7. Ostor
Chapter 7
Ostor
W as Rosey worried I’d roll onto her while we shared a bed?
Worse, did she think I’d do something she wouldn’t like, such as the male at the bar had done. Maybe ask her about her clothing or suggest she’s sitting on smooth reflective glass, though I wasn’t sure what the point of that was.
She didn’t know me well. Talking about my favorite color and my family’s business wasn’t enough to assure someone that I wouldn’t prey on them while they were at their most vulnerable.
I could lie on the sofa-ish thing in the area past the bed, though it was the size of a chair with a footrest.
Her shoulders loosened, and she gave me a smile that didn’t feel fake. But then she sighed, and I braced myself for her to say she’d changed her mind, that she was going to go to the front desk and ask them for a second room.
“You know what?” she said.
I held my breath.
“The truth is, I feel safe with you. I trust you, maybe more than I should since we just met, but despite that, I feel as if I know you. I know you won’t hurt me.” Turning, she leaned her back against the railing. “We’ll make this work. Thank you for being understanding about it.”
“You’re welcome.” I was grateful she no longer seemed distressed about this but worry gnawed on my bones for a completely different reason.
How was I going to lie beside her without accidentally touching her? The bed was big, but not large enough to keep my body from seeking hers while I slept. She was my fated mate, and I ached to tell her, to claim her. To be everything she could ever want and need both in and outside a bed.
I was teetering on the edge of something much, much stronger than mere friends.
We went inside, where Miguel waited politely.
“We’ll keep this room,” Rosey said with a cheery smile. “Thank you so much.” She gave him a slice of money, something new to orcs, and he left, passing another male tugging our bags into our room by the handles.
He placed them in the entryway and started to leave. This time, I stepped forward and tugged a nugget from my pocket, holding it out to him.
When I dropped it in his palm, he stared down at it before his eyes blazed. “This . . .”
“Not enough?”
“It can’t be real,” he said.
“It is. A small thing from the orc kingdom.”
The male barreled into me, giving me a hug. “Thank you. Anything you need? Ask for me. Jose.” With a grin, he whirled around and sped from the room, me calling out thanks as I shut the door behind him.
Rosey gave me a bemused look. “What did you give him?”
“I assume we should give everyone who assists us a token of our appreciation?”
She lifted her case and laid it on the bed, unzipping it. “A tip?”
Tip . . . I noted the word in my mind. “Yes, that. You gave Miguel a slice of money. I didn’t bring slices with me, but I did bring orc tokens of appreciation.”
“He seemed pretty happy with whatever you gave him.”
I tugged another nugget from my pocket and held it out to her.
She stared down at it lying on her palm. “Please tell me this isn’t real gold.”
“I cannot do this for you because it is gold. We mine for . . .” I started to tell her the story we’d all been told to share, but didn’t feel comfortable lying to her. “I brought some with me.” That felt neutral enough and it was true. “Prior to arriving at the airport, I placed it in the bag they took from us to place inside the guts of the plane.” I waved to the open side pocket where I’d tugged the plastic bag out and stuffed into my pocket after we’d collected it from the long spiraling strip of material spinning around and around with bumping luggage.
“To avoid the metal detectors? How much did you bring?”
“Enough for incidentals.”
She shook her head. “Incidentals, huh? Maybe let me leave the tips and hold onto your tokens of appreciation. You might need those when we get home.” She laid a colorful dress across the bed and lifted out a small bag decorated with flowers. “The staff don’t make much here, so it’s common to give them a tip to thank them if they do something for you, but gold nuggets would be considered too much.”
Not where I came from where it was like any other rock lying on the ground.
“Don’t worry about tips,” she said. “I brought plenty of ones.”
“I’ll reimburse you.” Why hadn’t I thought to study this online? Then I would’ve known about this tip and perhaps known how many slices of money to bring with me. “Orcs barter. We don’t use slices to pay for services.”
“Cards must be a new thing for you too. And again, I’ve got us covered. You weren’t expecting a Cancun vacation, and you’re doing this as a favor to me. I don’t expect you to reimburse me for anything.”
Yet I would. I’d find a way once we returned home.
She took her small floral bag to the bathroom and returned to finish unpacking in silence.
I followed her lead.
We’d just placed our suitcases inside the closet when her phone buzzed in her back pocket. She tugged it out and stared down at it.
“Are you going to look?” I asked.
“I know who sent the message.” She gazed up with stark sadness on her face. “Macy.”
“Your sister will be excited to know you’ve arrived.”
