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“I am leaving as well. I have deliveries to pick up. Ilya, you have my phone number if you need me or if Saber is an ass.”
Ilya giggled at Draven’s words, but I nearly chucked my laptop at him. “I’m not an ass, for the record.”
She nodded. Her purple hair was up in a bun with tendrils framing her face. No makeup. No jewelry. She didn’t need any adornments. She might be too beautiful with them on. “I know. Can I? What are you doing? Can I come sit by you?”
This woman. She could crawl up inside me, and I would make room. “Of course. I’m setting up my schedule for my last semester.”
She got up from the table and stopped to wash her cup. When she walked over, I took in her form. She wore a plum sweater and dark jeans that fit her like a second skin. She had thick socks on, and her sleeves were pulled down over her hands.
“Are you cold?” I asked as she sat down. “Orcs have a higher body temperature so you will have to let us know if you get a chill.” Not waiting for her answer, I pulled a blanket from the top of the couch and draped it over her legs.
“Is that why you three walk around in the winter with no shirts on? I thought you were trying to show off for me.”
I let out a loud laugh. “Well, maybe a little, but we usually don’t wear them at least at home. We stay hot. Should I throw some more wood on the fire?”
She shook her head. “No. I’m okay. Can I…” she asked, pointing to my laptop. I froze, not really knowing what she was asking for. “Can I get closer to you and just look? If you don’t want me to, it’s okay. I—”
“Get over here, female. You are free to look at anything I do. I’m in school for English. See? Only four more credits and I’m a graduate.”
While I spoke, she scooted over. Rusty didn’t even begin to describe my skills with a female but as she came near me, instinct took over. She tucked into my side and I wrapped my arm around her shoulders. Felt as natural as breathing. “What are you going to do with that degree?” she asked.
“I’ve been doing freelance editing for some self-published authors, but I’d like to move into owning my own publishing company. It would have a built-in editor, and I’ve also been working on designing some covers.”
“Let me see, Saber.” Gods, the way her eyes lit up when she smiled transported me to another place. “What?” Ilya asked when I didn’t answer or make a move.
“I like the way you say my name, female,” I said. “You have a beautiful mouth.”
“A beautiful mouth, huh? That was smooth.” We shared a laugh.
Showing her my work evolved into talking about books and movies. We settled in to watchTheLord of the Rings, and soon it was time for lunch. Draven wasn’t back, but with him cooking all the time, we always had leftovers. “Are you hungry? You didn’t eat breakfast.”
“I am. I was nervous this morning.”
“I’m sorry. Did something we do put you off?” I turned to her, pausing the movie first.
“No. This seems too good to be true.” She shrugged.
“I’m sure we’ll do something to upset you one day. We are beasts after all, but we are trying. You are important to us.”
I rummaged the fridge for lunch and came up with some leftover meatloaf and potato salad. I sliced the meat up and seared it on both sides and made a sandwich with some of Draven’s sourdough. She and I ate while talking about the security system.
“So, there are hunters out there, hunting you three or all orcs or all paranormal creatures? I didn’t even know that was a thing.”
I finished off my potato salad and argued with her for less than five seconds about who was going to put the dishes into the dishwasher. I won. Taking care of it, I blew out a breath. She needed to know the truth, but I didn’t want to scare her. “There are hunters who hunt various creatures for different reasons. Some vampires hunt shifters or witches. Some witches hunt shifters. There’s all kinds of clan and pack disputes that lead togenerational wars. And then there are humans who are raised to hunt orcs.”
“Why?” she whispered. “From what I can see, you’re not a lot different from humans.”
I grunted. “You mean aside from the tusks and the green skin and the pointed ears.”
“Well, yeah. I mean, did orcs once roast children over the fire and eat them or eat whole baby rabbits or something?”
I dropped a cup into the sink and turned to look at her. “Roast children over the fire? Now I’m scared of you.”
She laughed, but this time I somehow knew that it was her full laugh. She wasn’t trying to be polite or only show a part of herself. This was Ilya being Ilya wholly and completely, and damn if it wasn’t good for my orc soul. “I read a lot.”
“Clearly. That would be a question for the hunters. I have no fucking clue. But I’ve seen them come in and try to hurt our women and children for no good reason. Wage wars on rages that have done nothing to them.”
“A rage?” she asked.
