Page 18 of Claim
She did not have a mug in hands.Had she been reluctant to brave the orcs’ push?Teq had Ollie on his shoulder to protect the hatchling and give him a view.But June had not chosen an orc life-mate to offer the same rewards.
As the orcs gathered near Sil who had brought out his synthetar, Mag found his own feet carrying him once again to the outskirts.This time, June was there too.
Wordless, he handed her his mug.
She peered down into it.“It seems very strong,” she commented, with a quick glance around the raucous hall.
“I think it is not just the contents of the cask that inspire them,” he mused.
She redirected her attention to him.“I think you’re right.”She took a tiny sip.And promptly choked, her quartz-bright eyes watering.“Well, also itisstrong.”She thrust the mug back toward him.“You should at least try it.”
And there was an edge to her glistening eyes, like an ancient blade wielded in challenge.
And some reckless part of him answered by slugging back a mouthful of the liquor.It was strong, also spicy, the sweetness countered with a bite.
Despite the ferocity of flavors, underneath he tasted June, the essence of her kiss lingering on the rim of the mug.
If he poured the lingering drops over his mouth, maybe he could burn away the memory.
Instead, he handed her back the mug.“The last for you.”
For once, she gave him no looks, no lip, just drank and sputtered again.“Let’s dance.”She held out her hand.
And for once, he did not hesitate.He put his hand in hers and followed her to the center of the hall.
At the foot of the command dais, the Earther women had gathered in a row.Now they gestured to the orcs to fall into formation with them.
“Undoubtedly the Luster will have many elements strange to us,” Adeline said.“Since Earth is a closed world and mostly unfamiliar to the galaxies, we thought we’d bring some exotic flair to the proceedings.”
Mag glanced down at June.“Orcs don’t dance.”
“That’s okay.This dance doesn’t exist anywhere, not even on Earth.We made it up.So no one can say we’re doing it wrong.”
He clacked his tusks.“Clever.”
“It was Kinsley’s idea.She had a lot of experience with faking it.”
“We call this a swing step stomp line dance,” Adeline went on.“Perfect for what we need because any imperfections should be considered flourishes and part of the charm.”She laughed.“Just follow along.”
Mag stiffened when June brushed against him.
“Just let the yezo move you.”She quirked her lips in that way that meant Earther amusement, and his attention locked there.
It wasn’t the liquor that coursed through his ichor.
Several orcs had brought along drums to accompany Sil’s synthetar, and the insistent rhythm set the tempo even for clumsy feet.They danced, and the vibration of orc laugher was another cadence underlining the melody of higher pitched Earther giggles.The patterns were not so outlandish as he first thought, instead mimicking the approach vectors and orbits of salvage and mining ships around promising satellites.Since the members of the Luster would certainly recognize the forms, the dance would be a hit.Another was for his crew to stand out and make an impact among their associates.
But Mag found himself thinking less about ships and future contracts and morefeelinga certain Earther female as she rotated around him.
June whirled past like a little moon cut loose from any pesky gravity with a chiming laugh that made his antennae curl.Unlike the others, she wasn’t wearing any costume, not even an incomplete one, but her multi-hued Earther tunic flared around her dark leggings, making her the bright, lovely center of the tiny universe of his attention.
The pattern changed, calling for the circling bodies to come together.Anticipating the progression, he deliberately put himself on a collision course.With the drums and his ichor pounding, he placed himself in her way.
June glanced up at him, the smoky quartz of her eyes darkening, mysterious and a little ominous.An apex could not be a chicken… Though the rush of his pulse outpaced the rhythm, he held out one hand to her.
For a fearful beat of his heart, she hesitated.In another beat, the music would carry her away.
Then she put her hand in his.
