Page 39 of The Orc's Thief
“I just had to confirm it one more time,” he answers, which doesn’t really explain anything at all. Then he laughs, the sound low and raspy. “Not that there was ever any doubt.”
“Gods, will you just spit it out?” I put my hands on my hips, truly annoyed now.
“You’re my mate,” he says finally. “And now that you know, can we please get moving?”
Chapter
Fifteen
ARLON
Gods, that wasn’t how I imagined this conversation. But Tessa is standing in the middle of the road, her hands on her hips, staring somewhere over my shoulder, which I’m sure is the result of her being almost completely blinded by the darkness. I should have known she’d have trouble seeing in the dark, given what I’ve seen from the humans at the Hill, but I didn’t think to bring a torch or a lantern when I left my hastily prepared camp to go get her.
“I’m your mate?” she demands, the pitch of her voice rising slightly. “What does that mean?”
I scrub a hand over my face. “I promise not to hurt you. We’ve established that I could have murdered you at least half a dozen times already, and yet you’re still breathing. Can we please get to cover before we discuss this?”
I don’t want to sound callous, but it’s the truth. She hadn’t known I was even there tonight. I suppose I should credit Korr and his training for my ability to disappear into the forest. But it also comes down to the fact that human senses are duller thanmine. An orc woman would have scented her mate instantly, and that would’ve ended any lingering arguments between us.
But Tessa is human—and wary. Not of orcs, necessarily, but of people in general, if her rooftop adventures are anything to go by.
“You say that like it’s?—”
Tessa’s protest is cut short by lightning arcing overhead, briefly illuminating the forest in stark light. I curse and close my eyes, streaks of white flashing behind my eyelids. A clap of thunder follows a few seconds later. The storm is coming, but not quite here yet.
“Hey, are you all right?”
A touch at my elbow has me looking up, blinking through the flashes. Tessa has closed the distance between us and is peering up at me, this time right at my face, though she can’t see much, judging by how she’s squinting. But she’stouchingme, worried about me. I must be a fool, but that brings a smile to my face despite the annoying lightning strike.
“I’m fine.” I place a hand over hers for a brief moment, then let her go. “Orcs see well in the darkness, but the sudden change was painful for a bit.”
“Well.” She pulls back, as if realizing she touched me without thinking. “I suppose it would be good if you took us to that shelter now.”
I raise an eyebrow at her, not that she can see it. “Oh, is that right?”
Tessa nudges my boot with the toe of hers. “You want me there or not? I can go back to my tree if you’ve changed your mind, though I have to say it’s rude of you to upset me in the middle of the night.”
Do I want her?
Gods, if only she knew… But she doesn’t, because she’s human. From what I’ve seen with other members of our clanwho found human mates, these things take time. I’ve been waiting for her for years, and I almost lost her again through my carelessness. I’m not repeating my mistakes.
“All right, all right.” I tug the sleeve of her jacket to get her to put her hand on my arm again. “Stop complaining. I’ve got you.”
She ducks her head, but not before I see the slight smile tugging at the corners of her lips.
Ah, but I wish I could see that expression in full daylight. Firelight will be a close second, though, so I lead Tessa and her horse a few hundred feet up the road, then take a sharp right at a cluster of large rocks. As we continue, those rocks rise into a cliff face, just like I told my mate earlier. With the storm rolling in behind us over the plateau, this natural barrier should shield us from the worst of it. But I need to get the fire going and lay out more wood to dry, now that she’s here with me.
“How much farther?” she asks as she trips over a root I failed to warn her about.
I steady her with a quick touch, then take her horse’s reins from her. “We’re close. I know you can’t see, but my horses are right there, on the other side of this bramble patch.”
I let out a low whistle, and Pip nickers in response, no doubt wondering why I’m calling him in the middle of the night. When we round the thorny brambles, Tessa stands by while I lead her horse to stand between Pip and Cricket, then secure her reins. This will protect the tired mare from the worst of the weather. In the morning, we’ll have to brush all three of them down properly, but for now, the tarp, the brambles, and the thick horse blankets will have to do.
“Come on.” I take Tessa’s hand and tug her forward before she can protest. “This way.”
Her small fingers tighten around mine, and my chest threatens to explode. I tell myself to calm the fuck down. I’m not a thirteen-year-old lad holding a girl’s hand for the first time.But my mate is right here. She’s not pulling away from me, even though she was so scared earlier. Her scent had turned awful and acrid, and it had taken all my willpower to remain calm. Now I’m realizing it wasn’t really me she was afraid of, more the possibility of being jumped by enemies in the middle of the forest.
Which…I should have predicted before sneaking up on her. I didn’t want her to run from me, so I didn’t let her know I was there until I was upon her. But to her, that must have been terrifying.
