Page 44 of Summoning the Orc

“N-no,” I stuttered, stepping backward, out of the circle. “That’s not true.”

“You’re a terrible liar, too,” she added, rolling her eyes. “But there’s nothing we can do about it, Becca. We signed a contract and we have to send him home.” She tugged an envelope out of the purse on the table, pulling out two sheets of paper and flipping to the last page where there were two signatures in scarlet red on the bottom. “This is a blood pact,” she told me, giving me a regretful smile. “I have to send him back.”

“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” I whispered, looking around with wild eyes before focusing on her once more. “But if I did, can’twesign a contract instead? I can pay you everything I have—”Which isn’t much.“Whatever you ask for—”I’ll just take a loan from Pen. I’m sure she and Dristan won’t mind.“And then you can let him stay!”

She pressed the papers in my hand, pointing to the signatures again. “Blood pacts mean that I can’t break them. I’m so sorry, but I’m going to have to find him and send him back.” She shrugged, putting the contract back into the envelope and rubbing her arms as if she was cold. “If there was a way, trust me, I would have found a way to help you. But this one doesn’t have any wiggle room.”

Tasia bit her lower lip as her eyes lowered to the ground. “I don’t feel right about separating fated mates, though.” She turned to look at where Jun was barking orders at some morewitches—their uniform the same as the one Tasia was wearing. “Why don’t we send him back and I can see if I can open a portal to where he is? It’s really advanced magic, but I know someone who might be able to help.”

“No, you’re not taking him,” I told her, swallowing hard, taking a step away. “And I don’t know what you’re talking about anyway,” I added, clearing my throat and tipping my chin up. “I don’t know where he is.”

Her gaze was sympathetic and she shrugged. “Okay. Well when you need me, here’s my contact information,” she said, holding out a card to me. “As I said, I’ll try to help bring him back.”

“He’s notgoinganywhere,” I hissed, turning away from her and hustling over to my bag and my phone. I tucked her card into my purse and tapped a message to Pen.

Becca:MAYDAY. They know where he is. It’s all my fault. Make sure he doesn’t leave the building.

Pen:Ok, don’t worry. I’ll head back home now.

I took a deep breath, relief filling me. If anyone could handle it, it would be Pen. She’d been slaying my dragons since we were kids.

Becca:Thank you. I love you.

Pen:Love you too. I let Rud know to keep an eye on him. He’s on his way too.

Of course. She’s a genius.

I felt the tension leaving my body. I’d almost forgotten that I had my family behind me. There was no way that Rok would be taken from me. Not now, not ever.

Chapter Twenty-Six

Becca

I hurried home after my shift at the library, clutching the books that I needed close, and hurrying up to the apartment I was sharing with Rok. I’d already confirmed that Pen was there. I unlocked it, breathing a sigh of relief that the building was so secure.

I would thank Dristan and Rudgar about that later, but for now, I was just grateful that we were here instead of my old, rickety home where I came from. Stepping inside, I saw Rok already standing to greet me, a wide grin crossing his face.

“My Becca,” he sighed, joy filling his voice and I crushed myself against him, holding him close. I breathed his scent, thanking every God that was listening that this male was safe.

“Hi,” I squeaked, still breathless from my run from the elevator. I peeked around him at Pen and she wiggled her eyebrows at me.

I snorted out a laugh before pulling away from Rok to put the books I was holding onto the coffee table. “Okay, so did Pen tell you about the witches?” I asked him and he nodded, wariness filling his gaze.

“They’re hunting me and they know where I am,” he told me, and I hugged him close. He wrapped his arms around me, running his big palm down my back.

“They’re not going to get you,” I told him with more confidence than I felt. “And we just need to throw them off your trail. They know you’re here, but they can’t get in. So you won’t be leaving the building.”

“I won’t,” he assured me, smoothing the palm up and down my back. That was when I realized that I was shivering against him, the adrenalin in my body not abating.

“We’ll protect you,” Pen assured us both, moving over to where we were. “Don’t worry. I’ve already spoken with Dristan and Rudgar. They both know and we’re going to do whatever we can to make sure that you’re both safe.”

My throat was too clogged with emotion to thank her, but I could see from her expression that she knew what I wanted to say. I released Rok long enough to hug her and she whispered, “I’ve got you,” against my temple.

Just like she always had when we were growing up. Gratitude filled me for the sister that I’d found along my journey.

“I love you,” I told her, and she squeezed me tighter.

“I love you too,” she assured me, giving me one last breath-stealing hug before releasing me. She gave a startled Rok a hug too before pulling away, her expression determined. “And we’re going to make sure you’re safe,” she told him. “For now, Becca has the right idea,” she continued, gesturing toward the pile of books that I collected. “Get him used to our world and make sure that he’s comfortable here. Because that’s where he’s going to be staying.” The steely glint of resolve in her eyes made me feel better already.

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