Page 54 of Romancing the Orc

“Brokk!” I scream, reaching for him as I fall.

The roar of water, the rush of wind on my skin, the flash of blue sky—it snaps out in an instant. Golden light surrounds me, as if I float in the middle of a sun-kissed cloud.

A disembodied voice booms, “What do you dream?”

“Brokk! I dream of Brokk!” Of how he cares for me and puts me first. He’s everything I could ever want in a partner. It doesn’t even matter that he’s a fae monster with all the physical extras. Okay, it matters—why am I lying to myself about how wonderful all of that is?—but that’s not the most important part.

What I really love is his huge heart. How safe he makes me feel, as if I can do anything.

“Your heart has been judged. You will now go to your just reward.”

Brokk will go home to Faerie! I need to go to Faerie too, in order to be with him.

But the view that materializes around me is all too familiar. I stand in the backyard of my childhood home in Ferndale Falls. The forest stretches out in front of me, almost swallowing the small cottage I moved into at sixteen, my parents indulging me in my desire for a writer’s “space to create.”

I love this cottage. I renovated it only a year ago and redecorated. It’s my favorite place on Earth.

But that’s exactly the problem. This is Earth, and Brokk’s in Faerie.

I know I should be glad to be alive and away from Elton and his goons, but that safety only exists because I’m parted from the man I love.

Then another thought strikes. God, did Brokk even make it out of that room? What if that shot hit him and kept him from going through the door? No. No no no. He has to be okay! Even if he’s not with me, please let him be okay!

Moaning my distress, I fall to my knees. My hands dig into the grass, tugging as too many emotions surge through me.

How could I finally find my person only to immediately lose him? Why didn’t I stay in that photographer’s studio all those months ago? I could have been with Brokk this entire time! Why did I let my insecurities keep me away from him?

I’m so glad I told him I love him. At least I have that—I didn’t let fear hold me back this time. But it’s not enough, not without him. A sob tears from my throat.

“Hey, now.” Strong hands grip my shoulders, tugging me upright. “What did that grass ever do to warrant such treatment?”

“Brokk!” I launch off the ground and spin in place like a ballerina on a sugar-fueled caffeine high, my ponytail whipping through the air so quickly it makes a whistling sound. I crash into his bare chest, hiccupping with little half-laughs, half sobs. “You’re okay!” Then I see a line of blood on his biceps, about an inch below the half-healed wound from two days ago. “You were shot!”

“It’s nothing. A scratch.” He shrugs. “It takes a great deal more to keep an orc warrior down.”

This time I take him at his word and move on to the thing I really want to ask him. “How are you here?”

“Where else would I be?” He lifts my hand and presses it to the center of his upper chest, his heartbeat thumping with strength and life. “The Door of Dreams read my heart, andyouare my heart.”

“I thought you went home to Faerie!”

“No. It’s no longer my home, not without you.” His eyes hold mine, brimming with sincerity. “I love you, Lara. I’d give up a million realms to be with you, my brilliant and beautiful mate.”

Oh! Tears prickle my eyes. I’d hoped, but to hear him say it! He loves me!

“Even before I met you, you were important to me. When I first arrived on Earth, no one wanted to believe I was an orc. Even those who liked orcs still thought I wore a costume. They treated me as a novelty, something amusing.” He cups my cheek. “Your books not only gave me a job, they also reminded me of who orcs are—proud warriors who are desirable as mates. You gave me hope that even if I couldn’t find a way home, I could find someone who could love the real me.”

“I love you, the real you.” My heart aches for how alone he must have felt in those early days. “I love you for your ingenuity and your willingness to help others. I love that you fight for what you believe in. And I love how safe you make me feel.”

“I like this new list.” His fingers brush over my brow. “I love this busy brain of yours.”

“I didn’t need to make a list. I haven’t needed to make one all day.” I offer him a soft smile. “I’m not as scared of the unknown now that I have you by my side.”

Just as Brokk’s not that fae of long ago, I’m not my ancestor. I’m not giving the scared answer Caroline gave and asking for only one night. Instead, I choose the eon.

I choose forever.

“My Lara.” He lifts me higher until his words whisper over my lips. “My mate, my love.”

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