Page 3

Chapter Three

I ’m bouncing on my toes for the rest of the week, eagerly anticipating my date with Egorr. Celeste is a little smug when I tell her how our meeting went and that we hit it off.

“Hmm,” she says, dealing the cards, “he sounds like a good guy.”

“I think he is.” Of course, I won’t truly know for a while yet. People don’t always show their true colors at first, or so I learned with Shisek. “At the very least, he seems genuine.” And that goes a long way with me.

Then, finally, it’s Saturday morning, and I wait with one of the guards outside the walls of New Eden for Egorr to pick me up. He arrives a few minutes early, to my great satisfaction, in a tiny green sedan. When he gets out of it, I hold back the temptation to hug him. I think it would feel good to hug someone as big and soft-looking as Egorr.

We both stand there for a moment facing each other, not sure if we should shake hands, hug, or do nothing. Egorr chuckles and rubs the back of his bare head.

“Should we go before it gets too busy?” he asks, and I hastily nod.

“Yeah, absolutely.” I make my way to the passenger side of the car and slide inside. Egorr has to crouch down low to fit back into the driver’s seat, and even then, he looks like a bear squashed inside a box. He starts the car up and pulls away from New Eden.

“Um…” I puzzle at how he’s hunched over the steering wheel. “Why do you have such a small car?” I know it’s rude, but I’m not sure how else to ask.

“It was cheap, and it’s fuel efficient,” Egorr says, shifting into fifth gear as we get onto the highway. “Plus, it never has mechanical problems. They don’t make cars like this anymore.”

He must make decent money as a software developer, but something about this big ogre fitting into a tiny little vehicle is immensely charming. It’s plenty spacious for me, so I’m not complaining.

We chat about Egorr’s last experience at an amusement park when he was just a teenager, and one of his classmates puked all over him on the pirate ship ride. It’s horrifying and gross and so funny that I’m cackling and Egorr is snorting by the time he pulls into the parking lot.

I’ve never been to an amusement park before, of course, and I didn’t realize just how loud it would be. There are monsters everywhere, adults and children alike swarming the entrance. I know I should stay close to Egorr, in case some passing creature thinks I’m there without a chaperone, but it’s hard to keep up when I’m amazed by the bustle of activity. Near the ticket booth, we stand in line behind a cyclops mother trying to wrestle her little one-eyed children into line, and they squawk and holler like seagulls.

“Two, please,” Egorr says when we get up to the counter, and pays for our tickets. Then we’re inside.

“Wow,” I say, gazing upward as one of the rollercoaster trains goes right over our heads. Monsters of all sorts scream as it rockets skyward. “That’s really cool. And scary. But also cool.”

“Do you want to get a snack first, or hop right on?” Egorr asks, strolling next to me with his hands in his pockets. He’s wearing a casual navy T-shirt today, and a pair of nice jeans over his big frame. I wanted to impress him, so I wore a little yellow dress with comfortable shoes. Now that I’ve seen the rollercoaster go upside down, though, I’m seriously regretting my choice to not wear pants.

“Snack sounds good,” I say. “I’ve always heard they have good food at these things.”

“I wouldn’t call it ‘good,’ per se.” Egorr snickers. “But deep fried, delicious, and probably not very good for your intestinal tract? Absolutely.”

I crack up. Something about his sense of humor makes me feel so at home, like I could say whatever stupid joke pops into my head and he’d probably like it.

We get one big funnel cake each, but I can only eat a third of mine. When he’s done with his, Egorr chomps down the rest of it.

“Oh yeah, the meal thing,” I say as we walk around the park, a few little wolf-children running past us. “I eat three times a day, you know.”

He nods. “That’s what the packet told me. No problem. The more I can eat, the better.” He slaps his big belly, and I grin. He’s so comfortable in his own skin, and it makes me feel more at ease in mine, too.

“Great.” I pat my own belly. “You’d better get used to it, because I like to eat.”

Egorr arches an eyebrow at me as he smiles, but doesn’t say anything. I suppose I did make a rather bold assumption that we’d see each other again after this, but I have a hard time imagining what Egorr could do that would turn me off.

Hopefully he feels the same way.

I sidle closer to him as we pass a group of teenage monsters—a gorgon, an orc, and what appears to be some kind of ghoul—but none of them pay me any heed at all, too absorbed in their own conversation. So far, very few monsters seem to have noticed me, and those who do stare for a few moments before going back to whatever they were doing before.

Maybe all the warnings we were given about the outside world were just scaremongering.

