His Orc Lady: A Monster Fantasy Romance by Zoe Ashwood

Author:Zoe Ashwood [Ashwood, Zoe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2024-11-08T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Eleven

I didn’t realize how late it had gotten during our talk. Most of my clansmen have retired for the night, and the hallways are empty. Those orcs we do meet merely greet us and hurry on their way, no doubt eager for family time and rest. I hold on to Owen’s arm, unwilling to let him go. If this will finally spread rumors that I’ve found my mate, so be it—I’ll be telling Owen about our bond soon enough.

A cat pads from around a corner, and I start, jerking to a stop. “Oh! Where did you come from?”

Owen chuckles and leans down to run his palm over the cat’s sleek fur. “This is Thistle. He’s Willow’s cat. He was most displeased during our journey, but I think he has settled in nicely at the Hill.”

The animal winds around our legs, rubbing himself against my skirts, so I lean down and scratch behind his ears. He seems to like it—a rumbling purr resonates from his chest, surprisingly loud for such a small creature.

“Well, this might solve our mice problem.” I look up at Owen. “I can’t believe I never considered getting a couple of cats to keep our larders safe. We never had them at the old palace, I suppose that’s why.”

Even with such small things as this, I’m still stuck in the old ways sometimes. Perhaps it’s time to let the Mara who lived there go, and figure out once and for all who I am here.

The cat saunters away, disappearing down the corridor. Without thinking, I take Owen’s arm again, pressing close to him. It’s a luxury, being able to do this without having to hold back. I know my reasons for waiting were valid—are valid still, since he hasn’t decided what he intends to do—but I’m glad we could remove one barrier between us at least.

I lead Owen through a shortcut that has him exclaiming in surprise, a narrow passageway rising sharply from one level to the next.

“This Hill is amazing,” he says, his voice slightly muted as he climbs the incline after me. “I still feel like I haven’t seen all of it, and I’ve been walking around for days.”

I bite my lip, glad that he’s behind me so he can’t see my guilty expression. I’ve been thinking of how to approach Gorvor with a request to show the Heart of the Hill to Owen, but unless he remains at the Hill and swears his allegiance to our king, I can’t see it happening. I might trust Owen implicitly, but Gorvor does not—and he would never put the safety and prosperity of our clan at risk as a personal favor to me. What’s more, I wouldn’t ask it of him. So Owen will have to wait a while longer.

“There are parts we don’t use,” I call over my shoulder. “I used to spend days exploring the palace, mostly to hide from weapons training after we arrived.”

The corridor levels out, and Owen catches up with me. “They had you participate in combat exercises here, too?”

I shrug.

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