CHAPTER FIFTY Naomi
Hannah comes barreling through the door only a few moments later, and I flip the sign and lock it behind her. Then I bustle over to the little coffee area I set up near the couches and chairs. I top up Mom and Dad’s mugs and microwave a cup of hot water for Wranth, dunking a peppermint tea bag into it. Then I make coffee for me and my bestie, adding creamer and our favorite flavored syrups, which we pretend makes regular coffee taste like our town has a Starbucks.
Once we’re all settled in the seating area, I tell them everything. Or almost everything. They don’t need to know about the sex or the fact that Wranth and I enjoy a good primal chase. It takes a while, even though I asked them to hold all their questions until I finished.
When I finally fall silent, my parents and Hannah stare at me and Wranth with stunned expressions.
Hannah speaks first, pointing at Wranth. “So… not a cosplayer.”
“No,” he says. “An orc.”
“And you’re… married to my daughter… by a goddess?” Mom asks.
Dad leans forward. “I’m not trying to be culturally insensitive, but that’s not exactly how we do things around here.”
“Dad, I love you, but I’m a big girl.” I point at my father. “Let me handle the marriage part of things, okay?”
“But there wasn’t a wedding!” Mom says, hurt flashing over her face. “I didn’t get to see my baby girl walk down the aisle.”
“I’m sorry.” I jump up and go over to hug her.
“We’ll have a ceremony,” Wranth says. “This I promise you.”
“Thank you.” I smile over at him, then say to Mom. “See? You didn’t miss a thing. We’ll have the wedding with you there.”
“How? He’s green. You might have fooled everyone by saying what happened yesterday was a movie, but a wedding…” She shakes her head.
“We’ll have the ceremony in Alarria,” Wranth says. He looks at me. “We’ll figure it out.”
“He’s right.” I nod. “With the doors open and my ability to teleport, I can take you there, no problem.”
I go back over to sit beside Wranth. “So about this movie thing. Did the videos from yesterday go viral?”
“Sure did.” Dad holds up his phone. “It’s all over the internet. Everyone wants to know when the movie’s coming out. They think the special effects were great.”
“Yeah, can we talk about all that stuff from yesterday?” Hannah asks. “The magic. All of that stuff was real?”
“Very real. Naomi has powerful magic.”
“Do some,” Hannah says. “I want to see some magic.”
“Okay.” I stand. “Back in a bit.”
In a blink, I’m in the bedroom of the small apartment over my parents’ garage. I dig my old camping pack out of the closet and start tossing things in: jeans, long-sleeved T-shirts, underwear, satin sleep bonnets, and a couple of satin pillowcases for the nights when I’m knotted together with my husband and can’t get up to wrap my hair. I grin—I have a feeling there are going to be a lot of those.
I ignore the shoes. Even my fave sneakers can’t compare to the bespoke orc boots that fit me like a dream. Then I hurry into the bathroom and add a leave-in conditioner, a wide-tooth comb, and a couple of T-shirt towels for my hair. My hands hover over my makeup bag for a second, but I leave it. Wranth finds me beautiful exactly as I am. Besides, I can come back again whenever I want.
After grabbing a couple of favorite photos and novels from the bookcase in the living room, I stand for a moment, pack on my back. The thrill of all my old dreams echoes through me. I’m off for the adventure of a lifetime, but it’s better than I ever imagined, because this one’s filled with Wranth’s love.
I teleport back to the bookstore, laughing with delight at the shocked looks on my parents’ and Hannah’s faces. “I told you I could do this.”
“Yeah, well, that’s a hell of a lot different than seeing it,” my friend says.
I grin, remembering how the soul stealer said Hannah’s also a witch. But she’s had enough shocks for one day, so I’ll tell her about it later.
That leaves me one more thing I need to take care of on this first trip. I drop my pack and settle beside my husband, facing my parents. “Mom, Dad, there’s a lot going on in Faerie, but I don’t want you to think I’ve abandoned you. I know you need me to run the bookstore, and—”
“No, we don’t,” Mom says.
My mouth snaps shut in shock.
“We realized a few things while you were gone,” Dad says, picking up Mom’s hand and interlacing their fingers. “One is that we can’t keep going as we have been.”
