Page 14 of Orc's Pretend Mate

“Nothing you don’t want to,” he says quickly, the words tumbling out with an urgency that almost makes me believe him. “We would need to act close—intimately, yes—but only what you can bear. We would need to touch, to… appear bound. But I swear to you, it will never go further than you allow.”

I hug myself tighter, my thoughts racing. Appear bound. Pretend to be something I’m not, to feel something I don’t feel, or I don’t think I do. I like him, but this? It sounds impossible. And yet… what’s the alternative? The Maulavi don’t leave survivors.

“You think this will work?” I ask, my voice small, desperate.

“I think it is the best chance.” His tone softens, almost pleading. “I know this is asking much of you. Too much, perhaps. But it’s the only way I can see to keep you safe.”

I study him for a long moment, searching his face for any hint of deceit or ulterior motive. All I find is raw honesty, a vulnerability I didn’t think someone like him could possess. There is something more here too. Something he is not saying.

“And you?” I ask. “What does pretending do to you?”

His eyes widen slightly, like he wasn’t expecting the question. Then he looks away, his jaw tightening.

“It doesn’t matter what it does to me,” he says after a pause, his voice quieter now. “Your safety matters. Nothing else.”

The words hang between us, heavy with meaning. I want to believe him. Ineedto believe him. But can I?

“And if they don’t believe it?” I ask, my voice breaking.

His gaze snaps back to mine, his expression fierce.

“They will. I’ll make sure of it.”

I take a shaky breath, the weight of the decision pressing down on me like a physical thing. Pretend. Act like I trust him, like I care for him—like I belong to him. It feels like stepping off a cliff, blindfolded, with no idea what waits at the bottom.

But maybe it’s better than the abyss that’s already chasing me.

“Okay,” I whisper, the word barely audible. “I’ll do it.”

Relief floods his features, but it’s tempered with something else—respect, maybe. Gratitude.

“Thank you,” he murmurs. “I’ll do everything in my power to protect you.”

I nod, though the knot in my chest doesn’t loosen. I can only hope that this fragile plan, and this fragile trust, will hold. Because if it doesn’t, I know I won’t survive what comes next.

7

PHOEBE

“Ineed to go to the market,” Vapas says, looking in the cabinets.

“Can I come?” I ask.

It’s been four days since he made his dangerous proposal. I haven’t been outside a house any longer than it took for me to be dragged from Kinto’s home to here pretty much since coming to the Urr’ki city. Even though we’ll still be underground in the cavern, the idea of getting some space and seeing something besides these four walls is very enticing.

Vapas looks over his shoulder with a deep frown I’ve come to know too well. He frowns a lot. Too much. I wish I could make him smile. Those rare occasions when he has smiled are nice. He has a nice, handsome face but he looks a lot better when he’s smiling and less worried.

What am I thinking?

Shock is like ice cold water right to the face. Chilling, freezing, unpleasant and unwanted yet… it’s true. He is good looking. Big, muscular, and there is a fire in his eyes. It’s buried deep, butit’s there. Undeniable since the moment he intervened with the Maulavi.

And it’s been a nice few days. We’ve settled into a routine that has the comfort of familiarity. I make breakfast every day, he makes lunch and dinner. We clean together and the time just passes. I’ve actually been bored. Bored! That’s the first time that’s happened since I came on this stupid mission.

He hasn’t made any forward moves. We’ve barely touched one another and not once was it more than a casual contact. A momentary brushing of skin as one of us was reaching to put something away. Or stretching to grab something.

And every single one of those brief moments stands out in my memory. Burning bright. Calling, a beacon of possibility and what? Interest? Or… desire?

Vapas is frowning, which makes him not really less attractive but it does make my guts tighten. What is that? It’s like an itch deep in my head where there’s no possible way to scratch it.

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