Chapter 23

Rhokar

The scent with my children is almost familiar, but it's hidden behind…ginger and…sugar and…peppermint? Something is messing with my senses, I can't untangle it. But underneath all the other layers, I smell the twins—not the remnants of their scents passed by, but here, mixed in with the strange, confusing muddle of manufactured sweetness.

"Stay behind me," I tell Ella quietly, holding her hand behind my back as I move through the underbrush slowly. I have no idea what to expect going forward, and I don't want to take any risks with her safety. She doesn't respond, but her fingers tighten around mine, and we come out through the trees into a clearing in the middle of the forest.

Where a life-sized gingerbread house sits prettily in the last rays of the sun, fully decorated with large pieces of what smells very much like real candy and frosting.

I stop short, and stare at it.

"Uh, Rhokar?" Ella's voice comes out uncertainly. "Are you seeing this too, or am I going crazy?"

"It's a gingerbread house," I say without inflection.

"Huh."

We both continue to stare at it for a moment longer. And then the candy door opens, and out steps…

"Ismelda?" Ella squeaks in shocked confusion, before Rylah and Rowan dart out from behind, all giggles and carefree joy.

I blink slowly, and it takes my brain a long moment to switch from the protective weariness it was geared into. What in all the layers of creation is going on?

A ragged sound escapes from Ella, and she tears out from behind me and rushes towards the toddlers, scooping them up as she bursts into tears. Relief floods me at the sight, and the cold, hard stiffness that had settled over my shoulders finally releases as I see both the children and my woman safe and happy.

Tears run down Ella's face even as she showers the toddlers in kisses and presses them both to her crouching form, one arm wrapped around each child.

Finally, I lift one foot in front of the other and make my way towards the gingerbread house, where Ismelda is staring between us with an uncertain expression.

"I think I know what happened," she says with a faint wince, as I stop before them all. I blink, still just wary enough to keep an eye on our surroundings.

"How did you find them?" Ella gasps through a sniffle, as she gazes up at Ismelda. "Did they wonder this far all on their own?"

"Well…" The lines on Ismelda's plump face scrunch together in guilt. "You could say that. It's rather a funny story, actually…"

"What did you do?" My frown falls heavily over my face, and I step towards the old witch. "What is this place?"

Her whole expression is a wince, and she sighs and opens the front door to show me the gingerbread interior, in the center of which is a large bronze cauldron bubbling merrily away. "I may have made the potion a little strong."

I run my hand from my forehead to my tusks and let out a faint groan. She's been experimenting again, hasn't she…

"What potion?" Ella stands with a twin in each arm. "What's that got to do with anything?"

The last time Ismelda was playing around with new potions, the whole town was drinking fluorescent green water for a month. "Explain," I mutter grouchily. "Tell us and get it over with."

"It's a Luring Potion for the annual All Hallows' Eve celebration this year," she says, a little excitement flaring behind her pale blue eyes. "So is this house. Imagine trick-or-treating, but the whole house is the treat? The kids would love it, and I've created a warded trail through the forest for them to reach it. The Luring Potion was to double-ensure they'd stay on the protected track, so of course I wanted to test it and tweak it before then. This was my second attempt, although I may have overdone it on the troxi wings this time."

"I guess that makes sense," Ella says, her brows scrunching. "Mine weren't the only kids at the park trying to make for the forest. But I didn't feel any sort of lure…"

"I'm working on targeting it just for the kids. I guess I succeeded?" Ismelda winces again as she takes in my glower. "It's all council approved and safe, mind you. I'm not just here conducting wild experiments on my own."

"Of course it's council approved," I sigh. "You work for the council."

"Well, even so…" Ismelda lets out a breath, and then her shoulders droop and she reaches out to rub at Ella's arm. "I really am very sorry to make you worry. I tried to call as soon as I realized what had happened, but I couldn't get through."

"Cell reception is sketchy at best in the forest," I supply, "we must have already been in too deep by the time you called."

Ismelda sighs again and pushes her door open further. "Why don't you come in and rest? I called the authorities once I couldn't get through to you—I've got reception here, don't worry. They'll have stopped the search but will still be trying to get in contact with you two. I'll update them, and then drive us back to town."

We step inside, and when she bustles off to the side I move towards Ella and wrap my arm across her back. I don't think she notices the way she immediately leans into me for support, but I squeeze her reassuringly, supporting the weight of the kids and her in my arms.

"Okay, so, this was the weirdest and most unexpected resolution possible." Her voice is still shaky, and Rowan gently pats his palm against her cheek as if to comfort her. "But I won't lie, I feel just a tiny bit better that it was magic pulling my babies away, and not just my terrible mothering."

I frown and squeeze her harder. "I told you not to say that again."

She bites her lip. "But—"

With my frown still weighing on my brows, I snatch her chin with my free hand and press my lips to hers in a searing kiss, forcing her words back down her throat with my tongue until I feel her startlement melt into submission.

Then I end the kiss just as quickly as I began it, and take Rowan into my arms, in case hers are beginning to tire.

She blinks at me, and it takes everything in me not to claim her flushed, wet lips with my own once more.

"You are not a bad mother unless I say so, understand?" And I'll never say so.

"What? But—"

I lean abruptly closer to her, and her words die in her throat. "Understand?"

A small, crooked smile tugs at the corner of her lips. "Jeez, fine, you bossy bastard…"

She'd told me she loves me. Those words suddenly echo through me again, and I hope she doesn't forget that she'd said that, because I certainly haven't.

