Page 29 of Orc's Little Human
He's wearing only pants, his chest bare and marked with scratches that I remember making with my own nails. His dark hair is mussed from sleep—or from my fingers running through it—and there's something in his golden eyes that makes my stomach flutter with nervous energy.
Those eyes go straight to me, pinning me in place with an intensity that makes my skin flush hot. I force myself to look away, focusing on the fruit in front of me like it's the most fascinating thing I've ever seen. But I can feel his gaze on me, can sense the confusion and something that might be hurt in the way he stands there watching me.
Did he expect me to still be there when he woke up? Did he think I would want to stay, to talk about what happened betweenus, to pretend like it meant something more than a moment of weakness?
My mind flashes to when he started to pull back, to give me respect I didn't know an orc would ever give a human. The thought makes my chest tight with emotions I refuse to name.
"Brother!" Thali bounces over to him, apparently oblivious to the tension crackling in the air. "Don't you have clan work to do today? Grakul was looking for you yesterday."
I risk a glance up and immediately regret it. Korrath's eyes are still fixed on me, and there's definitely hurt there now, mixed with something that looks dangerously close to anger. His jaw is tight, his massive frame radiating the kind of barely controlled energy that usually precedes violence.
Does he think I'm dismissing what happened? That I'm trying to pretend it meant nothing?
Maybe I am. Maybe that's exactly what I should do.
"I thought I'd come to the stream with you today," he says, his voice carefully neutral. But his eyes never leave mine, and I can hear the challenge in those words. "I need to check the encampment by the bank anyway."
Thali lets out a squeal of delight that makes me wince. "Really? You want to come with us?"
The pure joy in her voice cuts through me like a blade. This is what she's been wanting—for her brother to spend time with us, to be part of whatever friendship she thinks she's building between the three of us. She has no idea that she's walking into the middle of a minefield.
"That sounds wonderful," I manage, though the words taste like ash in my mouth.
Korrath's expression shifts slightly, some of the hurt fading into something more speculative. He's watching me like he's trying to solve a puzzle, trying to figure out what game I'm playing. The problem is, I don't know either.
All I know is that the thought of spending the day with him—of being close enough to touch, to smell his scent, to remember exactly how it felt to have his hands on my skin—fills me with equal parts anticipation and dread.
We gather what we need for the trip, and I try to pretend that everything is normal. That I'm not hyperaware of every movement Korrath makes, every time his massive frame passes close enough for me to feel the heat radiating from his skin. That I don't notice the way his muscles flex when he reaches for something, or how his hair catches the morning light streaming through the windows.
He's being careful not to touch me, I realize. Keeping just enough distance that we don't accidentally brush against each other, but close enough that I'm constantly aware of his presence. It's deliberate, calculated, and it's driving me slowly insane.
When we leave the longhouse, Thali skips ahead, chattering excitedly about the adventure ahead. Korrath falls into step beside me, close enough that I can smell the clean scent of his skin mixed with something darker, more masculine.
"Sleep well?" he asks quietly, his voice pitched low enough that Thali can't hear.
The casual question hits me like a punch to the gut. There's nothing casual about the way he's looking at me, nothing innocent about the way his eyes drop to my mouth before flicking back to meet my gaze.
"Fine," I lie, because admitting that I slept better in his arms than I have anywhere else would be giving him a weapon I can't afford to hand over.
His jaw tightens, and I know he doesn't believe me. Hell, I wouldn't believe me either. But he doesn't push, just nods and looks ahead to where Thali is gathering interesting rocks from the path.
We walk in silence for a while, the tension between us thick enough to cut with a blade. Occasionally, his arm brushes mine as we navigate the narrow path down to the stream, and each contact sends sparks racing along my nerves. My mark throbs in response, that strange energy humming beneath my skin like a tuning fork that's been struck.
Something happened last night that I can't explain. Something beyond just sex, beyond just physical attraction. When he touched me, when his magic surged through both of us, it felt like something fundamental shifted between us. Like we'd crossed a line that can't be uncrossed.
That should terrify me. Every survival instinct I've honed over the past months is screaming at me to run, to put as much distance between us as possible before this connection—whatever it is—gets strong enough to destroy me.
But another part of me, a part I thought had died in those camps, wants to lean into it. Wants to see where this impossible attraction might lead, even if it means risking everything I've fought so hard to protect.
My heart is at war with itself, and I don't know which side is going to win.
14
KORRATH
Ilean against the rough bark of a tiphe tree, my eyes fixed on the two figures crouched by the water's edge. Thali's excited chatter drifts across the stream as she holds up shell after shell for Selene's inspection, her small hands animated as she explains the merits of each treasure. Selene listens with the kind of patient attention I've only ever seen her give my sister, nodding seriously at whatever criteria Thali has established for their collection.
The sight does something strange to my chest—a pulling sensation that has nothing to do with magic and everything to do with watching the two most important things in my world fit together so perfectly.
