Page 58 of Bound to the Orc Hunter

“No!” Rune cries out. “It’s all right! These are pacified.”

I’d almost forgotten our own personal cloud of birds. They’re silent, and when we ride through the woods, they’re often hidden by the trees overhead. But here in the open and the bright afternoon sunshine, they hang above us in a noticeable clump, darkening the sky.

Black wolves pour from the woods and from the mouths of the caves until we’re surrounded by a swirling mass of fur. They gather around Rune, everyone touching noses and sniffing each other in hellos.

Then tiny little faces appear at a few of the cave openings, and excited yips ring through the air as the most adorable little puppies race across the ground. “Rune!” “You’re back!” “I missed you!” “A unicorn!” “Who’s that?” “That’s an orc!” “No, silly. Who’s the other one?”

Several of the pups come to an abrupt halt right beside Aurora, their tiny heads tipped back as they look at me, little ears swiveling.

“It’s an elf! Elves have come to Alarria!”

“Hooray! Elves!”

“Why does everyone think elves are so great?” Branikk mutters behind me.

Aurora sounds amused as she says, “Perhaps because they weigh less than orcs?”

He slides to the ground. “Hint taken.”

“It wasn’t a hint. It was a fact.”

Branikk chuckles as he lifts me down.

I grin, too. Today’s been good. Ever since he took the time to show me the Ferris wheel last night, things have been more comfortable. Or I guess, I’ve been more comfortable around him—he never seems to be uncomfortable with anyone. But last night helped me to remember that even if he’ll never love me for me, he’s also not the type of guy who’ll hurt me on purpose.

The puppies surround us, jumping up to set little paws on our calves, excited faces beaming up at us, mixed cries of “Orc!” and “Elf!” ringing through the clearing.

I crouch down, laughing. My hands move from one little wiggling body to the next, trying to give them all attention. Their tails whip back and forth so quickly it makes their buttsmove from side to side. They have the little smooshed faces of puppies, not having grown their adult snouts, and their eyes are absolutely huge and impossible to resist.

“Hello!” One bounds onto my lap, his little tongue licking my chin. Then another one joins him, and the rest cry out, “Me!” “No me!” “Me!”

“I saw her first.” The first pup on my lap gives the other a shove.

The other shoves right back, a little girl’s voice saying, “Well, I knew she was an elf.”

“Hey, now. None of that.” I brace an arm around each to keep them from toppling from my thighs. “There’s plenty of me to go around.”

“This is Astrid and Agnar,” Rune says. “My niece and nephew.”

“Who were both told to stay inside the den,” a woman’s voice says, sounding serious. One of the adult wolves steps up beside Rune, almost as large, her eyes the exact amber color as his. She must be his sister.

“ButMom…” they whine in unison, making the one-syllable word at least three.

“Don’t ‘but’ me. You know it’s dangerous outside.”

“Not with Uncle Rune here!” the little girl protests. “He brought an elf and a unicorn!”

“Finally, someone sees me as the magnificent being I am,” Aurora says in a pleased voice. It looks like even big old grumps fall before the cuteness of puppies.

“What about me?” Branikk says, squatting beside me and flexing his biceps. “I’m a big orc warrior.”

“You’re okay, too,” Astrid says.

“Hear that, Branikk?” The unicorn gives a whinnying laugh. “You’reokay.”

He smirks over at her, showing off his tusks. Then he takes several of the other pups onto his lap, his big hands gentle. My heart skips when he cradles the most insistent puppy to his chest so it can lick his chin with little puppy kisses.

It only gets worse when he stands and sets a pup on Aurora’s saddle, cupping his hands around it to keep it in place while she walks in slow circles, giving them “unicorn rides.” Even my two abandon me, leaping around his legs, demanding to be next in a chorus of high-pitched “Me! Me! Me!”

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