Page 115 of Valpar

Valpar shrugged his shoulders. “Perhaps he is roaming outside. You said his stomach was upset. Grass would settle it.”

I shook my head. “If I am in the treehouse, and Mom and Dad are home, he stays with us. No matter what.”

Birch and Mom came up beside us looking at the bed as well. It wasn’t much, but Simon was pretty simple. We tried getting him a miniature bed like Mom and Dad’s, but he would just chew on the knobs, eat the blankets and throw the pillows off it. It was just a mattress on the floor with bits of hay on top of it. Except now, there was no Simon.

Valpar kneeled down and touched the bedding. “It is cool. He has been gone for a while. Perhaps he left when he heard your mother’s screams. She has a loud voice that would terrify an ogre.”

Birch hid his laughter beneath his palm.

“Hey, careful Dad, you can get loud, too.” I joked.

Mom let out a bark of laughter. “Yes, he does, during the hokey pokey. Am I right?” She nudged him. Valpar chuckled, watching my parents and I saw his shoulders ease as he witnessed them relaxing more around him.

I knew Valpar had reservations about them, especially about how they treated me. Perhaps once I knew the full extent of my past, I’d understand why they treated me the way they did.

“I’ll tell you what,” Mom said, clasping her hands together. “Let me make us an early dinner. We can tell you about our adventures up in the mountains and you can tell us more about yours. We can leave out the, uh… private stuff.” She cringed. “Creed was very interested in hearing about one orc finally getting their mate. Just didn’t realize it was my Calliope.”

Valpar’s back straightened. “Creed, the black dragon. Yes, I remember him.”

Mom nodded. “Yes, the one that you fought with in the war. He spoke highly of you.”

“He is a fit male. I would very much like to see him again, one day.”

“Perhaps he can make an appearance before you go? I can send word you would like to meet with him.” Mom gave him a tentative smile.

She’s trying.

With an agreement, Dad then pulled Valpar to one side. It was the most engaged I’ve seen him with anyone besides Mom, Uncle Osirus or me. He pulled out a few of his weapons from his bag, showing them to Valpar. Valpar went and grabbed his weapons as well and join in with the guy thing, looking over each other’s stuff.

It was like bro-bonding.

Mom’s arm wrapped around my shoulder and hugged me. “It’s going to work out,” she said, more to herself than me. “And Simon will come back. Perhaps I scared him. After dinner Birch and I will go look for him while you and Valpar talk.”

I bit my lip, because we both knew that Simon not being here was out of the norm. Simon was always here when the family were, especially when it was getting close to dinner.

He wasn’t upset that we were leaving, was he? Did he think I was going to leave him behind? Or did he not want to go? I didn’tgive him a choice, really. Or was he mad at me that I left in the night without him?

I bit my cheek. I needed to talk to him and Valpar.

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Valpar

Later that night, oncethe door closed to my female’s room, I grabbed her by the waist and pulled her toward me gently.

“I need you,” I breathed before I pressed my lips against hers. It wasn’t rushed or forced. This wasn’t a primal need, thinking with my shaft like I would normally take her. It was slow, soft and it was thoughtful. I needed her in a different way, not physically, it was a way I could not describe.

My mind canceled out all sound. All I saw was her and the room bathed in a soft, golden glow from the dimmed lights, casting soft shadows of our bodies along the colorful walls as my body surrounded her.

I leaned in, the sound of our hushed breaths mixing together while our foreheads touched, creating our own music. The touch of her lips against mine was equally tender. It was a delicate connection that sent a shiver down my spine, a moment of pure vulnerability, where time seemed to stand still.

I concentrated on every movement of my lips with hers. She didn’t fight it, her arms immediately went to my arms to steady herself as I encased her into my body. I wanted to pull her into me, like so many times before when I kissed her, to hide her within my grasp, so no pain would ever come from her.

But I couldn’t protect her. My body, my strength and warrior qualities could do nothing. I was a failure.

I was consumed byfuckinganger. The intensity of my emotions was so far gone, knocking down a tree, banging rocks or the soil, even fucking her—wouldn’t help. There was a raging storm that had taken hold of my being. All I yearned for was to ease her pain, to shield her from the burdens she carried. I longed for my female to radiate pure happiness, to be carefree like the day she fell into my lap.

Why did such a pure soul have to deal with a horrible past? Are the gods that cruel?

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