Page 24 of Marked By the Broken Orc
“He told me I was overreacting and that he hadn’t done or said what we’d all seen and heard and I needed to calm down.” I shrug. “So I laid him out.”
Kavin laughs, a real laugh that causes me to smile in return. “You’re absolutely terrifying to other humans, aren’t you?”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, not at all. I find it sexy as hell.” He steps closer, close enough that I have to tilt my head back to look at him. “I’m an orc, so none of what you said scares me in the least. The male who can’t handle your fire isn’t worthy of you.”
“And you think you can handle it?”
“I think,” he says, reaching up to cup my face in his large hands, “that you’re exactly what I’ve been waiting for my entire life.”
The words steal my breath. “Kavin…”
“I watched you defend me against that server. You were magnificent. Fierce and protective and completely fearless.” His thumbs stroke across my cheekbones. “You think your intensity scares me? Mia, you’re the strongest, most loyal female I’ve ever met. If I take you on then I know that protective instinct of yours will be directed to always defending me and our future sons. Why would I want you to be anything other than exactly who you are?”
“Even if I make your life complicated?”
“Especially then.” His eyes grow serious. “But I need to know you understand what this means. If we do this, there’s no going back. You’ll be my mate, my bride, the mother of my children. Forever.”
I reach up and cover his hands with mine. “Can you handle being with someone who will love you so fiercely that she’ll terrify anyone who tries to hurt you?”
“That sounds perfect.”
“Even when I drive you crazy?”
“Especially then.”
I study his face, seeing the truth there. He’s not trying to change me or fix me. He wants me exactly as I am, sharp edges and all. And I want him exactly the way he is in return. “One more question,” I say.
“Anything.”
“Can you trust me not to leave? Because I need you to know that when I commit to something, I commit completely. I don’t give up when things get hard. I don’t run when things get complicated. If I choose you, I’m choosing you forever too.”
“You’re asking if I can trust you not to abandon me like she did?”
“Yes.”
He’s quiet for a moment, and I can see him wrestling with demons that have haunted him his entire life. Then he nods slowly, his voice rough with emotion. “You’ve already shown me who you are, Mia. You’re not the kind of woman who runs.”
“No,” I agree. “I’m not. I’m basically a tenacious barnacle of love and loyalty.”
He throws back his head and laughs. “Then yes. I trust you.”
The words hang between us, heavy with promise and possibility.
“So what happens now?”
His eyes darken. “Now I claim you as mine.”
The possessive edge to his voice sends heat shooting through my entire body. “When? Right now?”
“Soon.” He leans down and brushes his lips against mine, a promise rather than a kiss. “But not here or right now, in this temporary apartment. When I mark you and then fill you with my son, it will be somewhere that matters.”
“Mark me?”
“My tribe marks their mates. A permanent sign that you belong to me. Are you ready for that?”
“Yes,” I smile. “I’m ready.”
