Page 29 of Lonely Orcish Girl

He pulled her closer, kissed her on the lips, and whispered, "I’m gonna deal with them, Katuri. Remember, no matter what happens, you have me."

Katuri nodded slowly and said, "I’m going with you. I won’t hide in the house and make them more suspicious about me and my intentions."

"Okay." He opened the door. People were closing in around the fence. He glanced at Katuri one last time to reassure her and then walked toward the crowd and she followed.

As he made his way toward them, Reed felt a sudden surge of energy—he was focused and determined to defend his woman. And there was something strangely exhilarating about that. He approached the people with his head held high. He was no longer just a shy orphan with no one to stand up for him.

As he drew closer, he recognized more and more faces. His childhood friends and their parents. To his surprise, he also spotted Jolene standing slightly behind Petyr. She looked athim, and their eyes met for a split second before she averted her gaze. Reed expected to feel resentment or anger toward her, but there was nothing. She didn't matter in the upcoming confrontation, so he focused on Zachary, knowing he would be speaking on behalf of the villagers.

And he was right: as soon as Reed stopped in front of them, Zachary spread his arms theatrically, as if to greet Reed and convey goodwill at the same time. "Reed! Glad to see you back, safe and sound! We were very worried!" he said.

Reed winced and let his gaze wander over the faces of the gathered people. He wondered how many of them would be on his side. Maybe he could find some allies in the crowd? Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Joseph joining them, which was a relief. At least there was one friendly face. He sensed Katuri standing even closer to him, slightly behind.

"Well, thanks for the concern, Zachary." Reed barely managed to keep the sarcasm out of his voice. "I’ve had a few problems, but I also had some help. Still, I didn’t expect a welcoming committee like this."

"People wanted to check on you, Reed," Zachary continued. "Some were worried about your well-being, some were concerned... for different reasons."

"Oh, yeah?" Reed shot back, then turned to the crowd and asked aloud, "What’s going on, folks? What are you so concerned about?"

At first, there was silence, but then a man in the back shouted, "Why the hell did you bring an orc here?!" The voice sounded familiar, but Reed, already agitated, couldn't place it.

"Yeah! Exactly!" a woman’s voice joined in.

There were a few other murmurs of agreement, but others in the group were talking back to the complainers. Reed felt a bit of relief—it meant he wasn't completely alone.

"Hold on, everyone, let’s be civil here." Zachary raised his arms to quiet the crowd. He turned back to Reed with a difficult-to-read expression.

Reed partially understood Zachary’s position; as the head of the council, he had to at least appear impartial. But could he really be unbiased? Reed wasn’t sure about that. After all, he was Petyr’s father. Reed doubted Jolene had told her fiancé about their past, but he and Petyr had always had a mix of rivalry and camaraderie, with more rivalry lately.

"Her name is Katuri!" Reed shouted. "And she’s the reason I made it back here at all! I’d be dead if she hadn’t helped me and given me shelter!"

"So what?! That’s not enough reason to bring her here!" the same man yelled.

"These are my reasons, and they matter to me! I’m standing here alive because of her!" Reed shot back, fighting to keep his tone firm instead of desperate. "She’s going to live with me! As my woman! We’re together!"

The crowd fell silent, stunned by Reed’s announcement. He felt Katuri’s fingers clutch his arm, and he took her hand in his, knowing she needed his touch. He needed her closeness, too. Katuri’s hand trembled slightly.

He scanned the faces in the crowd; some stared at him in shock, others whispered among themselves. He caught Jolene’s eye again, but once more, she looked away, clearly upset. Even though she no longer mattered to him, it was satisfying to see her reaction.

The murmuring grew louder, but then Joseph’s calm, strong voice cut through the noise. "Let the kids be; they’re clearly in love!" he shouted.

"This is unacceptable! She’s an orc!" another voice snapped.

"Joseph’s right! What’s your problem, people? Don’t you trust Reed?" boomed a voice above the others. Reed recognizedit as Arrik, the village blacksmith. He and Reed had always gotten along well.

"She’ll bring other orcs here! They’ll rob Stagmoor and kill us! We can’t let her stay!" a woman screeched.

Reed knew the voice—it was Esther, Jolene’s mother. Her daughter hung her head, stubbornly avoiding his eyes. Reed knew Esther had never liked him, believing he wasn’t good enough for her daughter and preferring someone like Petyr.

Reed opened his mouth to argue, but Katuri beat him to it. "I will not do anything of the sort!" she said firmly, her voice raspy but strong.

"Sure you won’t, because we won’t let you stay!" Esther shot back, and a few others echoed her, though not as loudly as before.

"Katuri isn’t even a full-blooded orc! She’s half-human; her father was human!" Reed retorted.

"She looks more like an orc to me!" Esther shouted.

"But she’s not, and she didn’t even live with other orcs! She built her own place in the forest!" Reed countered.

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