Chapter 12 #2
"We may live simply, but Orcs are very wealthy, Jordan." I squeezed her hand, willing her to understand. "As my mate, you'll want for nothing. Your student loans, your lease, whatever financial burden you're carrying—it's not a concern."
Something cracked in her expression—relief so profound it was almost painful to witness.
"I've been worried about those loans for years," she said, her voice breaking slightly.
"Lying awake at night doing calculations, figuring out how many extra shifts I'd need to pick up, whether I could refinance.
.." She shook her head, laughing again, but this time with an edge of tears.
Then her expression shifted suddenly, eyes brightening.
"Research into Orc physiology? What kind of research? "
"Whatever interests you. But I thought..." I hesitated. "Orc and human compatibility, for instance. Medical issues that might arise with breeding."
Curiosity brightened her features.
"We have a mixed couple in the village. An Orc male and his human mate," I continued.
"They're hoping for children, but there's so little medical knowledge about hybrid pregnancies, potential complications.
.." I watched her carefully. "They would appreciate having a doctor who could help them navigate any issues. "
She focused on me again with sudden intensity. "You're really serious about this?"
"Completely serious."
Jordan leaned forward, that familiar spark igniting in her eyes—the same fierce intensity I'd witnessed when she was elbow-deep in Ardin's wound, refusing to give up.
"That would be groundbreaking. The medical literature on Orc-human hybrids is practically nonexistent—maybe a handful of case studies, most of them poorly documented.
If I could actually research this properly, establish baseline data, maybe even publish findings that could help other mixed couples.
.." Her words tumbled out faster now, her mind clearly racing ahead.
She caught herself and met my gaze with sudden wonder.
"You're offering me a chance to pioneer an entire field of medicine. "
"I'm offering you a home," I corrected gently. "The research is just a bonus."
Her smile bloomed slowly, radiant enough to chase away every shadow that had haunted her face since I'd arrived at her door. "Then yes." She reached out and took my hand, her fingers small and warm against mine. "Yes, I'll come back to the village. I'll be your clan doctor."
Relief crashed through me like a wave, but it dragged something deeper in its wake—something urgent and terrifying and impossible to ignore. "Good," I managed. "That's... good."
She tilted her head, studying me with those perceptive eyes. "You don't sound as happy about it as I expected. What's wrong?"
"Nothing's wrong. I am happy." I tightened my grip on her hand, unable to let go. "But there's something else I need to ask you. Something more important than the job."
Her breath caught. "What?"
The words lodged in my throat, too big and too raw, but I forced them out anyway. "I don't just want you as the clan doctor, Jordan. I want you as my mate. My chieftainess. My partner in life."
The silence that followed felt endless, fragile as spun glass. Her eyes went wide, searching my face—for doubt, maybe, or signs that I was joking. She wouldn't find either.
"Ruka..." she whispered, my name barely a breath.
"I know it's fast. I know you barely know me, barely understand our ways.
" My free hand clenched at my side, fighting the urge to pull her closer.
"But Sarsa was right—I feel it. This pull toward you.
It's not just attraction, though gods know I want you so badly I can barely think straight.
" I forced myself to meet her eyes. "It's more than that.
You're more than that. You're brave and brilliant and you don't flinch from blood or battle or Orcs twice your size.
You're exactly the kind of female I never thought I'd find. "
"I feel it too," she said softly, and my heart stuttered. "I thought I was losing my mind. I thought it was just... I don't know, stress or loneliness or some kind of trauma response from everything that happened." She laughed shakily. "But it's not, is it? This is real."
"Yes."
She leaned closer, closing the distance between us until I could feel the warmth radiating from her skin, her sweet breath on my face. "Then yes," she said, her voice steady now, certain. "Yes to all of it."
The world narrowed to just her face, her eyes, the soft curve of her mouth. "You're sure? You understand what you're agreeing to?"
"I'm sure."
I cupped her face in my hands, marveling at the delicate warmth of her skin, how perfectly she fit against my palms. "Jordan," I breathed her name like a prayer, and then I kissed her.
