CHAPTER 2
Zara
Present Day
I blinked my eyes open, staring up at the ceiling of the room I was in, surrounded by warmth and an alluring, masculine scent.
What the actual fuck?
That couldn’t be right. My groggy mind tried to grasp the fleeting memories that were passing through my brain, but I couldn’t come up with an explanation.
The last thing I remembered was opening a portal to escape Veron—the grand warlock who’d stolen me from my home and transported me to his plane to hold me captive. The male who thought I was his property. My lip curled of its own volition as I tried to figure out what new trap I’d found myself in.
It wasn’t unheard of. I was a bit of a disaster who bit off more than she could chew most of the time. I’d learned that and accepted it about myself. I even learned to see it as one of my better traits. I was a risk taker . I still hadn’t found the upside of it, though.
A soft snuffle came from my left and I froze, realizing that there was someone lying next to me.
Oh Goddess Mother, please say I didn’t find myself in bigger trouble than I had in the first place.
I wasn’t the best decision-maker when it came to males. In fact, when I’d seen Veron the first time, I’d thought he was handsome. And arguably, he was.
Handsome and evil.
I turned my head in a slow pivot, trying not to move or make a sound. When I spotted the male next to me, a flutter filled my chest—something I hadn’t felt before.
He’s real.
I’d dreamed of this male. I’d seen that perfect face almost every night when I went to bed—since I was a little girl. His high cheekbones and sweeping lashes were as familiar to me as my own.
The gentle slope of his nose and the strong brow with that thick dark mane of hair. I lost my breath as I stared, unable to fathom that he was actually here. I’d thought I’d dreamed him last night.
After I’d opened the portal and we’d escaped, I assumed that I’d fallen into the deep sleep of magick-overuse. When I’d seen this male, I’d recognized him and treated him the way I usually did—like I owned him.
I’d forced him to lift me into his huge arms and I’d snuggled against him in comfort and familiarity. Now, I felt heat rush to my face.
I don’t know him. He’s a stranger.
My gaze swept over him, his strong shoulders and chest visible above the blanket and I heard a hum of appreciation leave my throat.
A hot stranger.
I eased myself away from him, trying to get as far as I could from the breathing apparition. This couldn’t be a good sign. If I was seeing him, then that meant that he had never been a dream. He’d been a premonition .
And my mother had warned me what recurring premonitions were. They meant that you were tied to that future without question.
And there’s no way I can be tied to this male.
My gaze skimmed over him again with longing.
This exceptional, fine specimen of a male.
I continued to move backward, away from him and I ended up slipping over the edge of the bed with a loud yelp.
So much for sneaking out of here, Zara. Way to fuck up your clean exit.
I sat up at once, my ass giving a holler of pain as I peered over the edge of the bed. Sky-blue eyes greeted me with a cocked eyebrow.
“Good morning,” the male orc purred, in a voice that should be banned for its outright sexiness.
“Good morning,” I squeaked in reply, my voice much higher pitched than natural.
“Are you trying to run away?” he asked, resting his chin on his palm as he surveyed the top of my head and eyes—the only things that were visible to him at the moment.
“Nope,” I replied at once—maybe a tad too quickly to be seen as outright honesty, but damn it, that voice. I was terrible at lying on a good day, and if he was the one doing the interrogation, I couldn’t be expected to stand firm in my lies.
“Right,” he drawled, giving a little nod at where I was still sitting on the floor. I scrambled up in response to that look, and hesitated when his gaze swept over me—an appreciative gleam in his eyes.
Goddess Mother help me, my panties are toast. Wait… am I wearing panties?
“Well, it was wonderful to meet you,” I told him, eyeing the door as my means of escape, struggling to ignore the perfectly gorgeous specimen of a male in front of me. “I’ll be leaving now. I have to go check on my three friends,” I added, grabbing onto any excuse I could think of.
Although, that one was pretty accurate. I did need to check on the three males who’d kept me safe during my time on their plane.
I had to figure out where we’d been transported to and how far away the house that my mother had left for me was. If I could figure that out, now that I was rested, I’d be able to open a portal there. Portals were much easier and much less magick-intensive if you were just going between locations on the same plane.
I took my time heading toward the door, ogling this male who I intended to never see again. If I did, I had no doubt that it would be disastrous for the both of us.
“They’re fine,” he told me with an indolent shrug of those bite-worthy shoulders. “I checked on them this morning and they were still sleeping. By the time you arrived, it was late and those males must be exhausted after the battle.”
“Oh,” I paused in my tracks, before trying again. “Well, I’ll still check on them. I’m sure they’ll be looking for me when they wake up. In fact, I have some things I need to look into now that I’m back.”
“I can help you with that,” he purred, his gaze sweeping over me again with a look of pure lust. It sent a sizzle straight through me. “I can help you with anything you need.”
From the flare of his nostrils, I knew he was scenting the fact that I was aroused.
Dangerously aroused. So aroused that I should really think about whether there’s some kind of biological warfare happening.
“I’m fine,” I said, my voice so high pitched I had to clear my throat. “Just fine. You stay… there.” I held my hands out, my eyes wide as I backed toward the doorway. His shoulders tensed and I knew he was going to rise. “No, no. Really. Don’t bother to get up .”
The last was an actual squeak as the male stood—naked as the day he was born, and dear Goddess Mother was he up . As up as anyone could possibly be. More up than anyone should possibly be.
I slapped my hands across my face, my fingers spread wide so I could still see—because by all that was witchy, this male had every right to be proud of his body. My eyes were still snagged on his cock—which was straining toward me as if it had a mind of its own—and no matter what I told myself, they weren’t moving.
The small throb that it gave made me lick my dry lips, wishing I could take the shiny beading head of it between them. His groan was what pulled me out of my trance.
My eyes snapped to his, and I saw that the blue of his eyes was almost overtaken by black. I hadn’t ever seen that expression on anyone before, but I could interpret what it was.
Primal lust.
Something that I was very familiar with at that exact moment. I took another step back and his head canted to the side, his gaze narrowing.
“Are you going to run, little witch?” he whispered, in a voice full of dark promise as I watched his body tense with anticipation. “Because in case you were wondering, orcs love chasing their prey.” He grinned, his fangs gleaming in the light and I backed up another step, before swallowing hard and lifting my chin.
“I don’t run ,” I tried to scoff, but my voice was way too breathy for that. “I don’t even like cardio.” My comebacks obviously needed some work, but I turned and scuttled away like the coward I was.