Page 36 of Summoning the Orc

“Not for long,” he crowed, stopping Rok from his conversation with Dristan. “We have a present for you.”

I frowned at the stoppered bottle in his hand. It was small and purple, but that wasn’t what was intriguing. It was the glow around it.

Magic.

“What’s in it?” I asked him, my eyebrows high.

“It’s a translator potion,” he said, puffing out his chest. “I got it before my last trip to Harbash to visit the ogres. When I checked with my supplier, he had another in stock.” He passed it to me and I studied it. The bottle itself was incongruous, but when I unstoppered it, the scent of eggs that washed over me wasalmost overwhelming.

“Oh, Gods,” I gagged and Rudgar sent an apologetic look my way.

“Yeah, it’s pretty gross, but it’s just what he needs. It’s a surefire way to understand and speak the first new language you hear,” he told me, gesturing for me to hand the bottle to Rok. “Of course, you need another for each different new language, but it works. I’ve been having fun watching Pen struggle through learning Orcish, but I got one for her too.”

He tossed the second bottle up into the air before tucking it back into his pocket and winking at me. “I’ll hold onto it for a bit longer. I’m going to make her earn it.”

I chuckled, shaking my head. He considered himself Pen’s older brother and teased her almost as often as he did Dristan.

He said something to him in Orcish and Rok frowned down at the tiny bottle with suspicion. I held it up to him and his frown cleared right away. Without a question, he took it from me, swallowing the contents even though they smelled terrible.

Oh, I’m falling for him so hard.

The trust he already had in me was astounding. And we hadn’t even had a real chance to get to know each other yet. Now was my chance.

Chapter Twenty-Two

Rok

The taste of the potion was as foul as the smell, but I kept it down, unsure of what I was supposed to expect.

It’ll help you understand us,was all Rudgar had said, but when my sweet Becca had offered it to me, hope filling her eyes, I couldn’t say no. If this tiny female asked me to jump from the edge of a cliff, I’d do it.

“Can you understand me?” Becca asked, and my eyes widened as the words condensed in my mind.

Wait. Is she speaking Orcish?

I lowered trembling hands to her face, cupping her cheeks. “Becca?” I whispered, searching her gaze.

“Oh my Gods, it’s working,” she replied, her smile glowing on her face.

“How is this happening?” I asked, running my hands down to her neck and shoulders, pulling her closer to me, until we were pressed tight against each other.

“I think that’s our sign to leave,” Dristan called, tugging his mate and brother toward the door. I didn’t look away from my mate’s gaze.

“It’s a potion,” she whispered, as the door closed with a click behind our guests. “For you to understand Common. And you’re speaking it, too. This is crazy.” Yet she was beaming up at me, joy radiating from her. “I didn’t know how long it would be before I was able to talk to you. I was going to start Orcish lessons with Dristan right away.”

“You would learn my language?” I asked, brow furrowed as I swept my hands down over her sweet curves.

“Of course,” she replied, as if it was the most obvious thing in the world.

“And you won’t mind if I teach it to our younglings?” I asked her, sweeping my hands down to cup her luscious ass, dragging her harder against me. Her eyes went dark, her small, blunt teeth digging into her lower lip.

“I’m hoping you can teach it to me, too,” she said, with a little laugh, “but we haven’t said anything about children yet. Do you want them?”

I nodded, my brow furrowed and my words earnest as I murmured, “As many as we can have. I’m the last of my clan, Becca, and I hope you can help me grow it again.”

Her eyes went wide and she took a deep breath. “I always knew I wanted children, Rok. My family… Well, I was alone until I met Pen and her parents, so I knew I wanted to start a family of my own, but I always thought one or two…” she trailed off as I lifted her into my arms, taking her toward the bedroom.

“No, no,” she giggled, smacking my shoulder. “Not yet. We’re not starting now!”

---