Page 34 of Claimed By Stone
Once we finished, he guided me through a maze of corridors until we came to two great stone doors. Thavros nodded to the two guards outside the doors, and they slid them open as we walked in.
The war room looked different in the light of day. I'd only ever seen it lit by candles and moonlight. But today, the golden sun streamed in through a few windows along the top balcony and the great skylight above us.
"It looks different," I said.
He cocked his head, still evaluating, like I was a puzzle he was trying to solve.
"I just haven't seen it in the daylight before."
"I see. Let's go upstairs," he said as he guided me to the staircase with a hand on the small of my back.
We had just settled into work when I heard the doors slide open. I tensed, unsure whether to retreat, until the footsteps fellsoftly on the stairs and a woman stepped into view, her with warm smile and hair braided like a crown.
This was also a human woman, not an orc. Though it wasn’t peculiar for species of the realm to find partners or mate with species different from them, it had been so long since I had seen a human. Let alone one who looked so … well, human.
“You must be Seraphina,” she said, voice light and kind. “I’m Callie. I figured after everything, you might need a break from grim-faced orcs and dusty tomes," she said, shooting a grin at Thavros.
Before I could answer, she was crossing the room and taking my hands in hers like we were already friends. “Come with me. While that gossamer gown is beautiful, it’s not very practical for the winter months in the mountain. Plus, you deserve something that’s actually yours.”
I glanced toward Thavros, the brow once again furrowed.
“Is it okay?” I asked.
“Of course. Are you cold? Why didn’t I think of that?”
“I’m fine, but it might be nice. Should I go with her?”
He nodded, silent and steady as always, but something in his eyes said he didn’t want me gone long.
Callie led me down a winding corridor, humming as we went. The room she took me to was filled with sunlight and fabric. There were bright splashes of color folded neatly on a bench, hanging from hooks, and draped across cushions like a festival waiting to happen.
“We’re close in size,” she said, already rifling through a pile. “And I havetoo many. Blame my mate. Orcs get weirdly excited about gift-giving once they’re bonded.”
I laughed,reallylaughed, for the first time since waking in this place. It startled me.
She handed me a gown in a deep emerald green, then another in soft gold. “Try these on,” she said. “I think they will look so pretty on you.”
By the time I stepped out in the green, she was already grinning. “I was right. You look beautiful! That color screams ‘magical mystery woman.’”
“How did you meet Khuldruk?” I finally asked her. While this effervescent woman was wonderful, there was something about her I couldn’t place. She was unlike any human I’d ever met out this way. But considering I’d been in stone for who knows how long, what did I know?
“Oh,” she said, turning to me with a look I couldn’t quite read. “He came to a fair where I was singing.”
I nodded, sensing she wasn’t quite finished.
“I’m not actually from this realm. He came to the human realm to find me.”
“Really?” I asked. From what I knew, realm traveling was rare, well, except for the Fae.
“Yes, I wish I could tell you more, but I’m still kind of learning as I go, ya know. I mean, three months ago I was singing at a Ren Faire in North Carolina, and now I’m here, mated to the chief of an orc clan. My life sure took a turn…” A smile lit up her face at a thought she didn’t share. “But I wouldn’t have it any other way,” she continued.
“That must have been quite a surprise to you.”
“You have no idea,” she said, reaching out and resting her hand on my arm.
That one small move of solidarity meant so much. It felt good. I decided to trust her, too. Even with the apprehension that still filled me, I needed to lean into the wonderful moments this mountain seemed to be offering.
As we walked back toward the study with a new gown on me and another folded over my arm, Callie chatting happilyabout orc food customs and the Yule Feast last night, a tightness settled deep in my chest.
