Page 98 of Till Orc Do Us Part
I want to belong.
But wanting is not the same as knowing.
So I stay in shadow.
And I watch.
I remain beneath the eaves, watching as shadows deepen and stars sharpen overhead.
The crowd swirls around me—a tide of faces bright with triumph, old wounds knit by new hope.
And still, I stay back.
I tell myself it is enough.
To see it standing.
To know it breathes.
But then—soft footsteps near my side.
I glance down.
Jamie stands there—barefoot on the worn boards, curls tangled, cheeks flushed from running. His small hand clutches a half-eaten caramel apple, stick sticky with sugar.
“Mr. Drokhaz!” he says, wide-eyed.
I incline my head. “Jamie.”
He looks up at the lanterns strung across the boardwalk, then at the fish shack glowing warm behind him. His gaze flicks between them—between me.
“You built this, right?” he asks softly.
I feel the words settle beneath my ribs.
I crouch so my gaze meets his.
“No,” I answer, voice low and steady. “Wedid.”
He beams—bright as the lanterns.
And without hesitation, he reaches for my hand.
“Come on,” he says. “Mama’s over there. We saved you a spot.”
The knot in my chest pulls tight, then loosens in a single breath.
I let him lead me. One step. Another.
Into the light.
I don’t look back.
CHAPTER 29
ROWAN
The beach house sighs with salt and stillness when we step inside. Distant waves mark time as moonlight stripes the bed through parted curtains. Drokhaz’s hand hasn’t left the curve of my waist since we crossed the threshold—anchoring, never demanding.
