Page 44 of Orc's Pretend Mate

Garbage and debris climbs the wall as if it’s alive and trying to consume the building. The crippled Urr’ki takes the lead. He picks his way through the mess and his crutches no longer make the clacking sound. That detail tugs at my attention because he must have been doing it intentionally before if he can be quiet like this when he wants. The scarred one roams further ahead and the shorter one brings up the rear of our new group.

“Hood,” Vapas grunts, startling me.

I pull the hood up and over my head, tugging it to hide my face as much as possible. For a man with a leg as twisted and painful looking as his is he moves with surprising speed. It’s an effort to keep up.

Vapas stays close to my side, dropping behind me when the mess becomes so thick that we can’t walk side-by-side. Focusing on one step at a time helps keep the fear at bay.

We make our way through a twisting maze of alleys, never coming closer than a distant sighting of any of the main streets. Looking around, we’re moving further and further from the center of the city towards the outer edge.

I only saw these areas briefly when we were captured and hauled through them. I don’t know for sure, but it definitely seems that the further we get the worse off the area is. The garbage is taller and smellier. The buildings were made of stone and though they were damaged by the quakes, they were still solid structures.

Where we are now several of the buildings are collapsed, nothing but piles of rubble. Between the piles there are other buildings, makeshift structures of mixed media, compiled together out of scraps and remnants.

We stop before one such structure. The door is made of slats of some kind of wood like material and if there was a light inside it’d be streaming through the gaps but there’s nothing.

The cripple looks over his shoulder, grunts, then slides the door to one side. He motions with one crutch that we should enter. I move to do so but Vapas grabs my shoulder, stopping me.

“Me,” he whispers as he steps around from behind and enters the doorway. The cripple shakes his head then looks at me and shrugs. Vapas disappears into the dark and I wait a moment for something to happen. “Come Phoebe.”

Only at his command do I enter. There’s a strange tingling in my lower belly as I obey that makes a tingle of anticipation race over my skin.

The interior is so dark that I can’t see a thing. It’s not like the outside is bright since the only illumination in the Urr’ki cavern city comes from strategically placed torches. Well, torches and the newly formed random cracks that are filled with molten lava.

I blink rapidly, forcing my eyes to adjust to the dim light. When someone lights a torch I’m immediately back to blind. Vapas growls, low and dangerous, shielding his eyes with one hand.

As my vision shifts I hear the door slide into place behind us. Fear is instant, momentarily freezing me in place. Vapas must sense my distress because he places his hand on my lower back as he steps closer so my body is pressing against his. It’s loving and protective and everything I could ever want in a man.

Who is married. No. Was. Was married and he’s hurting. I can’t even imagine…

“You caused quite the stir,” a rumbling voice says. “Should leave you to them.”

“Then why don’t you?” Vapas growls, leaning forward in open defiance.

The blurred shape of the new Urr’ki crosses his arms over his chest and grunts.

“I don’t waste potential,” he says. “Why are you here?”

“You brought us,” I snap.

Vapas’ gaze snaps to me with an unspoken admonishment. I frown and shrug. I have no idea what possessed me to pop off. I’m not the brave one, yet here I am running my mouth like I can back up anything I might say.

“Your human has star fire in her,” the other guy says, looking me up and down. “Good.”

Vapas steps between us, breaking his line of sight with both hands balling into fists.

“What do you mean potential?” Vapas asks.

“You don’t ask the questions.”

“I do or we will leave,” Vapas says. “Unless you think you can keep me here…” he trails off, leaving the rest unspoken but the threat more than clear.

The other Urr’ki raises his hands between the two of them.

“Relax Vapas,” he says. “We will not hold you against your will. I know enough about you, but what I do not know is why you woke up.”

“Woke up?” Vapas asks.

“You, like so many, have walked without seeing. Lived without trying. Why now? What made you realize that this fight was now?”

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