Page 45 of The Orc Chief’s Baker (Orc Mates Of Faeda #4)

Chapter

Thirty-Four

brOVDIR

H e was going to slaughter that male.

Trinia walked next to him with a brisk but relaxed clip. Her dark curly hair bounced, and her lush hips swayed, and her eyes flitted to his more than once.

Her hands in his hair had felt so blasted good and reminded him of how it had felt the night before to have her stroking him in such a way. Awash with contentment. Warm to the core with a sense of belonging. Of safety.

Like home.

She felt like home.

He wanted to tell her that. But how ?

They arrived at the hall far too soon and found that there were a few males lingering within. They sat at the table furthest away from the still bubbling cauldrons.

Bubbling cauldrons that stank like the foulest brew imaginable.

“Oh, Fades.” Trinia gasped as she covered her nose with her hand. “What is that?”

Brovdir screwed up his nose as the distinct scent of burned grass mixed with old fish permeated his senses. The smell was so potent it made his eyes water, and his throat constricted.

“Wait outside?” he offered, gesturing back toward the massive entry doors.

“No, it’s fine. I’ll get used to it,” Trinia said with a little cough. “But what was the cook trying to make? It smells horrible.”

Blast it, he’d made a mistake. “Ogvick. A warrior. Not much experience cooking.”

“Fades, help us.” Trinia’s nose wrinkled in disgust even as Brovdir fought a grin at their similar reaction. “It’s almost time for the midday meal. Won’t the whole clan be here for food soon?”

“Perhaps.” He honestly thought it unlikely. Certainly, most in the clan had smelled what was being boiled here a while ago and decided to eat in their homes instead.

“Where is Ogvick?” Trinia looked around. “I don’t see any warriors here. Did he make a run for it?”

“No...” Brovdir recalled that he’d asked Ogvick to find Caivid and Hendr once he was done with the soup. “Likely he’s just... done with it.”

Trinia chewed her lower lip. “Oh. I see. Should we try to fix it for him?”

Brovdir had no idea where to start with that, but Trinia was a baker, so cooking must have been second nature to her.

Still, he hated forcing his woman to work.

Before he could shake his head, she snorted and said, “I want to help, Brovdir. It would be a fun challenge.”

She’d have fun with it?

“We should probably find something else to serve and dump those. I think they’re beyond repair.” She looked to where the group of males was sitting. “Hey, Tovid! Do you think you could empty these pots?”

“Fades, yes ,” the conjurer said in a rush as he got up. He was a scrawny thing. Barely enough muscle to heave his own soup bowl. His friends, of equal stature, followed suit. “Any longer, and the tree’s going to soak the stench into the bark and never let it go.”

Trinia let out a laugh at the male’s joke that made Brovdir instantly on edge. “Thank you.”

“Anything for Oakwall’s prettiest baker,” the male said, and Brovdir’s skin prickled. His fists balled with the urge to punch the grin off his face. To crack his jaw so he could never speak another word to his mate.

Fuck.

She wasn’t even his.

“We’re going to need to make something else.

Do you have a storeroom for food here?” Trinia turned her attention back to him.

She paused and blinked as he tried to wipe the irritation from his features.

It was clear he’d not done a good job of it when she said, “Don’t fight them, Brovdir. They’re just being nice.”

“They’re too puny to lift that cauldron,” Brovdir muttered despite himself.

Trinia rose her brows, and one of the four males glanced over with a scowl. Blast, orc hearing was far too good. Especially the ones that were magically infused. The conjurer orcs had senses that were ten times more potent than those of his warriors if they put their skills into the task.

“Let’s cool it down first,” one of the four said, and they all lifted their hands to work the Fades gifts and cool down the boiling muck before handling it.

Had he been asked to put someone to this job, these males would have been the last on his list. A hollowness pitted in his chest as he watched them effortlessly fulfill their given task.

He didn’t know this clan at all, did he? He barely knew the orcs’ names, let alone their skills. It was no wonder they didn’t follow his commands.

He took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of his nose.

“Hey.”

He blinked rapidly, suddenly remembering that Trinia was next to him.

“Apologies.”

“No need.” She waved off his remorse before stroking his arm. The touch was so warm and soothing he lost his breath. The desire to hoist her over his shoulder and carry her back to their home was so strong he almost trembled from it. “Which way is the storeroom?”

He pointed to a door at the far back of the hall and they made their way to it. The door led into a hallway and the moment it closed behind them, all sound from the hall was dimmed and the scent of herbs and vegetables was so strong it drowned out the vile scent of the stew completely.

