hear anything except for him to explain what happened.

When he did, I sank to the floor. He’d lifted me into his arms and taken me to my apartment.

Pen arrived a little while later, but I was in a foggy, fugue state that I couldn’t seem to drag myself out of. All I knew was that my mate was gone and I didn’t know what to do.

Pen was saying something, pacing in front of me and speaking in rapid words while Rudgar nodded and tapped away at hisphone. Dristan was there as well, his brow furrowed as he listened to his mate.

His mate.

My chest ached with pain and a whimper escaped me as memories of Rok filled my mind. His charming smile. The way his eyes softened when he looked at me. The way my heart felt full when I was in his arms.

Pen paused her tirade long enough to duck down to hug me. I let her, still swimming in that state that I was trapped in.

She took a seat next to me, rubbing soothing strokes across my back, but it didn’t help the aching hole that had formed inside me as soon as he’d left.

Rudgar had only confirmed what I’d already known. As soon as he left, there was a sharp pain in my chest. A gaping emptiness that echoed with the loss of him.

I felt my breath start to shudder out of me and I struggled to stop it. I couldn’t cry. I needed to focus. I needed a plan.

I need him.

The splash of moisture on my hand where it was clenching my skirt with a death grip was shocking, but I couldn’t focus on it. The movement around me had started as a loud gong sounded.

I flinched at the noise, but I didn’t know what it meant. It was long moments before I heard my name being called and a hand gripping mine with tight security.

I knew that hand. It was Pen. She was trying to get my attention but I was still floundering to find something to ground me.

I flexed my fingers in hers, squeezing them back and focusing on my hold on her. The warmth of her hand. It took long moments, but I was finally able to look at her.

Her face swam in front of me for a second before it cleared. She gave me a tremulous smile.

“Hey, Becks,” she whispered, and I felt the sob building in mythroat at the sympathy in her voice.

Gods no, Pen. I can’t deal with this.

“Someone’s here to see you,” she said, rubbing her hand up and down my arm. I sniffled, turning my face in the direction she had looked.

When I saw the female with the red hair, everything screeched to a halt. Fury built inside of me like a lit wick, smothering the sucking sorrow that had been there.

“You,” I hissed, standing and almost falling since my knees were still weak. “Howdareyou come here after what you did.”

She held her hands up, swallowing hard. “I know. I know what I did—” she started, taking a step back as I took one forward in her direction.

“Wait, Becks,” Pen said, gripping my hand in hers and holding me back from charging at the female who’d taken my mate from me. “Let’s hear her out. She said she might have a solution.”

I growled low in my throat—a feral sound that I’d heard from Rok—and bared my teeth at her.

“Shedid this,” I insisted, and Pen nodded, squeezing me close and holding me back.

“You can do whatever you want to her after we hear her out, okay?” she soothed and Tasia’s eyes went huge in her face.

“I really just want to help,” she said in a hurry. “There wasn’t anything I could do about the contract. But now that it’s closed, I can scry for your male. We can find him.”

“You can bring him back?” I gasped, feeling dizzy. “Do I need to read from the book again?”

The idea took root in my mind, and I almost ran to the door to go to the library, but Tasia shook her head. “A mate-summoning can only work once,” she said in a sad voice, before smiling. “But I can find him. If we know exactly where he is, then we can find someone who might be able to open a portal.”

My brow furrowed in confusion. “Can’tyouopen a portal?” Iasked, panic clawing at my throat. “I can pay you. I might not have much money now but—”

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