Page 17 of Resisting the Wicked Orc

“Exactly.” The thunder of the falls surrounded us, water crashing against stone, drowning out the world beyond our small ledge. No one could hear us here. No clan members with expectations, no shitty royals tracking her down. Just us, our words, and our hopes. “I’ve been watching them build their lives around each other, and I keep thinking—is that what I want? To be so consumed by another person that everything else fades away?”

“And is it?” she asked quietly.

I met her gaze, letting her see the conflict inside me. “I don’t know. But I know I’m tired of being on the outside looking in.”

She let go of a shuddering breath. “I understand that better than you might think.”

“Then believe me when I say I don’t want to cage you, Rava. You might be stubborn.” I tucked a strand of wet hair behind herear, my thumb brushing against the curve of her horn. “Reckless. Loyal and brave to the point of stupidity.”

She rolled her eyes, but didn’t pull away from my touch. “Such flattery.”

“I’m not finished.” I traced the line of her jaw, feeling her pulse quicken beneath my fingertips. “I want to know you. I want to learn what makes you laugh, what makes you cry, what makes you fight. I want to taste every inch of your skin. I want to hear you scream my name when you come.”

I leaned closer, my voice dropping lower. “I want to carve a place in your life that’s shaped exactly like me, so that when you look at your freedom, I’m part of it, not opposed to it.”

Her breath hitched. “Pretty words from a pretty mouth.”

“Truth.” I reached for her hand, giving her time to pull away. She didn’t. “I won’t lie to you, Rava. I want you. All of you. But I won’t force the bond. I won’t trap you.”

She stared at me, fingers trembling. “It’s not that simple.”

“It can be.” I brought her hand to my lips, pressing a kiss to her knuckles. “For tonight, at least.”

Seconds passed, marked only by the roar of water and pounding of my heart. Rava’s hand drifted from my hold, hovering above the bare skin of my chest.

“I can’t promise you forever,” she whispered, eyes meeting mine. “I don’t know if I’ll even survive the week.”

I covered her hand with mine. Her fingers curled against my chest, tracing patterns that burned hotter than her flames. “Take tonight, Red. Whatever comes tomorrow, take this one imperfect night and make it yours.”

She watched me, considering. Water streamed down her skin, droplets catching in her thick lashes and dampening her lips. I forced myself to stay still, waiting. Wanting, but allowing her to decide.

Her tail curled around my leg, a tentative embrace that spoke louder than words. I pulled her closer, careful of her injured shoulder, until our foreheads touched. Her breath mingled with mine, cinnamon and woodsmoke filling my lungs.

“Tonight,” she whispered against my mouth.

CHAPTER SIX

RAVA

Zral’s lips curved into a triumphant smirk I felt more than saw. “Tonight,” he echoed.

He traced my jaw, fingers calloused and gentle against my skin. When he touched me, he didn’t grab. Didn’t clutch. Didn’t brand. He caressed and coaxed the fire in my very core.

The kiss was different this time. Not the urgent clash of subterfuge at the market, not the calculated seduction at the inn. This was deliberate. Slow. His lips brushed mine with exquisite patience, asking rather than demanding. My breath caught in my throat as his hand slid to the nape of my neck, fingers tangling in my wet hair.

I melted against him, my tail coiling tighter around his leg as if afraid he might vanish. The hard planes of his chest pressed against mine, his skin burning hot despite our dip in the cool water. I tasted blackberries on his tongue as it swept into my mouth, claiming me with a thoroughness that made my knees weak.

I’d spent my life running from chains. From Kaz’s overprotective grip that squeezed tighter the more I struggled. From Javed’s possessive stare that reduced me to propertybefore we’d even exchanged vows. From the destiny scripted for me by men long dead, their plans for my body outweighing any dreams I might harbor.

But Zral... he saw me. Not the princess, not the baby sister who needed protection. Just me. Stubborn, reckless, somewhat capable me.

For once, I didn’t fight the circumstances or deny what I wanted. I chose this. I chosehim.

I deepened the kiss, my hands sliding up his chest to his shoulders. I climbed onto his lap, straddling his legs until my core pressed against the hard bulge in his pants. He groaned against my mouth, strong hands cupping my ass and pulling me tighter against him.

“Feel that?” he growled, rolling his hips upward. “That’s what you do to me.”

I gasped, grinding down against him. “Good to know I’m not suffering alone.”

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