CHAPTER TWELVE（Untitled）Wranth

CHAPTER TWELVE

Wranth

I bury the cattail roots in the hot coals of the fire and pile on larger pieces of wood. The flower heads won’t take long to cook, so I’ll wait until the meat arrives.

If the meat arrives, that is. Damned feline fae.

Zephyr continues to graze as evening comes on, and I’m glad for it.

The setting sun streaks the sky overhead with bands of orange that make my bride’s eyes widen with awe.

I’m glad for that as well. She clearly sees the beauty of Alarria. Surely, she will fall in love with it and not want to leave?

I scowl and poke at the fire. Why do I lie to myself? It’s not Alarria I worry she’ll leave. It’s me.

If she opens the doors of Faerie for good, will we still be tethered together? Or will she be free to travel the realms, leaving me behind?

Our myths say there were no moon bound brides in Avalon, that orcs have only had them since we were brought to Alarria. So what does that mean for our bond?

“Orc,” Shadow says.

My head snaps up.

A smile hangs in the air between two trees, growing wider as the rest of the cat sith forms around it.

“You did not hunt?” I snap.

“How little faith you have in me, orc.” His eyes laugh at my expense. “Of course I hunted. I’ve already eaten my fill.”

A growl rumbles through me as I glare at him. How dare he speak of a full belly when my bride’s rumbles with emptiness?

Shadow reaches out a lazy paw and drags a bit of brown fur from underneath a rhododendron bush—a rabbit. He reaches out again to snag yet another. “I assume two will do?”

“Two will be fine,” I grit out.

I take the rabbits into the trees and prepare them, burying the remains as deeply as I can. I would prefer to clean them farther from our camp than this so as to not attract predators, but the tether makes me stop right before I’m twenty feet away from my bride.

Back at the fire, I rub salt and herbs onto the meat and hold the first spitted rabbit over the flames, turning it constantly as it cooks. Once it’s cooling on a plate, I place the cattail flowers at the edge of the coals, letting them steam inside the packet made of their own leaves. By the time the second rabbit’s done, they are, too. I also fish out the baked tubers.

I make my bride the first plate, stripping the leaves from the flower heads to expose the small, tender cobs, which I sprinkle with salt. For the tuber, I slice it open and add salt and rabbit grease to the soft, starchy insides. Finally, I carve off a couple of rabbit thighs, flavored with herbs and salt.

Naomi digs in, chewing happily. “This is wonderful! Thank you!”

Only once I see her eating happily do I make a plate of my own.

“These are almost as good as potatoes!” She scoops up a forkful of cattail tuber and hums as she eats it. Then my moon bound holds up one of the flower heads and nibbles comically at its surface. “How do I eat these? The kernels are kind of small.”

I bite into one. “They’re young enough that you eat the entire thing, cob and all.”

She crunches into one of the flower heads, and her expression brightens. “Oh, these are like baby corn. I love baby corn!”

My bride eats like an orc, all appetite and appreciation, and I love it. My own hunger drives me until my tusks rip hunks from the rabbit, making short work of the meat.

I clean the first to the bone before pausing for vegetables, then turn to the second. After ripping off a thigh, I hold it out to Naomi.

She swallows another bite of cattail tuber and holds up her unfinished meat. “Nope. I’m good. Two thighs are plenty for me.”

My eyes flick to her legs, so plump my fingers ache to touch their lushness. I nod. “Two thighs are perfect.”

“My, my,” Shadow says. “Is this what passes as orc flirting? I could give you a few pointers if you like.”

Zephyr whinnies a laugh and stomps at the ground. “Now that I would like to see.”

Anger boils through me, and my lips pull back from my tusks. I will pummel the cat. I will—

My bride’s sweet laughter cuts across my anger with all the sharpness of a moon steel blade.

“You guys are too much!” Her fork clatters on her plate as she hastily sets it beside her on the log to brace her hands on her stomach. Laughter moves her entire body, her shoulders shaking. Her teeth flash bright in the firelight, the raised plumpness of her cheeks closing her eyes to slits that glitter with reflected light.

Naomi gives joy her all, and I can do nothing but stare, bewitched.

By the time she calms enough to wipe her face free of happy tears, all my anger has faded away.

“Whoo! I needed a good laugh,” she says, flashing a smile at all of us. “Thanks.” Then she picks up her plate and continues eating, so I do as well.

The second rabbit disappears in record time as the lack of a real lunch drives me to eat well. Warrior training prepared me for many hardships, and I can go without food for several days, but I want to remain at my best to protect my moon bound.

After swallowing the last bite of meat, I turn to the feline fae. “Thank you for hunting for us.” The words tear at my throat, but no matter how much they hurt, I force them out. I don’t like thanking him, this Wild Fae I don’t trust, but he has done me and Naomi a service, and to not thank him would burden me with even more of an obligation.

His green eyes sparkle with amusement in the firelight, his grin widening to show far too many teeth. “Of course.”

“Yes, thanks!” Naomi throws her arms around his neck in a hug.

Shadow’s eyes widen for a split second before he leans into her.

“Your fur is so soft!” As she pulls back, her fingers dig into the long hair of the ruff around his neck and scratch. “Is this okay?”

In answer, a ratcheting purr fills the air, and his eyes close to slits.

As they chatter about feline fur and other things, I clean our dinner dishes and walk over to Zephyr. “Will you stand guard tonight?”

“I will. I plan to graze all night.”

A chuckle from Naomi snaps my eyes back to the fire.

Zephyr bats me with her horn. “Goddess knows, you’ll be too distracted.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Humph.” She tosses her head in amusement. “Only one tent, remember?”

I grunt. My friend speaks true. I pitch said tent close to the tree line on a soft layer of pine needles, spreading my furs across the floor.

“Oh! This is nice,” Naomi says from behind me. “Do you happen to have any silky cloth?”

“Silky?”

She lifts the skirt of her pink dress and steps close enough to press the satiny fabric into my hands. “Like this.”

Her scent surrounds me, making my mouth water, and my voice emerges as a growl. “No, I have nothing like this.”

“I guess I can cut up my dress.” A tiny frown tugs down the corners of her lips as she lets out a sigh. “I really like this one.”

I despise that frown. “Do not cut your dress. Tell me what you need.”

“I need something silky to wrap my hair in for sleep.”

Dammit! I have nothing! Anger, familiar and sharp, rises within me. This is such a small thing, yet I already fail my bride.

“Do you have a shirt I can wear?” she asks.

“Yes.”

Her lips purse, but before she can say anything, I strip my shirt off, holding it out to her. “Take this one.”

My bride’s eyes go wide, and she bites into her plump bottom lip.