Page 43 of Claimed By the Orc Lord

“I…” Kai’s brows dipped, one little line of worry pinched between them. “I don’t… I don’t want to leave?” He said it like he wasn’t even sure of it himself, and then he sat there for a second like he was tasting the words on his tongue. “Yeah… I don’t want to leave, Nash.”

The confidence in his voice the second time he spoke made my heart race.

“You want to stay?”

He nodded once, and the corner of his mouth lifted in a smile. “Yeah. I think I do. I mean… I still need to find my friend—” He gave me a pointed look at that, but I wasn’t going to let guilt overtake me. Things were too dangerous to go to the city, and any man with half an eye would see how gorgeous he was… gorgeous and unmated and… “But yeah. I want to stay here. With you.” The last two words were spoken in a soft whisper, and he dropped his gaze when he said it.

It made me move forward, roll him until he was pressed to the mattress beneath me and I could cup his chin to bring his eyes back to mine. They were wide, just a little afraid, but they were defiant too.

Full of determination.

Emotion.

“With me?”

“Yeah. I mean, I’ll need to go back to my world sometimes, I’m sure. I have tools and stuff there. Books. Things that I could use to help, so…” That fear spiraled almost out of control, bursting across his features like glass shattering into a thousand tiny pieces, reflecting the light of the sun, the moon, the stars.

But he was still looking at me.

“Kai?”

“That means you need to mark me, right? So…” He tilted his head to the side, like it was that simple, that easy. Like what he was saying wasn’t the only thing I’d been waiting for my entire existence, my whole life. “Claim me, Nash.” He bit his lip and looked at me through his lashes. “I want you to.”

Chapter fifteen

Kai

Assoonasthewords came out of my mouth, I realized two things. I was scared shitless, because this was more than just fucking a guy. It was more than just dating someone. Nash had explained it to me—the way we’d be tethered together forever, the way we’d fade without one another. It wasn’t just getting married, or tying yourself to someone. It was entwining your entire destiny, your entire fate…your life and soul with someone… and…

Fuck, I wanted it.

I wanted him.

That was the other thing I realized. I was scared as fuck, but I wanted this more than I’d wanted anything in my entire life.

“Kai.” The rumble of his voice had gone deeper, a near growl when he said my name. When I looked up at him, his violet eyes were all pupil, like my words alone were enough to get him into a feral state. “You can’t just say things like that.”

I blinked up at him slowly. Nash looked like he was barely holding himself together, and I had to admit that I liked it. I liked the fact that it was so easy to make him lose his cool. I liked the fact that he wanted me so much that I could feel the heat of his body and the way his cock was getting hard from my words alone.

I liked the fact that he wanted me here with him so much… that he knew this was my home, my place to belong, just as much as I did.

I likedhim.

Okay, maybe more than like.

“I’m not just saying it,” I finally murmured, but I was still cautious when I brought my hand up and pressed it gently to his chest. His heart was thundering beneath my palm, and I let out a startled laugh.

It was going the same rate as mine.

“What?” he asked when I laughed again.

“Twinsies.”

The confused expression on his face made it worse. I was at least somewhat aware that it was probably because I was nervous. I’d just told a guy that I’d met less than a month ago—who was also an orc—that I wanted to pretend we were like… penguins or something.

Mating for life.

“Like they do on the Discovery Channel,” I said, then dissolved into an actual giggle fit. I didn’t stop until Nash brought his hand down to mirror my own, placing his fingers to my chest, over my speeding heart. He moved forward, pressing his forehead to mine so my world was suddenly swimming in a sea of violet and warmth, and he smiled.

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