Chapter 3 #2
“Um…” she began but then stopped. She was unsure of what she could even say.
She cleared her throat and was shocked that her feet went into motion.
She slowly made her way around the counter.
Her mind was racing at the moment. How did the orc know where she worked?
Her hood had slid off her head for a mere second.
She’d taken off at a swift run once she’d won.
Did the female orc know it was her who had beaten her?
“How can I help you?” Orlena asked. She folded her hands together to keep them from trembling.
To keep her nervousness from showing, she moved over to the wall nearest the orc where they had the latest bows they’d crafted.
She eyed the female in hopes she didn’t know who she was.
“These are our latest line of bows. I can show—”
“I want to know why you ran,” the orc said.
Well, feck. That answered Orlena’s question.
The orc’s amber eyes tracked Orlena. The emotion in her gaze sent an unexpected shiver down Orlena’s spine.
Her voice was husky, low and calm. Her dark hair was pulled away from her face in intricate designs.
Her tusks were pearly-white, appeared sharp, but didn’t take away from her beauty.
Orlena hadn’t realized how much larger this woman was compared to her.
She swallowed hard and took her hand off the bow she’d reached for and turned back to her.
She had to rear her head back to meet her eyes.
“I wasn’t supposed to enter the contest.” Orlena sighed. She had told Yambul that she was going out for a short bit, not long enough to enter and win an entire contest.
“But you won.” The orc arched an eyebrow at her. She folded her arms and cocked her head to the side. Her gaze swept over Orlena in a slow, steady manner.
Orlena’s breath caught in her throat again. The heat from this female’s gaze was almost hot enough for her to feel. If she’d closed her eyes, she would have sworn the orc’s hands had caressed her skin.
“It doesn’t matter.” Orlena blew out a deep breath.
It pained her to utter such words. She had taken on some of the best archers in their village and she had won.
She’d even bested this stranger who was apparently very experienced.
It was quite obvious that she had been holding back and missing on purpose.
Orlena had watched the female the entire contest. The only question was why had she tried to lose?
“It does to me.” She stepped closer to Orlena. She reached out to the table underneath the display and picked one of the arrowheads from a bowl. She studied it, turning her attention back to Orlena. “I’m Bula.”
The name created a flutter in Orlena’s chest. She studied the female. There was a curious glint in her eyes as she waited for Orlena to respond. The orc offered her free hand to Orlena. Her gaze dropped down to it.
“I’m Orlena,” she replied softly. She slipped her hand into Bula’s. Her breath stalled in her chest at the feel of Bula’s hand enclosing hers. An electric current raced up her arm. She jerked back as if burned.
Something in the air shifted around them.
She didn’t know what it was, or if this orc was casting some kind of spell on her, but she wanted to know more about Bula.
Where did she come from? Why was she in Soza?
How did she learn to shoot so damn well?
All of these questions and more floated around in her head, but she remained silent.
It was none of her business.
But for some reason, she felt a draw to this orc. A warmth spread through her like a slow-burning ember. Confusion filled her at the feelings she was experiencing.
She’d never felt anything like it before.
Was this an attraction to an orc? Her eyes widened as fear released the confusion she felt. This was not supposed to be. She pushed down the attraction she had for this orc.
Even though it was undeniable.
Bula placed the arrowhead back in the bowl. She jerked her chin toward Orlena.
“You shoot like someone who knows what they are doing,” she noted.
“So do you,” Orlena replied automatically. Her eyes widened at the words that had tumbled out of her lips. She spun around and headed back to the counter.
Bula didn’t make a sound, but Orlena sensed the orc behind her. She glanced over her shoulder and found the orc’s heated gaze still on her.
She escaped behind the counter and faced her. “Where are you from?”
“Everywhere but nowhere,” Bula replied.
“Well, that doesn’t make sense. You have to be from somewhere?” Orlena blinked. She kept her hands busy with straightening up the items on the counter.