“It must be through there.” Trinia walked to the end of the hall and opened a second door, revealing a large storage room with shelves lining the walls all the way to the ceiling. She waved him inside as comfortably as if she’d lived in the clan her whole life. She looked so self-assured.

Confidence looked good on her.

She shut the door behind him and then turned to face him with a fierce expression. He blinked in surprise as she crossed her arms, leveling him with an intense look. “All right. Out with it. What’s wrong?”

He rose his brows.

“Don’t give me that. It’s written all over your face that you’re worried about something. Are you worried about me being friendly with Tovid? Because you shouldn’t be. I’ve known him my whole life. If I’d wanted to start something with him, I would have.”

The idea of her being intimate with another male made his blood boil. It made his flesh feel like it was crawling.

But he swallowed the sensation down, because that wasn’t what she was asking, and he’d vowed not to lie to her or keep things from her ever again.

He shook his head. “I... am not a fit leader.”

Trinia snorted. “Brovdir, all the orcs are possessive over the women their interested in. Even the conjurers. No one thinks you’re a bad leader for that.”

He shook his head. “No. Not that. I...”

“Go on.” Her voice was so gentle, and he lapped it up.

“Sinkholes, digging, elders, even this simple stew...” He sighed raggedly. “Nothing goes right. I order, but it doesn’t get done. I plan, but it always fails. I... should not have been made chief of this clan. Sythcol should have sole control.”

Trinia’s lips parted and her eyes softened, but the pity in her expression made him want to rip out his own hair.

And then it fell away, and anger took its place. “That’s boarshit.”

He blinked rapidly in shock.

“Brovdir, you’ve been here for less than a season and now you’re comparing your leadership skills to someone who worked directly under the former chief his entire life.

Ergoth might have turned out to be a bad leader, but he was well loved until the end and Sythcol has spent a lifetime learning from him. ”

“I was the warlord’s second,” he countered.

“Yes, you were. But, yet again, leading a band of warriors who see battle every day is not the same as being chief of Rove Wood. We don’t fight here. We barely bicker. And we’ve all known each other for our entire lives.”

“All the more reason I should step back. My ways are too different.”

“No. That’s not true. You bring a fresh perspective that no one else could.

Your insight is invaluable because it is different.

Not only that, but having you as chief when the warrior orcs arrive here is vital to things running smoothly.

You’ll bridge the gap between their ways and ours.

” She blinked in thought, as if she’d just realized this herself.

“It... will be a disaster if you aren’t there to help bring our communities together. ”

He’d never really considered that. He’d always assumed that the warriors would live separately from the Rove Wood Clan.

They’d maintain a respectful distance from each other, despite the close proximity.

Sythcol had said as much many times, even when they’d discussed putting some of the families into empty tree homes within the borders of the clan.

It was foolish to assume staying separate like that would ever work.

“Like you said, I don’t know this clan. There’s so little time to learn them.” How could he bridge a gap when this community was such a mystery to him?

“That’s why you have me here to help you.”

His heart soared as he looked into her determined eyes.

“I’m staying with you already, so it will be easy for me to give you advice when you need it.

I’ll tell you who in this clan to put tasks to and who to keep far away from your projects.

I’ll tell you who is sure to follow through on your orders on their own and who will need you to hover over their shoulder.

I can even tell you what orcs do well working together and which ones would bicker until the Fades struck them down. ”

He swallowed thickly. “Thank you. I would be honored to have your advice.”

Trinia shrugged as if she’d just offered him a strip of dried meat and not a solution to his most dreaded fear. “Of course.”

Brovdir stared at her like he was seeing her for the first time. Really seeing her.

She was so quick-witted and made everything seem so simple . She looked proud, confident, and powerful. These were attributes he fought for every single day, but she wielded them so effortlessly .

He felt like he was melting and sinking at the same time. He lost all the breath in his chest and yet he was also warm. Comfortable. Her vanilla sweetness curled in his nose and his fingers grazed her wrist gently.

She blinked down at his touch, and he quickly pulled back, only to have her reach out and clasp his hand. She held firm and looked back into his eyes. “You’ve been doing this alone for quite a while, haven’t you, Brovdir? You have Sythcol, but he isn’t really on your side, is he?”

He lost his breath.

“But I’ll be on your side. I’ll help you figure things out. And I’ll try not to influence you too much.”

He wanted this to last forever .

Fades, he was in love with her.

What was he going to do?