1. Rayna

CHAPTER 1

Rayna

" I t's just you and me, Lily," I say looking down at my niece, an adorable half-orc, half-human baby swaddled in my arms. Her soft features, though slightly more orcish, are a painful reminder of her mother, Ashley.

My heart clenches at the thought of her. She was my sorority sister, a beautiful person so full of life. My mind drifts to all the fun times we spent together in college.

Ashley was the life of the party and her presence effortlessly lit up any room she was in. She was the friend I needed back then. She was there through breakups and hard times, balancing them out with so many good ones.

It's funny how life works. One day she was here, holding Lily, preparing to tackle motherhood as a single mom, and now she's gone, leaving me as the sole guardian of her only child.

As the taxi pulls into the quaint town of Curiosity, I take a deep centering breath at the place that will be my new home. Ashley left me her house and everything in it with the only request that I give Lily the life she would have.

The town is best described as charming as the subdivision comes into view. The cute houses and white picket fences surrounding lush green landscaped lawns give me a good feeling that this will be a good start for us.

People are outside chatting with neighbors, their friendly faces breaking from conversation to watch as the taxi passes by. When we finally pull in front of Ashley's house, a cute white home with blue shutters, I have to swallow down a wave of nervousness.

Her car sits in the driveway, and it's haunting. I'm half expecting her to come running out of the house to greet me with a hug and adventure shining in her eyes.

"Thank you," I say to the driver as I grab my suitcase and secure Lily.

As the car drives away, I stand at the end of the driveway. The warm breeze blows through my long black hair. My eyes fill with tears as I take the first step forward.

Lily sleeps in my arms blissfully unaware of how much of her life has just changed. I'm completely in over my head and not at all prepared to be a mom, but I take that step and we walk through the doors to our new life.

The first thing I do once we get in is start going through boxes and trying to make sense of everything that has happened. Lily sits happily in her bouncer next to me as I unpack, immersing my things into the life Ashley left behind.

Her things still line the shelves, knickknacks and pieces of her just sitting untouched as if she simply walked away and just never returned. The house still smells like her and it wraps around me comfortingly.

I look over at Lily and have to push down another wave of tears.

"How will I ever live up to her?" I ask out loud, sitting back on my heels as I look around the space that seems looming and stifling all at once.

Lily just coos and holds her hand up looking at her fingers. I smile despite the sadness that sits at the surface. I can do this, I think to myself.

I try to piece together Lily's crib, but it's a hell of a lot harder than I thought it would be. None of the pieces seem to go where they're supposed to. I'm hit once again with the fear that I'm not cut out for this.

Why would Ashley pick me? I'm a former sorority girl turned business major. I'm not at all ready for motherhood. And just as that last thought passes through my mind, Lily begins to cry.

I drop all the pieces, still holding back my own tears, and pick her up to soothe her. Fifteen minutes, two diaper changes, and a bottle later, Lilly is less unhappy, but still fussing.

I rock her in my arms as I one-handedly put things away. I'm completely overwhelmed by every noise she makes, but I'm desperately trying to make this place a home for us. It's the least I can do.

I decide to take a break from unpacking and walk Lily around the house. I run my hand across a picture of Ashley and me laughing. I remember that night. We're wearing feather boas, and both have exotic-looking drinks in tall cocktail glasses complete with the little umbrella hanging on the rims.

She was always so happy. I was completely floored when she told me she was pregnant with Lily. She was so excited to become a mom. No one could have predicted that just a few short weeks after Lily was born she'd be gone.

The sunlight streams inside the house, filling it with a cheerfulness that directly contrasts the grief that has settled over me. I snuggle Lily to me, taking solace in the piece of Ashley that I still have.

Lily is a generally cheerful baby. And while she's mostly oblivious to the sadness of the world around her, I still wonder what effect this is all having on her.

As I rock Lily in my arms, something outside the window catches my eyes. I walk up to it, peering through the blinds. It's so bright, that my blue eyes reflect back to me, but once they adjust my gaze lands on a tall, muscular orc unloading groceries.

His presence is striking. The sheer size of him is commanding in his space, even from here by the window, but there's something else there too. I find him curiously comforting, and I grow more intrigued as I watch him move.

His movements are punctuated, yet graceful. His black hair is trim and neat, and his expression is gruff, yet there's a thoughtfulness there too. He's completely consumed by his task, but something in me stirs.

I rock and shush Lily to no avail, and I wonder what advice an orc could offer to a human raising a half-orc baby. I decide to go over and seek his advice, hoping at the very least to find some reassurance that I'm not messing this parenting thing up.

I nervously walk outside as Lily wiggles in my arms. With every step I take, my mind begs me to turn back to the house. But I push it aside, knowing I could use the help. If not for me, then most certainly for Lily and what's best for her wellbeing.

As I approach the front porch, the warm breeze blows around me, filling me with hope. I reach the front door, preparing myself to ask for the advice I desperately need.

I hesitate, my hand raised, poised, and ready to knock. One look at Lily is all it takes to take that last step and let my knuckles rap against the door. I wait, the moments slowly ticking by, adding to my nervousness.

The door finally opens, revealing a very gruff and annoyed-looking orc.

"Can I help you?" he asks, the tone of his voice short and irritated.

I stumble to find my words, completely thrown off by his demeanor.

"Hi, I'm Rayna, I just moved in next door. My sister is gone, and she left my niece Lily in my care as her guardian." I pause, to look up at him. He just grunts and crosses his arms, nodding at me to go on.

"Anyway, as you can see, she's half-orc, half-human, and I'm completely in over my head right now. I'm not even sure if I'm cut out for this motherhood thing. And when I saw you outside, I figured?—"

He scoffs, narrowing his eyes at me with scrutiny. "You figured that because I'm an orc I could just help you and solve all your problems?" he says grumpily and almost condescendingly.

I frown, thrown off guard at his accusation. I shift my hold on Lily and suddenly feel very exposed standing here in front of this handsome and obviously inconvenienced orc. I can feel the tremble in my words as I swallow back tears of embarrassment.

"Well no. I mean it wasn't exactly like that. I just thought that as an orc yourself you might have some advice. For me that is." I'm stumbling over my words as they come out, silently cursing myself for daring to be so bold.

I'm usually very independent and don't enjoy being put in a position where I need anyone to help me. But with the tailspin my life is currently in, it's not just about me anymore.

He's quiet for a moment, almost contemplative, before he grunts again, breaking the silence between us.

I swallow, feeling like coming over here was a mistake. His hazel eyes meet mine and he takes me in, looking me up and down and glancing across at a gurgling and whining Lily.

My heart is racing, and my palms feel sweaty.

"Yeah, I wasn't exactly expecting to give out parenting advice today. I'm busy. So, sorry about your problems, but I can't help you." His words come out fast in a hurry, but the dismissal rings loud as he shifts and steps back into his house.

"Oh," I say with surprise, feeling the heat rise to my cheeks. "I'm sorry I bothered you," I add, feeling embarrassed about having put myself out there only to receive such an abrupt rejection.

"Hmm," he grunts again before closing the door, leaving Lily and I standing on the porch.

My heart races and my ears are hot. I'm not entirely sure what I expected he would be like, but gruff and dismissive weren't the vibes I got when I was watching him from the window.

I stand there for a moment before I turn around and head back to Ashley's house. Lily begins to cry again, and I let out a sigh of my own, letting the tears fall freely from my eyes.