Page 184 of Monsters in Love

My last table checked out. As I cleared it, a group of orc ladies came through. They were enviably statuesque, tall and fit, with finely honed muscles. They caught Bo’s attention, who promptly rolled her eyes when it seemed she recognized them. She must have known them from her past, like she did Declan, Rothgar, and Jalen.

My heart raced just thinking of them.

The hostess seated the ladies in a nearby section. With a satisfied sigh, I pulled at my apron strings as I walked to the back.

“Excuse me, miss?” One of the orc ladies waved me down and asked me for a round of their honey mead.

“I’ll tell your server,” I said, and saw that the server in question was busy handling a huge order. I went to the bar to fill the orcs’ order myself, and when I returned, they were all in high spirits gabbing about certain males in their lives.

I tried to keep my face neutral. Guests didn’t like it when they thought you were eavesdropping on their conversation. Even as I placed their drinks around, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of feminine camaraderie as they bemoan the various males in their lives.

Task nearly done, their server was finally able to make her way over to relieve me, mouthing a grateful ‘thank you’ at me. I winked in solidarity. Sometimes, that was the job.

I backed away when I heard the name Tharraka. I was sure that the Tharraka clan was a popular one on Orc Mountain. After all, they were one of the five founding families. Still, I busied myself arranging the condiment tray at the next table.

“He should be back from the hunt soon, and then he can explain himself in person,” the one called Naz said with a shake of her head. “The update that he left on the orc net was appalling. But what can you expect from males?”

“Exactly,” said another girl. “At least we know he is hale and hearty. That endurance and stamina isn’t just gossip.”

Naz smirked. “Haven’t I told you already it isn’t gossip?”

The girls erupted in laughter once more. Naz was clearly the queen bee among their ranks. Her braids, wrapped and twisted in an intricate pattern, showcased her higher status. Bo’s braids were similar when she wore hers. Unique patterns, but the same meaning. Namely, that she was a high-ranking warrior who could kick ass in battle. Bo’s words.

The way these orc ladies chatted, teetering and gossiping, made me conclude they were in the same class. Privileged, wealthy, and kick ass. Which was a sobering reminder that proximity did not equate to having the same access.

Speaking of which, I should probably take myself back to my room, where I could get a head start on my capstone project for next term.

I might not come from money or privilege, but I was making moves. I knew how to work hard and save money. Eventually, I could get the hang of the networking thing and get myself in front of the right faculty at Elfhame. Coventry was well within reach. And, once there, it wouldn’t matter where I came from, only what new magicks I could help discover.

“Gods, you have so much patience, Naz, I tell you. If my betrothed was fucking some whore with his blood brothers and posted about it on the orc net for all to see, I would gather my own hunt–tracking all of them down!”

Naz threw her elegant head back in a laugh. “Please. I don’t mind. It’s not like he’s the only one getting some skin,” she said, to her friends’ approval. “Let him get all this seed-sowing stuff out of the way. Once I get my family’s mating cuffs on Declan, though, that’s another story.”

The name Declan made me pause. Surely, that was a mistake. Declan isn’t common, but it’s not uncommon, either. Maybe there were many Declan Tharrakas…who was currently on a hunt with brothers-in-arms that also fucked around last night…

“We just have to wait until he comes back,” Naz decided. “His elders are being very picky regarding tradition, and so there has been little headway in the negotiations.”

“Your mother can be very persuasive,” the other girl pointed out.

“Yes, between my mother and father, I’m sure they can negotiate something and all the barriers between Declan and me finally knotting will go away. Once that happens, Rothgar and Jalen will also fall in line. They’re inseparable, after all.”

“Thank the gods for that,” someone else said in a suggestive tone that they all knew what she meant.

Sex. Lots of crazy, mind-blowing, orcish sex.

My hands went numb. It was only my server friend’s quick fingers and my automatic reaction that could save my dignity and Tia’s customer service reputation for taking a tumble.

With barely a nod of thanks to my co-worker, I dashed away.

Bo somehow intercepted my path and got me to a bathroom. She locked the door and, for an extra level of protection, she spell-locked it from prying ears.

“What were they talking about?” she said. “Out with it, I could tell you were upset from across the room, and knowing those bitches, I have a fair guess it was them. What did they say to you?”

I gave Bo a watery half-smile at the way she was ready to rip apart the orcs merrily laughing over my quietly crumbling heart and ego. “At first, it all seemed fun enough. Girls’ night out. Trash talk guys. Same old, same old.” I took a steadying breath. “But then, they mentioned something about a thing that was posted to the orc net.”

Bo’s eyes widened. “The orc net? That can’t be good.”

“What’s ‘the orc-net’? Is it like the Internet? Are you able to get in on that?” Bo pulled out a mobile device that I hadn’t seen before. “What’s that?”

---