Page 134 of That’s My Orc, Tusk Off

Whatever the Council decided, we had each other.

His hand moved in slow circles on my back.

“What are you thinking about?” I asked.

“How to document this.”

“You’re not seriously thinking about your tablet right now.”

“No. I’m thinking that I have no explanation for this. No way to prove I’m doing it right.” He looked at me. “Loving someone doesn’t fit in my filing system.”

My lungs forgot how to work.

“You love me?” I whispered.

“I’ve loved you since the message pad.” He ran a fingertip across my mating mark. “Maybe before. I didn’t have words for it yet.”

“I love you too.”

His hand stilled on my wrist. “Mate. My precious mate.”

Fred grumbled in the living room, and I’d bet anything Amanda’s crown had turned bright pink.

Even the creatures knew.

Traig’s breath evened out, sleep pulling him under.

I stayed awake a little longer, feeling the weight of his arm around me.

The Council could send their judgment.

We’d already made ours.

CHAPTER TWENTY-FIVE

TRAIG

Iwoke before dawn with Willa warm beside me and didn’t move for a long time.

Her breath came steady against my chest. One of her legs had tangled with mine during the night, her foot tucked between my calves.

Her mating mark on her wrist caught the first gray light filtering through the window. Silver against brown skin. The mountain and wave that meant she’d chosen me.

My father’s voice had lived in my head for many years. Competence is expected. Excellence might be noticed.

His voice had gone quiet. Not completely gone but smaller.

Willa shifted, making a soft sound, her fingers flexing against my chest before she settled again.

I extracted myself carefully, lifting her hand from my chest and setting it on the pillow where I’d been. She mumbled and rolled onto her side, curling into the warmth I’d left behind.

The shower water ran hot enough to make my skin tingle. I stood under it, letting the heat work into muscles that had been tense for weeks. When I emerged, Willa was still asleep, one hand tucked under her cheek.

I dressed and went to the kitchen to make her coffee. While it brewed, I filled the kettle and set it to heat.

Fred floated through the doorway, Amanda riding on his back. Her crown glowed orange in the pre-dawn light.

“Morning,” I said, preparing a meal for them both.