22. Chapter Twenty-Two
Chapter Twenty-Two
Lucy
I’m too attached. Far too attached.
I wanted to tell him he was my mate, but my mind wouldn’t let go of one important thing. I’d never connected with anyone; he was the first. If I had given in and told him he was mine, my whole heart would believe it. There would be no going back for me. I’d never connect with another person.
If this whole mate thing is true and not some biological response, I needed to know how I would feel it. How would I truly know? I needed to talk to another human. What did they feel?
That was why I had tried not to touch Simon while we walked through the forest. I tried to take in the scenes around me, gather the information that I could, and keep my mind off of him. Of course, it led me back to drawing his dick in my notebook and he was damn proud of that.
Not to mention he was cute as hell but had a dominating streak I adored.
I wanted to give in so badly, and he nearly took me earlier. What was I thinking, trying to have sex with him? He was too big, and that meant only one thing.
We weren’t mates.
Once I spoke to Ellie, a human who had found love in an orc who was her mate, I thought I would feel better about all of this. Simon would have to see reason and then take me back to the party where my father still waits.
I had a sliver of hope we were meant to be together, but my mind wouldn’t let this go. When people got married, it was because they had similar interests, they got along, they wanted the same things, and even those sometimes failed.
Mates, those partnerships didn’t fail, from what I gathered. All because a goddess said you were meant to be? It was hard for me to process.
The light sources had faded just above the trees. Darkness had fallen, and there was a chill in the air. Simon noticed, and with one swoop of his arms, and had me wrapped in one of those leaves that had the bright white cotton attached from the large sack he had been carrying.
Like a soft Lucy burrito.
I’d protested, saying I was a big girl and I could handle walking with the blanket, but he came up with an excuse I couldn’t ignore. “My female will not be getting sick again. The goddess will punish me, and you may never accept our bond.”
Cue the swoon.
I was going to eat all of this up and remember it until I passed from this Bergarian plane if he wasn’t truly mine.
In the last leg of our journey, our eyes were greeted by the mesmerizing sight of a vibrant fire dancing amidst the dense foliage. The deafening crackling of the flames echoed through the air, while the tantalizing aroma of sizzling meat wafted towards us, igniting a hunger that rumbled deep within my stomach. Desperately, I tried to conceal the growls, lest they betray my voracious appetite.
There was a log cabin sitting peacefully at the center of the clearing, its moss-covered roof blending in with the surrounding trees and vegetation. Meat hung around the porch, for later consumption, swaying in the gentle breeze. Someone had stretched furs on wooden frames to dry slowly in the warmth from the light sources. Vibrant flowers of all colors bloomed around the cabin, adding a pop of color to the otherwise earthy tones of the woods. It gave it a lady’s touch.
It looked like a peaceful paradise in the middle of the Wood.
When I gazed over at the fire, a large hulking orc stood by it, throwing more logs into the flames. Someone had erected a spit with a wild boar turning and roasting on it. Laughter reached our ears, along with the playful screams of a child. Immediately, I nudged Simon to put me down so we could go greet them but he held me tighter and pulled us away.
“What’s wrong? Isn’t this Ellie and Thorn? The ones we can ask about the witch?”
Simon's facial features hardened. “I’ve never spoken with them. I don’t know how Thorn will react when we enter his territory,” Simon muttered under his breath.
Orcs were very selective about who entered their domain. I was surprised we hadn’t been noticed already for how territorial they could be.
“I can announce us. Surely he won’t mind another human.”
Simon backed away from the clearing. “We should wait until dawn.”
I huffed and crossed my arms. That meat smelled too good, and waiting until dawn when I wanted answers was not happening. So, I yelled, “Hey! I’m a human! I mean no harm!”
Simon slammed his hand over my mouth and growled. “You don’t startle an orc, Lucy.”
Immediately, Thorn stopped what he was doing and grabbed a giant club. Ellie held their child tighter. The tiny orc gazed in our direction, and I could see the pretty green face filled with rage.
Maybe it wasn’t such a good idea.
Thorn stomped over. His feet made the ground tremble. I grabbed a limb to keep Simon from running away, and within seconds, a towering orc appeared, looming over us.
I could see the similarities between Sugha and Thorn. The nose for one, and how his tusks were pointed. There was a difference, though, and that was the large frown on his face, while Sugha always smiled.
Thorn took in a large breath. His nose flared as he towered over us. “I can’t smell you and didn’t hear you approach. Who the—”
“I’m Lucy!” I interrupted. “Sugha is your brother, correct?”
Simon let out a low, rumbling growl. With a gentle touch, he carefully set me back on the ground. Taking a defensive posture, he positioned himself in front of me, his strong presence radiating a sense of protection. “Back away from my female.”
Oh, that was hot!
Thorn’s expression softened and backed up. “You’re Valpar’s female’s pet.”
Simon let out a bleat of annoyance. “I am not—”
“He is no pet,” I said and put my hand on Simon’s shoulder. “He was her companion; now he is a faun. I’m going to have to ask you to not call him a pet again.”
Thorn narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms. “You’re female is foolish.”
I scoffed and matched his stance. Simon reached behind and grabbed my arm, squeezing it gently.
“I wouldn’t have brought my female here unless I needed to,” Simon said and blocked me from Thorn’s gaze. “But I need help from a witch. Your female might know where she is.”
Thorn rolled his eyes. “And why would we give you that—”
“Honeybuns!” Ellie called out. Thorn rolled his eyes and let out an exasperated sigh. “Would you move and let them come in? My gods! Don’t act like there is a stick up your butt.”
Simon relaxed his stance and snorted. “Honeybuns?”
I giggled along with him, and we both got a glare that could curdle milk. Thorn grunted and jerked his head toward the fire for us to follow.
