Page 98 of The Orc's Captive Bride
“You did it,” he said. “You actually found the answer.”
“We did it. Your memory about hidden messages was what unlocked it.”
“My memory wouldn’t have meant anything without your brilliance.”
She felt her cheeks heat. “I just know languages.”
“You know how to see patterns. How to find truth hidden in lies. How to solve puzzles that have stumped scholars for centuries.” He moved closer. “You’re extraordinary.”
“I’m just?—”
“Extraordinary,” he repeated firmly. “And I won’t let you diminish that.”
This orc who’d been raised as a weapon and taught to suppress everything that made him more than a tool somehow saw her in a way no one else ever had.
How did I find him in the middle of all this chaos?
But somehow she had and she wasn’t letting go.
“We need to make a plan,” she said. “Figure out our next move.”
“Agreed. But first—” He glanced at the window. “First you need to sleep, actually sleep, in a bed.”
“But—”
“The texts will still be here in the morning. You won’t be useful to anyone if you collapse.”
He was right. Her eyes were burning, her head ached, and her hands trembled from exhaustion.
“Fine. But just a few hours.”
“We’ll see.”
He helped her stand when her legs protested. How long had she been sitting? Too long.
As they made their way back to her quarters, the halls were dark and empty. The palace slept, unaware that everything had just changed.
When they reached her rooms, she expected him to leave and stand guard outside as he usually did. Instead he followed her in and closed the door.
“Stay,” she said. “Please.”
“I was planning on it.”
She changed into her nightgown, so tired that her hands fumbled with the buttons. When she returned, he was sitting on the edge of the bed waiting for her. She crawled in beside him and let him pull her close.
His warmth surrounded her and his comforting scent filled her senses.
“We’re going to fix this,” she said. “We’re going to stop Lasseran and save your people.”
“I know.”
“You sound very confident.”
“I am. Because I believe in you.”
Unexpected tears pricked her eyes.He believes in me.
“Khorrek?”
