Page 15 of Claimed By the Orc Lord

Precious?

It was fucking weird—the tingles were probably my brain trying to process it.

The orc Nash had addressed as Vex hiked his brows up so high they nearly disappeared into his hairline.

“Really? A human?” But the delight on his face was obvious—he was happy for Nash.

And Nash, who’d seemed so fierce and vicious, so ready to defend me from everyone and everything just a few seconds prior, grinned like a frat boy and actually pushed me away from him enough to spin me in a circle like we were dancing.

“He tried to fight me when I found him.”

Proud.

He was proud of me.

Fuck, the weird tingles in my chest flared to life, and they stayed there while Nash led me around the camp, pointing out a few tents, where they made breakfast in the morning, a pathway to the water…

Then he led me to a large black tent at the back of the camp, and the fuzzy feelings that had nearly incapacitated me screeched to a halt.

“Nash.” I said carefully, tugging against his hold. It didn’t do a damn bit of good, though. He kept pulling me forward like I weighed nothing. I’d have tried to run again, but he’d just told the entire camp about me, and I’d heard him letting more than one of them know they weren’t to let me leave. “Listen, why don’t you show me to my tent?”

Because the one he was dragging me to was the biggest, which obviously meant it was his.

“This is your tent,” he said, pushing me through the flaps before I had a chance to protest.

It was huge—bigger than any tent I’d ever stayed in. There was space for a bed, for drawers, for a desk. It was more like a tiny house than camping, and I might have given him shit for it if it weren’t for the fact that he was trying to make me stay here.

With him.

And he’d called me his mate, and I—

I was so busy trying to figure out how to tell him there was no way I was going to sleep with him that I didn’t realize he was wrapping something around my wrists and murmuring the same strange words as before until it was too late. The fabric was soft, but it tightened across my skin at the sound of his voice.

“What the fuck?” I whipped around to face him, but he was already tying the end of the fabric to the posts of the bed, and when he turned to me he was grinning again.

“Do you think I would leave you here unattended? You would run.”

“Of course I would. You can’t just keep me here. I have to go.” Probably would have been better to lie, but…

Nash’s brows drew together, his smile faltering as he stepped forward. I wasn’t sure what I expected as I flinched from his touch, but it wasn’t the gentle way he ran his fingers along my cheek, brushing them through my hair to tilt my head back.

“There are far worse dangers in the wilds than me. Best you stay put so I can keep you safe.”

I tugged at my restraints. “What kind of danger? Like the cat thing?”

Nash shook his head. “Worse. Now… rest. I’ll be back soon.”

My mouth dropped open.

“What? You’re leaving? What about my friend?” But Nash was already retreating, and it seemed like no amount of yelling was going to bring him back.

Chapter six

Nash

KaiwasasleepwhenI finally came back to my tent, his back turned to the door and his arms curled around himself. It didn’t exactly look comfortable, the way I’d tied his wrists together and attached them to my bed, but there was no world where I’d allow him to run off while there were enemies hidden in the shadows.

If Koth wasn’t running free and threatening to spring out at any moment, there might be something interesting about letting Kai loose just to claim him. I wanted to hunt him down—I hadn’t imagined the way his eyes lit up when I pinned him to the ground before, the way his hips gave the slightest little thrust forward, like he knew what he wanted even though he wasn’t willing to admit it.

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