Page 66 of Guarded By the Orc

Rudgar

I’d never thought I would ever be the kind of male who would fall to pieces at the sight of their mates in any kind of maternal display, but just the sight of her holding that child against her when she was still covered in my scent… it was everything that I wanted with my entire heart.

She looked over at me, her eyes glowing with joy as Gabbi smacked a kiss to her cheek.

Yep. I’m knocking her up as soon as she’s ready.

“We have to make sure that Gabbi, Pen and Becca are safe before we go to battle,” Tabitha said from where she’d been looking on with a smile. “They’ll already know you’re empowered Zara. They’ll be able to sense your power now.”

“Even with the protection spell?” I asked, and Floria nodded.

“She’s too strong. He’ll sense her. He’s tied to her,” she told us with a small wince.

Zara sighed, handing Gabbi back to her mother. “You’re right. But after we get them to safety, where should we go to face the warlocks?” she asked, looking at all the females to see if they knew a place.

“I have somewhere,” I told them, nuzzling my face against her cheek, ensuring that she was marked with my scent. Just the thought of her facing off against that smug prick Veron was sending me up a possessive wall. “You can feel safe that no one will be around. If I show you a picture, can you open a portal there?”

She bit her lip, looking up at me. “Fully empowered? You just have to think about it and I can take you there.”

My eyebrows swept up, but I leaned down to rub my nose against hers. “That’s kind of hot,” I told her.

She snorted out a laugh, turning to look at Tasia. “Let’s get Gabbi to Papa Bois. He’ll take care of her,” she told her, squeezing her hand in reassurance.

Tasia nodded, lifting her daughter to press her face into her hair, taking a deep breath. “Okay,” she murmured, “but we’re leaving her with Pen and Becca, right? Because if she sees any animals there shewillchase them, and I don’t know if I can deal with the repercussions.”

I snorted out a laugh until I saw Zara’s worried expression. “Wait, what?” I asked, but Tasia shrugged.

“She’s not… gentle,” she explained, wincing, just as Gabbi grabbed a tuft of her hair, tugging it into her mouth and chomping on it before she settled against the crook of her neck with closed eyes, ready for a nap.

“Well this is perfect timing then. Hopefully she can spend most of the time sleeping,” I whispered, trying to keep my tone low and the child asleep.

She nodded at the rest of the coven as she headed out the door with us, toward Dristan’s apartment. I knocked on the door, andmy brother opened it at once, as if he’d been waiting.

He narrowed his eyes at Zara—and I was sure he could smell my scent all over her—before he turned back to me and gave me a small smile.

“They’re waiting for you. Pen refuses to take precautions, but there’s nothing I can do—” he said, but Pen called out from somewhere inside the room.

“Wearing a pillow strapped around my stomach isnota precaution. It’sstupid.”

“It’s a precaution when you have to go trampling around the woods,” Dristan called back to her, the growl in his voice obvious.

Pen wasn’t one to be affected by his moods. She snarked right back. “I’m literally going to be sitting in the forest waiting for you to come back.You’rethe one facing off against warlocks! Where areyourprecautions?”

“Zara,” he explained, as if that said it all, gesturing toward my mate. My brow dropped into a frown and I looked from Zara to Dristan and then back.

“Wait a minute—” I started, but Zara agreed, hurrying inside to where Pen was sitting on the sofa, her feet elevated. She smiled at us when we entered, but Zara was in a hurry to reassure her.

“Iwilltake precautions, Pen. You don’t have to worry. I wouldn’t ever ask Dristan to face Veron. He’s too dangerous,” she explained.

“I canhandledangerous,” Dristan groused, but Pen let out a relieved breath.

“Thank you,” she said, and she moved as if she was going to stand, but Dristan barked,

“No, you stay right there. We don’t know if you have to walk or stand in the woods. I want to make sure you’re rested,” he explained.

Pen rolled her eyes, standing. “Damn it, Dristan, I’m pregnant,not infirm,” she growled, and it sounded so similar to my brother’s that I was taken aback.

I turned a smug smile his way, and he rolled his eyes at me. “Yeah, as if yours is a walk in the park,” he huffed, tilting his head at Zara.

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