Page 4 of Marked by the Scarred Orc (Heat & Ink #6)
My nephew is absolutely beautiful, with his father’s green skin and small, developing horns just beginning to show as tiny bumps on his forehead. His little tusks are just starting to come in, tiny white points barely visible.
“Oh my God, he’s gotten so big,” I coo, immediately reaching for the baby. “Can I hold him?”
“Please, take him. My arms need a break.”
Rhys settles into my arms with a little sigh, his tiny green fist curling around my finger with surprising strength.
This boy is definitely going to be as strong as his daddy when he grows up.
The sweet baby smell and his warm weight against my chest immediately calm some of my anxiety.
There’s something about holding a baby that puts everything else in perspective, even when that baby happens to be an orc.
“He’s been sleeping better,” Mia says, leading me into the living room. “Finally, down to only waking up once every night.”
“That’s progress,” I say, settling onto the couch with Rhys. “How are you holding up? You look tired.”
“I am tired, but it’s getting easier. Kavin’s been amazing, when he’s not on shift at the station he does the 2 am feeding so I can get a full night of sleep.” She pauses in the doorway. “I’m going to make some coffee. You look like you need it.”
I probably look as rough as I feel. “That sounds perfect.”
While she’s gone, I hear the murmur of male voices in the kitchen, Kavin must be talking with whoever owns that truck outside. Probably discussing work stuff or sports. I’m glad he has friends over. It’s good for him to maintain relationships outside of just family.
Mia returns with two steaming mugs and settles into the armchair across from me. I reach forward and immediately start sipping at mine because I really do need the caffeine.
“Okay, spill,” my sister says with eager anticipation. “What happened last night that has you looking like death warmed over?”
I let out a snort because I know I don’t look that bad.
“Well, I ended up participating in a bar crawl with the girls from work,” I begin, adjusting Rhys so he’s more comfortable in my arms. His little horns are surprisingly smooth against my skin.
“We were celebrating that big project completion bonus we all got.”
“The one you’ve been working on for months, that they all got because you were the one who brought in that new client? That’s awesome, Corinne. You deserved to celebrate.”
“Yeah, well, the celebration got a little out of hand.” I take another sip of coffee, perfectly sweetened the way my sister knows I like, grateful for the warmth. “We ended up at four different bars, and Margaret kept buying rounds.”
Mia winces. “Margaret’s the one who challenged you to that CrossFit competition last year that nearly killed you?”
“Yes, yes, that’s the one. That was terrible. She has this thing about proving who’s toughest.” I shift Rhys again as he makes little sleeping noises. “So anyway, we got into this ridiculous argument about who was strongest, and somehow it turned into a bet.”
“What kind of bet?”
“Arm wrestling tournament. Losers had to get tattoos.”
Mia’s eyes widen. “Please tell me you didn’t lose.”
“I lost spectacularly. Apparently, yoga doesn’t build the same kind of arm strength as CrossFit.”
“Oh no. Where did you go for the tattoo? Please tell me you went somewhere reputable and not some sketchy back-alley place.”
I take a deep breath. “We went to Heat & Ink.”
The silence that follows is deafening. Mia sets down her mug with a clink that sounds unnaturally loud. “You went to the orc tattoo shop in the middle of the night? Corinne, what were you thinking?”
“I was drunk and stupid, okay? We all were. They thought it would be funny because they know about my whole ‘wall-to-wall orcs’ situation with you and Kavin.”
“Please tell me Talon or one of the other guys took care of you. They know you’re my sister.”
“That’s the thing.” I look down at darling Rhys, who’s now sleeping peacefully despite the tension in my voice, his little green fingers wrapped around my thumb. “There was a new guy working there. Someone I’d never seen before.”
She blinks with surprise. “New guy?”
“Yeah, and he was the most intimidating orc I’ve ever seen. He made Kavin look small, and you know how big Kavin is.”
Mia leans forward, her expression concerned. “What did he look like? Describe him for me.”
“Huge, even for an orc. Black horns that nearly scraped the ceiling. And he had this scar…” I trace a line down my own face, mimicking the path of Harken’s scar. “From here to here. It looked old, but deep.”
Something flickers across Mia’s face, but I’m too focused on my story to pay attention.
“He was working the late shift, and all the other artists were busy with my friends. Three of us had lost, so all three of us needed a tattoo. The other two got quickly matched with Doril and Oreg, so I got stuck with the new guy.” I pause, remembering that moment of being alone with him in that room.
It should’ve bothered me, but I liked being there, in his space.
“I asked for a small cat tattoo. Something cute and simple.”
“And?”
“He didn’t give me a cat, Mia. He branded me. With his mark.” I carefully shift Rhys to one arm and use my free hand to pull down the waistband of my yoga pants just enough to show the edge of the mark.
Mia’s face goes white. “Holy shit, Corinne. That’s not a tattoo. That’s a claiming mark.”
“A what?”
“Some of the orcs from a certain clan in Maine mark their mates. It’s…it’s considered permanent and binding.” She stares at the visible portion of the design. “He claimed you as his bride.”
The words hit me like a physical blow. “Yes, that’s what he said, but I thought he was just being dramatic. I mean, how could he think that about me? We barely know each other.”
“Orc biology doesn’t care about human dating customs.” Mia runs her hands through her hair. “Corinne, do you understand what this means?”
“That I need a good lawyer?”
“It means he’s going to come for you. Orcs don’t just mark random women. If he branded you, he thought he scented you as his mate. He thinks you’re fertile and compatible with him.”
“That’s impossible. I’m on birth control.”
Mia gives me a look. “Human birth control doesn’t work on orcs, Corinne. If he scented you as fertile, then you are.”
The room starts to spin a little, and it’s not from the hangover. “This is insane. After I realized he hadn’t given me the cat tattoo I asked for, I called him names and stormed out. He’s probably as done with me as I am with him.”
“What names?”
I close my eyes, shame washing over me again. “I called him a scarred freak.”
“Corinne.”
“I know, I know. It was awful. I felt terrible the moment I said it, but I was drunk and scared and angry and it just blurted out of my mouth. The way he looked at me after I said it… I hurt him. Really hurt him.”
“You have to apologize.”
“I can’t face him again, Mia. What he did was wrong, marking me without permission, but what I said was cruel.” I look down at my nephew’s peaceful green face, his tiny tusks barely visible. “I don’t know what to do.”
Mia is quiet for a moment, thinking. “Maybe Kavin can?—”
“Corinne?” a deep voice questions.
I suck in a sharp breath because standing in the entryway to the living room are both Kavin and Harken, side by side like they’re old friends.
Harken looks exactly as intimidating as I remember, maybe more so in the bright daylight streaming through Mia’s windows. His scar is more prominent, the horns more imposing. But it’s his eyes that hold me frozen. That dark, intense gaze focused entirely on me.
And I’m sitting here holding a baby orc, having just finished telling my sister how terrible I feel about what I said to him.
The silence stretches for what feels like an eternity. Rhys chooses that moment to wake up and let out a little cry, as if he can sense the tension in the room.
“What the hell are you doing here?” I manage to croak out.
Harken’s lips curve into what might be a smile, though it’s hard to tell with the scar pulling at the corner of his mouth. “Having lunch with my friend. Hello, bride. I knew you’d be back.”
Mia looks between us, her face a mask of shock and dawning understanding. “Oh shit,” she breathes.