Chapter 11
Riley
The deep whoop-whoop-whoop that erupted from Dungar’s throat made me jump where I stood on the boardwalk in front of the saloon, my bag full of wet clothing plopped by my feet.
The sound of his call echoed off the buildings.
Within moments, the ground began to vibrate beneath my feet, a rhythmic thundering that grew louder with each passing second.
“Oh my God.” I pressed myself against the saloon’s front wall as a massive creature rounded the corner of Main Street, its hooves leaving deep impressions in the packed earth.
A sorhox was even more magnificent and terrifying up close than viewed while it grazed some distance away in a pasture.
Easily the size of a minivan, its medium green hide rippled with muscles as it moved, its dark eyes gleaming with intelligence.
Curved horns spiked out from behind its ears, ending in lethal-looking points that caught the lamplight.
Its long tail, tipped with a wicked spike, swished behind it as it came to a stop directly in front of us.
Three-clawed hooves pawed the ground, and when it opened its mouth in what might’ve been a greeting, I caught a glimpse of fangs that could easily tear through flesh.
Yet there was something undeniably gentle in the way it lowered its massive head toward Dungar, however.
And a rumbling purr echoed through its chest.
“Riley, meet Treelee.” Dungar stepped off the boardwalk and over to the beast’s side to stroke the creature with obvious affection. “She’s sweet and won’t hurt you.”
Treelee turned her snout his way and nudged him hard enough to make even a big orc like Dungar take a step backward.
“I raised her from a calf after her mother was injured in a rockslide,” he said. “She’s been my companion for eight years now.”
“She’s…” I swallowed hard, trying to find words that didn’t include “absolutely terrifying” or “capable of eating me in two bites.” “Impressive.”
Dungar’s tusky grin rose. “She’s as gentle as a luminook once you get to know her. Come close and hold out your hand.”
“She’ll bite my fingers off.”
“Trust me.”
The warmth in his voice made me step away from the wall. Trembling, I extended my hand toward the massive creature, half-convinced I was about to become her evening snack.
Treelee’s tongue swept across my palm in a long, careful lick. Then she nuzzled my chest with her snout in a surprisingly delicate way. The gesture was so sweet it made laughter bubble up from my chest.
“She likes you.” Dungar’s expression had gone soft as he watched our interaction. “That’s not always the case with strangers.”
“Maybe she can sense I’m just as nervous as she probably was when she first met humans.” I tentatively reached up to stroke the side of her head, marveling at the warmth of her hide.
“Ready for a ride?” he asked.
Before I could protest or ask what exactly that might entail, Dungar’s hands spanned my waist. He lifted me effortlessly onto Treelee’s broad back.
The spike jutting up from between her shoulders provided a natural handgrip, and he hooked my bag of soggy belongings onto it.
Then he vaulted up behind me, and suddenly, I was very much aware of how I was settled between his powerful thighs, my back pressed against his abdomen. Heat radiated from his body.
When Treelee shifted beneath us, I found myself pressed even more firmly against him, and that’s when I felt the thick, unmistakable outline of his cock, long and substantial, pressed against my ass.
I tried to ease forward, but that only made me more aware of his size, of the way his body responded to our closeness. My face flamed as he stirred behind me, his breathing becoming uneven.
Definitely not mentioning that. Nope. Not even thinking about it.
Except I was thinking about it. Vividly.
“Orcs don’t use reins with our personal sorhoxes, though the tourists do,” Dungar said, his voice rougher than usual. “We guide them with heel commands and vocal cues.”
I felt rather than saw him press his heels gently against Treelee’s sides, and she turned and began moving along Main Street with a smooth gait that was surprisingly comfortable.
We passed shops and the restaurant I was beginning to know by heart, and moved out onto the dusty road leading away from town.
The evening air tasted crisp and clean, carrying the scent of pine and wildflowers. Stars had begun to appear in the darkening sky, and the mountains rose around the valley like silent guardians. This was the kind of beauty I’d only seen in movies, the kind that made you believe in magic.
“It’s gorgeous here,” I said, immediately feeling foolish for stating the obvious.
“I hoped you’d think so.” His arm tightened around my waist, steadying me as Treelee navigated a small rise. “Sometimes I still can’t believe we actually made it to the surface, that we found a place like this.”
We passed several small ranch houses set back from the road, each with warm lights glowing in the windows.
“My brothers and their mates live here,” he said, gesturing to them in general.
When Treelee turned up a gravel driveway, I knew we’d reached Dungar’s home.
The house was picture-perfect in its simplicity.
White siding with black shutters, and a large deck extending from the back that overlooked the most breathtaking view I’d ever seen.
A two-story red gambrel barn sat to one side, and beyond that stretched the plain where we’d found Marcy, rolling away toward the forest and mountains beyond.
My heart gave a weird lurch. I could wake up to this view every morning.
