Page 8 of How the Orc Stole Christmas

JULES

I had come to dread evening meals. I had been taking them with Olivia and her mates to give them time without their orcling demanding so much attention.

But tonight, they wanted to try on their own.

So I had two choices. Try to cook on my own or go to the communal fire.

My own cooking skills were a disaster, and I didn’t want to poison myself so I chose the fire.

It was also the night we were celebrating Christmas Eve, though I wasn’t in the mood anymore.

I just wanted it all to be over. But I had to put on the happy face for everyone else.

I pulled out my elf costume, a little the worse for wear, added a fur cloak, and headed for the fire where everyone was already gathered.

We ate and drank and made merry, as the saying went, though I felt like nothing merry.

I did my best to put on a brave face, though I know I failed.

My former suitors tried to cheer me up with presents and choice foods but it all tasted like sawdust in my mouth.

Someday I would get over the heartbreak.

I just wish it would happen sooner rather than later.

When it came time for the present exchange, I heard a commotion across the fire.

Klas stood there with a pup that looked like a mini-version of Nuar, Kharag’s weird-ass dog, next to him.

He wore a fur cloak, similar to something he wore the day we met, his vest and pants, and a hat.

He almost looked like Santa Claus, just not in red.

“I’d like to say something.”

Everyone quieted down, staring at them expectantly.

Kharag stepped into the circle, his eyes focused on her.

“Apparently I have been a grinch this season. Well, all along. It has been pointed out that I prefer to be grumpy and I enjoy my misery a bit too much, so that I will avoid being happy even when it’s offered to me.

Jules is my mate, the other half of my soul.

And I rejected her most cruelly because I was afraid. ”

The crowd gasped. They all had known something happened between us, but not that he was my true mate. Hell, I hadn’t even known that. What was he doing?

“I was afraid to be happy. Every time I am happy, something goes wrong. I lose my family. I lose friends. Being happy always means loss to me. But it was pointed out to me that I could choose to be angry and unhappy or I could take a chance and be happy once more.”

He took another step towards me until he was right in front of me and dropped to one knee. “Jules, you are sunshine and light, brightening my every day. You are everything to me and I never want to dim your light. I was afraid that I would destroy you with my darkness.”

Tears were rolling down my cheeks at his words and I leaned forward to grasp his cheeks in my hands. “You silly man. Light always breaks up the darkness. The sun is too powerful for dark.”

He kissed my palms. “I know. Can you ever forgive me? Will you be my mate and be with me forever?”

I nodded. “Only if you dress like that every Christmas.”

He smiled, the first true smile I had ever seen from him. “I will dress like this whenever you want, my mate.”

I pulled him to me and kissed him. His lips met mine with a tenderness that made my heart ache.

This wasn't like our first desperate kiss in the darkness, or our passionate encounters since.

This was a promise, sealed with the gentle press of his mouth against mine.

I could feel his smile, and mine answered it, making the kiss messy and perfect all at once.

The fur of his vest tickled my palms as I slid my hands up his chest. His heart thundered beneath my touch, matching the wild rhythm of my own. When his arms wrapped around me, I melted into him, knowing with bone-deep certainty that this was where I belonged.

He tasted like ale, and when his tongue swept across my bottom lip, I opened to him with a sigh of contentment.

His tusks, now as familiar as my own reflection, pressed gently against my cheeks.

One of his hands tangled in my hair, cradling my head as if I were something precious, while the other spread across my lower back, holding me close.

The kiss deepened, each stroke of his tongue against mine spoke of apologies and forgiveness, of future mornings waking up together and evenings spent by the fire. When he pulled back just enough to press his forehead to mine, I could see his dark eyes catching the firelight.

"My mate," he whispered against my lips, and the words settled into my chest like coming home. I stretched up to kiss him again, knowing I finally had my home, my place to belong.

W ant to read more about how Olivia and Kharag and Jarrus became mates? Check out Rescued by her Monster Mercenaries . Read on for a sneak peek.