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Dinner rush was steady, so I stayed and help despite Tia shooing me away. “Girl, that Declan is going to be on me for making you work too hard.”
“You don’t have to worry about that Tia. It’s not as if he’s my you know boyfriend or anything like that. It was just a one-night stand.”
She arched a finely sculpted eyebrow at me. “There have been many couples who have come and gone through my hallowed rooms. Not one of them had the night that you had. That ain’t no ‘one-night stand,’ my dear.”
Bo simply nodded with a smug look on her face, agreeing with everything that Tia said. I rolled my eyes and took my tray. It was one more round of bussing and then I was supposed to clock out and head back upstairs. Declan hadn’t been exaggerating. He paid for accommodations for me through a Sunday evening with a retainer in case I needed to stay longer.
It was such a short walk to campus from here; I wanted to give in to Declan’s offer. For convenience, of course.
Who was I kidding? I was secretly hoping that it would be convenient for them to find me here and maybe pick up where we had left off.
My face flamed at the thought. I made a last lap around the tavern to make sure my customers had everything they needed. Scanning the tabs at the bar, I tallied all the receipts for Tia so she wouldn’t have to, before turning my apron in for the evening.
My last table checked out. As I cleared it, a group of orc ladies came through. They were enviably statuesque, tall and fit, with finely honed muscles. They caught Bo’s attention, who promptly rolled her eyes when it seemed she recognized them. She must have known them from her past, like she did Declan, Rothgar, and Jalen.
My heart raced just thinking of them.
The hostess seated the ladies in a nearby section. With a satisfied sigh, I pulled at my apron strings as I walked to the back.
“Excuse me, miss?” One of the orc ladies waved me down and asked me for a round of their honey mead.
“I’ll tell your server,” I said, and saw that the server in question was busy handling a huge order. I went to the bar to fill the orcs’ order myself, and when I returned, they were all in high spirits gabbing about certain males in their lives.
I tried to keep my face neutral. Guests didn’t like it when they thought you were eavesdropping on their conversation. Even as I placed their drinks around, I couldn’t help but feel a sense of feminine camaraderie as they bemoan the various males in their lives.
Task nearly done, their server was finally able to make her way over to relieve me, mouthing a grateful ‘thank you’ at me. I winked in solidarity. Sometimes, that was the job.
I backed away when I heard the name Tharraka. I was sure that the Tharraka clan was a popular one on Orc Mountain. After all, they were one of the five founding families. Still, I busied myself arranging the condiment tray at the next table.
“He should be back from the hunt soon, and then he can explain himself in person,” the one called Naz said with a shake of her head. “The update that he left on the orc net was appalling. But what can you expect from males?”
“Exactly,” said another girl. “At least we know he is hale and hearty. That endurance and stamina isn’t just gossip.”
Naz smirked. “Haven’t I told you already it isn’t gossip?”
The girls erupted in laughter once more. Naz was clearly the queen bee among their ranks. Her braids, wrapped and twisted in an intricate pattern, showcased her higher status. Bo’s braids were similar when she wore hers. Unique patterns, but the same meaning. Namely, that she was a high-ranking warrior who could kick ass in battle. Bo’s words.
The way these orc ladies chatted, teetering and gossiping, made me conclude they were in the same class. Privileged, wealthy, and kick ass. Which was a sobering reminder that proximity did not equate to having the same access.
Speaking of which, I should probably take myself back to my room, where I could get a head start on my capstone project for next term.
I might not come from money or privilege, but I was making moves. I knew how to work hard and save money. Eventually, I could get the hang of the networking thing and get myself in front of the right faculty at Elfhame. Coventry was well within reach. And, once there, it wouldn’t matter where I came from, only what new magicks I could help discover.
“Gods, you have so much patience, Naz, I tell you. If my betrothed was fucking some whore with his blood brothers and posted about it on the orc net for all to see, I would gather my own hunt–tracking all of them down!”
Naz threw her elegant head back in a laugh. “Please. I don’t mind. It’s not like he’s the only one getting some skin,” she said, to her friends’ approval. “Let him get all this seed-sowing stuff out of the way. Once I get my family’s mating cuffs on Declan, though, that’s another story.”
The name Declan made me pause. Surely, that was a mistake. Declan isn’t common, but it’s not uncommon, either. Maybe there were many Declan Tharrakas…who was currently on a hunt with brothers-in-arms that also fucked around last night…
“We just have to wait until he comes back,” Naz decided. “His elders are being very picky regarding tradition, and so there has been little headway in the negotiations.”
“Your mother can be very persuasive,” the other girl pointed out.
“Yes, between my mother and father, I’m sure they can negotiate something and all the barriers between Declan and me finally knotting will go away. Once that happens, Rothgar and Jalen will also fall in line. They’re inseparable, after all.”
“Thank the gods for that,” someone else said in a suggestive tone that they all knew what she meant.
Sex. Lots of crazy, mind-blowing, orcish sex.
