Page 70 of Her Rugged Orcs

"It's strange," I murmur, watching a shooting star streak across the sky. "Several weeks ago, I was in the pits, thinking I'd die there. Now..."

"Now you're with us," Murok finishes, his fingers finding mine.

Dren's hand rests on my knee, his touch grounding me in the present. "Who would have thought," he says softly, "that we'd find love in such darkness?"

The words make my chest tight. "I never thought I'd find love at all."

"And now you have three times as much," Grash rumbles against my ear, making me smile.

"Lucky me," I tease, but my voice catches with emotion.

The luminescent flowers pulse in rhythm with the night breeze, casting ethereal shadows across our faces. Above us, the stars seem close enough to touch, like diamonds scattered across black velvet.

"I used to count stars," I admit quietly. "Through the small window where my master kept me. It helped me remember there was a world beyond those walls."

Murok's grip tightens on my hand. "And now?"

"Now I count my blessings instead." I turn and look at each one of them. "One, two, three."

Grash cups my face in his massive hands, his touch surprisingly gentle. His golden-brown eyes lock with mine, reflecting the starlight above.

"I vow to be your shield," he whispers, his breath warm against my lips. "No one will ever hurt you again. I'll die before I let that happen." He kisses me deeply, possessively.

Murok steps forward next, his braids swaying in the night breeze. His blue eyes pierce through me and my heart stutters.

"I vow to be your sword," he says, tracing my jaw with his fingertips. "To fight not just your battles, but your demons too. You'll never face anything alone again." His kiss is different - calculated, thorough, leaving me dizzy with want.

Dren approaches last, his silver eyes gleaming in the darkness. He doesn't speak at first, just brushes his thumb across my lower lip.

"I vow to be your shadow," he murmurs finally. "Always there, even when you can't see me. Nothing will take you from us." His kiss is gentle but deep, filled with a devotion that makes my heart ache.

"I never thought I could trust anyone," I admit, my voice barely a whisper. "But you three... you make me want to believe in forever."

"Then believe," Grash says, pulling me against his chest.

"We're not going anywhere," Murok adds, his hand finding mine.

Dren simply nods, but his eyes say everything his words don't.

I trace my fingers over the raised scars on Grash's chest, following the patterns of his tribal tattoos. The luminescent flowers cast shifting shadows across his skin, making the marks seem alive. His heartbeat thrums steady beneath my touch.

"What now?" The question slips out before I can stop it. The night breeze carries the sweet scent of jasmine, and somewhere in the distance, an owl calls.

Murok shifts closer, his braids brushing my shoulder as he presses a kiss to my temple. His lips linger there, warm and sure. "We live."

The simplicity of his answer makes my chest tight. Living - not just surviving - feels like a foreign concept after so many years of merely existing.

Dren's silver eyes catch the starlight as he speaks, his voice carrying that quiet certainty that always steadies me. "We fight."

I know he doesn't just mean with blades and fists. He means fighting the nightmares that still wake me, fighting the doubt that sometimes creeps in, fighting to keep this precious thing we've built.

Grash's arms tighten around my waist, pulling me closer against his chest. The heat of him seeps through my clothes, chasing away the night's chill. "We stay together."

My smile comes easier now, natural and unguarded. The luminescent flowers flicker with a blue glow, like earthbound stars mirroring the vast expanse above us. The pool reflects it all - the stars, the flowers, the four of us tangled together on the stone bench.

This is only the beginning, I realize. Not an ending, not a finale, but a start of something I never dared to dream of having.