Page 7 of Enchanted with the Orc (The Kingverse Orcs #4)

Tasia

I tried to ignore Enka for the rest of the bus ride, but when I stood to leave, he followed, exiting with me as I stepped onto the street and started walking. He was a huge, protective presence behind me and it was the first time I’d felt safe that day.

I peeked back at him as he strolled, his hands in the pants pockets of the charcoal suit he was wearing. His lips quirked in a smile as he saw me looking at him and I spun back to face forward, having memorized the look of his drool-worthy shoulders and chest.

There was no way that I could fall for whatever act he was putting on. “I know it was either Zara or Rudgar who put you up to this,” I told him, glaring over my shoulder. “Or maybe both of them.”

He shrugged those big shoulders, his biceps outlined in his suit, and I wished I could just take a bite of them. Maybe my daughter had gotten her biting habit from me .

“I told you,” he drawled, strolling with casual ease while I was hurrying along the street. “This has nothing to do with anyone. I’m on my own.”

“And you just decided to follow a stranger,” I sighed, rolling my eyes, focusing on where I was going once more.

“You’re not a stranger to me,” he told me in a serious voice. “You’re part of my clan. You and Gabbi. I noticed that you’ve been acting differently. More guarded, more watchful. I figured something was wrong. So when I saw you leave, I knew that I had to follow.”

I licked my lips, struggling not to turn around and look at him. I couldn’t let him know how much his words affected me. How much I wanted to hear them.

For so long, I’d felt invisible. At first with David, then with the coven, then as a woman. I didn’t need to hear exactly what I wanted to hear from a male like him. The sexiest, most gorgeous male that I’d seen in a long time.

This had to be something else, I just knew it. I couldn’t let myself get twisted into whatever the hell he was pretending. The only thing that could come from that was that I’d get hurt. He’d play whatever game he was playing and I would be the loser. Like always.

No, I was going to be smart this time. For myself, for my coven and definitely for my daughter. I’d never let her see the real weakness that I had inside me. I only wanted her to know me as strong.

Trying to walk faster, I stopped at the crosswalk, pressing the button multiple times. I was almost certain that it didn’t have any effect on the speed of the lights changing, but just in case .

“Where’re you heading?” Enka asked from behind me, and I peered up at him—so much taller than I was—as he looked around into the darkness surrounding us.

He was vigilant, his head swiveling and ears twitching to take in everything in a way that told me he wouldn’t miss much.

I turned back to face the lights, not letting myself be swayed by that.

It didn’t matter if he was looking out for us now.

It was because he’d been asked to and I wouldn’t be forgetting that.

“There’s a hotel nearby,” he told me, and I shook my head.

“I told you—” I started, and he tutted, following me as the crosswalk lights turned on and I hurried across the street.

“No need to lie. I’m just letting you know that there’s a hotel nearby that I think we could stay in tonight. Formulate a plan,” he explained.

“A plan?” I gasped, stopping in my tracks and turning to face him head-on. The abrupt stop made him almost crash into me, but he didn’t, teetering on his feet, but never touching me. “You don’t have anything to do with this. I told you—”

“I know what you’re saying,” he said with a twist of his lips, “but you have me at your disposal. Let me help you. I won’t tell anyone where you are.

Although I think it would be best if you let them know you’re safe.

They will scry for you,” he explained, his brow furrowing until I wanted to reach up to smooth it out on his face.

“And they will find you. Wouldn’t it make more sense if you called them and explained to them what’s happening instead of sending them on a gurak chase? ”

Confused, it took me a moment to place the words. “You mean a wild goose chase? ”

He shrugged, waving it off. “Whatever they’re called here. The feathered beasts.”

I swallowed, knowing that he was being logical, but it still took me a moment of staring up at his open, honest face before I said, “I wasn’t planning on being found.”

“I know,” he agreed, “but—”

“I knew they were going to scry,” I clarified, not happy with the idea that he probably thought I was some kind of idiot if he figured I hadn’t considered that. “That’s why we were heading to a safe zone.”

“A safe zone?” he asked, tilting his head and I remembered that this male hadn’t been in this world very long. There was so much that he had to learn.