She melted into me with a soft sound that shot straight through my chest. Her lips were impossibly warm and sweet, yielding under mine with an eagerness that made my blood sing.
When her hands came up to grip my shoulders, I pulled her closer, needing to feel every inch of her against me.
The kiss deepened, grew hungry and desperate, and I tasted her gasp as my tusks grazed her cheek.
"Sorry," I murmured against her mouth, already missing the contact.
"Don't be." She kissed me again, harder this time, more demanding, her fingers threading through my hair and tugging just enough to make me groan. "Don't ever be sorry for what you are."
Heat flooded through me at her words, at the fierce acceptance in them.
I groaned and rolled her onto her back, reveling in the way her legs wrapped around my waist without hesitation.
She was so small in my arms, so fragile compared to my bulk, but the way she clung to me—fierce and fearless and utterly unafraid—made me feel like I could tear down mountains with my bare hands.
"My mate," I whispered against her throat, feeling her pulse race wild and frantic beneath my lips. "Mine."
"Yours," she agreed breathlessly, arching into me. "And you're mine."
"Always."
I claimed her mouth again with fierce possession as my hands roamed her body, memorizing every curve, every dip, every soft gasp she made when I touched her just right.
My palms traced the contours of her waist, her hips, the gentle slope of her thighs.
She was all warmth and softness where I was hard muscle and rough edges, but somehow we fit together perfectly, like two puzzle pieces that had been searching for each other across lifetimes.
"Ruka," she breathed my name like a benediction as I kissed down her neck, her collarbone, lower still.
Her skin tasted like honey and salt, and I couldn't get enough.
Her fingers dug into my shoulders, urging me on with an urgency that matched my own, and I growled low in my throat at her eagerness, at the way she arched into my touch like she needed it as much as I did.
When I finally entered her, we both stilled for a heartbeat, overwhelmed by the sheer intensity of it, by the feeling of coming home.
Her eyes locked with mine, dark and dilated with desire, and I saw everything I felt reflected back at me.
Then she rolled her hips experimentally and I was lost, moving with her in a rhythm as old as time itself, as natural as breathing.
She met me thrust for thrust, her nails raking down my back hard enough to leave marks I'd treasure tomorrow, her cries of pleasure driving me wild with need.
"More," she demanded breathlessly, and who was I to deny her anything?
I gave her everything I had, pouring all my need and desire and devotion into every movement, every touch, every kiss.
I wanted her to feel how much she meant to me, how completely she'd captured me.
When she shattered beneath me, calling my name like it was the only word she remembered, I followed her over the edge, burying my face in her neck as waves of pleasure crashed over us both, drowning us in sensation.
We stayed tangled together for a long moment, her heartbeat gradually slowing against my chest as our breathing returned to normal. I pressed lazy kisses to her temple, her cheek, anywhere I could reach, reluctant to separate even an inch from her warmth.
"So," she said eventually, her voice still husky with satisfaction, "when do we leave for the village?"
I stilled, my hand pausing its idle path along her spine.
The village. Reality intruding on our perfect bubble.
Of course she would think of the practical next steps—she'd agreed to come with me, to be my healer, my mate.
But the thought of sharing her with everyone else so soon made something fiercely possessive coil in my chest.
"Actually," I said, choosing my words with care, "I was thinking we could stay here for a few days."
She shifted to look up at me, curiosity sparking in those beautiful eyes. "Here? At the cabin?"
"Here. Alone." I traced the curve of her jaw with my thumb, marveling at the softness of her skin.
"Once we reach the village, everything will change.
Everyone will want to meet with you, talk to you.
You're the new healer—they'll have questions, concerns, ailments they've been saving up.
" I grimaced slightly. "And if Sarsa has been running her mouth. .."
"Sarsa?"
"The elder. She has all the subtlety of an avalanche and loves gossip more than breathing.
" I couldn't help the fond exasperation that crept into my voice.
"By now, the entire village probably knows you're my mate.
Which means the moment we arrive, we'll be the center of attention.
