Page 48 of Romancing the Orc

“We must be at the very top of the waterfall.” He spins back to face the room.

Elton falls from the ceiling, landing on his feet like he did an easy jump. Asshole. His goons land all around him.

“What was that pool?” I whisper to Brokk. “I went into the water, but I’m not even wet.”

“Some kind of magical doorway.”

“The Door of Dreams?”

“I don’t think so, because my heart’s desire has nothing to do with these scum.” He tips his head toward the men.

“Well, now.” Elton gives us a slow clap. “I applaud your attempt, but you didn’t really think I’d be foolish enough to let you get away so easily, now did you?”

“I don’t know,” Brokk says. “You’re the one who has to pay people to do everything for you. That tends to make a person lazy and stupid.”

Edgerton’s face twists into a sneer, and he glances at Klaus. “If the cover model speaks again, shoot him.”

Brokk’s muscles tense, and a growl rumbles through him so strongly I feel it with my whole body.

I set a hand on his cheek, make him face me, and shake my head. “He’s not worth it.”

Brokk grits his teeth but gives me a firm nod. I’ve never loved him more than now, with him willing to listen to what I have to say and take me seriously.

“Put her down. I have need of her,” Elton says. “She’s going to make this magical artifact work so I can prove elves andFaerie exist. Then dear old Dad is going to know I’ve been right this entire time.”

As soon as I’m on my feet, the goons surround us, herding me toward one of the side walls. It’s the one they took the pictures of, the one covered in the message about the Door of Dreams.

“Translate it.” Elton jabs a finger at the carvings.

“I can’t,” I lie. To keep my shit poker face from giving me away, I reach for honest emotions to show instead—anger and frustration. Yep, I sure as hell have enough of those. I fling a hand toward the wall. “How the hell do you expect me to work under these conditions? You kidnap me, shoot at me, have your goons chase me through the jungle, and now you’re holding me at gunpoint and threatening to shoot my… my…” My hand flaps in the air. “Cover model.”

I suppress a groan. God, I almost said “mate”! Who knows what Elton will think of that. I’m not sure anyone outside of romance readers even knows what fated mates are. Besides, is it a good idea to let these assholes know we’re important to each other? What if they use it against us somehow?

Brokk’s face goes carefully stoic the moment I name him nothing more than my cover model. Oh, god, did I hurt his feelings? I wish I could explain.

I wish I could tell him I love him.

“I don’t believe you,” Elton says. Then he makes an imaginary gun with his fingers and pretends to shoot Brokk.

The click of Klaus’s trigger activating rings through the room.

“Okay, okay!” I hold both hands up in surrender, patting the air with my palms. “I’ll translate it for you. Just give me a chance to work on it!”

Maybe if I stall for time,somethingwill change. Grey will come back with a werepanther army, or one of the goons willswan dive off the side of the waterfall, and all of the others will follow like lemmings.

Hey, a girl can dream!

“I need supplies.” I pull my family journal out of my catsuit and hold it up, the ziplock bag crinkling. “Pens and paper. Somewhere to sit.”

Instead of speaking, Elton snaps his fingers and points.

God, I still hate his finger snaps.

His goons spring into action. One of the women climbs a rope ladder I didn’t notice before, her head disappearing when she reaches the ceiling, then the rest of her. After a few minutes, she jumps down again, carrying all the supplies I asked for and more.

In only a little bit, I sit cross-legged on the floor, a lap desk balanced on my thighs. I open Caroline’s journal to a random page and pretend to scrutinize the text carefully, looking back and forth between it and the wall several times before writing the first word of the carving.

“The?The?” Elton reads over my shoulder, his tone indignant. “All of that for the measly little word ‘the’?”

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