“When someone wants to go somewhere that they won’t be found, they go to bespelled safe zones. There’s some hotels, but more shelters,” I explained, shrugging. “I was going to move us around between safe zones until I could figure out something else.”

His frown deepened and his intense stare turned into a glare. It was an odd feeling seeing censure in the eyes of this male whose opinion shouldn’t matter, but I was beginning to think did —for some reason.

“And you were just going to go on a merry chase, not considering your own safety?” he growled, and I swallowed, shaking my head.

“Of course I was considering my own safety,” I gasped, outraged. “That’s why I was sticking to safe zones!”

“With no protection,” he corrected, and I sputtered into silence. “Because it’s very clear that you’re running from something, or more to the point, some one .”

I gaped at him just as Gabbi stirred in my arms, blinking around at us. We’d gone still, and she was probably feeling the light nip in the nighttime air. She didn’t like the cold. Neither did I.

“We’ll get somewhere warm soon, Gabbi girl,” I cooed at her, snuggling her closer, but she was taken from me—with an ease that I was jarred by.

My daughter was out of my arms and pressed against Enka’s huge chest before I could argue.

He tucked her under his jacket, but he didn’t even need to bother.

As soon as Gabbi’s body touched the heat of his, she melted against him, snuggling close and going right back to sleep. I knew I was in trouble as soon as I felt the twist of sweetness in my heart at how tenderly such a huge orc was holding my daughter. As if she was something very precious to him.

He took the bags that I was holding too, tilting his head in the direction I had been walking.

“You’re coming with me,” he told me, not bothering to wait for my response, turning and walking away with Gabbi. I hurried after him, noticing that he was keeping his stride slow so I could catch up.

“I’m telling you—” I started and he turned dark, narrowed eyes my way, cutting me off.

“And I’m telling you that there’s no way that I’m going to let you prance around in danger. I’ll protect you,” he finished, putting his hand out to stop me from continuing to walk when we’d arrived at another crosswalk.

I took the time to stare up at him, confusion and hope swirling in my chest. The hope was the one I tried to quash. I didn’t have the energy or bandwidth to think about another male and if I did, I wouldn’t go for a bossy one.

That’s where you went wrong with David.

Although that wasn’t true. He was a little pushy in the beginning but overall he acted like a prince, making sure my every need was met and I was pampered like I’d never been before. Then the mask had fallen.

I eyed Enka, wondering if he wore a mask, too. I’d been observing the orcs who’d taken us in. So far they seemed caring and kind, but you never knew what kind of person someone actually was until the chips were down.

Dristan, Rok and Rudgar had come through for their females, but that didn’t mean that there weren’t any bad eggs in the batch. And I was a master bad-egg-picker.

Enka put his hand on my lower back, the sizzle of electricity shocking me into the forward propulsion of his hand as the light changed and we were allowed to cross.

“I can take her,” I told him, worried that he was trying to use my daughter as a hostage of some kind. He stopped on the other side of the crosswalk, moving his body lower so I could take Gabbi, protecting us from the wind as he did.

I blinked up at him, observing the concern on his face as he looked down at my little girl. I shook myself out of my stupor when he raised his eyes to mine.

“Take my jacket, too,” he told me, holding both of my heavy bags in one hand and maneuvering it off of himself so he could cover my shoulders.

Then he started walking again, ensuring that he was between me and the street and protecting us from the cross-wind at the same time.

Oh, he’s good.

This was probably how he got all the females to fall at his feet. I felt my lip lift in a sneer as I thought about how easy it must be for him to seduce his way through throngs of fawning females. Males like that were the worst kind.

I spotted the sign for the hotel as soon as we turned the corner and I slowed to a stop as he headed toward the double door entrance with the gargoyle doorman. I blinked at the sign and then Enka, shaking my head.

“There’s no way I can afford this,” I whispered to him and he smiled at me, shaking his head .

“Don’t worry about it. Rudgar’s best friend runs the security for this hotel. He’ll give us backup too. You and Gabbi will be safe here,” he assured me.

It was the final words that cinched my fate.

Gabbi.

She would be totally safe in a place like this. One of the fanciest hotels in Grebath and it was a safe zone.