Page 37 of Halfling
Sorcha bit the inside of her cheek to keep the obvious smile from her face, and she was honestly thankful for the added weight and warmth.
It was satisfying to have her own bedding and not worry if he’d be cold or uncomfortable. Still, as she settled into her blankets, she couldn’t help but miss the nest he’d made her those handful of nights. His blankets were softer, warmer, and didn’t carry the musty smell of a trading post. No, they smelled of…him.
Sorcha watched with heavy lids as Orek made up a little nest for Darrah out of a fur before easing under his own blankets.
“Good night,” she said softly over the banked fire.
Despite the dim and only having his profile, she didn’t miss the blush that colored his cheeks.
“Good night,” he replied in that deep rumble.
Sorcha closed her eyes and pulled his fur up over the others, closer to her nose, and breathed in a contented sigh.
She had a full belly. She had a plan. She had a travel companion.
“I’ll be home soon,”she mouthed, hoping the wind would take her promise north, to the family that waited for her.
9
Orek couldn’t help the amused grin spreading across his face when he heard Sorcha’s incensed gasp. She pulled the coin purse she’d so dramatically returned to him last night out of her pack, where he’d much more quietly placed it that morning before she awoke.
Truly, he wanted her to have it. They were likely to come across more towns on their way north, and it’d be her who could put them to good use.
That didn’t mean he couldn’t take the opportunity to be a little sly.
Still not quite sure what possessed him to do it, his grin turned smug when she held up the purse in her fist andgrowledat him.
He simply shouldered his pack and headed into the forest.
“This isn’t over,” she grumbled. He snorted in amusement at her grumpy tone and heavy footfalls as she made to catch up.
I look forward to it.
As Sorcha tromped up to his side, Darrah squeaked and rooted around in the hood of his cloak. Orek had tied his long hair up into a messy knot, and the kit seemed fascinated, toying with it in his little raccoon hands. Once in a while, he’d feel a little wet, snuffling nose or exploring lick against his neck, making him shudder.
Keeping the river on their left and mostly in sight, they walked through the morning in companionable silence. Well, he was mostly silent. Sorcha kept up her chatter, and Orek enjoyed the sound of it. Between her jovial observations and Darrah’s antics, the morning passed quickly.
The things she’d said the night before did have him curious, and he earned a smile from her when he asked about what precisely a knight was.
Her explanation saw them through two different groves of trees and a thicket of blackberries they had to skirt around. He felt the kit scrabble on his shoulder and caught Darrah mid-leap as he tried to dive into the berries, and the kit squealed in protest. As she spoke, he picked the occasional berry, the rich juices staining his fingers as the kit ate happily but messily.
“So he’s a warrior,” Orek said when Sorcha paused to pick her own handful of berries.
“Mmm,” she agreed with a hum, lips stained dark with the berries.
Orek tried but failed not to notice how the darkened color made them look plumper, emphasizing the shape and lush softness of them. He stared at her mouth as the purple juices burst across her tongue. It was only after she’d begun answering him that he realized she spoke…and she’d caught him staring.
She smiled a mysterious little smile before she said, “Yes, that’s the most important part, I suppose. He serves the kingdom and a liege lord.”
“But what about his family?” Orek couldn’t help asking. From her explanation, it sounded as though her father was away more than he was home. Such a life made sense for males like Orek who had nothing and no one, but for a male who had a mate? Younglings? It was unfathomable.
Not many of the Stone-Skin clan took mates like in the old ways, claiming and bonding to one another in a way even death couldn’t break. It was revered but rare; Krul himself had never taken a mate, saying such a thing was a weakness. Many of the males took his lead, not wanting to settle for one female—and few of the orcesses seemed inclined to settle for one bedmate, either. More than one elder had remarked some of the females wanted to keep themselves free should Krul ever change his mind.
He’d known a handful to allow the mate-bond to take root and watched as they nurtured it through the years. Orek could barely stomach looking at such a pair, seeing the devotion and affection flowing freely between them—such a marked difference from the ugliness of how his father treated his mother and how he himself was brought into the world.
It always hurt to look upon things he wanted so desperately but knew would never have. The sharp heartache always took days to soothe, usually by losing himself in the forest.
The idea that a male would have all that and just…leave…had that ugliness inside him roiling with anger.Hewouldn’t leave a mate.
