Page 62 of Pursued By the Orc
“Mate?” I asked, the word ringing some bells of the research that I’d done on orcs. “As in...fatedmate?” I swallowed hard, the significance of that word and the seriousness of his expression telling me that I wasn’t fully grasping what he was telling me.
“Yes,” he said, carefully. Nodding, he searched my face, and I just shook my head at him.
“I’m sorry,” I told him. “I don’t fully understand what that means. Can you explain it?”
He released a puff of breath, palms running over my ass as if he was seeking comfort from my body. “It’s the one person in the world that we’ll be tied to completely for the rest of our lives. Your mate in every way. The person that wasmade for you.” He didn’t stop touching me, even as I tried to come to terms with what he was telling me.
“That seems... intense,” I admitted to him. And all he did was give me a slow nod.
“Biologically, we’ll be the most compatible,” he continued. “We’ll be able to have many younglings.”
My mouth dropped open and I glanced down at my stomach. “As in... I could be pregnant?”
He shook his head, glancing away as if embarrassed. “No... when we... you weren’t fertile. I could scent it on you.”
My body relaxed and I released a relieved breath. “Good. I don’t know if I’m ready for that yet. I want kids, but not until everything is settled in my life,” I explained as his eyesshuttered. I didn’t want to hurt him, but I definitely wasn’t ready for a little person to be wholly dependent on me… yet.
“I’d never rush you,” he murmured, brow furrowed as if he was worried I would think otherwise. “Our younglings will be perfect. And we’ll have them when both their parents are ready for them. And while Grandma’s still around to get to know them, too.”
Relief coursed through me and I nodded, pressing my forehead against his, unable to speak. I waited for a long moment as he nuzzled our noses together.
Our breaths mingled, and I ran a palm down his chest, focusing myself and allowing the anxiety to retreat. “Tell me more about fated mates,” I whispered, not wanting to speak loudly.
This moment felt precious somehow. As if it was the beginning of something I didn’t understand yet. But I would.
CHAPTER 41
Emma
“You’re the other half of me,” he rasped, his gaze trapping mine. “The other half of my soul. My perfect half in every way. My parents were fated mates. It doesn’t always have to happen.”
He began running his hands over me again, a nervous habit that soothed both of us.
“On Hellplane, it was almost the norm to never find them. To search and then settle with the one that was most compatible or helpful to your clan.”
He pursed his lips as if he’d never even considered it.
“But after seeing my parents, I could never settle. My brothers didn’t know them the way I did. Savla was so young. And Enka was just born when they died,” he explained. “Watching that... seeing their bond. It did different things to Savla and I. Enka heard their stories from me, but I saw it first-hand.”
He pressed kisses to my face, cherishing me in that way that hehad. The one that had drawn me to him from the start.
“Savla decided a long time ago that he didn’t want one, but I was with them longer. I want the bond that they had. The love. The joy of just being together. I’ve been searching for you my entire life. And now that I found you,” he pulled away to look directly into my eyes again. “I’m never letting you go.”
I considered his words for a long moment, ignoring the spreading warmth and love inside of me.
“And you’ve known from the start?” I asked, removing my hands from him and settling them on my thigh. His fingers dug into my ass for a second, as if he was trying to keep me with him—to stop me from leaving—before he released me, putting his hands on either side of his body on the bed. But his fingers clenched there, digging into the sheets.
“Yes,” he murmured, bowing his head in shame at keeping this fact from me.
“Hmm,” I murmured, shaking my head. “And is this something that most fated mates tell their partner right away?”
He frowned, tilting his head for a moment, glancing at me before bowing his head again.
“I don’t know. My mother and father were both orcs, so the bond went both ways. They would have recognized each other. With mates from other species, I’ve observed that most orcs tend to give their partners a chance to get to know them better first,” he explained, meeting my eyes for one second before ducking them away. “But that doesn’t give me an excuse.”
I smothered my laugh, aiming for a serious voice. “And how many couples have you observed?”
“Dristan and Penelope,” he listed, lifting one finger, “Rok and Becca,” he lifted another, “although to be honest, Rok might have told her faster if he was able to speak their language. He’d lost his family, so he was eager to find his mate.” His eyes flickered to mine for another moment before looking awayagain.