“Yeah.” Her lips thinned as she swiped into the message, reading it to me. “Are you here yet?!” Her gaze flicked to mine. “My sister adores exclamation points and she’s a little loud, so be prepared for her to gush about almost everything. She’s a sweetie, though. I love her a lot.” She continued reading. “Bring Ostor down to the swim-up bar! Come have drinks with us! Everyone’s already here, and it’s gorgeous!!!” Rosey dragged out the last word, injecting considerable enthusiasm.
I expected her to sag on the bed. Instead, she smiled, though it also held a touch of sadness.
“Three exclamation points, Macy?” she grumbled. “It looks like we’ve been summoned.”
I raised an eyebrow. “To what?”
“Macy wants us to meet them at the swim-up bar.” She rubbed her belly as if it pained her. “I’m excited to see my sister. Jacob? Not so much. I’ve avoided him since he’d pulled me aside with a forced look of regret and explained how he’d met someone else, someone who also happened to be the person I grew up sharing everything with except guys. Macy.”
“I imagine you’ll feel awkward at first. As if you must force the same cheer that’s part of your sister’s everyday personality.”
“Good point. I should pretend to be Macy to get through this.”
“Be Rosey,” I said, my voice scraping up my tight throat. “She’s amazing.”
Her smile didn’t last long enough. “I’ve managed to avoid him except a few times where I pretty much bailed out of Mom and Dad’s house as soon as I saw he was there. It was easy to avoid him the rest of the time, really. I refused invitations, worked late shifts to avoid get-togethers, and I even skipped Sunday brunch at Mom and Dad’s to keep from seeing him. Now, there’s no escaping it. No running. No excuses. Just the upcoming slap of reality.” She rubbed her belly harder.
I walked over and took her phone from her, carefully placing it on the bed. Then I tugged her into my arms. “It will be alright. You’re not facing this by yourself.”
She sagged into me, and it felt wonderful to give her comfort. “I appreciate you being here, Ostor. I’d be a wreck if I was dealing with this by myself.”
If I had my say in it, she would never deal with anything by herself again.
Stepping away from me, she sucked in a shaky breath and typed out a reply on her phone, sharing it out loud. “Be there in a bit. Ostor forgot his bathing suit. We'll grab one at the gift shop and then we’ll join you.” One tap, and she looked up. “Hitting send feels like sealing my fate.”
“You’re still tense.”
“You got that from me, did you?”
I remained quiet, giving her a chance to process this.
“It’s going to be alright,” I finally said.
“Yup, it is.” Her words came out breezy, and she said it with a fake smile, but it was a start. She’d see. I was here for her. Always.
“Bathing suit,” I said, to distract her from her stress.
She nodded. “Bathing suit.”
We left our room and took the stairs to the first level, striding back to the lobby and locating a store with various clothing in a brilliant assortment of colors. I stood inside the entrance, my wide eyes taking in the display.
“Have you worn a bathing suit before?” she asked, frowning up at me, making me realize I must look like a bumbling fool who had no idea how to handle this situation. My family made our clothing from fabric my mother had delivered to our home. I’d never . . . purchased it before, and never in such shrill colors.
“I never wear a bathing suit when I swim,” I croaked, hoping she didn’t hear the uncertainty in my voice.
“What do you wear?”
“We cover our entire bodies,” I said in such a soft voice, I doubted she could hear. From what I’d seen, humans wore swim fabric that hugged only parts of their bodies or loose items like pants only without the full legs that would protect skin from sharp thorns or attacking creatures. And we wore dark clothing, never anything in colors like this that would draw a predator’s eyes. “I don’t know what to purchase. I worry I’m going to embarrass you.” And that was the true shame of all this. She was perfect while I was . . . not.
How had I thought I could come here with her and convince anyone that this lovely being by my side would choose me ?
“I’ll help you.” Her simple words held an understanding I didn’t realize I was seeking, and I told my heart to stop galloping on top of my belly.
I winced, not wanting her sympathy. A mate sought the other’s love. Their affection. They didn’t hold their hand as if they were a terrified youngling.
Yet in some ways, her helping was a sign of affection. She wasn’t laughing like some people did when they interacted with an orc. She wasn’t pointing. No, she was taking my hand and with a gentle smile, she was leading me forward.
“Alright.” I could barely force out the word.
I allowed her to take me farther into the shop, the cool air washing over my exposed skin. This was no cave. How could the air suddenly feel cold? I peered at the ceiling, but didn’t see anything that might cause this effect.
“You’re going to look awesome in a swimsuit,” she said, stroking my arm.
Heat spiraled through me from her touch.
It didn’t mean anything.
She was just being kind.
But how I wished it was real.