Page 19

Chapter 19

Odik

I threw the comment out there mostly to see how she’d react. She’d been sweetly responsive to my touch so far, but I wasn’t sure how far I wanted—or dared—to push this. We were growing closer. I was half in love with her already.

I wanted more, though I would never coerce her into doing anything she wasn’t as excited about as me.

“I think,” she said, rising from her chair. “That I’ll learn to swim while naked.”

There was my brave mate. My heartrate doubled in a flash, and I whistled merrily as I strode to the washroom and collected drying cloths. My fishing equipment was inside the shed, and we could grab it on our way.

Heat charged through my veins, and my cock rose to the occasion. Good thing I still wore a loose loincloth and not pants, or I’d tent them.

I returned to the kitchen to find her waiting with a look I couldn’t interpret on her face. Not trepidation. This woman had more courage than an attacking dresalod legion.

Anticipation?

Yes, that was it.

We left the house, stopping at the shed to collect my fishing supplies and the container I’d use to bring my catch back to the house. We’d clean it on the shore and leave the entrails and scales in the water. After, I led her toward the stairs a prior generation had carved into the face of the stony cliff ages ago.

“Are you excited about swimming or . . .?” I let the rest of the question hang so she could take it in any direction she pleased.

“Both.”

Ha. I loved how she tossed my dare right back at me.

Perhaps I wouldn’t analyze this. I’d let it play out as it was supposed to.

“Ah, I didn’t see these here earlier,” she said as we started down the stairs. She held the drying cloths and even the height didn’t seem to scare her, though there was a rail between us and the steep drop-off.

“They let out on the sandy shore. The last twenty feet are made of wood and can be pulled up if the dresalods attack.”

“Wise.”

I nodded. “Thankfully, dresalods can’t jump very high. I fish off the big rocks you might’ve seen earlier if you looked over the cliff.”

“I did see them. It’s beautiful here, even at night.” She paused on the stairs and tipped her head back, taking in the stars and the full moon overhead. Pointing toward the sea, her smile grew. “Look how the light glistens on the water. A storm may be brewing, but for now, I see only beauty.”

“The sea is a dangerous female, my father always said.”

“Such a huge body of water. So much power.”

“If you treat her right, she’ll reward you, my father also said.”

“He sounds wise.”

“He was. Stern, but kind enough. He adored my mother. I don’t believe he could’ve gone on without her.”

“Did he know she’d died?”

“He didn’t.” We started walking down the stairs again. “They likely died at about the same time. He’d gone to the city for the day and joined the shayde battle. He was killed not long after they attacked, snatched from his vox. I was here, handling affairs my father left in my care. My mother had gone down to the rocks to fish. The dresalods attacked here at the same time and when she didn’t return, I sought her. There was blood . . .” It was everywhere, and nothing was left of her.

I hated voicing even a bit of what I saw when I went looking for my mother.

Eleri’s hand landed on my shoulder, and she squeezed. “I’m sorry. She’d be grateful you survived.”

“I know she would.” Her loss still burned through my belly. For a long time, I wondered if me being with her could’ve increased her odds of survival. I could’ve protected her, gotten her to safety. But I wasn’t, and I’d learned to accept that.

“Fishing or swimming first?” she asked as we left the staircase.

“We’ll go fishing, clean the fish, and put the catch in the container on the stairs to bring up after. Then we’ll go swimming—though not where we dump the guts. I know the perfect place to take you where the sea isn’t rough, and you’ll feel completely secure.”

“Dresalods?”

“It’s always a risk, but we’ll remain close to the stairs.”

“All right.”

With moonlight guiding us, we walked across the pebbled shore and up onto the broad rocks that had been here since the dawn of time. I lowered my supplies onto a rock close to where the water lapped against the lower stones and watched the water for a long time. No bubbles or ripples to show dresalods were rising to the surface. It should be safe enough for a bit, though I’d keep watching.

“Can I fish too?” Eleri asked.

“I brought two poles just in case. I’ll bait them, and we can cast them out. Whoever catches the most fish owes the other something.”

She scrunched up her face. “That sounds rather broad.”

“What would you like me to give you if you catch the most fish?” I baited one of the hooks and handed her the pole while she tapped her chin, thinking about it.

