Page 12 of Fake Dating an Orc Cowboy

“It sounds beautiful.”

“Perhaps one day, I’ll be able to show you.”

“I can’t imagine what it’s like. Humans are only allowed in your kingdom if they’re on diplomatic missions, correct? I haven’t heard of anyone traveling there for tourism or to visit with friends.”

Only human mates could go to the orc kingdom.

Would she be offended if I told her we were fated to be together forever and that I adored her already? I ached to share the emotions growing within my heart. It was common for fated mates to fall in love fast. Who’d resist when they found the person the very fates themselves had chosen for them to love? They were our perfect match, and while love could also grow between those who weren’t fated, it must feel like a dimmer image of the affection roaring through me now.

I kept my voice as light as I could because I had to tell her a fraction of what I was feeling, but I didn’t want to frighten her away. “Your hair flows like the deepest river in our caverns, dark but alive with veins of shimmering gold, resembling strands of a stone found commonly on our ground.”

“That’s . . . nice.”

Why were her eyes sparkling with humor? I was being serious, though perhaps, I hadn’t said enough to impress her. Tark was the poetic one in our family, but surely, I could come up with something that would show her what she was starting to mean to me already. “It also resembles the fires of Pyrathon that burn endlessly in some of our deepest caves. It moves and dances like gleaming shadows on dark stone walls. If I could, I’d bury my face in your hair and remain there until my dying day.”

“Ostor,” she croaked, and when she looked up at me, her sky eyes had darkened as if a storm lashed through her. “That’s incredible. I’m not sure what to say.”

“I hope I haven’t upset you by speaking like this.”

“Not one bit. It’s beautiful. It makes me hurt in here.” She pressed her fingers against her chest. “But in a good way.”

Agoodway. My tension eased.

“I can see why you can’t wait to return home,” she said.

Not if it meant leaving her. “I may choose to stay with my brothers.” They’d be surprised, since that wasn’t my original intention, but how could I leave Rosey?

“Some of your people have left your gorgeous orc kingdom to settle on the surface,” she said.

“To start a new life much like those who left your eastern shores many generations ago to travel across the vast, open spaces to build homes for their families.”

“There’s a lot to unpack about our western movement.”

“I’ve read about some of it, and it’s tragic.”

“Humans may try to do what they think is the right thing, but not all of us are good people.”

“Good isn’t an all-or-nothing thing. Each fragment of a person can be peeled away to reveal another facet, and some may be harsher than another, but that’s what makes us all unique.”

“You’re right.”

“All we can do is keep trying to be a good person and hope that others see the facet that shines the brightest.”

“You’re a deep person, Ostor.”

“You mean like our caverns?”

“I think you could make that comparison. I imagine there are depths in your world that still haven’t been explored, minerals and creatures that are equally wondrous and frightening. And each of them contains their own facets.”

“I believe you’re right.”

“Chicken, pasta, or the fruit and cheese plate?” The man who’d brought the boob-ly pain asked, standing beside us, holding an electronic device in one hand. “For your meal.”

“I’ll have the fruit and cheese plate,” Rosey said, and I nodded in agreement.

“Anything to drink?” he asked.

“Just water for me,” Rosey said, and I agreed with that as well.

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