Page 9

Chapter 9

Eleri

I n a very short time, I’d learned orcs were nothing like what my villagers whispered about with horror tainting their words. Odik was no monster, no savage creature, though I’d already seen how amazing he was in battle. I suspected he could fight off almost anything, and some might consider that savage.

Inside, he truly was a kind person.

My fellow villagers had done the orcs a grave disservice.

I laid on the ground and tentatively lifted my skirt up to my mid-thighs, watching him with my breath hitching in and out of me. I wasn’t frightened. No, I was intrigued.

Maybe I was a foolish woman succumbing to the first male to treat me nicely. I’d drown in what he offered while he’d walk away after, completely unaware of how enthralled I’d become with him.

Although, Odik didn’t appear to be that kind of person. I didn’t know how I could be so sure about this, but I was. He called me his mate, and he meant it.

He’d talked with me, seen how I walked, and he still wanted to claim me.

Odik stared at my legs for so long, I worried he was suddenly seeing my flaws and judging them as being unworthy of mating with such a fierce and handsome orc. With a curt nod I couldn’t interpret, he moved closer to me, stopping beside my knees.

When he laid his hands on my lower legs, I gasped.

“Pain?” he asked, lifting his hands off me.

“No.”

A frown flickered across his face, but he said nothing, starting again with his warm, calloused palms and fingertips gently rubbing from my knee to the top of my foot. I wore nothing beneath my skirt but my underwear, which meant my legs were bare.

He lifted my right heel onto his thighs and stared at the network of scars traveling from above my thigh all the way to my ankle. “This must’ve hurt horribly.”

“I was three when it happened. Only in my dreams do I seem to remember, but when I wake to my cries, I still can’t picture anything but the endless pain.”

“I’m sorry. Sometimes we block out the worst things in life to protect our souls.”

“Is that what you think I’ve done?”

He shrugged and gently worked on my calf. I groaned at how amazing his touch felt.

“You’re skilled with your hands,” I said.

He shot me a grin, and I marveled that I could find tusks and a coarse orc face so appealing. “I can’t say I’ve had practice. You’re small and delicate. I’m frightened I’ll hurt you.”

“I don’t believe you can.” I couldn’t tell how I knew this already, but something was growing between us, something precious I wanted to treasure.

Could I be falling in love already?

That would be a mistake on my part. Odik was a good person. He’d never knowingly harm me. But like everyone else other than Zur, I doubted he’d find a way to love me. Look what Birgid had done! She’d murdered the only person who cared for me solely to drive me from the village.

I was too damaged for anyone to care for.

Odik finished with my right leg and went around to the other side to work on my left. Each stroke of his fingers sent tingles across my skin. I liked it when he touched me.

Too much.

As he worked on the tightness in my thighs, heat spiraled inside me. I wasn’t sure how to interpret the feeling, but I sensed it was lust. His fingers felt good; it was natural for me to think of him placing them in more intimate areas.

Wetness pooled between my legs, and I shifted on the ground, suddenly wanting more.

He lifted his head as if he was scenting the air before his golden gaze pinned me in place. After easing my legs off his lap, he put an arm’s length between us. “We need to sleep now.”

“Alright.” I felt limpid yet excited at the same time, though I didn’t know why I was excited.

“Lay by the fire,” he said curtly. “I’ll patrol the area and will wake you at dusk.”

I didn’t know why he was irritated with me, but I wasn’t going to ask. With a nod, I curled up near the fire.

Sleep did not come quickly.