Page 2

Erik

Snickers pulls on her leash as we get closer to the dog park. Her tiny little tail wags frantically and she lets out small yips of excitement.

It doesn’t matter how much I chastise her, she never walks calmly on the leash like the other dogs do.

The second we’re in the gate and I let her off, she shoots like a little chocolate-colored streak straight toward the biggest dog in the park, a giant Doberman. With a curse, I chase her, but she’s quick. You wouldn’t think so with her stumpy dachshund legs, but I have to really run to keep up, despite my size and the length of my stride. I bend and scoop her up in one huge green hand just as her jaws snap inches from the nose of the Doberman, who looks at me like he doesn’t know what happened.

I can hardly blame him.

That’s basically how I always feel since adopting Snickers from the pound three weeks ago .

My human friend Loren tells me it’s my fault for spoiling my dog. I can’t seem to help it! Every time I try to get mad at her she gives me such a sweet, sorrowful look that I just melt.

I twist her around in my grip so I can wag my finger in her face. “Snickers! We have to play nice with others.”

Her dark brown brows lift and her large eyes blink up at me. She lolls out her tongue to lick my finger, and I roll my eyes.

“Aw, go on. I know you weren’t trying to be mean, I know. But we can’t bite other dogs.”

I spend the next thirty minutes stopping her from causing problems with all the other dogs until she flops at my feet exhausted. The lady who owns the Doberman gives us a glare as she walks away, the Doberman walking obediently at her heels.

“Look at that,” I tell Snickers.

One ear flicks, but she doesn’t move her head.

“That’s how it’s supposed to look. You’re a clever girl, aren’t you? Are you going to be a good girl for Daddy?”

Her little tail thumps the ground halfheartedly.

Feeling hopeful, I reach down slowly to attach the leash to her collar. But when I stand, she won’t move. She lays there while I steps forward until the leash tightens and I’m dragging her.

I stop. “Snickers! Come on, girl. Let’s go.”

She wags her tail.

“Come on.”

Nothing.

With a sigh, I stoop and gather her under my arm. Poor little thing wore herself out I guess .

As soon as I set her down in my apartment though, she races around, gnawing on the arm of the sofa and kicking at her food bowl.

I’m not sure getting a dog was such a good idea after all. I’m not sure I’m cut out to be a dog owner.

I slump onto the cramped sofa and flick the television on just to have some sound.

Truth is, I’m still lonely.

Sure I can talk to Snickers, but she doesn’t really listen. Not the way another person would. The way a mate would if I had one.

I’m dreaming of course. Monsters like me might be out in the human community, but that doesn’t mean humans want to date us, let alone mate us. At least none of the humans I’ve met want to date me. I’ve looked.

I’ve tried the dating apps.

I’ve tried approaching people I meet.

None of it works. They take one look at my huge, brawny body and my tusks that poke out of my lower jaw, and they run a mile.

I guess I could move home and have my mom fix me up with a nice orc girl, but I’ve always been more attracted to humans.

The only thing I haven’t tried is paying for company. And quite honestly, I’ve toyed with the idea more than once. Somehow I can’t get past the thought that even if I liked it—even if I found someone I hit it off with—it would still be a temporary arrangement, which isn’t what I want at all.

I want someone to belong to .

I still open the Monstrous Deals app and flick through their list of escorts specially selected to work with monster clients.

I mean, I’m allowed to look, right? And dream.

A new girl catches my attention and I stop scrolling. She’s ash blonde with full lips and a determined expression. In fact, her hard expression is so different from the soft smiles of the other escorts that it grabs my attention right away. Then, of course, I keep looking because there’s no question she’s beautiful.

My gaze flicks down to the caption below her image: Not available for casual bookings. Mail-order bride only.

Mail-order bride!

Why have I never considered this option? I could slap myself.

At that moment, Snickers jumps into my lap and shoves her cold wet nose in my face and I drop my phone. Snickers whines.

I pat her head to pacify her and snatch my phone from where it’s fallen, but as soon as I unlock the screen again she wriggles into my way.

“Snick! What are you doing?”

Her little tail thumps from side to side.

“Snickers!”

She yips.

“Would you stop that?”

I finally resort to holding her in one hand and my phone in the other and on the opposite side of my body. I take another long look at the woman in the picture.

Mail-order bride. So she’d stay for good ?

That’s too good to be true, surely.

I click anyway. Her name is Russian. I’m not sure how to pronounce it.

She’s looking for a husband here in Heartstone! She doesn’t mind which type of monster.

My heart skids around in my chest like Snickers doing a lap on the kitchen linoleum. Then I see the cost and it crashes into the side of the imaginary fridge.

I could afford her, but only just. And it would take every penny I have saved to buy a nice house for my mate to nest in.

She’d have to come and live here in my too-small apartment over the railway line. With my spoiled dog. At that moment Snickers begins to chew on my hand in the hope that I’ll set her down. What would a beautiful human woman like that want with a big hulking orc like me? I’m not the kind of monster they go for. I know.

The last date I went on with a human ended badly. And Loren ended up with that dragon anyway. Lean and pretty and mean as hell.

No one goes for the big, dumb nice guy.

With a sigh I set my phone down and deposit Snickers onto her paws on the carpet. She tears off to wreak havoc on my bedroom, and I run my hands over my face. Why didn’t I put aside more cash? Save harder?

The answer is because I couldn’t. I’ve been skipping meals and working overtime as it is to save as much as I have. Dreaming one day I’d have someone to spend it on.

But that’s stupid, isn’t it? Because I’ll never find anyone to spend it on if I don’t take a chance. So what am I saving it for ?

I pace the room for ten minutes while working up the courage to call.

When I finally pick up my phone again and dial the number, the woman’s voice on the other end isn’t what I expected. I expected sleazy. I expected flirtatious. I didn’t expect someone who sounds like my favorite aunt.

“Welcome to Monstrous Deals where we make your dreams come true. How can we help you today?”

I freeze up. Can she make my dreams come true?

Goddess I hope so.

“Hello? Are you there?”

“H-hi! Yeah. I’m here.” There’s an awkward pause where I try to form the words. “I, um, I called about the mail-order bride. On your website. On the Monstrous Deals website.”