Page 119 of The Orc's Captive Bride
She went to him and took his face in both hands, forcing him to look at her.
“Then I don’t want to be welcome either.”
“Thea—”
“No. Listen to me.” She put every ounce of conviction into her voice. “You’re not that person anymore. You broke free. You chose to defy Lasseran rather than hurt more people. That matters.”
“Does it? I still have blood on my hands. I followed his orders for years, and did terrible things because he told me to.”
“Yes, and you can’t change that. But you can change what you do now. Who you are now.” She kissed him. Hard. “And right now, you’re the man who protected me. Saved me. Chose me over everything else. That’s who you are. That’s who I see.”
“The orcs of Norhaven won’t see that. They’ll see a traitor.”
“Maybe. Or maybe they’ll see someone who finally found the strength to break his chains.” She pulled back just far enough to meet his eyes. “Either way, we’re going together. And if they won’t welcome you, they won’t welcome me. End of discussion.”
Something flickered in his expression, vulnerability, perhaps.
“It’s dangerous.”
“So is staying here. We can’t hide in Velmora with Lasseran hunting us.” She straightened her shoulders. “At least in Norhaven, we’d have a chance. And I need time to work and to finish studying these texts properly.”
“You’re risking your life for people you’ve never met.”
“I’m willing to risk my life to stop Lasseran from committing genocide and to give the orcs back what was stolen from them.” She put her hand over his heart. “And I’d risk my life for you, because you’re worth it.”
He kissed her then, fierce and desperate, and she met him with equal intensity, matching his passion and letting him feel through the bond how certain she was.
When they finally broke apart, they were both breathing hard.
“Norhaven then,” he said.
“Norhaven.”
“It’s a long journey. At least three days of hard riding. Maybe more.”
“How do we get there?”
“Follow the coast north. There’s a fishing village about half a day from here. We can…” He paused. “Acquire transport.”
“Steal a horse.”
“Yes.”
“I’m becoming a criminal.”
“You became a criminal the moment you chose to defy Lasseran.”
“Fair point.” She started gathering the scattered scrolls and rapping them carefully in their protective cloth. “Then let’s be efficient criminals. The sooner we get to Norhaven, the sooner I can work.”
He watched her for a moment with something in his expression that made her heart skip.
Then he nodded and helped her finish packing before securing the bundle to his back with practiced efficiency.
They left the cave as the sun began its descent toward the horizon. Golden light filtering through the forest canopy and painted everything in warm amber tones. It would have been beautiful if she hadn’t been hyper-aware of every sound. Every shadow. Lasseran’s hunters could be anywhere.
Khorrek set a brutal pace, not quite running but close, and moving through the forest with the silent grace of a predator who knew these woods intimately.
She followed, trying to match his steps and trying not to think about how her legs were already burning and her lungs were protesting the exertion.
