Page 50 of Her Orc Protector

He leaned his head toward mine, his brow just brushing mine for the barest moment. “A few more,” he said softly. “Maybe a dozen. Then I’ll start charging them to spar you instead.”

My smile turned into a grin. “What will I owe you for training, then?”

He tilted his head, pretending to ponder. “A favor. Undetermined. Maybe a piping-hot meat pie. Maybe letting me hold Ellie without you turning pink in the ears. Could be anything.”

“Dangerous terms,” I murmured, eyes on his mouth. “You sure you want to strike that kind of bargain with me?”

His voice dropped an octave. “I already did. The first time you called me your mate.”

I didn’t breathe for a second.

The wind rustled through the oak leaves above us, gold-edged and trembling. Somewhere down the hill, a bell tolled the hour faintly. Time didn’t stop, but it didn’t rush either. It stretched, steady and full around the space between us.

Behind us, Hobbie cleared her throat.

Loudly.

Uldrek and I separated slightly, but neither of us looked away.

Uldrek’s hand lingered at the small of my back as we turned toward the oak. Hobbie stood with calculated slowness, groaning just loud enough to remind us she wasn’t young and wasn’t patient and wasn’t, under any circumstances, dragging a basket uphill alone.

“Come on, you ridiculous tall creatures,” she muttered, tucking the biscuit into Ellie’s sling beside her magical charm pouch. “If we’re late to dinner, Gruha will have opinions. And none of us are strong enough to endure those on an empty stomach.”

Uldrek bent to scoop up Ellie’s basket, slinging it over one arm like it weighed nothing. She gurgled at him, her sharp little hands grabbing for his beard with glee.

“Dangerous fingers you’ve got,” he murmured to her, eyes softening. “Just like your mother.”

I flushed and turned toward the path leading back to Tinderpost House, fighting a smile.

We walked in companionable quiet along the narrow lane. Uldrek’s hand brushed mine once, then again, until I finally laced our fingers together. He looked down, startled, then gave me a smile so quiet and full it hurt to look at. So I didn’t.

I looked ahead instead. At the crooked chimneys of home. At the windows I now knew. At the front stoop where Gruha’s boots always waited and where Dora would soon be peeking out to see if we’d brought gossip or a pie.

This was life—stitched from sweat and smudges and borrowed kindness. From dinners no one admitted to loving but never left a drop behind.

Chapter 15

"And then—" Dora wheezed, barely able to continue through her laughter, "—then the wizard says, 'That's not my familiar, that's my mother-in-law!'"

The table erupted with laughter. Even Gruha's stern face cracked into a reluctant smile as she tore another hunk of bread from the loaf.

I shifted Ellie on my lap, trying to keep her hands away from my bowl while still managing to eat something myself. She was particularly spirited tonight, bouncing and babbling as if determined to join the conversation.

"Here," Uldrek said, reaching over. "Let me take her for a bit."

His fingers brushed mine as he lifted Ellie, and I felt the same flutter in my stomach that had been there since our kiss in the training yard. He settled her against his broad chest with practiced ease, one large hand supporting her back while the other offered her a wooden spoon to investigate.

"Careful," I warned. "She's in a throwing mood."

He raised an eyebrow. "Fought shadow beasts in the western trenches. Pretty sure I can handle one wooden—"

The spoon went sailing across the table, landing with a splash in Leilan's cup. The half-elven girl yelped, then dissolved into giggles.

"You were saying?" I asked innocently.

Uldrek's mouth twitched. "Clearly I underestimated my opponent."

His knee bumped against mine under the table, and I didn't move away. Instead, I leaned slightly into the contact, enjoying his solid warmth beside me. Everything felt different since the kiss—brighter, somehow. The walls of caution I'd built hadn't disappeared, but they'd thinned, become permeable. Every time he looked at me, I felt it like sunshine breaking through clouds.