“Why can’t I be from nowhere but everywhere?”
“What does that mean?” This time it was Orlena’s turn to arch an eyebrow at her.
She reached for the few signed receipts from the purchase orders she’d received and put them away in the drawer.
“You have to have been born somewhere or lived somewhere before you came here. Where were you before you came here?”
Bula paused for a moment. She came to stand in front of the counter and rested her palms on it.
Her hands were large and strong. Orlena’s breathing stuttered at the image of those same hands sliding over her soft brown skin.
She blinked and tore her gaze from them.
She shouldn’t be having those kinds of thoughts.
“Well, before here, I was in Udenia.”
“The capital?” Orlena gasped. That was a long way away from their small village. That had to take almost a week’s worth of travel. “Is it as beautiful as they claim? I’ve always wanted to go there. The castle? Is it as dashing as they describe?”
The questions tumbled from her lips before she could even stop them. She’d always dreamed of going to Udenia. She’d heard word that the town was a wonder with its markets, tournaments, and beautiful landscape. She’d been here in Soza for so long and she’d never had a chance to go anywhere else.
“You’ve never been?” Bula murmured.
“No. I’ve never traveled from Soza since—” Orlena paused. She didn’t want to share her sad little story with the orc. It was apparent that the orc had traveled a great deal.
“Since what?” Bula’s husky voice dropped low.
Orlena swallowed and shyly met her gaze. She gave what she hoped was a casual shrug.
“Well, since I’ve arrived here in Soza.” She’d keep it simple.
She sidled along the counter and gathered a few of the items that customers had left after changing their minds.
She’d have to hurry to put them away in order to ensure the place was completely tidied up.
Yambul would have a fit if it wasn’t to his standards tomorrow when he returned.
She picked up the bow that one male orc had left with the promise he’d be back.
That had been hours ago. She walked through the shop to place it back where it belonged.
She hung it up on the rack and spun back around.
She gasped, running into a solid figure. “Oh!”
“My apologies.” Bula smirked. Her hands came out to steady Orlena. They lingered on Orlena’s shoulders for a moment, then she took them away.
“You need to make noise. How do you move without making a noise at your size?” Orlena’s eyes widened at her question.
Goddess above. Had she just said that?
“I mean…I didn’t mean to insinuate—”
“I know what you mean. It’s a habit. Where I come from, one has to learn to move silently,” Bula said.
“But I thought you said you were from nowhere?”
“I said that, didn’t I?” Bula grinned. Her amber eyes took in Orlena.
Being this close allowed Orlena to study her even more.
Her dark-green skin held a few freckles on her cheekbones, and a small scar on her chin was barely noticeable.
Her shoulders were broad, and the way she moved led Orlena to believe that this female was a warrior.
She walked like a predator. It would explain how she was so proficient with her bow and had tried to lose.
Bula’s hand reached up and swept back a few strands of Orlena’s hair that had escaped. Orlena froze, barely able to breathe from the soft touch. Her fingers brushed Orlena’s cheek.
The pull was growing stronger.
What the feck was this?
“You’re beautiful,” Bula murmured.
Her hand fell away from Orlena, but she didn’t move. There was maybe an inch of space between them. Orlena knew she should take a step back, but her feet remained planted where they were.
“Thank you, but you shouldn’t say those types of things.” Orlena looked away from her. She tried to ignore the way her heart skipped a beat. This gorgeous female thought she was beautiful. She tamped down her excitement. It wasn’t right.
She took in how dark it was outside. It was time to close up the shop. There hadn’t been a customer in a while now.
“Why not?” Bula’s brow furrowed.
“Because…because you’re an orc,” Orlena sputtered, not sure if this orc was teasing her…or maybe she was trying to… No, she didn’t think Bula was that type of orc. She squeezed past her and strode over to the door. She flipped the sign on the door over to ‘closed.’
