Page 79 of That’s My Orc, Tusk Off

I put the Jeep into drive and left.

At home, I set my bag on my kitchen counter and pulled out my notebook. It fell open, and I read.

Traig brought me coffee before I arrived.

Traig ate nine of my cookies and pretty much groaned the entire time he ate them.

Traig apologized for not telling me about Rue’s potential adoption right away.

He shared something about his family that makes him feel vulnerable.

I flipped back through the previous entries. Pages of small things that had added up to something I hadn’t let myself name yet.

My pen hovered over a blank line.

Traig said he wanted to call me his.

My hand shook writing it.

Traig kissed me like I was the only thing keeping him standing.

I closed the notebook before I could write the rest.

I made tea I didn’t drink. Took a shower that didn’t make me feel any different. Laid in bed staring at the ceiling.

At some point, I must have slept, because when I woke up, sunlight was streaming through my window.

I was late for work.

And the scribe would arrive today at noon.

CHAPTER FOURTEEN

TRAIG

Iarrived before dawn, when the building was still holding its breath against the coming day.

The coffee maker hissed and gurgled in the break room while I stood with my hands braced on the counter, staring at nothing. Two creams. No sweetener. The measurements were automatic now.

A mug of coffee in hand, I walked to the reception desk. I set it down carefully, centering it on the exact spot where she always placed it when she was drinking. Within reach but out of the way enough she wouldn’t hit it by accident and spill it. A small offering that might mean nothing.

Fred floated near the ceiling, his grumbling pitched higher than usual. Amanda’s crown flared orange, then yellow, then back to orange in irregular bursts.

Creatures always knew when something was breaking.

I walked to my office and closed the door.

I pulled the Scribe’s message from my pocket and unfolded it, laying it flat on my desk.

Midday assessment. Be prepared.

Prepared?

I’d spent years preparing but none of it mattered now.

The only thing that mattered was what I’d tell the scribe today.

A while later, footsteps echoed in the hallway.