He kept his eyes on us with his club at his side. It was the size of a whole tree limb, but it looked sturdy, considering he’d probably used it to bash so many things with it. There was no sign of rot, just tiny gashes of scars where brute force had been applied.
Thorn lifted the club, and my eyes followed. He took it in with both hands, bouncing it like a baseball player would do before he came to bat. “This is from the dragon scale tree.”
My eyes widened when he spoke. It was no longer accusing and harsh. “They are nearly impossible to destroy. I was lucky this branch had fallen at its own will. The gods gave it to me.”
The woman by the fire leaned her head back and sighed dramatically. “Are you talking about your big stick again?”
Thorn growled playfully—if that were a thing for an orc. His lip tilted up, and he gazed at her as if she was the one who brought up the light sources each day.
“Female, I’ll talk about my weapon for anyone willing to listen. This female seemed interested.”
I perked my head up and chirped, “Yes, I am interested in the stick. I’m interested in learning all about Monktona Wood. It’s my job. I’m Lucy, by the way.”
Ellie snorted a laugh. “I’m sure Thorn will love to tell you all about his stick. His is a little lumpy, though. I’m Ellie.”
I stuck out my hand and went running toward her. “It’s so great to meet you. I’m the new research scientist that—”
Thorn snarled and stomped in front of me. I heard Simon grunt, his hooves making a pounding noise on the soil. Before I knew what was happening, Simon had lowered his head and charged into Thorn with his horns.
Thorn grunted and stumbled backward. His eyes lit up, and he rubbed his stomach, staring down at Simon.
“Get away!” Simon bleated and ground his hooves into the dirt. He was ready to try and fight an orc who was at least a foot taller than him. Simon was also a slimmer build, but that didn’t take away from the fact that he was strong, too.
“Thorn!” Ellie yelled. “Get your cakey butt over here. Lucy isn’t going to hurt me or our child!”
“I will protect my miresa and my orcling, do not deny me that honor.” He balled his hands up into fists, but he turned and stomped over to the fire. He stood beside Ellie, still cuddling the mini version of Thorn.
I saw Simon, still filled with anger. He stomped his hoof and appeared that he was ready to charge again. I grabbed his hand to pull him back.
Seriously, males of this realm were something else. It was hot, don’t get me wrong, but it was kind of ridiculous.
“Simon,” I hissed. “Calm down, you are making Thorn grumpy.”
“Thorn is always grumpy,” Ellie smiled. “Comes with the whole ‘mated to an orc’ thing. Besides Sugha though, I think he is the only happy orc I’ve ever met.”
Simon’s face softened, and he squeezed my hand. “That is why we are here. He said you know of a witch that helped get you two together. I’m hoping to speak with her.”
“We both have questions,” I sighed. “And I want to know everything between you two and this cute little mister you have right here.” I bent over and smiled wildly at the little green orc baby.
“This is Kiah. He’s our son.” Thorn stood up, thrusting his chest out with pride. “Our firstborn, and there will be many more to come.”
Ellie shuddered. “Let me get over this one first. I still feel like my hips are just getting back to normal.”
The not-so-small baby babbled and blew a spit bubble.
Simon did not have a poker face. His face was full of horror looking at their orcling. I thought it was cute, in that orc baby kind of way.
“Aren’t you adorable!” I tickled the enormous feet.
Kiah let out a loud scream of happiness, and Simon screamed back, his tongue flopping out of his mouth.
We all looked at Simon as he covered his mouth in embarrassment. The baby giggled and screamed again, and Simon opened his mouth and bleated again, also. He didn’t seem able to control his reaction.
Aw, I wanted to squish his face.
The baby or Simon’s face, I wasn’t sure.
“Right, so do you both understand where Simon came from?” I asked.
Ellie didn’t laugh at Simon. In fact, no one said a word about his actions. Instead, she patted her child on the head. “Of course, he was once Calliope’s companion, now turned faun. Gossip travels fast. We’ve been helping feed him when we can.”
Simon’s shoulders dropped. “You knew I was taking your food? I’m sorry. When I had just become what I am now, I—”
Thorn grunted and turned the spit on the fire. “Yes, we never heard or saw you coming. You impressed me. It has made me more aware of my surroundings, that anything can get into my land. The only way we knew it was you was because you always left flowers. Ellie appreciates them. Glad to see you talk now. We thought you were just stupid.”
“Hey!” Ellie and I both screamed at the same time.
Simon slapped his hand to his face, utterly frustrated. “I need the witch! I want to seal the bond!”
Ellie gasped and covered the tiny green thing in her lap’s ears. “You are mates? That’s wonderful!”
“Wait, wait, wait!” I said and stepped closer to the fire. “We don’t know that for sure. That is why we need to speak to this witch, Starla. Is that her name, Simon?”
Simon snarled and stepped towards me. He wrapped his arm around my waist and tugged on the back of my hair, exposing my neck. “You are my mate.”
My body instantly complied.
“Your scent tells me so.” His nostrils flared, and I was happy he was wearing a cloth to hide his shaft because I could definitely feel it on my stomach. We did not need the baby to see that.
Ellie fanned herself. “That’s so hot. Remember when you used to do stuff like that, hot cakes?”
Thorn groaned. “We have an orcling. I will not subject Kiah to those private encounters.”
“Only when he’s sleeping. Which is rare. Do you see, Lucy? I have bags under my eyes. Between Kiah and Thorn, I can’t keep up. It’s the boobs, I tell you. They both want them.”
I didn’t pay much attention to Ellie, it was on Simon who held me against his torso and gazed into my eyes.
“I see the uncertainty in your eyes, Lucy, but I hold true to what I said. You are mine, and if the gods don’t believe it to be so—I will keep you, anyway.”
Insert dramatic sigh here.