4. Ivy

We have been walking the entirety of the morning in silence. Evrin isn"t a talkative male to begin with, but I know the silence is due to our interaction just before we left.

What had even happened? I should"ve figured it out by now; I"ve repeatedly replayed the events in my head. The moment was raw and vulnerable, but perhaps worse, I wanted more. And it terrified me. One moment, I was begging for my freedom, and the next, I wanted to know how Evrin"s thick fingers would feel inside of me.

It had all spiraled out of control too quickly. But what happened next surprised me even more. He stopped. No, he comforted me while I panicked, like this little voice in my head could only be sedated by his embrace. And it did.

Ugh. I shake my head to clear my thoughts and continue behind Evrin, trying my best to follow in his giant footsteps. The makeshift boots he made me are too big for my feet, which means stepping in deep mud is a great way to lose them.

Unlike me, Evrin effortlessly treks through the swamp. It makes sense, as he is from this land. But I still can"t help but be both envious and annoyed at his grace. I, on the other hand, am extremely clumsy. Normally, I wouldn"t classify myself as such, but the mossy, soggy ground is like walking across the ice.

I take a few steps forward, and before I know it, my feet slip from underneath me. I let out a scream, but before I hit the ground, I feel strong hands on my forearms. I look up to find Evrin breathing heavily and staring into my eyes. A moment passes between us, and I swear I can see his eyes flicker to my lips.

I snap out of the haze and find my stability once more. The silence that passes between us has become utterly ridiculous. Evrin has made his intentions known. And I may not have appreciated him stealing me away from my home. However, sad and pathetic it was. I can at least admit to myself that there wasn"t much of a house to begin with. He might be dragging me throughout this godforsaken swamp, but at least I know that I won"t need a plan to escape. I only need to make it to this Chosen One tree and simply say no. That shouldn"t be much of a challenge, should it?

In the meantime, there"s no reason we can"t at least have a conversation. I know nothing about the male standing in front of me. What are his people like? Why was he living alone? Do all males steal human women?

I decide to break the ice by saying something. "How do you live in such a treacherous place?" I straighten my white undergarments with my hands.

Evrin looks me over to ensure that I am safe enough to continue walking. He turns over my arms to make sure that there are no marks or scratches. I blush under his strict observations. The only thing that is bruised here is my ego.

Once he deems me unharmed he turns to start walking, and at first, I"m afraid he won"t respond to my question. Then I realize he is pondering his reply.

"The swamp is both bountiful and unforgiving," he states earnestly. Whatever the fuck that means.

"The human lands don"t have anything that will try to kill you?" he asks, and I can see him looking behind his shoulder at me. I smile to myself, knowing that maybe after all this time, he does wanna speak to me.

"Of course there are…" I pause. "Well, I guess the more I think about it, the more I think humans are the most dangerous thing in our land."

"How so?" he asks.

"You are much more at risk from being killed by a human than anything else. In fact, I think it"s the other creatures that fear us the most. We tend to have a knack for cruelty."

Evrin slows his stride, falling in place next to me, but only gives a grunt in response to my words. The conversation has turned quite sad quite quickly. Trying to change the subject, I focus on our task at hand.

"Oh no, no, no! You can"t walk next to me!" I start pushing against his back to place him in front of me, but he doesn"t budge. The male is like an unmovable boulder. Evrin gives me a look of hurt and confusion.

"I can"t walk in this mud unless you take steps first. I"m gonna get stuck," I giggle and point down at my little feet. They are not even a quarter of his. Evrin looks down to where I am pointing, and I can see his sudden realization grow across his face in the form of a smile. I can"t help but stare at the beautiful expression.

"I can always carry you—"

"Absolutely not!" I cut him off, scolding him. "I will be walking alone, thank you."

Evrin"s smile grows wider, but he doesn"t protest. Instead, he moves in front of me.

"We will reach more solid ground not very far from her," he yells behind his shoulder.

"Evrin, this is the swamp. I highly doubt that there is such a thing as solid ground."

He bellows in laughter, and the sound startles me. It"s unexpectedly captivating. It"s almost like the sound fills my core. His laugh is contagious, and I can"t help but join in. Suddenly, I feel a tingling sensation between my legs.

Evrin stops abruptly, and his body goes taut as he takes in a deep whiff.

"What is it?" I whisper, fearing danger lurks nearby.

He clears his throat, but he doesn"t look back at me for some reason.

"It"s nothing," he states firmly and continues on.

Okay, that was odd. We were just having a nice moment before it suddenly became tense. Maybe it"s just an orc thing. Yeah, I"m definitely going to use that as an excuse.

"So…" I try to break the silence again, "how come you live alone?"

Evrin grunts and I fear that this topic might not have been the best to address.

"I"m an outcast," he states plainly.

"A what?" I now have even more questions.

"An orc outcast. Don"t worry; it"s not because of anything that I did." Okay, good, because I was, in fact, worried for a second. "All male orcs are outcasts when they come of age," he continues explaining.

"Wait…all?" I can"t believe what I am hearing.

"Yes. All. I"ve been living out here for years."

Evrin has been giving me grief about my people not appreciating me, but this is so much worse.

"I don"t understand. Why?" I extend my hand and grab hold of one of the leather belts, securing his swords on his back, using it to steady myself as we continue to walk. I feel Evrin"s muscles tense for a moment before they relax again.

"If you just let me carry—" he starts, but I cut him off.

"Absolutely not! Keep walking."

"You frustrating female," he grumbles.

"Yeah, yeah." I dismiss his comment. "So why do the orcs outcast all the males?"

