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“Why don’t you two go to your room and get ready for dinner?” his mother said, and I could tell by the expression in her eyes that she wasn’t done testing me yet.
Well, I was halfway there, so she could chew on that idea for a while.
We went upstairs, and I was happy to find Diesel sleeping on the bed. He rose, and I gave him kisses, noting the bowls with food and water sitting on the floor near a wall.
“He needs to go outside,” I said.
“I’ll make sure someone takes him,” Jarum said. “He’s completely safe here.”
As long as his mother didn’t change her mind about the first course for dinner.
We dressed, me in the fanciest thing I’d brought, and went downstairs, following the sound of cheerful voices to one of what I believed was five parlors.
Jarum held my hand, and we paused outside the open entrance. He tugged me close, lifted me, and gave me a lingering kiss. “Later,” he said, his voice full of promise. “I’ve got plans for you tonight, my almost mate. Are you ready?”
If they involved me and him and horizontal dancing, I was one hundred percent in. I gave him a grin, and he lowered me back onto my feet, leading me into the parlor.
“There you are.” An orc who looked vaguely like Jarum only slightly broader rose from a sofa and strode over to us. He braced Jarum’s upper arms and nodded. “Looking good, little brother. Looking good.” His gaze fell on me. “And you must be Kassia. I’ve heard all sorts of things about you.”
If he wasn’t smiling in a welcoming way, I’d cringe.
Bending forward, he gave me a kiss on the cheek. “Welcome, sister.”
I loved him already.
“This is my older brother, Brogis,” Jarum said. “Brogis, this is Kassia, my soon-to-be mate.”
His mother grunted but, thankfully, said nothing.
“It’s nice to meet you.” I gave him an easy smile. “I’ve got one more test to complete before we can get married.”
“Eh, don’t worry about that,” Brogis said. “I heard you did great not long ago, and tomorrow’s going to be a . . .” A frown formed on his thick unibrow. “A wind.”
Jarum snorted. “You mean it’s going to be a breeze.”
“Same thing.” Brogis’s chuckle rang out. “I’m afraid my human speak isn’t as solid as my brother’s, but that will soon change.”
“You’re doing it?” Excitement bloomed in Jarum’s eyes.
“Unfortunately, yes.” Their mother joined us.
Roktas came over as well and ground his knuckles into Brogis’s arm, though the younger male did the same back, so it must be a sign of affection. “We’ll miss him terribly while he’s gone, but he’s promised to visit often.”
“Where are you going?” I asked.
“I’m part of a new program taking the illustrious orc sport of Gromgret to the human world,” Brogis said. “As one of the organizers, I’ll not only help the humans form teams but I’ll conduct training. If and when they feel comfortable with the idea, we’ll integrate teams with both orcs and humans and start a series in the human world.”
“That sounds amazing.”
“Perhaps I’ll lose my heart to a sweet little human like my younger brother.” Brogis sent me a tusk-filled smile. He pressed his knuckles into Jarum’s arm, and the two males laughed.
“Please, no,” Drunella gasped, her palm clasped to her throat. She sent me a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. “I mean, that would certainly be delightful, but don’t you want to find a local mate, Brogis?”
He shrugged, his gaze meeting mine. “What do you think? Should I look for someone around here or see if my heart’s ignited by someone on the surface?”
No way was I getting in the middle of this almost squabble.
“Perhaps try both?” I hoped that could be considered neutral.
