Page 27 of The Demon of the Wood

“Melina,” she replied, blinking as she took in the enormous frame of the orc male.

“Well, I have to tell you we’re rightly glad Kaemon has someone now. We’ve been on him for months to find himself a mate.”

Kaemon sputtered, spitting out some of the beer back into the mug as he did. Melina laughed awkwardly.

“We’re just friends,” they responded in unison.

Jorah gave them a shrewd look, his gaze slipping between them. “Very well, very well. Melina, where are you from?”

“Thon,” Melina replied. “It’s much smaller than Orc Haven. Have you lived here your whole life, Jorah?”

Jorah shook his head. “I was born near here, but when I was a youth, I wanted to see the world, so I became a mercenary and traveled a lot for that. I met Aife along the way and we ended up back here.”

“Was Aife a mercenary as well?”

“No, she was a barmaid in another town. I was struck the moment I saw her. Tried flirting and she would have none of it. So, when I came back through on another mission, I stayed awhile to see if I could get better at charming her.”

Aife slid into the booth next to Melina. “He didn’t get better, by the way. I just warmed up to him more.”

Jorah roared a laugh, slapping the table with his fist and making it shake. Melina and Kaemon exchanged a grin. They talked for a while more, trading stories of Jorah’s travel and Aife’s hometown.

“I have to run a couple more errands,” Kaemon said, looking at Melina and seeing her eyes drooping sleepily. “Could Melina stay here while I do?”

Aife and Jorah nodded excitedly, and Melina smiled, but her face was worried. He reached across the table and gave her hand a reassuring squeeze, asking if she was okay with it. She gave a small nod, squeezing his hand back.

He slipped out of the booth and made his way back to the market center. He had a few more pelts to sell and hated doing it at the busiest times in the market. In the late afternoon, it always slowed, giving him a better chance to negotiate. As he stood at the stall, waiting for the man to retrieve the coins and pay him, he heard two goblins talking with a man.

“We see enough demons in these parts. What are you asking about?” a goblin snarled.

The man cleared his throat. “Yes, but not just any demon. He is holding a human woman captive in the woods. She was reported missing, and the men with her said that a demon stole her right out from under them. Her uncle is desperate to find her.”

“Don’t know nothing about that,” the other goblin said.

The man was clearly getting nowhere, so he gave an exasperated sigh and walked off. The orc male Kaemon was trading with gave him a stern look. “You have a woman friend with you, boy.”

Kaemon’s face drained of color. “Yes, a friend. Not a stolen bride.” His voice came out with more of a bite than he’d meant for it to.

The orc nodded. “I know. Others don’t. You should be more careful. You know what men think of demons.”

Kaemon nodded. “Yes. Thank you for the warning.”

He took the coins and began walking to the tavern, dazed. He didn’t think the men would have any chance of finding him. In Orc Haven, they didn’t let the humans take care of their business. If a magical being was acting out improperly, the orc guardians of the city took care of it and administered justice. Which could be better or worse, depending on the crime.

He thought of Melina. He would still need to help her think of an alternate solution to being with him. But then he remembered how happy she’d been all day, and how happy he’d been to spend time with her. He turned from going back to the tavern and took a brief detour from his route.

Kaemon landed gently in front of the cabin. Melina still clung to his shirt and pressed against his chest, but not as frantically. She’d gazed down at the sights below them most of the time, and he was proud of her. They went into the cabin and pulled the knapsack onto the table to put the items they had bought away.

“Kaemon,” Melina said, watching him pull out the flour and oil and other items.

“Hmm?” he grunted absent mindedly.

“Aife made a comment when you were gone about you ‘nesting’?”

Kaemon’s hand stilled, not looking up. Nesting? What did Aife know about a demon nesting? “What else did she say about it?”

“She was very cryptic. But she seemed happy about it. I don’t know what that means.”

“It just means I’m taking better care of my home,” Kaemon lied.

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