Page 38 of My Orc Billionaire
This was a tradition that humans had created? Or was it just Eastshore? As far as I could see, few of the shops—andnoneof the humans in cars—were getting anything from their generosity. They’d purchased candy, some of it expensive, and were handing it out for free.
Just because?
It makes the kitlings happy.
Yes, there was that. I glanced around in bemusement. But it made the adults happy too. As I watched, Aswan unwrapped a piece of chocolate and popped it in his mouth. The scent reminded me of how I’d fed Riven chocolate-covered almonds last week when she was miserable, and how the taste had made her moan.
Of course,thatthought reminded me of the other ways I’d made her moan, and how she’d been avoiding me, and myKteerrumbled in my chest.
“Be careful!” Hannah called as Tova pulled away from her and hurtled toward one of the parked cars. “Oh goodness,” she groaned. “It’s always so nerve-wracking, to have them going in different directions.”
“Don’t worry,dkaar.” Aswan slid his free arm around her waist. “I can keep track of them both in the chaos.”
“I know you can.” She sighed and tipped her head against his shoulder. “Thank you.”
My twin looked like he might have said something—something sickeningly sweet, knowing him—had Joshy not smacked him on top of the head from his perch on Aswan’s shoulders.
“Mo’ tocolate! Now!” the toddler bellowed, pointing toward the next shop, which happened to be Giza’s tattoo parlor.
Chuckling, his father steered them in that direction.
And me? I trailed behind in a thoughtful sort of daze.
Here I was, surrounded by scores of humans. Although most of them were polite enough not to run into us, a few had brushed against me in the crowd, and all of them had smiled and excused themselves.
Maybe it was rude of me not to respond, but mostly I found myself staring at them, atallof them. Yeah, the sun had set a long time ago, but there was enough light that they couldn’t help but see me, see my ruined features. None of them had recoiled, none of them had pointed or even stared. Was it because they were unused to orcs, and didn’t know that I was an oddity?
Or was it because they knew and just didn’t care?
The humans of Eastshore Isle were unique.
Are they? Riven tried to tell you that there were plenty of humans different from the ones who ruined your life.
I thoughtshewas unique.
Shewasunique. But…maybe all these humans were special too?
Or maybe they werenormal, and the assholes who had tried to kill me were the different ones. Maybe Riven was right, and not all humans are like that.
I frowned at the thought, my shoulders hunched and my hands in my pockets, as Giza greeted us.
“It’s good to see you,T’mak!” The older male was the only one who’d ever called meLittle Brother. “Have you come to admire my pumpkins?”
Since Giza was smirking, I nodded solemnly. “You have very fine pumpkins,D’kap,” I deadpanned, having no idea what he was talking about.
He clutched his chest dramatically—although maybe it was because of the honorific I’d used. “A joke! Abydos made a joke! The world will surely end!”
That was when the crowd in front of his store parted, and I saw that, indeed, there were three tremendous pumpkins sitting in a line on the pavement. One had a big sign beside a pad of paper and a glass jar, announcing that whoever came closest to guessing the weight would win a prize.
Another was painted with the wordsTry to Lift Me, and my younger brother Simbel was cheering on his teenaged son—what was his name? Oh, yes, Trick—as the kitling tried to lift it. Who would have thought that Simbel, a fun-loving, easygoing male, would make such a good father?
The third pumpkin had been hollowed out, and Joshy was chortling happily as he jumped up and down inside of it, his mother snapping photos on her phone.
The scene was… I glanced around. Cozy, yeah.Fun. I felt like an island in the middle of chaos—an outside observer—as Giza moved away to take his young baby from his Mate, and I shook my head in disbelief.
These males were my brothers, myfriends. They’d found their place here in Eastshore, among these humans. They’d foundpeace.
And a part of me—not myKteer, but my heart—wondered if such a miracle would be possible for me as well. I didn’t need a Mate, I didn’t need aplace…