"Not all the males," he corrects me. "Just the unmarried ones."

He looks over his shoulder and down at me, and I give him a look to continue explaining.

Evrin lets out a sigh. "The orc population is failing. We don"t know what causes it. However, over the generations, only male orcs have been born. As you can imagine, this means there are significantly fewer females." He takes a large step over a murky puddle, forcing me to let go of his strap. I feel exposed without his presence. But he quickly turns around and extends his large hand to help me.

But just before I take it, a winged creature lands on the surface of the water, and it is one of the most beautiful things I"ve ever seen.

"A dragonfly!" I squeal.

I look up at Evrin and find him not staring at the creature but instead staring at me. His lips are upturned, and I feel like I could get lost in his amber eyes.

The winged insect flies off from his brief moment of reprieve to explore the world it calls home.

"I"ve only ever read about them," I mutter in awe. I stare off into the distance until the creature completely disappears from sight.

"They are beautiful, no?"

"So beautiful," I whisper.

"It may be surprising, but that creature is one of those powerful in the swamp," Evrin explains.

"It is?" I stare at him, perplexed, forgetting that his hand is still stretched out, waiting. I quickly grab onto him and leap over the puddle as he offers an explanation.

"Oh, yes. You see, dragonflies are predators with very few things that eat them. They get to experience the swamp and its beauty without fear. Above all else, they are free. Their wings take them to wherever their hearts desire."

"That must be nice." I ponder his words.

"It is. My people believe they are symbols of good fortune and luck."

"And do you?" I ask, elbowing him. I never took him as somebody who is superstitious. The male I see in front of me is deadly serious.

"I saw one just before I found you. That was the most fortunate moment of my life."

The breath is knocked from my chest at his words. It almost feels like someone is sitting on top of me. Evrin continues walking like his declaration didn"t just pierce me to my core.

By the time I regain my senses, I have added a little vigor to my step in order to catch up.

"So before…you were explaining that there are way more male orcs than female orcs." I try to bring the conversation back on topic.

"You ask a lot of questions," Evrin grumbles, and I can"t help but smile. I know he is secretly enjoying himself.

"Yes," he continues explaining. "All the males that aren"t chosen by orc females by the time we"ve come of age are sent to live in the swamp as outcasts. We can"t return home until we have a bride."

The realization hits me like a ton of bricks. That"s why he"s so adamant about bringing me to this sacred tree and marrying me. He isn"t in love with me; he wants me so he can return home. It feels like my heart is constricting. I know it shouldn"t upset me. I"ve told myself repeatedly since being taken that I wanted to escape. But for a split second, I thought that maybe, just maybe, Evrin truly wanted me for me. That there wasn"t an ulterior motive behind his actions.

"Oh," I respond and fall silent. When will I be enough?

I feel my nose begin to tingle, and the urge to cry is overwhelming.

I"m so foolish. I didn"t want this. So why does it upset me? Maybe it"s because I"m sick of being used by the males of this world. But then I remember why I am being punished by the gods. My father"s death on my hands. As a result, I"ll never be seen as something worth loving; instead, I"ll always be a male"s opportunity to get what they want. My mind spirals into endless anxiety, and I don"t realize that Evrin has stopped walking, causing me to run into his chest.

When did he turn around?

He grabs me by my shoulders to study me and looks at me deeply in the eyes. "What"s wrong?"

"W-what? Nothing," I falter. His question takes me by surprise.

"I can practically hear the gears in your mind turning. Tell me," he presses.

I clamp my mouth shut. I don"t like being told what to do, but most of all, I fear that the tears will start streaming down my face.

"Stubborn female," Evrin chuckles under his breath, and I can feel my lip quiver.

He moves his hands from my shoulder and cups my face. I hate how the sensation makes me feel.

"After the ceremony. We will go back to the cabin. I"ll build a new hut for us, of course. This one will be much bigger."

Wait, back to the cabin? His words shock me. Wouldn"t he want to return to his people?

But as Evrin looks at me, there is a silent understanding. He can sense my anxiety without needing an explanation.

"But don"t you have a family?" I cast my eyes downwards.

"I do," he confesses. "I have a mother and a sister. My father died when I was young from sickness."

My stomach drops, and I shake my head, not understanding. "Why would you possibly come back out here? You"ll miss your family. Fuck, you"ve already been out here long enough."

"I do miss my family…terribly. But unlike before, I"ll be able to visit."

"But, but… don"t you want to go home?" I can"t quite understand his reasoning. He"s been an outcast for years. Forced to live all alone. And while the male in front of me is completely capable, I can"t imagine how lonely that must have been. He has a family. He has a home. Two things I desperately yearn for. No wonder he stole me away and dragged me into this swamp. I realize that I, too, would do that and much worse if the opportunity presented itself.

Evrin lets out a sigh and leans down to place his forehead on mine. "Ivy, don"t you understand? You are my home."

Those words break something in me. A rogue tear trickles down my face. I can feel his hot breath against my lips, and I"m desperate for his touch.

A sudden realization washes over me: Perhaps this wasn"t some kind of punishment from the gods. Maybe, just maybe, this was the opportunity I have wanted all my life.

I brush my lips across Evrin"s tusks and bring my hand to his, enveloping it. He pulls away from my face and lets our intertwined hands fall to our side. Evrin studies the gesture, like holding hands is unfamiliar to him. Yet he says nothing. Perhaps fearing the moment will end.

I smile, now realizing it is my turn to initiate our hike. Evrin is right; the sooner we get to the Chosen One, the better. Just at the thought, my core tightens in anticipation.

"Tell me more about your family," I prompt as we continue on our journey.