Page 25 of Loved By The Orc (Monster Orc Brides #4)

Six months later:

“GODDESS, SHE’S SO adorable. Uncle Lats, you ended up with two girls and two boys. How perfect.”

“And we’re done,” Aunt Joanna says, leaning over her baby curled in my arms. “As precious as she is.” Then she leans in to wink. “Your Uncle Latsil has a big head. My vagina’s the size of a garage from bearing four of his brats.”

Uncle Latsil clears his throat and speaks in a deeper than normal voice. “Nay, ‘tis not from my head, sweet.” He waggles his eyebrows.

“Ack! We kids can’t hear this,” Shalia says, then turns over her shoulder and calls out. “Boys, run outside before you’re scarred for life.”

Her little brothers, Silan and Latjo, come running out their bedroom and streak out the back door… naked as the day they were born.

I blink and shake my head. “Were they—”

Uncle Latsil sighs. “Your father explained skinny dipping to them. I’ll bet he’s waiting for them outside. I better go make sure they understand it’s wrong.”

He gets up and heads out the back door.

It always makes me smile that my dad and uncle pretend they can’t stand each other… but first chance they get, they head out in the same direction to casually bump into one another to hang out .

Aunt Joanna nudges me. “I’ve never been happier for spring so we could see you again. We’re dying to know how it’s going with you and Var.”

The mating has been the best gift my godfather could ever have given me.

Now, it finally becomes clear why all the males made such a big deal over my virginity.

They wanted an excuse to force who was considered the bastard son of a wicked king to bind with me.

“He’s perfect. Life is perfect. The three of us go hunting together sometimes, but”—I lean in to whisper, my eyes on the back door to see if my father will pop in— “King Jacovi’s sister returned home.

She’d been mated when she was young and lived with the Sarkuut clan.

She left her mate and traveled all the way home.

My father found her, exhausted in the woods, and she remembered him. ”

Joanna’s eyes widen, leaning forward. “And?”

“Mom! We shouldn’t be asking,” Shally says loudly. “But, Sweet-Knees, if you want to go ahead and share more…”

“How did you get that nickname, anyway?” Aunt Hannah asks.

I sigh. “My father pointed out that despite my numerous scrapes and bruises, my knees were always undamaged. Unfortunately, Denruk and his friends heard and twisted it into something else. Said my knees were sweet enough to be wrapped around a male’s neck.

I didn’t understand what it meant back then. They were teens at the time.”

Joanna shudders. “Hideous little bastard. How are his hands?”

My voice is cheerful. “Permanently damaged. Has to rely on others for the smallest tasks. Not that he was big on brushing his teeth anyway.”

“Does he have teeth?” Shally frowns. “When Bakog and I rode through on our way to Serenity, he mumbled a lot.”

“He is missing a few.” I smile broadly, glad that she’d noticed. “You see, Var found out why he and his friends used to taunt me with my nickname.”

Joanna gasps. “He knocked out his teeth? ”

I nod eagerly. “And the teeth of his friends, Mitrek and Ugrik. He left their hands intact because technically, they never touched me. They’d only laughed.”

Joanna and Hannah grin and nudge each other, while Hisa and Shally full-out laugh.

Then I lean in to finish the story. “I think it was love at first sight. He was shocked at first that she remembered him. And of course, everyone was shocked that she’d returned.

We’re waiting for the weather to clear to see if the Sarkuuts come looking for her.

Father’s inviting some of the clan down to visit us and add onto our house.

He’d like a separate wing for himself. Says he’s tired of being kept up all night with the noises coming from our bedroom. But honestly?”

The baby in my arms gurgles, and then smiles.

“I think he’s going to ask Cherovi to move into his section of the house.”

Joanna clutches her heart. “It’s getting serious, then?”

“Pretty sure.”

“I’m so glad. Your father deserves love. Do you like her?”

“Love her to death. My daddy’s never been happier.”

Just then there’s a hesitant female voice that calls from outside. “ Hyiak ?”

Hisa gets up and opens the door wide. The gorgeous orc female looks in warily, then spots me on the sofa and relief washes across her face because I’m familiar.

“Cherovi! Come in,” I call out.

She enters hesitantly. Her skin is much darker than everyone else’s and her hair is greener, which matches her eyes.

“I’m so glad I have the right place. I rode in with my brother and we stopped at a lake where a bunch of males were frolicking naked.