She grinned mischievously and leaned close, her palm resting on my chest. “Oh, I think I have an idea, my dear orc,” she whispered, her voice filled with playful suggestion.

I raised an eyebrow, my curiosity piqued.

“Do tell,” I said, a smirk tugging at the corners of my lips.

She bit down on her bottom lip, her eyes gleaming. I’d never seen anyone as prettier than Eleri in the moonlight. “If I catch the most fish, you'll have to sing to me.”

I chuckled, enjoying how she challenged me. “What if I can’t sing well?”

She shrugged. “It’ll still be you serenading me. That’s enough.”

“Very well.” What should I ask for if I won the game? “If I catch the most fish, you'll have to dance with me.”

“What if I can’t dance?” she quipped.

“I don’t mind leading.”

“I’m surprised.”

“That an orc can dance? My mother taught me when I was little, though I’ll be honest and tell you that I haven’t danced since.” There was no one else I’d ever wanted to dance with but my mom.

And now Eleri.

“Tell you what,” I said. “If I win, I’ll dance with you and sing to provide the music.”

“So I get to hear you sing no matter who wins.” She smiled. “I like that. It’s a deal.”

After casting our lines into the calm sea, we settled on the end of the largest and highest rock, letting our legs dangle. Moonlight shimmered on the gentle waves.

“It’s hard to believe a storm will ravage this area soon,” Eleri said, leaning against my side. “It’s calm and peaceful.”

“That’s how it always is. The world lulls you, making you believe the darkness on the horizon is just a tease. Then the storm hits.”

As we waited for the fish to nibble, I sucked in the salty air mixed with the sweet fragrance of the beach flowers blooming nearby. The sound of distant seabirds echoed through the quiet night, adding to the peaceful ambiance.

“Trilden said three of your clan have moved to the city,” she said.

“They’re not the first, as you probably guessed. The population is slowly diminishing on the island, not growing as I’d like. If most of our females hadn’t been killed, perhaps things would be different.”

“Things always look better when the laughter of children rings out in the air. I won’t be the first mate from the village. Maybe Trilden and some of the other males will bond with women over the next few years. They’d bring their mates here, and the population would slowly replenish.”

“I live for that day.”

“Why haven’t you left? I know you’re the leader of your clan, but you could move everyone to the city if their lives will be better there.”

“ Will their lives be better?” I thought about it for a moment. “Look around you. What could be more wonderful than sitting here fishing with the moonlight shining down on us?”

“You could sit in the moonlight and fish on the shore outside the city.”

“But I wouldn’t feel free.” How could I explain what was only a feeling? “The sounds of the city would encroach. People talking, laughing, moving about.”

“All good things.”

“Here, there’s nothing but us and the sea.”

“And the storm that will ravage this small island soon.”

“We’ll rebuild if we have to. We’ll go on.”

“I love it here already,” she said. “There’s a serenity, a feeling of peace here that I never experienced in the village. There, it was crowded with small homes built almost on top of each other. Even within our small building, it felt like the world was trying to crowd inside with us.”

Maybe she did see.

“There are jobs in the city,” she said.

“I can’t see myself going to work in the morning, laboring all day, only to repeat the same thing again the next day. Doing so until my body is worn out and too tired to savor something as simple as fishing or . . .” I sent her a smile. “Or sitting here with you on the rocks, Eleri.” I continued before she could speak. “I’m busy enough with my caedos duties, but even more, I feel as if I’m a caretaker of these islands and this quieter way of life. I do as my father did before me and his mother before him. Whatever my people need, I find a way to provide.”

Except they kept leaving, and with each one, it felt as if they took a chunk of my heart along with them.

“We need to find a way to get people to move to the island, then,” she said fiercely. “It’s beautiful here even if danger looms on the horizon. As you said, you can rebuild if you need to. It can’t be much different in the city. The storm will pass over us and barrel toward them.”

I didn’t point out that they had the city wall as protection from the worst the rising sea could hurtle their way, that their shiny silver homes shed the rain and withstood the wind with ease.

Instead, I sat on the stone feeling completely humbled because I’d found someone who understood.

My clan pendant may have chosen this woman to stand beside me for the rest of my days, but she wanted to be here with me. There was a difference, and I’d do all I could to keep her from ever feeling any other way.

She was the shelter my heart needed.