“Hey.” I tug on Egorr’s sleeve. “Why don’t we get on a ride now?”

His face lights up. “Sounds like a plan. Let’s go.”

The first rollercoaster we choose is meant for children, which seems like a good place to start. Some kids groan when they get in and find themselves sitting behind the massive Egorr. I tuck my dress under my legs and hold onto the bars as the rollercoaster starts moving. Slowly, the cars inch up and up a rather high peak.

“Is this the ride?” I whisper to Egorr. “Kind of boring.”

He snorts. “Just wait.” He offers me his hand. “Hold onto me if you need it.”

“Why would I need it?” I ask, just as we reach the very top… and the rollercoaster dives downward.

Now I understand why everyone was screaming. The ground is rushing up toward me, so I seize Egorr’s huge hand in mine, only managing to wrap my fingers around his big thumb as we fall to the earth. I holler my head off the whole way.

Then we reach the bottom of the track and swing back up again. We’re moving even faster now, rocketing toward the next curve, and I’m holding onto Egorr’s hand even tighter than before. He bellows with laughter next to me as we loop around and then dive again. I’m glad he’s having a good time because I can’t decide if I’m thrilled or terrified. Maybe a little of both.

It’s intoxicating.

When we get off the ride, my legs are wobbly and my head is swimming. Egorr holds me upright, letting me lean against his much bigger body, until I finally have my wits about me again.

“Wow,” I say, staring up at the tracks as the train goes by with a fresh batch of victims on board. “That was fucking awesome.”

Egorr laughs again, and I’d be lying if I said I didn’t love it. Making him laugh is easy, and I like how he doesn’t seem to care who hears him.

“Then why don’t we do another one?” he says. “We have all day.”

On instinct, I grab his hand in mine again, and he squeezes back.

“Yeah! I’d love that.”

* * *

We get on ride after ride, though there’s only one where I’m denied entry for not being tall enough. We barter and beg with the ride operator, but he’s insistent on the rules, even as he gives me a wide-eyed look.

“Haven’t seen a human before,” he says, cocking a brow. “But sorry. It’s too dangerous for you.”

With a sigh, we move on to the massive tower where people are buckled in and then sent plummeting to the earth.

“This looks terrifying,” I say with a grin. “Can we do it?”

Egorr nods gamely. “Of course.”

The rest of the day speeds by. After riding half a dozen rides, we eat some corndogs, and I have one while Egorr has four. We only get to ride a few more rides before, with a sigh, Egorr announces that he should probably take me home.

I barely register the drive back to the preserve that evening because we’re so lost in conversation.

“So basically, your job is to find mistakes other people made and fix them?” I ask.

Egorr nods as we pull up to the front gates of New Eden. “Yup. Usually, all you have to do is walk backwards from what they were trying to accomplish, and then suss out what common mistakes they might have made along the way.”

“Huh. That must mean you know how to do their jobs pretty well.”

He shrugs shyly. “I guess. I was a programmer for a long time, but bug-hunting is more fun. It’s creative, trying to figure out where it’s coming from and then how to crush it.”

I like how passionate Egorr is about his job, and I think I understand better now why he stays late at work. It’s his hobby, too.

As we pull up outside New Eden, though, all my good humor drains away. I had such an amazing time out in the world, at Egorr’s side, that I don’t want it to end. Our adventure wasn’t nearly as frightening as I expected—just the opposite. I felt safe and at home with him, even surrounded by an amusement park full of monsters.

I’ve been told all my life I should be afraid, that all it takes is one lone vampire to end you, but I felt nothing like that today.

“Hey,” Egorr says as he puts the car in park. He turns to me and places his hand over mine on the console. “It was so much fun getting to know you more. I had an amazing time.”

My heart beats faster. Is he going to ask me on another date? Is he going to kiss me?

“I did, too.” I turn my hand over so our palms are touching. “Like, a really good time.”

Egorr is a little quiet, but it’s simply that he doesn’t talk to fill space. He loves conversation, and especially if it leads to a good laugh.

I lean forward, absorbing the sight of his unusual face, which is hot in its own way. I like how big and sturdy his body is, and how easy it was today to be with him.

Fuck, I hope he’ll kiss me.

Egorr takes in my expression, and a sideways smile pulls at his cheek. He leans closer to me, too.

“I’ve wanted to kiss you all day,” he says, his breath tickling my nose. It smells like funnel cake.

“Is that right?” I inch a little closer until our noses are almost touching. “Why didn’t you?”

“I wanted to give you space, for a first date.” His smile widens. “And I wanted to find out if you were interested, too.”