“What does that mean? I know what I am.” Again, Bula had arrived behind Orlena without making a sound.
Orlena jumped and spun around. The woman needed to wear a bell or something.
“I’m a human.” Orlena returned to the counter so she could lock up the drawers.
She would come in super early tomorrow to ensure it was cleaned.
At the moment, she was tired and hungry.
She was dying to get home. A hot bath and her comfortable bed were calling her.
After the day she’d had, it all was catching up to her.
“Are you certain about that?”
Orlena’s gaze flew back to Bula who leaned against the counter with a grin on her lips.
“Are you jesting?” Orlena asked.
“I know what you are as well, but I don’t understand what it means that I’m an orc and you’re human. Are you telling me that I can’t tell a woman she is beautiful because she is a human?”
“I know you are new in town, so you don’t know how things work here.”
“Then explain it to me.” Bula’s smile slowly disappeared, and something else appeared in her eyes.
Orlena couldn’t read what it was, but somehow, this person in front of her shifted, and she had a sense this was another version of Bula.
Hmm…
Interesting.
Orlena hesitated at first. She was frustrated that she would have to explain the way of society to Bula. Was she truly naive in the ways of the world? Humans were considered second class to orcs. This wasn’t new. She’d heard rumors that the great chieftain’s daughter was mating with a human.
That was all the latest gossip that had reached Soza from Udenia.
Orlena believed that if it were true, then fate was truly at work. It was beautiful to think that the chieftain’s daughter was going against every archaic tradition and following her heart.
It was romantic.
“Well, um…humans keep to themselves and orcs do the same,” Orlena replied. She finished locking the last drawer and looked up to find Bula staring at her. Feeling a little unnerved by the way Bula gazed at her, she gave a little shrug. “That’s just how it is here.”
“Is that so,” Bula murmured.
“Well, I’m closed and I need to get home,” Orlena announced. She needed to put the key in Yambul’s office then grab her belongings. Her gaze dropped down to her bow that she’d hidden.
She’d have to put it back in her workplace. She reached for it and picked it up, sliding her hand down the smooth handle. The thrill of shooting it still lingered inside her. A small smile appeared on her lips at the memory of seeing her arrow hit the middle of the red target.
“Is your mate coming to escort you home?” Bula’s words had Orlena freezing in place.
“What? I mean, no. I…um…don’t have a mate,” Orlena sputtered.
“So then you need an escort,” Bula announced.
“I don’t. I am just fine walking alone. My home isn’t that far from here,” she said.
She inhaled sharply at the thought of spending even more time with the female orc.
She took in the stubborn tilt to Bula’s chin.
She smiled to soften the blow even more.
“I walk home alone every night. It’s safe here in Soza. ”
“Humor me. Allow me to walk you home.” It may have been a request, but it was easy to see Bula was not going to take no for an answer.
Orlena jerked her head in a nod and spun on her heels. She jogged into her workplace and hid her bow. She’d tweak it in the morning when she returned.
With minutes, she had her cloak on and locked up the shop.
She turned to Bula who waited on the sidewalk nearby.
The moon was out, casting a beautiful light around them, the dark sky littered with bright, tiny stars, all twinkling as if vying for attention.
The village was still alive with the fair continuing on.
Many vendors kept their tables open late, especially those who offered food.
Parties would commence into the late hour, but Orlena would be long in her bed while the village had its fun.
“I’m serious. You don’t have to escort me home.” Orlena pulled her cloak closed around her to ward off the small nip in the air.
“It allows me to get to know the new area,” Bula said.
They began the journey, side by side through the darkened streets. Orcs watched them openly as they walked in silence. It was comfortable and gave her more time to study this orc beside her.
Why was she wanting to escort her home?
Did Bula truly think she was beautiful? Orlena rolled her eyes at the thought. That was not what she should be focused on. So instead, she figured she’d ask Bula a question.
“Will you be here in Soza for long?”