Page 69 of Summoning the Orc

I nodded, pointing back in the direction I’d come from, allowing Dristan to let them know what I was saying in Orcish. “We have three guest rooms available,” I told them before looking over at the sleeping witch. “Well, maybe one of you can sleep in Rudgar’s apartment, because I’m not sure—”

“Rudgar’s on his way,” Dristan called, still snuggled with Pen,who gave me a small thumbs up from where she was sitting on his lap. I was certain she was using her feminine wiles to convince Dristan that this was the only option we had.

We werenotletting the grumpiest male on earth kick these sweet orcs out on their butts in the middle of the city. I grinned at my best friend—so grateful for her.

The brisk knock on the door had me heaving a relieved breath. Rudgar might have the space that we needed to make room for one or all of the males. He could speak to them in Orcish and let them know—withwaymore finesse than Dristan—that they were welcome.

I hurried over to open the door, grinning up at Rudgar, whose eyes became slits of suspicion at my expression. “What did you do?” he asked, wary. “Dristan said that Rok made it back, but your look’s telling me that you want something.”

“That’s just unfair,” I gasped, clutching at my chest and pretending to be hurt. “My mate’s back and I’m ecstatic,” I said with a grin. “And I don’t need anything now.”

He beamed back at me, ruffling my hair like the brother he had come to be. “Well let me in, I want to see him.”

I nodded, opening the door wide and he walked in before freezing where he stood. The open layout of the apartment meant that he was getting a good gander of the three strange male orcs standing in our living room. Dristan’s head was lolled back on the chair as Pen nuzzled against his throat.

He’s putty in her hands.

I turned to beam up at Rudgar as he looked between the males and then at me. “You see them too, right?” he asked in a low voice.

I snorted out a laugh before nodding. “Yep. They helped Rok come back. And a witch brought them through a portal!” I was all but dancing where I stood. “But they need a place to stay and—”

“You have guest bedrooms,” Rudgar argued, turning an incredulous look my way.

“Yes,” I told him with a firm nod, “And they’re more than welcome here, but there’s four of them.”

He glanced from me to the three orcs standing in the living room, eyeing him with suspicion the same way they’d been looking at Dristan earlier. “And only three bedrooms.”

“I see three,” he said, pointing to each of them as if I was insane.

“And thewitch,” I sounded out, pointing to the floor where you could see the witch’s hair sticking out from behind the coffee table.

“Oh,” he said, nodding, before his movements slowed and he narrowed his gaze in her direction. He lifted his face, taking an audible sniff and then his head snapped back down to look at her again.

I watched as he took a tentative step toward her, but the three males shuffled forward, blocking her from Rudgar’s gaze. My eyes widened in shock as the usually calm and laid-back male lifted his lip in a snarl of aggression.

The males reacted as one, lowering themselves to their haunches and releasing low growls of warning. I gripped Rudgar’s arm as he began lowering himself as well, the aggressive focus in his gaze telling me that the male I was familiar with was taking a hiatus and his primal instinctive side was making its way out.

“Rud,” I warned him, gripping his forearm in a tight hold. His growl lessened until he was able to shake his head, and I hoped he was snapping out of whatever trance he’d been in. “Are you okay?”

That was when the witch sat up, making me gasp with shock at the sudden movement.

“I’d like to go to bed now,” she said, turning to face me beforelooking over at Rudgar. Her eyes widened with appreciation as her gaze skimmed his body from head to toe. “Well,hello, hotness,” she gasped, pressing her hand to her chest before she slumped back down to the floor, passed out again, her snores resuming.

We all stared at her, bewildered, before I cleared my throat, holding my hand out to Rudgar. “Rudgar,” I enunciated, before pressing a hand to my chest. “Becca,” I added, and then held my hands out to them.

“Krusk,” the largest male said, thumping a fist to his chest and bowing his head.

“Savla,” the male to his right said and then the last male thumped his chest, and I winced at how the sound of the blow echoed across the room before he bowed his head.

“Enka,” he told me.

Beaming at them, I turned to Rudgar. “Can you please tell them that they’re welcome to stay here, but we’ll need to find an extra room for their witch friend?” I narrowed my eyes, prodding him in the chest and wincing as I hurt my own finger. “And don’tthreaten themwhile you do it.”

He huffed out an annoyed breath before he turned to the males and spoke in Orcish. They still looked suspicious, but they nodded.

“And she’ll be coming with me,” Rudgar told me, pointing toward where the witch was passed out on the floor again. “There isn’t enough room here,” he defended when I turned an accusatory glare his way.

“You don’t think she would be more comfortable having another woman around? What if she needs something that she doesn’t want to ask you for?” I demanded, but he shrugged, scrubbing his palm over the back of his neck.

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