“I can’t tell you how much I appreciate everything you did for us these past few years.” Tears spring to Mom’s eyes. “You’re the best daughter anyone could ever wished for.”
“You were sick,” I breathe, even now having a hard time saying the c-word out loud.
“I’m in full remission and have been for a year,” Mom says.
Dad adds, “Which means it’s high time we came out of early retirement and took over the business again.”
I don’t know how to feel about this. “You don’t think I’ve done a good job?”
“Oh, baby girl, you’ve done an amazing job.” Mom beams at me. “But as much as you love books, this shop was never your dream. We’ve kept you long enough, and now your dream has found you.” She gives a choked laugh. “Took a goddamned goddess to get you there. Who are we to say no to that?”
“Go. Live,” Dad says, then looks at Wranth. “And you take care of her.”
“You have my word,” my husband says, his deep voice resonant with promise.
“Thank you!” I jump up and run over to hug them both. They’ve just removed my last regret, allowing me to step fully into my new life in Alarria with Wranth.
“We’ve got to catch up. You’ve got to tell me everything .” Hannah wiggles her eyebrows at me and gives me one last hug, saying she has to get back to the office. “Girls’ night soon?”
“You know it.” I point at her. “I owe you a cardigan.”
“Get me one of those cool linen tunic shirts, and we’ll call it even.”
“You got it!”
Wranth and I eat lunch with my parents, who order pasta from Luigi’s as a celebratory treat. He figures out how to deal with fettuccine noodles right away, plowing through his food with so much appetite that Mom slides half her dish over to him instead of saving it for leftovers.
I gather all the empty containers to carry them out to the dumpster in the back alley and turn to find Mom waiting in the doorway.
“Does he make you happy?”
“He does, Mom. I’m happier than I could ever dream.”
She folds me in her arms. “That’s all I’ve ever wanted for you. For you to find someone who recognizes you for the queen you are.”
“And in this case, it’s literal.” I laugh, breathing in the familiar coconut scent of her favorite conditioner, the one that always says “Mom” to me every time I smell it.
When we return to the front of the bookstore, I remain standing, and both men take the hint.
Dad gets up and gives me a tight hug. “I love you, peanut.”
Emotion thickens my throat as I give a little hiccup of a laugh. “You haven’t called me that for years.”
“You’ll always be my little girl.” He looks down at me. “The one who wanted to go camping and sleep without a tent so she could see the stars.”
“I’ve seen so many stars, Dad,” I whisper.
“Good.” He gives me one last squeeze. “Now go see some more.”
Wranth picks up my pack and comes to stand beside me so I can clasp his hand in mine.
“See you in a few days,” I say to my parents. Then I teleport us to Crystal Rock, and we step through to Alarria.
“There you are,” Tumbletoad says. “One of the other humans came by and told me to tell you there’s going to be a feast in the village green tonight. I was asked to help.”
“I cannot wait to eat more of your bread,” Wranth says.
“Me either,” I add. “It’s the best bread ever.”
The brownie’s little chest puffs out with pride.
“That gives us several hours, yes?” I ask Wranth.
“It does.”
“Good.” I grin and squeeze his hand, and in a blink we’re back at the waterfall where we spent our first time together.
“Why did you bring us here?” he growls, his intense eyes staring into mine, filled with heat and love.
“I wanted a little alone time with my husband.”
“Would you like to talk?” He cups my cheek. “What you went through with your parents must have been quite a lot.”
“Nope. I’ve talked plenty for today.” All the joy of my newfound freedom fills me, anticipation bubbling through my veins. I get to live the life I’ve always wanted.
And I get to do it with Wranth by my side, supported by his love and devotion.
I peel my shirt over my head and teleport halfway across the clearing. “Catch me if you can!”
I take off into the trees as Wranth’s rumbling growl fills the air, making me shiver with delicious excitement. Laughter echoes through the forest as I run and run, teleporting several yards forward every time he gets near.
When he finally catches me, my husband wraps me in his arms, his kiss full of all the freedom and joy and love I will ever need.
Thank you for reading Bound to the Orc Warrior . I hope you enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it.