Page 101 of Bound to the Orc King

There’s silence for a few more seconds, and then May bursts into motion.

“Thistime.Onlythree-hundred years,” May repeats their words, loud and aggrieved. “Was all of this—” She flaps her hand to take in the cavern. “—nothing more than a marital spat?”

“I think so,” Naomi says.

“Ay.” Selena gives her head a quick shake, not in disagreement but disbelief. “It sure looked like it.”

“Our entire existence in Alarria was due to a lover’s quarrel,” Lukendevener says, a stunned look on his face that morphs into a scowl. “I’ve spent decades of my life dedicated to understanding why we were here, and all along it wasthis?” He storms out, his wings fluttering on his back in agitation.

“There goes a man who’s never been in love,” Shadow quips.

“Where is the Moon Goddess now?” Rune asks. “Is she still here with us?”

“Avalon.” Severin pushes to his feet. “If she’s going to make him put things right, they’re going to go to Avalon, where Oberon did his worst.”

I leap up when he leans over to pick up his sword, my own hand reaching for my moon steel blade.

“Calm down, orc.” The fae scowls.

“Don’t tell him to calm down.” May jabs a finger at him. “You tried to kill him.”

“That wasn’t me.” He sheathes his sword and holds up empty hands. “That was the Dark God.”

I exchange a glance with May, and she nods that he’s telling the truth.

“If you’re truly your own man now, get out there and stop your people.” I fling my hand toward the entrance to the tunnel.

Severin scowls harder, making his cheekbones stand out even more, and stalks out of the room, but not before tossing one last parting shot over his shoulder. “If I’d wanted you dead, orc, my sword would have pierced your heart fully instead of stopping halfway. You would have been dead before the unicorn could have saved you.”

“Don’t assume I couldn’t have!” Starfall yells after him as she climbs to her feet. “I’m rather wonderful, after all.”

I step forward and wrap my arms around her neck. “That you are, old friend.”

“Don’t make me do that again,” she grumps, then softens her words by nuzzling the side of my head.

May wraps her arms around Starfall from the other side and presses kisses to her neck in between words. “You are the most wonderful unicorn in the world.”

“All the worlds,” Starfall says.

“All the worlds,” my moon bound agrees.

The pixies swarm May, chittering high and fast with excitement until she laughs up at them. “You were wonderful! You saved the day!”

“Speaking of saving the day,” I say. “We need to go and check on the others.”

Wranth nods and joins me in leading everyone back down the tunnel.

We step out into brightness, all of us digging into our clothes for our shaded spectacles. Even before my eyes adjust, I can tell the battle’s over—it’s far too quiet to be otherwise.

Dravarr and the others stand around a group of dark fae, Severin in with them. “My king, they all stopped fighting several minutes ago. They say they’re on our side now, but…” The warlord breaks off with a scowl guaranteed to scare the piss from anyone daring to lie to him.

“It seems they were forced to fight us, but the compulsion is now broken,” I say. “What are our injuries?”

“Nothing Selena can’t heal.” He points over to the crater wall, where furs have been spread across the ground. Several orcs and a couple of unicorns wait there, cuts and bruises showing.

Selena pushes past us to head toward the injured, her tan face wearing a look of compassionate determination.

I turn back toward the crater. The carnival ride is still. Only a couple of sluagh flocks hang in the air, hovering over various guards who hold a trapped bird in a bag.

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