I could sit on that deck with my coffee and watch the sunrise paint the mountains gold and pink.
I could build a life here, in this beautiful, peaceful place with this incredible male who looked at me like I was something worth fighting for.
You could, if you really are his fated mate. The thought whispered through my mind, but I pushed it away, reminding myself that I’d decided not to think about the mating bond thing until tomorrow. There was too much to process, too many implications I wasn’t ready to face.
Dungar dismounted first, lifting me down with the same easy strength he’d shown back in town. His hands lingered on my waist longer than necessary, and when I looked up at him, his dark eyes held an intensity that made my breath catch.
“Welcome to my home,” he said softly.
“Thank you. I don’t know where I’d be without you.” The words felt more prophetic than simple, but I chose not to examine them and the feelings that came with them now.
Inside, the house was exactly what I’d expected from Dungar, everything meticulously organized and spotlessly clean.
But it also felt warm and welcoming. The living room held oversized furniture clearly built for an orc’s frame, including a big leather sofa, a matching armchair, and a coffee table that came up to my chest mid-thighs.
Built-in bookshelves lined one wall, filled with neatly arranged volumes that ranged from law enforcement manuals to what looked like poetry collections.
“No TV?” I asked, noting the absence.
“I prefer reading.” He winced. “Though I do have a tablet for streaming if you’d like to watch something.”
Of course he had a tablet. The documents organized into color-coded folders, I’d bet.
“Let me get your clothes started in the washer,” he said, taking my bag from my hand. “Then I’ll show you around.”
The hallway off the kitchen led past the living room to a bathroom that had clearly been designed with human guests in mind; normal-sized fixtures and a shower with shelves inside I could actually reach. The washer and dryer were there as well, tucked behind double doors.
He carefully placed all my clothing inside the washer and got it started.
“I’ll show you where you’ll sleep,” he said, gesturing for me to leave the small room.
He led me to the bedroom at the end of the hall. I stopped in the doorway, my mouth going dry.
The bed was enormous, clearly custom-made for an orc’s height and build.
The covers lay rumpled from where he’d slept, and I found myself picturing him there, all that green skin and muscle sprawled across the sheets.
My imagination helpfully supplied images of what he might look like without clothing, and heat pooled low in my belly.
“You can have the bed,” he said quickly, moving to smooth the covers. “I’ll sleep on the couch.”
“Dungar, I can’t take your bedroom. This is your home.”
“You’re my guest.” He pulled fresh sheets from a perfectly organized linen closet in the back right corner. “And my deputy. It’s my responsibility to make sure you’re comfortable.”
There it was again, that careful distance he maintained even as his eyes told me a different story. He wanted me. I could see it in the way he looked at me, feel it in the tension that crackled between us. But he was giving me space, letting me set the pace.
The mating bond revelation had shaken me more than I’d admit. Not because the idea horrified me, but because it didn’t. The thought of being connected to Dungar on some mystical level should’ve sent me running. Instead, it felt like everything I’d been missing was clicking into place.
I was falling for him in a way that terrified and thrilled me at the same time. And if ancient orc magic had recognized what my heart was already feeling, maybe that wasn’t such a terrible thing.
“I should start dinner,” he said, efficiently changing the sheets, even making military corners on each end. “Are burgers all right? I can grill them on the back deck.”
“Burgers sound perfect.”
An hour later, we sat on his deck under an oversized umbrella eating what turned out to be the best burger I’d had in years. The equally oversized patio furniture made me feel like a child, my feet dangling from the chair.
“I’ll order you some human-sized furniture,” Dungar said, noticing my predicament. “I didn’t think about how awkward this would be for a human.”
“Actually, I kind of like it.” I grinned, swinging my legs. “It’s like being a kid again, except the food is better, and I don’t have a bedtime.”
His answering smile warmed me through because it felt genuine. “My brothers used to tease me about my attention to detail, but I never considered that some details matter more than others.”
“Your attention to detail is one of my favorite things about you.” My cheeks warmed. “I’ve never felt this safe with anyone before.”
His expression shifted, taking on a softness that made my heart skip. “You’re safe with me, Riley. Always.”
We cleaned up together after we’d finished eating, moving around his kitchen. He washed while I dried, and we fell into the kind of comfortable rhythm that usually took couples months to develop. It struck me how domestic it felt, how right.
Neither of us mentioned the sleeping arrangements.
When the last dish was put away, Dungar led me back to the bedroom.
“Sleep well,” he said, turning toward the door. “There are extra towels in the bathroom closet if you’d like to bathe.”
“Dungar, wait.”
He stopped, his hand on the doorframe, and looked back at me. In the low lamplight, he looked younger, vulnerable in a way that made my chest tighten.
I took a breath, knowing I was about to cross a line there would be no coming back from.
“We could share the bed.”