Everyone watching, everyone speculating, everyone having opinions about us. "
Understanding dawned in her expression. "Ah. So you want to delay the inevitable scrutiny."
"I want you to myself for a little while longer," I admitted, pulling her closer against me. "Is that selfish?"
A smile played at the corners of her mouth. "Maybe a little." Her hands slid up my chest, fingers tracing idle patterns across my skin. "But I don't mind. I could use a few quiet days to adjust before facing an entire village of curious Orcs."
Relief flooded through me, warm and sweet. "Good. Then it's settled."
"Just one question," she said, tilting her head back to meet my eyes fully. A teasing glint shimmering in her gaze. "What exactly do you plan on doing with me during all this alone time?"
Heat flared through me at the invitation in her tone. A slow, predatory grin spread across my face as I rolled, pressing her back into the mattress and caging her beneath me. Her breath caught, eyes darkening with renewed desire.
"I plan on learning every inch of you," I rumbled, my voice dropping to that low register that made her shiver. "Every sound you make, every place that makes you gasp." I traced my hand down her side, feeling her tremble beneath my touch. "Every way I can make you come undone."
I caught her around the waist, lifting her easily and repositioning her in the center of the bed. "I plan on claiming my mate so thoroughly that when we finally do reach the village, there won't be a single doubt in anyone's mind—or yours—that you belong to me."
Her breath hitched audibly, and she wrapped her legs around my waist, pulling me closer. "That sounds... ambitious."
"I'm a very ambitious Orc." I nipped at the sensitive spot where her neck met her shoulder, feeling her pulse jump beneath my lips. "And I have several days to work with."
"Several days," she repeated, her voice already going breathy and wanting as I settled my weight over her. "That's a lot of time."
"Not nearly enough," I growled against her skin, kissing my way down her throat. "But it's a start."
She arched beneath me, her hands threading through my hair and gripping tight. "Then you'd better not waste a single moment."
"Never." I captured her mouth again, swallowing her gasp as my hand slid between her thighs, finding her still slick and sensitive from our earlier joining. She was so responsive, so perfect, trembling at even the lightest touch. "Tell me what you want, Jordan."
"You," she breathed against my lips. "Just you. Always you."
The words undid something fundamental in me, cracking open a part of my heart I hadn't known existed. I'd never felt this way before—this desperate, all-consuming need to possess and protect, to worship and claim. My mate. Mine.
I showed her with my hands, my mouth, my body, taking my time now, learning her the way I'd promised.
I discovered that the inside of her wrist was incredibly sensitive, that she made the most delicious sounds when I kissed behind her ear, that she liked it when I used my tusks to graze along her collarbone.
Every gasp and moan was a revelation, every shudder of pleasure a gift I'd spend the rest of my life earning.
When I finally slid inside her again, it was slow and deliberate, watching her face as she took me in, seeing the way her eyes went hazy with pleasure and her lips parted on a silent cry. She felt like heaven, like home, like everything I'd never known I needed until this moment.
"Ruka," she whispered, my name a prayer on her lips.
I moved with aching slowness, drawing out every sensation, every moment of connection.
This wasn't the frantic coupling from before—this was worship, devotion, a promise sealed in flesh and breath and the mingling of our souls.
I memorized the way she looked beneath me, flushed and wanting, the way her body moved with mine like we'd been made for this, for each other.
When she came apart this time, it was with my name on her lips and tears of joy glistening in her eyes, and I followed her into bliss knowing with absolute certainty that I'd found exactly where I belonged.
Afterward, we lay tangled together, her head on my chest and my arms wrapped securely around her. Neither of us spoke for a long while, content in the peaceful silence.
"Ruka?" she said eventually, her fingers tracing lazy patterns across my skin.
"Mmmm?"
"I think I'm going to like these few days alone with you."
I smiled, pressing a kiss to the top of her head. "Good. Because I'm not letting you out of this bed."
She laughed, the sound warm and genuine. "Is that a threat or a promise?"
"Both." I tightened my arms around her. "Definitely both."