Page 46 of Bound to the Orc King

“Do you disagree?” he asks. “Do you not want children?”

“No, I want kids. It’s not that,” I say. No way am I admitting I want to hear he loves me, so I stick to something less personal but still true. “It’s kind of hard to think about the future when this goddess chick won’t let me live the life I want until I do what she says.”

“I’ll find a way to fix this.” His hand flexes against my butt. “This I vow.”

“We’llfind a way,” I say. “I’m the one the goddess yells at, after all.”

“We,” He agrees, his lips quirking.

“We are we, too!” a high voice cries out, blue dots of brightness swirling in front of the tent flaps. “And we want pizza!”

Laughter explodes from me as I bury my face in Aldronn’s shoulder, my body shaking with it as I suck in hiccupping breaths between bouts of chuckles.

“I suppose this means I should cook,” Aldronn says, his tone so comically dry I start laughing all over again.

When I finally catch my breath, he rolls onto his side, letting me slide gently down onto the furs. He sits up, then leans swiftly over to give me a quick kiss. “Thank you for sharing your joy. It means a great deal to me.”

My fingers trace over my lips as I watch him leave the tent. He’s surprised me yet again, showing a sweet side buried under all those layers of “kingliness.”

We sleep in, and our late breakfast the next morning is… weird. I haven’t had a lot of morning afters, but the ones I have had were all seriously awkward. This one’s not. No, what makes this one weird is hownot-weird it feels.

Which is weird.

Even though it’s almost noon, when I request it, he makes me tea and the savory orc oatmeal. We eat sitting side by side, staring out at the waterfall. My heart skips every time Aldronn looks at me or his thigh brushes mine. A hint of his wicked smirk curls his lips, and he glances at me with knowing eyes.

God, I want to jump him again.

I brush my fingers casually over my crystal and strain, but my magic’s as erratic as ever, not working when I desperately want to know what he’s thinking.

He hands me a tooth cleaning berry, crunching into his own. Then his face changes, sliding from pleased to serious in the blink of an eye. Aldronn jumps up from his log seat, spinning toward the forest.

“What is it?” I leap to my feet.

“I had a flash of premonition. Someone comes.”

Oh, god. Did the ogre come back to life? That’s impossible, right? Even with magic?

I sag with relief when a white unicorn bursts through the trees, an orc on their back. He resembles Aldronn, with the same green skin and long black hair. But it’s more than that. There’s something about the angle of his eyes and the line of his jaw that’s familiar from looking at Aldronn for several days.

Starfall follows right on their heels, Naomi riding her. My friend’s dark curls frame her pretty, brown face. She wears orc clothes, the pink linen shirt and brown leather pants cut to fit her plump figure perfectly.

“May!” Naomi cries out at the exact same time I call her name. She dismounts, and we run toward each other.

My friend’s arms wrap around me as tightly as I hug her, and we do a little dance, shifting back and forth. Her curls tickle my nose, smelling of her favorite coconut conditioner, a scent that goes right to my hindbrain, speaking of home.

“I’m so glad you’re here,” I say, my throat tight with emotion.

“I couldn’t believe it when Starfall told us you were in Alarria.” She pulls back just enough to grin up at me. “And married to Aldronn!”

“You know him?” I ask. “I mean, of course you know him. But how well do you know him?” If anyone’s got the inside scoop, it’s Naomi.

“As for that, I’m married to his cousin.” She waves at the new orc, who stands with Aldronn, their forearms clasped. “Wranth!”

“Thisis Wranth?” I gape. “Your husband?”

“Yep.” She pops the p, her brown eyes sparkling.

I slap the back of my hand to her shoulder. “This is why you wouldn’t tell me anything about him over the phone!”

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