Page 58 of Bound to the Orc King

Orcs don’t have as much of a sweet tooth as humans, but I want to know what this is that my moon bound loves so much, so I take one. The first blast of flavor is too sweet, but it quickly mellows into the familiar taste of honey. “What did you call these?”

“Fairy cakes.” May takes another big bite. “They’re actually short cupcakes, and I think they’re supposed to be pixie sized. But that just means I get to have two!”

“Does that mean I get three?” I pluck up another, ripping into the soft breading with my tusks as she laughs.

Wranth walks over and shoots me an amused glance, then snags one of the cakes for himself.

Once we finish eating, I turn to Naomi. “It will cut a couple of days off our trip if you can teleport us to the standing stone where I found May. I realize you haven’t been there, but would knowing the direction and what the stone looks like be enough?”

“Probably not. I could end up at any of the standing stones—they all look too similar.” Naomi’s lips twist in thought. “ButMay might have a connection to it I can tap into, since it’s the stone that activated her magic.”

“You mean I get to teleport with you?” Excitement blooms across my bride’s face.

“Yep! You’ll be the person I need to take with me on that first trip.”

“No.” The word emerges before I even realize I’ve spoken, driven by the primal protective instinct linked to the mate bond.

“What do you mean, no?” May’s eyes narrow as they meet mine.

“I mean it’s too dangerous for the two of you to go alone. Neither of you is a fighter, and you’ve already been attacked there once.”

“By an ogre who’s dead.”

“He might have told others about the location,” I say. “We can’t know.”

Wranth sets a hand on my shoulder. “Naomi travels far more easily with only one person. If they run into any trouble, they can be back here in the blink of an eye.”

“Yeah,” May says. “Are you getting a premonition about us being in danger, or is this just general bossiness?”

A sense of unease shivers through my magic, but it’s as yet undefined. I growl, wanting to protest further yet able to offer nothing concrete.

“Then we’re doing this.” May tosses back the rest of her drink, adds the empty paper cup to the fire, and leaps to her feet. “Let’s go!”

They link arms, and Naomi grips her crystal and closes her eyes. Right when I think I might have worried for nothing because she won’t be able to get a location lock, they disappear in a blink.

“How do you get used to that?” I ask my cousin. “Her going so far out of your reach, just like that?” I snap my fingers.

“I didn’t need to worry about it so much at first,” he says. “The magical tether that locked us together always sent me hurtling after her. But now that there’s no more tether…” He scowls and shakes his head. “Fuck, it’s not easy. I make it through by remembering I trust Naomi. She’s brilliant. She’ll bring them right back to safety if needed.”

I glare at the spot where they disappeared, each second a pained eternity that cranks the tension in my muscles higher and higher.

The noises of the rest of the camp only make it worse: Shadow teasing Rune, the guards’ chatting as they break down their tents, the soft rustle of the unicorns digging the last bite of oats out of the bottom of paper sacks. How can their lives go on as normal when I don’t know if my bride is safe?

I’m ready to leap to my feet and demand we act, all my carefully cultivated diplomatic composure stripped from me. I don’t even care that Sheevora the Magnificent will see.

“You really care for May.” Wranth eyes me carefully. “I’ve seen you around a lot of women. You’ve never been like this before.”

“It’s the mating bond,” I say.

He gives a slow shake of his head. “It’s more.”

I glance around to ensure no one’s near, then lean close to whisper, “How do you know when it’s love?”

“When you think about her constantly. When you feel like you’re going to die if you don’t touch her.”

It’s true I feel both these things for May, when I haven’t for any other. But are these enough? “Those could be infatuation.”

“When her happiness is worth any amount of sacrifice or pain on your part.” His deep voice rings with sincerity, all its usual growly hard edges rubbed smooth by feeling. “That’s when you know.”

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