Page 8 of My Orc Billionaire
Her, this little speck of life in the center of my emptiness.
The storm raging outside my window shrank to nothingness when I heard her inhale.
“I need this job,” she said in a small voice. “I don’t have to live here?—”
“The job is live-in,” I snapped. “Sylvik?—”
“He explained it to me.”
In the glass, I saw my reflection raise a ruined brow. She’d interrupted me. I wasn’t used to being interrupted.
“Mr. Sylvik explained all about zoning and how your chef will need to claim this residence as her—myfull-time home, because the mayor apparently doesn’t believe there are different laws for rich guys.”
I felt my lips twitch.
“Yeah, well, when themayoris the same male who held you as you nearly bled out ten years ago, and thenstillmanaged to save your ass, you follow his rules.”
I hadn’t meant to confess that, and I couldtasteher curiosity from across the room. If this was going to work out, I couldn’t afford her poking into my life?—
Wait. I wasn’t seriously considering this was I?
You weren’t until you tasted those brownies. And those apple tarts. And the fucking macarons.
“Whatever you have against humans, Mr. Abydos?—”
Suddenly enraged by thatmister—and by my own weakness—I whirled about and slammed my fists down on my desk. “It’sjust Abydos,” I snarled. “I’m justme.”
Except.
For ten years, I’d tried so godsdamn hard to bemore. To beat the humans at their own game. And look where it’d gotten me—torn up, confused, and still hungry.
She wasn’t scared.
There was no scent of fear coming off her. In fact, the little human dropped her hands to her hips and cocked her head to one side. “I doubt you’rejustanything, buddy.”
Buddy?Buddy? That was as rare as someone interrupting me. I shook my head, opened my mouth, and she beat me to it again.
“Whatever you think humans do?—”
“What theydoisthis!” I roared, pointing my claws at my ruined face. “And more! Humans are a plague, full of hatred and fear and the urge to destroy everything they come across!”
She’d flinched at my initial bellow, but I had the feeling she waslisteningmore to the words that followed than she ought to. And when she actually dropped her hands from her hips and took a step toward me, I reared back.
Was I running from this tiny little human female?
“Yes,” she said, and it took me a moment to remember what she was responding to. “Humanscanbe full of hatred and violence and all that stuff you said. But not all of us are like that.” She stopped on the other side of my desk. “Not me.”
Not me.
Behind me, thunder crashed and lightning lit the sky, and in here, the silence was broken only by the sound of her pulse.
Not me.
My tongue darted out and flicked against my broken tusk, the old habit grounding me as the pain darted through me. “All humans are dangerous.”
Her lips twitched. “Do I look dangerous? We’re notallmonsters—not even you.” There was something sparkling in her green eyes, something Ididn’t like. Was she teasing me? “Besides…we all have scars.”
Her palms rose toward her chest, as if she was going to show me something, but she arrested the movement and turned it into a shrug. “Plus, I am areallygood cook.”
