Page 103 of The Orc Chief's Baker
He let out a huff that made his throat burn. “No. Not here. Seer had a vision. Was shown to the clan.”
“But he’s gone now.”
He nodded.
“So, there isn’t any proof you can show the villagers of Oakwall.” Trinia began to stroke his hand in thought. Her fingers were so soft and gentle as they caressed his knuckles. He never wanted this touch to end.
“No proof. Only words.”
Her eyes took on a haunted look, and he turned her hand so he could rub her knuckles the same way she had done for him. She blinked down at their clasped hands; cheeks colored a pretty pink that he knew wasn’t just from the cold.
But she didn’t pull away as her eyes squeezed shut. “This is justtoo much. I thought losing my mother’s bakery was bad enough, but now the wholeworld? Brovdir, I don’t... I don’t know if I can...”
“Just breathe,” he said firmly, pressing a hand to her chest. “Breathe, and know I will be with you. At your side.”
She let out a sound that he thought was meant to be a snort but came out suspiciously like a sob. Her eyes were misty, and her lips were trembling. “You have the wholeclanto worry about. Not just me.”
“You are all that matters.”
Her eyes went a little wide and her jaw went slack, and he could feel the imprint thrumming deep in his bones as delight twinkled in her eyes.
And then her brows furrowed into a dark glare, and his back straightened. “Brovdir, I amnotthe only thing that matters. The clan matters and so does Oakwall.” She took another deep breath and placed her hand over his where it still rested on her stomach. “How are they going to react to this? This is just...”
She looked off into the woods, eyes haunted, as if she were imagining what it might look like to have the world swallowed up by a terrible wind and raging water.
He used his knuckle to gently tip her face toward him. “I know not what the future holds, Trinia. But Idoknow this. I will be by your side through it all.”
Her eyes blinked wide.
“You can rest assure that I will keep you hale for as long as you allow me to be near you. All I ask is for your trust. AndI also swear to do whatever is necessary to keep both of our communities whole.”
She never looked away from his eyes, not even once. Not even to blink. He felt that he was being pulled into her, being consumed by the intensity of her gaze.
“All right, Brovdir,” she said slowly, carefully. “I’ll trust you.”
And in an instant his whole world grew brighter.
Chapter
Thirty-One
TRINIA
She was introuble.
Brovdir walked next to her slowly. The clip he set was easy for her to keep. The paths they walked were clean and free of ice. There were no homes here, just large fir trees that made a thick canopy around them, offering seclusion. Something she desperately needed right now.
Because her mind was lit up like the first dawn of summer.
“I will ensure no harm comes to you.”
It was big talk considering their world was about to be redesigned. And yet she knew he could. She trusted this male to the very core of herself.
She shouldn’t.
He was basically a stranger!
She shouldn’t trust him, should she? Not after everything...
