Page 25 of Enchanted with the Orc (The Kingverse Orcs #4)
Enka
I ’ m in a slow-burning hell.
Tasia was plastered against my side as she waved at the screen I was holding.
Our Gruk-ir was on her lap, trying to plaster her face on the screen, but her mother had pinned her against her chest while she wiggled for freedom.
It was the only reason she was so close to me.
I was both cursing my bad luck and thanking every God that could hear me.
She wanted us to be friends , and here I was enjoying every inch of her body that was soft and sweet against me.
The muscles in my body were stiff from holding myself back from what I wanted to do.
I wanted to bury my face in her throat, to cradle her and our daughter in my arms. To revel in our closeness.
But I couldn’t do that. Not when I was so close to her trusting me. Instead, I pasted a smile on my face and watched as Gabbi told an amused Rudgar all about her day while he made his way toward Zara’s apartment.
“I’m glad you had a good birthday,” he told her with a wink. “And I have a present for you when you get home.”
She was vibrating against Tasia now, and she grabbed at the phone, causing Tasia to hold her even tighter, pressing harder against me, her ass bumping against my thigh. It was everything I could do to angle my hips away and not roll my eyes back in my head.
Rudgar gave me a knowing look as our Gruk-ir screeched, “Present?” just as the male opened the door to Zara’s apartment. The loud cheer from the other side made my mate and daughter grin. If only based on that reaction, I would forever be grateful that they had them to rely on.
“It’s our girl’s birthday!” Zara called, her hands in the air in celebration while the others clapped. My Gruk-ir wiggled with joy while Tasia wiped a tear from her cheek.
“How was your day, little one?” Tabitha asked. She’d been leading the coven when Zara’s mother—the original High Priestess—had died. Now that Zara had taken over, she was a treasured advisor and one of the strongest witches in the coven.
“So much fun!” Gabbi babbled, telling the enthralled group all about her party and the friends she had made.
I scowled as she started talking about her best friend Jael , the little centaur male who she appeared to be smitten with.
“And we ate cake and then Mommy and Abu kissed ,” she finished and her audience turned their awestruck gazes our way instead.
My lips parted to explain, but I snapped them shut, not sure what to say without giving away my intentions. I waited for Tasia to say something—anything—but she just sat there, her eyes wide and her mouth hanging open.
“ Kissed? ” Zara asked, tilting her head at Tasia, sending a wink her way. “Well what do you know, I guess our Tasia is spending her little away time more productively than I thought.”
Tasia was shaking her head violently while Zara spoke, but no one allowed her to talk, breaking out in boisterous laughter instead.
“I’m getting a little sister!” Our Gruk-ir announced then, and it was everything I could do to not laugh along with them. I bit my lip, watching as Tasia sputtered, turning horrified eyes on our daughter.
“I am not pregnant!” she insisted, and the cackles from the phone didn’t stop. “I’m not !”
“But she needs a sibling, Tasia,” Floria called, wiping tears from her eyes while still leaning against Hanna’s side to hold herself up. “And you have quite a fine specimen there.”
I puffed my chest, grinning down at Tasia, but she shook her head wildly, whispering, “Don’t encourage them!” so I deflated a little.
“There won’t be any sisters,” she said to Gabbi, who turned a mutinous look her way, her entire face scrunching in that way that sent a punch to my gut. And while I knew that it wasn’t time for the discussion, I didn’t want to do anything but give her whatever she wanted.
“Never say never,” Zara laughed, wiggling her eyebrows with vigor, and Tasia sent a withering expression in her direction.
“And what if it ends up being a brother?” Floria asked and it was our Gruk-ir’s turn to look horrified.
The laughter started again until Tasia spoke up, quieting the rowdy group. “Alright, alright. No more of that.” She pulled Gabbi back toward her chest, keeping her close. “Thanks so much for calling,” she told them, “even though all you did was make trouble.”
“It’s what we’re best at,” Zara quipped, but her smile softened as she searched my mate’s expression. “We want you both back soon. You’ll be safe here.”
