Page 43 of The Orc and the Innkeeper

She smiles shyly, her gray eyes lighting up as she looks around the brewery. “Wow, the place has really come together over the past year, Thor. I can’t believe I ever doubted you.”

I, for one, was never surprised that she doubted me. Ygra is a kind female, but ambitious. Striking out on my own got in the way of her plans for us: taking over my family’s company, inheriting their wealth, becoming the society couple to envy in Elderberry Falls.

I just grunt in response.

Breaking up was good for both of us. I was able to give my full attention to my dreams, and without me tying her here, Ygra took an architecture apprenticeship with a renowned giant architect who specializes in monster dwellings.

Ma mentioned that she’d seen Ygra again around town but I didn’t think she’d want to rehash the past either.

Her gaze flickers back toward me and she smiles again, a little bolder this time, and moves toward me. “Myapprenticeship ended last month so I’m back, for good. I’m starting a new job at a firm here. I was hoping…”

She trails off, biting her lip and looking uncharacteristically coy.

“What, Ygra?” I ask, a bite in my tone. All of a sudden, I can sense where this is going and I don’t like it at all.

Ygra reaches out, putting a hand on my bicep. She looks at me pleadingly, her gaze almost level with mine.

“I was hoping we could get together for coffee soon. I’d love to talk about what happened between us. I’ve been thinking about you all year, Thor. I know I fucked things up. But I’ve changed. I’d like to show you that.”

Politely as I can, I pull my arm out of her hand. I don’t want to hurt her; I loved her, once. But that love is long gone.

“I don’t think that would be a good idea, Ygra,” I gently tell her. “I’ve moved on. But I’ll see you around town, okay?”

I turn and walk back toward the brewing area, needing to put some distance between us.

Before I can get too far, Ygra pleads, “Thorak, wait?—”

As I turn around to tell her to leave, her heel catches a slick patch of newly mopped floor and her legs go out from under her. I lunge forward and catch her, my arms around her waist, Ygra in a sultry swoon.

And at that exact moment, with my arms wrapped around my ex-girlfriend in an undoubtedly intimate-looking pose, Mariah walks in the door.

21

MARIAH

The moment I swing open the heavy door of Orc’s Anvil, my breath stops in my chest.

Thorak stands in the middle of the taproom, his large green hands spanning the waist of a statuesque giantess as she leans dramatically backwards, her lustrous, long dark hair nearly brushing the concrete floor.

The romantic tableau sends a jolt of shock through me.

Thorak spots me and quickly pushes the giantess away, his chiseled face a mix of surprise and dismay.

“Mariah,” he says gruffly, his voice echoing in the nearly empty taproom. “This is Ygra, my...ex-girlfriend. Ygra, this is Mariah...my...”

He trails off awkwardly, clearly unsure how to define our relationship. Fake fiancée? One-night-stand from last night? Something more?

My fingers instinctively tighten around the delicate necklace Thorak returned to me last week, the one his friend Zara had callously broken. The cool metal against my skin has been acomfort, a reminder of his care, but now it just feels heavy and lifeless.

“I’m helping Thorak with his distribution deal,” I say to Ygra, pasting on a friendly smile even as my stomach twists with nerves.

I want to trust Thorak, to believe in the tender connection that sparked between us, but seeing him in another woman’s arms stirs up all my old insecurities about how trustworthy he really is.

To my annoyance, Ygra is even more arresting up close. She stands at least a foot taller than me, her well-defined features striking rather than traditionally pretty. High cheekbones, full lips, and glittering gray eyes give her a magnetic appeal.

“It’s so wonderful to meet you!” Ygra gushes, her melodious voice filling the cavernous space. She clasps my hand in both of hers, her genuine enthusiasm and friendly expression making it hard to dislike her outright. “Any friend of Thorak’s is a friend of mine.”

Her casual reference to me as a “friend” pricks at my heart, a stab of jealousy shooting through me. What is Ygra to him? Is she a friend now, too? Or would he consider his ex to be something more?

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