Page 117 of The Orc's Captive Bride
But the rest of her—the part that was just Thea, stripped of degrees and credentials and intellectual armor—just wanted to experience it.
To feel wanted. Chosen. Bound to someone who saw her completely and didn’t find her lacking.
Strange. I spent my whole life convinced I was too awkward for relationships. Too focused on my research. Too… much.
Turned out she’d just been waiting for someone who appreciated “too much” as a positive rather than a critique.
Khorrek’s arm tightened fractionally around her waist. Still not quite awake but aware of her on some fundamental level, protecting her even in his sleep. The thought made her chest ache.
He’d given up everything for her. His entire identity had been built around loyalty to Lasseran, and he’d shattered it, chosen her over a lifetime of conditioning.
Because Lasseran is a monster.
True. But also because of her.
The bond confirmed it. She could feel his fierce protectiveness. His determination to keep her safe. His?—
Love? Was it too soon to call it that?
Probably. She didn’t care.
She’d spent her entire life being careful, approaching every situation with academic detachment.
And where had it gotten her?
Pulled through a portal to another world, threatened by a psychopathic king, and on the run with stolen texts and a desperate hope that she could somehow find a solution to an ancient curse before people died.
Careful hadn’t prepared her for any of this—so maybe it was time to stop being careful.
She turned in his arms so she could see his face. He was beautiful in a way that had nothing to do with conventional aesthetics, all sharp angles and brutal scars. Evidence of violence was written across every inch of skin.
But his mouth had softened in sleep and the perpetual tension in his jaw had eased. He looked younger, less like a weapon and more like a person who’d finally been allowed to rest.
Mine.
The possessiveness should have frightened her. She’d never been possessive of anything except her research.
But this felt right, like recognizing a fundamental truth about the universe.
Khorrek was hers. She was his.
Simple. Profound. Terrifying.
She reached up and traced the line of his jaw with gentle fingers. His eyes opened immediately, instantly alert. Then he saw her and relaxed fractionally. “Thea.”
“Hi.”
“How long was I asleep?”
“Not long enough.” She could feel his exhaustion through the bond, a bone-deep weariness that came from pushing himself past reasonable limits. “You should rest more.”
“So should you.”
“I did rest. For hours.”
“Not enough.”
She smiled. “Are we really going to argue about who’s more tired?”
