Page 44 of Romancing the Orc

“I have as well,” Grey says. “But I had no idea it was on Fruvalia!”

“What have you heard?” Lara spins toward us, her face glowing with excitement. “Tell meeverything.”

“Rumors, myths, stories lost to time.” Grey sits back on his haunches, balancing perfectly even though the werepanther form is new for him.

“Same. In fact, the one story I heard sounded a lot like what you just read.” I gesture toward the photos. “During the final battle of the Three Realms War, the elf fae cast a powerful glamour over the battlefield that made the orcs wander about, unable to see each other. One of the warriors who got lost eventually stumbled across the Door of Dreams. He stepped through, expecting to return to duty as one of the orc queen’s guard, but instead wound up in a realm with no other orcs. There he met the wood nymph who was his fated mate.”

“Aww! That’s so sweet!”

Grey taps an extended claw tip against one of the photos. “If this is true, and we find the Door of Dreams, I can return to mypeople on the mainland of Fruvalia and lead them to our home realm.”

“Ketalia.” I nod.

Grey startles and growls, “How do you know the name of the cat sith home?”

“I’m from Alarria, and there, the cat sith and orcs are allies.”

His head lifts as he opens his mouth and takes in several audible sniffs. “You don’t smell like you’re lying.”

It’s my turn to growl. “I’m an honorable orc warrior.”

“Well, then, orc.” He shifts back into his panther form. “If we are indeed allies, I will take you to this building so that we may find the door.”

“What do you think we’ve been doing for the past two days?” I jab a finger toward the center of the island. “We’re traveling straight toward it.”

“Ah, but you can’t get there in less than a minute, can you?” His green eyes glitter mockingly.

I bare my tusks, but I can’t argue. Moving at Lara’s pace, it’s going to take several more days to reach the ruins.

“Please, Brokk.” Excitement fills her voice as she leans over and puts her hand on my forearm. “Let him take us the fast way. We have to get there and figure out how to use the Door of Dreams before Elton Edgerton does. We can’t trust a megalomaniac like him with something this powerful.”

I can deny her nothing.

“Very well,” I say.

“Excellent. There are only a few things to note. Don’t step off the path, and whatever you do, don’t let go of me.”

“What happens if we do?” Lara asks.

The feline fae’s voice turns deadly serious. “You’ll be lost forever.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-THREE

Lara

“God. I don’t know how I feel about this.” I work at pulling my hair back into a new ponytail. “I mean, I’ve spent most of my life dreaming about Faerie, and to finally get to do something like this is a wish come true. But getting lost in the mist…”

I’m a conflicted mess. It’s so exciting to get to travel Grey’s secret fae roads, but also scary. A shiver also goes through me, and I rub at my arms, even though the day’s already hot. The panther told us more about the shadow roads, and they sound like thelastplace anyone would want to get lost.

But we really do need to beat Elton to the prize. I can’t imagine what a guy like him will do if he figures out the door.

“You will not get lost in the mist.” Brokk clasps my shoulders and turns me to face him. “I will carry you and keep hold of the cat. My grip will not falter.”

I offer him a hopeful smile that slides from my face the moment Grey opens his mouth.

“That won’t work. You both need to hold on to me for my magic to protect you.” He grins his too-large grin. “Luckily for you, I’mverytouchable.”

“Is there any particular part of you we need to hold?” Brokk asks, his tone dry.

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