All ages, from wee brats to”—she blushes, her cheeks turning dark green— “well, your father. And Jacovi suddenly seemed like he wanted to get rid of me and said to just walk on until I got to the house with the yellow roses. And I wanted to ask more, but he started to strip and I didn’t want to get an eyeful of that, so I turned and practically hightailed it here.

Of course, I got confused because there was another house with yellow flowers and I couldn’t remember if he said roses or just flowers… all I remembered was the word yellow—”

I laugh, tugging her down to the couch to sit next to me. “I’m sorry you were scarred. Were you distracted and trying to catch a peek at my father when Jacovi shocked you and pulled down his pants?”

By her stammer, I’m sure I’m right and the others start to giggle.

“Everyone, meet Cherovi.” Everyone nods as I start to introduce them. “This precious sleeping brat is the newest member. She’s Jasil, named by her sister”—I motion with my chin toward Shalia— “in a family tradition. Shalia there is the daughter of Joanna and Latsil. Joanna is daddy’s best friend.”

Joanna reaches over and hugs Cherovi, who looks startled for a moment before hugging her back.

“I’ve heard so much about you,” Cherovi says.

I wait until they separate to continue. “Hannah is Prince Brun’s wife. My aunt. That’s Hisa, her daughter. She’s got other kids running around the village also.”

Hannah waves at her, then scowls. “So we have a couple of grown, naked males in the lake? Instead of correcting Latjo and Silan, they joined them?”

Cherovi’s eyes grow wide. “More than a couple, aye? Like half your village.”

Aunt Hannah’s jaw drops and Hisa and Shalia start giggling.

“If Sweet Knees hands that brat back to her momma, we can pull a prank just like in the old days,” Hisa says.

I lean forward. “What did you have in mind?”

“Sneaking up to the bank and collecting all their clothes to bring back. Imagine their surprise when they get out of the lake to find nothing? And they have to make their way back through the village bare-assed?”

Shalia starts to laugh. “The walk of shame! The village ‘twould be full by then. The hunters are due to arrive back and the kitchens will have the ale flowing.”

“Will we be able to deny it with a straight face this time?” Joanna asks.

“That’s the only way it’ll work,” Hannah agrees. “And now we have Cherovi here to swear all six of us were in the house with the baby the entire time.”

We turn to Cherovi. She grins wickedly. “I saw nothing. Chatted the entire time with six wonderful females and even got to hold a sweet wee brat.” She rubs her hands together gleefully and I deposit Jasil into her lap.

“Joanna, where’s your leftover scraps of fabric? They’re not still here, are they?”

“They shouldn’t be. Lats assured me he took them to the main room for the little ones to sew with.”

I grin wickedly. If they’re still in a barrel outside, Uncle Lats will know it’s us… but can’t say a word because there’s no way he’ll disappoint Joanna and admit he lied, never taking the scraps away. “Let’s grab the scraps, aye? Will be funnier if they all drift back tied in yellow ribbons.”

Shalia, Hisa and I make our way out the back door and through the gardens, leaving our mothers giggling behind us, Joanna telling Cherovi stories about my dad. I bring my finger to my lips and lift the top of the barrel.

Bits of yellow fabrics sparkle up at us. We grab them by the handfuls, ensuring there’s enough for all.

Once we get to the cove of trees and can hear the males splashing and laughing, I pause, taking the other two’s hands .

“If Var is naked, I don’t want either one of you looking at his Southpeak sword of sin,” I whisper.

“What in the world is a—” Shally asks

I motion my eyes downward to my groin.

“Oh.”

Hisa snickers. “Goddess, I missed you, crazy female. If Tok is there, no one gets to look at his passionate pleasure-pole.”

I snicker back.

Shally looks worried. “Aye, do you think our own males would be foolish enough to be in there? I don’t want either of you to see Bakog’s turgid tool of tantric love.”

I snort. “If our fathers and brothers are swimming naked? I do think their brains will have gone out the window, yes. So, no peeking at Var’s magnificent manhood.”

“Mayhap we didn’t think this through,” Hisa says. “I don’t want to see my father naked. Not even accidentally.” She pauses. “Not any of yours, either.”

“None of us do,” Shally says. “We’ll just have to try to sneak the clothes and hope they all stay in the water.” She shudders. “Imagine if they come running out, dangling pieces flopping between their legs.”

We take a moment to laugh quietly at the ridiculous image, covering our mouths.

It’s easier than we imagine with the males so distracted to steal their clothes and leave bits of dress fabric in places on the sand, some only as big as my hand.

And later, when we’re in the gathering area of the village, passing the ale back and forth with some of the hunters and the mostly-female population, we hear a bellow as the males return.