“I miss you,” Gabbi called, fighting Tasia’s hold to press a sweet kiss to the camera. The females all got a little teary eyed, including my mate. “I want to come home.”
“Soon, sweet girl,” Tasia insisted, pressing a kiss to her hair.
“And until then,” Zara told her with a little wink, “We sent some presents with Darak. They should be waiting outside in the hall. From the coven to our littlest witch.”
The sound that left Gabbi was more war-cry than joy, but she scrambled off of Tasia and onto the floor, running with all her might to the front door.
I left Tasia’s side, my body protesting the move, following our daughter to make sure she didn’t get herself into trouble.
When I spotted her, she was swinging off of the door handle, but it wasn’t budging.
It was an extra precaution that I’d taken, ensuring that she didn’t get out and run amok in the hallway. I couldn’t bear to think of other possible scenarios of anything happening to her where I couldn’t reach her.
She released her hold on the handle and then pointed at it like the little princess she was. “Abu, open.”
“Please?” I asked, kneeling down so we were closer in height—while still towering over her.
“Please,” she agreed with a firm nod and I grinned, opening the door. In poured dozens of wrapped gifts and her war cry sounded again. I flinched before corralling all of her energy and enthusiasm into the living area near Tasia with her presents.
It was a struggle to get her—the vibrating ball of energy that she was—into the space while also holding all of her presents, but I survived it.
I could barely hear the words being shared between the females, but when I sat next to her again, ensuring that I was pressed against her the way I had enjoyed, they quieted.
“And you, Enka?” Zara asked, amusement filling her gaze. “How’ve you been?”
“Good,” I told her with a contented smile that was probably telegraphing that I was way better than good .
“I’ll bet,” she drawled with a smirk before focusing on Tasia again. “He’ll take care of you. Trust him.”
She stiffened against me before giving a small, almost imperceptible nod. I knew it was difficult for even that, so I was flattered. Even the smallest show of trust from her was better than nothing.
Progress.
“You know we’re just a call away,” Tabitha said, her voice low but filled with intensity. “If you need anything. We’re your family.”
“And we forgive you for leaving us without a word,” Floria said with pursed lips and crossed arms. “Because you’re trying to protect our little girl. But never again .”
Tasia swallowed, and I wanted to hold her so bad that my hand shook with the urge. “I promise,” she whispered, swiping away a tear from her cheek and I had to look away. I couldn’t sit there while she cried and not comfort her.
“Mommy?” Our Gruk-ir asked, abandoning her presents and scrambling up her lap for a hug. Tasia smiled down at her while our precious girl frowned, swiping at her wet cheeks with her tiny hands. “Why are you crying? Abu, hug Mommy.”
I looked at Tasia’s face and she gave me a small smile. I took it as all the approval I needed before gathering them both into my arms, holding them tight against me. I ignored the feel of another tear sliding against my skin .
“Take care of them,” Zara called. “I love you all.”
The words were repeated by the group and Gabbi pressed one last smacking kiss to the phone before we hung up. She pulled away to look at Tasia who had finally stopped crying.
“No more crying,” she told her with a stern voice and my mate’s watery laugh had me holding her tighter. Gabbi waited for her mother’s nod before she ran back to her presents.
“You can let me go now,” Tasia murmured, but she was leaning against me, her eyes closed as she turned her face into my chest.
I didn’t say anything, my heart breaking for my mate as she sniffled, clenching my shirt. Unable to stop myself from doing anything else, I gathered her into my arms, tighter against me, hugging her close.
“It’s okay,” I whispered against her temple, nuzzling against her, taking a deep hit of her scent to calm myself so I didn’t immediately run out of the building to kill her husband.
I had a mate and daughter to think about. I couldn’t be taken away from them for doing anything reckless. Instead, I let her soothe me, her small, soft body curved against mine.
Over my mate’s head, I saw our Gruk-ir looking at me with a grin that could only be described as evil. I quirked my eyebrow and she went back to what she was doing, ripping wrapping paper off of a paint set.