Page 12 of His Orc Warrior (Human Omegas for Monster Alphas #1)
Thrain
Luca seemed so shocked when I told him I needed to introduce him to the family. With everything else he’d learned today, I didn’t see how that was the real surprise, but it made me sad.
Had my mate grown up with a family who didn’t care who their scion wed?
Among orcs, that would be unheard of. Every parent wanted to meet and approve of their child’s mate. Of course, they did believe in fated mates, but we had a tradition that went back so far, nobody could remember when it began. Which was beautiful and loving and occasionally confining. But if Lucas and I were lucky enough to be mated and have progeny, I would insist on meeting their mates as well.
Did humans truly not want to get a look at their children’s mates.
Made me even gladder to be an orc.
But leaving Lucas for the night was harder than I’d have dreamed possible. Everyone said once you met your fated mate, you’d never be the same, and I’d held out for the one. But as I headed to my car, all I could think about was picking him up in the morning.
Was he going to have a good night’s sleep? Would he think of me? I slid behind the wheel and drove home, wanting to pull over the whole time and text him. Wish him good night… I managed to hold out until I was home, undressed, showered, and tucked into bed before granting myself the indulgence.
And then, I didn’t know what to say. Miss you? We’d only met that day, and a human might think that too pushy? Nice to meet you? No, that didn’t begin to cover what I was feeling and was definitely too cold.
In the end, I went with, See you in the morning , before pulling the covers up to my chin and snuggling in to sleep. Or try to. My mind was treating me to reruns of the day. From the moment he walked in, the mental movie reel followed our time together. Our first meeting and playing Go Fish… Our first kiss.
He’d invited me in, clearly offering to continue what our lips had begun…and I’d had to say no. Or rather, not yet. It was the right thing to do, but try to tell that to my cock. And, my heart that wanted to stay with him for the night…for forever.
I must have finally fallen asleep because the next thing I knew, the sun was up and it was time to get ready to take Lucas to meet the folks. It seemed to take forever to shower and dress, but he wasn’t expecting me until nine thirty, so rushing would get me nowhere. Plus, I wanted to look my best—and my best was 100 percent my orc self. Not the way I could easily traverse the human neighborhoods, however, so I didn’t even bother to try. Even if Lucas’ neighbors did assume it was just a costume or cosplay, my large green self was sure to attract attention that he might not welcome.
I’d been warned about that by some of my older cousins.
As soon as I pulled up in front of his place, my mate came running out to the car. He hopped in before I had a chance to open the door for him, but when he leaned in and lifted his face for a kiss, I forgave his denying me that privilege.
His lips were warm and firm, his scent clean with the herbal astringent shampoo aroma blending with his sweet spice. I could have lingered there forever, holding him in my arms, breathing him in, but finally I drew back with reluctance. “Good morning, Lucas.”
“Good morning. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, but probably not long enough. I was looking forward to seeing you today.”
“Me too.” He smiled, settling back in his seat. “And I might have been a little nervous. I mean…meeting the parents, in my experience, is something that comes later. When a couple has had the chance to get to know one another. When they are considering something…permanent.”
Humans were different from orcs, in many ways I had not even considered. “Among my people, things move a little faster,” I told him. “I guess we have a lot to learn about each other.”
He bobbed his head in agreement. “I’m looking forward to it. So”—he pulled his seat belt across his chest and clicked it into place—“do we have very far to go?”
“Not too far. I thought if we got there a little before my parents expect us, I could give you a tour of the area? If you’re interested, that is.” I hoped he would be.
“Definitely. You mean there’s a whole town full of orcs so close to the city and nobody knows?”
“More like a village, and we don’t disappear into the mists or anything, but we mostly mind our own business and only visit the bigger town in human form.”
We drove along for a while, talking about this and that. First-date getting-to-know-you stuff like I’d seen on TV. Most shifters I knew mated first and chatted later, but I was going to have to fall back on my extensive TV-watching experience to pick up on the nuances of his life and expectations for a relationship. I was ready to introduce him to my parents and close the deal. But…human. He would have his own timetable for a relationship, and I’d have to learn what that was.
We left the city behind, and I drove along pointing out some of the sights. They were not full-tourist approved, but patches of forest and roadside diners were definitely among my favorite things. To his credit, Lucas seemed as happy about them as I felt.
Taking the unmarked two-lane road, we drew closer to the village, and I tightened up inside. Not because I was ashamed of my home. No…it was downright adorable, but would he like that? He lived in the city where everything was brick and glass and steel. Our main street consisted of small one- and two-story structures.
“This is…wow.” Lucas had his face pressed to the passenger side window. “It looks like something out of a movie about happiness in small-town America. Everything is so clean, though.”
My chest swelled with pride. “We like cleanliness and order. It doesn’t really take a lot of time to keep up, either. Not if you have so many willing hands.”
“Look,” he said, pointing at the windshield. “That couple is watching us. In front of that house.”
“Those are my parents.” I lifted a hand to wave. “Standing in front of the house I grew up in.”