It hit me like a shock in the chest when she'd said it in the forest, because even though we're Fated Mates, I…hadn't quite been sure.

About what she'd felt. About what she'd wanted to feel, what she'd allow. We've both been so hot and cold with each other, it was tempting to think she was right, and we weren't in fact suited to one another—if I wasn't so very sure that it was evidence of the exact opposite.

It appears we

do

have the same hang-ups, the same fears. But I think that makes us perfectly suited to understand each other better than anyone else.

I tuck a stray strand of hair behind her ear, feeling an odd gravity between us as the memory of her confession surges through me. Those words, spoken in the midst of her worry, her fear, her panic—they'd been spoken instinctively, without thought. They'd been her truth. And now that the fear of losing our children is gone, something is beginning to stir within me, triggered now by my kiss. Something starting in my chest and trickling outwards, downwards, something that I suspect is…

"Alright, the authorities have been informed," Ismelda says as she comes back towards us. "Your parents have arrived at the park, Rhokar, and they were about to enter to help with the search, but they've been told the good news now so—"

"Tell them to come here," I interrupt her, without taking my eyes off Ella, who's gazing up at me curiously now. I shake my head to try and clear the fog that's beginning to descend over my thoughts, but it doesn't help much. "Or better yet, drive the kids down to them. Ella and I need to…talk."

Now Ella is watching me with exasperation. "Rhokar, I said I understand…"

But I just hand Rowan abruptly over to Ismelda, and take her chin in my hand once more. "Please."

"I'm not sure about having them in my car without booster seats," Ismelda starts, but I send a quick, heated look towards her as I feel my heartstring tug, tug, tug.

"We're Fated," I tell her simply, my fingers still on Ella's chin.

After a beat, Ismelda's expression clears, turning understanding. "The Claiming Chase," she says with a small nod. "Right. I can tell your parents to come here and hold the twins for the car ride back, I suppose. I'll cast a safety spell on the car."

"Rhokar," Ella says with exasperation deepening across her features. "I don't know what you two are going on about, but we can just talk at home." Rylah wriggles in her grasp and with a sigh Ella sets her down, breaking my fingers away from her skin in the process. I feel suddenly empty without her touch, and the feeling in my chest surges further, tightening my body, filling me with tension. With heat and need. I need her.

"Ella," I start, rolling my shoulders to try and release some tension, but when she smiles and pats my cheek condescendingly, something in me snaps.

"We'll talk at home, oka— ahh !"

With a smirk, I grab the hand at my face and haul it over my shoulder, pulling the rest of her body up to follow the motion with my other hand as I sling her over my shoulder and step outside, careful to shut the door behind me. I feel one firm, angry thump of her fist against my back as I stride towards the edge of the clearing, but this time she doesn't struggle or screech, and my smirk broadens. She's learning. Good girl.

When I gently slide her down my body at the tree line, it takes everything in me to step back and break our contact, so I can try to explain.

But she pushes at my chest and starts hissing angrily before I can open my mouth.

"You need to stop doing that, you barbarian." Her voice is quiet and annoyed, and her blue eyes flash as she glares. "I'm not just some doll you can sling around whenever you damn please!"

I feel a warning growl building low in my chest, even as my smirk remains happily in place, and she takes a threatening step towards me. Which only makes my cock further twitch to life.

Gods, I love it when she challenges me. It makes her inevitable submission all the sweeter.

"We were in front of company . You can't just—"

I snap my arm out suddenly, wrapping it around her waist and tugging her firmly against my chest, pressing her curves into me and allowing her no room to escape.

"Ella," I growl quietly. "I'm going to tell you something now, and you'd do best to take my words seriously." Then I lean my face towards her, so our lips are barely inches apart, and grin. "If you don't want me to fuck you right here on Ismelda's doorstep, you'd best start running."

She blinks, and the words die on her lips.

I do my best to try to explain, even as the fog of desire thickens in my mind. I lean my face back to try to bring clarity, although my arm won't unwind from around her.

"I am an orc. We are Fated. And you just told me that you love me."

Her face immediately reddens in a deep blush, and when her eyes dart away, my hand snaps to the back of her head, fisting around her loose hair and forcing her gaze back to mine. I lean down— but no, no, I can't kiss her. If I kiss her now, I won't be able to stop.

"You need to run."

"But…" she stutters. "But…"

"I'll find you."

"But there are animals!"

"I'll keep you safe."

"But, Rhokar!" She pushes her hands against my chest to move me backwards, and a spike of lust roars through me. I don't even realize I've moved until I feel bark beneath my palms as I flatten Ella into the nearest tree, grinding my hips into hers.

"That's right, beautiful," I rasp, leaning down to graze my tusks against her collarbone. "Push away from me. Go."

She gasps, but her small hands fist against my shirt and her back arches. "You… I… Rhokar … "

I take in a final, glorious lungful of her scent, before throwing myself away from her, because if I don't move now, I will have her against this very tree.

She's breathing heavily, cheeks flushed and staring at me with a mixture of defiance and lust.

"You don't make any sense," she huffs, although I can smell her desire rising, and it drives me insane. "You're actually crazy. It's official."

But I don't have any words left in me to explain, and I feel my growl building once more, my thighs tensing and ready to chase.

"Ella," I tell her, the last warning I'll be able to give, and I grin. "Run!"