Page 18 of Song For His Siren
"Not like that," she said with a small grin and elbowed him. "Okay, well, yes, like that, but there is something else too."
"Yes. There is," he said. A deep sense of satisfaction came over him as she settled back into him and took his hand.
"What is it? It's almost like you feel like ..."
"Home," he answered for her.
"Yes, exactly like that," he said as she traced her soft fingers along his callused hands.
They sat in silence for a long moment. Should he tell her that feeling was there because she was his mate? She completed him. When they mated, she would awaken the magic of the ancients in him. That seemed like a lot for one night, so he kept that one with him. That one could be for another day.
"What is it like being a human in the monster realm?"
"I don't know. The humans I've interacted with all seem at home in our realm."
She jerked up and looked at him. "What do you mean?"
"The humans are treated very well, the same as any monster," he said, trying to calm her.
"Aren't you human?" She took him in carefully.
"Oh. Right. My glamor." How could he have forgotten that? Of course, she thought he was human.
"Your glamor?"
He was a confident man. He was a chief, for crying out loud. But here, under the gaze of his mate, who had no idea he was a monster, he felt about two feet tall, which is about five feet less than his actual height.
"Yes... I'm afraid I’m under an enchantment to make me look human as I move through this realm."
The look on her face was hard to read, but he still didn't sense any fear coming from her, so that was good at least.
"So, you're a monster?"
He nodded slowly.
"What kind?"
After a long, slow breath, he admitted, "I'm an orc."
Her eyes got big as saucers. "An orc?"
He looked down at their hands and nodded.
"Like big, green, with tusks orc?"
He just nodded again. "I know I’m not as beautiful as many," he said.
"Hey." She let go of his hand and pulled his face up so their eyes met. "Don't do that. I'm just trying to figure this all out."
Their eyes connected, and the world fell away. It was as if the only thing that existed was this moment between the two of them on this dock. He gave her a small smile, and she matched it with a much bigger one. Then, to his surprise, she leaned him and kissed him. And just like that, the trepidation he had been feeling floated away. He held her a bit tighter, and she leaned against him with a long sigh.
"I wish I could see you as you actually are. I mean, I like how you look now, but I want to know how you really look."
"There is a way," he said.
"Can you remove the enchantment?"
He shook his head. "Bridget."
