Page 27 of Luca

Once we’d finished eating and my belly was fit to burst, I flopped back in my seat, content to chill for a few moments before carrying on shopping. We did what any ‘normal’ couple would do when sitting outside a café in a busy town. We people-watched. Well,Iwas people-watching, because I was nosy. Cair, however, was watchingme. Apparently, even after all the time we’d spent together, my ‘human curiosity’ still fascinated and amused him in equal measure.

Usually I’d blush and squirm under his piercing gaze, but there was too much to distract me—tentacles, prehensile tails, and wings, to be exact. I tried not to be obvious. I wasn’t a letch, or doing this for any nefarious reasons, it was purely to pass the time. But as someone who hated being gawked at by strangers, I made a conscious effort not to linger on anyone.

My gaze caught on a mountain of a creature strolling by with an obscenely large bunch of flowers clasped between his fingers. His rock-like skin was varying shades of gray, with specks of green moss peeking through the crevices.Very familiar.

“That guy looks kinda like Kor.”

Cair followed my line of sight. “Yes. A golem. They are a provider species and are often seen in places like this, gathering food and trinkets for their pack.”

I hadn’t yet seen a full golem, and now that I had, I could better appreciate the similarities in Kor, and the subtle differences. “Kor and Igor are orc-golem hybrids, right? So, are they full brothers or half like you and Tee?”

“They are full brothers,” Cair said patiently. “Their father is a golem and their mother is a hybrid. As with all hybrids in our world, it’s a case of whatever gene takes over in gestation. In Igor’s case, he appears more orc as that gene was strongest in his blood. His mother looks the same. Kor’s appearance leans closer to his father’s, except for his tusks and horns—features of an orc.”

“Ah! Makes sense.” I panned back to the golem. He stood with two others of his kind, showing off the bouquet as if it were his pride and joy. My heart squeezed. I’d never seen Kor or Igor with anyone besides each other. I knew Kor had a mate because he’d told me, but watching that golem with his companions, I wondered if they had anyone else.

“Do they…” I trailed off, chewing over my words.

“What, my heart?”

I looked up at Cair. “They don’t get shunned for it, do they? Like Teighan does?”

“Not at all! Their kind don’t care about such things. To them, if you are pack, you are family. It is typical for golem to take in orphaned young from other species and raise them as their own without hesitation. They also have no qualms about mating with other species.” Cair leaned back in his chair, a look of admiration on his face. “They truly are an inspiring race.”

“They are.” I smiled, relieved to know that Kor and Igor were loved. “And I’m glad. If only your father could practice the same principles.”

“Pft, I’ll die of old age before that happens,” Cair grumbled, and I snorted.

Yeah, fat chance.

A waitress came to gather up our plates during the gap in the conversation. She was Fae, and now that I knew what to look for, it was obvious in the way she held herself—as well as the black stag-like horns that branched out from her head and the razor-sharp fangs peeking past her lips when she smiled. She also possessed that ethereal beauty all Fae had, even those who, like Teighan, were more rugged and war-torn. There was just something… enchanting about them. An aura that followed their every movement while their eyes pierced your very soul. No one could convince me that they were anything other than deities incarnate. You just had to look at their perfectly sculpted forms and their soft, shining veils of hair. The waitresses was no exception. It was downright impressive, actually. She had it braided, the brown locks swinging against her back as she retreated from our table. The tail end, tied neatly with an orange bow, reached to just below the swell of her?—

“Stare a little harder, pet, and I may have to challenge her to a duel.”

I flinched at Cair’s sudden closeness, floundering like a kid caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “I-I wasn’t… I mean, Iwas, but that’s not?—”

“Hush.” He interrupted my rambling with a gruff chuckle. “It was a jest.” My shoulders dropped, relaxing with the assurance that some rando’s blood wouldn’t be splattering the path anytime soon. But then Cair inched forward, head lowered and voice pitched low. I swallowed thickly as he said, “As long as you know who you belong to, and whose cock fits perfectly into your snug little hole, you may go ahead andlookall you want.”

I blushed, glancing around to make sure the tables on either side of us hadn’t heard him. When I turned back, the smug grin that greeted me earned a withering glare. “She has pretty hair,” I griped. “That was what I was staring at.”

Cair hummed in agreement before declaring, “Not as pretty as mine.”

I rolled my eyes and took a sip of my drink, ignoring how his laugh made me tingle. “No one is as pretty as you, and you know it.”Arrogant bastard.

Pouting, I forced my gaze to the crowd so that I no longer had to look at the smirk plastered all over his gorgeous face. Teasing me was his favorite sport, but I refused to give him any more satisfaction on this occasion. We were in public, and I didn’t need to be sitting here with a fiery red face and a semi.

I could embarrass myself enough without his help, thank you very much.

Thankfully, a stall across the cobbled path captured my interest. It sold old scrolls and fancy embellished tomes similar to those in the palace library. I made a mental note to go over there when we were finished, but a large hand came to rest on top of mine, thumb stroking the knuckle and stealing my attention. I looked up, despite literallyjusttelling myself not to, and Cair was aiming his most charming smile in my direction.

Sulk immediately forgotten.

“Shall we continue our browsing, my heart?”

“Yes!” I gulped down the rest of my drink, so eager to check out the bookshop that I didn’t think twice about leaping to my feet. Of course, I nearly knocked over my chair and dragged the tablecloth with me in the process.

What was that about embarrassing myself?

I winced, eyes darting to Cair, who sat there, shaking his head in exasperated fondness. “Never change, pet.”

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