“Oh,” I say, lowering my eyelashes. “I’m interested.”

Almost before I can finish my sentence, Egorr is kissing me. Luckily, my small face fits neatly between his two big tusks, so our lips easily meet. His are much larger and thicker than mine, but once we figure out how we fit together… oh, wow.

First, he’s much gentler than I expected from someone his size. Egorr sucks my lower lip in between his, lightly caressing it with his tongue before releasing it, then repeating that same delicious tactic on my upper lip. He’s not forceful, but his kiss is still firm, still delectable. If I had any doubt that he liked me, the ferocity of this kiss wipes that doubt off the face of the planet.

I slide my hand up Egorr’s arm to his cheek, and then over one of his tusks. I hold on to it as he kisses me deeper, his big arm curling around my back so he can apply even more pressure without pushing me out of my seat.

And then his tongue comes out to play. Oh, does it set me on fire when he licks the seam of my lips like that, and most happily, I open for him. The moment we meet in the middle, it’s like that fire has taken to a field of dry grass, and it spreads all across my body. Now Egorr’s hand has crawled up my back until he’s holding the back of my head, and I’m sliding across the seat toward the console, my seatbelt digging uncomfortably into my hip. I don’t care for even a second, though, as Egorr’s mouth simply crushes mine, and his tongue plays me like I’m a piano and he’s Mozart.

Damn. I bet he’s really good in bed.

When we finally pull away from our kiss, I’m panting from not having enough oxygen. Egorr chuckles, letting go of my body but not releasing my hand.

“So do you want to go out again?” he asks, a little self-satisfied smirk on his face. I like when he’s cheeky.

“Um.” I have to get my thoughts in order, and his smile falls. “I was thinking, actually…”

“It’s okay if you don’t. I won’t pressure you.”

“No, no.” I cradle his hand against my chest. “What I wanted to say was—maybe we should go to the next level, instead?”

“The next level?” he asks, brow furrowing. “I don’t think they let monsters onto the compound, and my house is a ways away?—”

“Not that, silly. Well, not right now, anyway.” I waggle my eyebrows, and Egorr’s lips part in surprise. “I mean, do you want to just do it? The trial marriage?”

Maybe it’s crazy after being dumped by Shisek. Maybe I’m using Egorr as a rebound, and that’s why I’m moving so quickly. Maybe I’m the kind of person who can’t stand being alone, and what if I’m just using him?

But it’s not any of that. No, I have a good feeling about Egorr. A great feeling. I think we could have something really special, and I don’t want to waste time going on more dates when I already know what I want, and that’s to find out if we’re truly compatible.

“Really?” Egorr asks, dumbfounded. I slide my hands down his arms.

“Yeah. If you want to.” I lean back a little. “I don’t want to pressure you, either.”

Vigorously, Egorr shakes his head. “I’m just surprised. In a good way.”

He leans down and kisses me again, and I find myself sliding farther over the console toward him. This kiss is even more intense than the first one, and it’s sending little waves of warmth all over my body.

“Wait, one second,” Egorr says, panting as he pulls away from our kiss. Then he grabs the handle under his seat and pushes it back, leaving a big space between his belly and the steering wheel. He unclips my seatbelt, reaches around my waist, and pulls me by the hips into his lap.

I squeak as I settle there, my ass right over his crotch, my legs bent against the seat. Egorr’s huge hands caress me as he looks into my eyes.

“I would love that,” Egorr says in an even lower voice than before. “To have you in my home? I can’t imagine anything better.” That’s when I feel it—something rather bulky poking at the underside of my thighs. “I’ll need a few days to get things ready, but…”

“Of course,” I say, maybe too eagerly, but it just makes Egorr smile.

“It’s not too soon for you?” He tilts his head down. “I know you just had your heart broken.”

“Only if it’s not too soon for you,” I say, stroking one of his tusks. “I’m over that asshole Shisek.”

Egorr grins as he leans forward and circles me with his arms, then crushes me in a hug. He brings his lips to my ear.

“Not at all.” His breaths are growing faster. “I would love to share my home with you.”

The way he says it, like it would be a one-way bus ticket, makes my heart race with glee.

“Good.” I can’t help rubbing my ass over that lump in his pants, and he lets out a groan. “Get your ducks in a row and come back for me when you’re ready, then?”

With that, I open the car door and slide out, leaving Egorr dazed. I give him a kiss on the cheek before heading inside, where I’ll once more be locked behind the high walls of the preserve.

But at least now, I know my path out, and it’s at the side of a big, green ogre.