Chapter 7

Seven

Earth was gone, and Miranda had landed in a whole other kind of death trap.

For a brief, horrific moment, she understood why humans had hunted predators into extinction. That wild cat had been vicious, terrifying.

She did not know how to fight something like that. She'd barely survived the dogs.

"Th-thank you for saving me," she whispered, trying to fight the rolling in her stomach. Govek held her firmly against his chest and walked carefully through the forest. His eyes were dark and brooding as they ventured deeper into the unknown.

She would die if he abandoned her now, and she suspected, after what had just happened, after what a bumbling, panicky idiot she'd been, he was very close to doing just that.

"I swear I won't..." Won't what? Be a burden? She already was.

She'd only traveled in Earth's apocalyptic nightmare for a few days, and she'd almost died. She had absolutely no skills to help him. None.

Her chin trembled. Earth was gone, and she had no idea what to do now.

"Stop."

The harsh growl dried her tears before they could fall. Something about the low rumble of Govek's tone was so soothing it made her forget how desperate things were and drowned out the horrors that kept lurking in the back of her mind.

She didn't want him to leave her.

The silence between them continued for a few long minutes while Govek carried her. His frame was warm, but tense. The chattering of birds and the whistling of the wind brought little comfort.

Earth had lots of birds before the war had gotten really bad.

And this world was at war, too.

How could she be dropped out of one cataclysm only to land in another? Was she doomed to watch multiple worlds be ravaged by carnage and strife? Was she paying some universal price for the atrocities humanity had committed on Earth?

"Stop, woman."

She was ripped out of Govek's warmth and plunked down on hard stone so quickly it jarred her out of her madness. Her eyes strained to find Govek ripping her fingers away from the wound on her palm. It was twice as big as it had been originally. Blood dripped down her wrist.

His angry mutters somehow calmed her. He was brutal and irritable, but the harsh emotions helped stabilize her.

He pulled a vial from the pack and poured it over the cut. It felt icy cold, but she kept her hand limp as he worked. The wound closed in an instant, leaving only a thin red line. Her mouth popped open. "Was that magic? That was magic, wasn't it? Wow! That's amazing! It's really gone. I thought that magic didn't work on humans."

"The spring doesn't, but orcs have their own tinctures that do." He arranged things inside his bag. "I have only a few."

Guilt gnawed at her. "Thank you. You didn't have to waste it on me."

"Just don't do it again."

She wanted to ask why he cared so much, but was afraid of the answer. Afraid that pointing it out would make him realize he didn't have a reason to be nice to her.

"Here." He held out the water pouch and didn't force her to slow down this time. Granted, she was a lot less frantic, working stiff gulps down her parched throat. Her tongue no longer felt like sandpaper, but her teeth were still a little gritty.

She looked up toward the bright, cloudless sky. Her breath fogged as she asked, "You said this world was called Faeda?"

"Yes," he said, taking the pouch from her grip.

"It's perfect." She looked down again, to the wet ground and the rotting leaves. "What was that animal called? The one that attacked us?"

"Saber cat."

She nodded, gulping. "I'm sorry it died."

"It had the blight," Govek said harshly, but his words comforted her, nonetheless. "It needed to be culled."

"What is the blight?"

"An illness wrought by the Fades. The cat would have succumbed to its affliction eventually."

Miranda kept her eyes lowered, fixed them on those odd, spiral leaves, thinking over the events which were much less of a blur now that her adrenaline had ebbed. "But it wouldn't have suffered if I hadn't run. You wouldn't have had to grab its tail like that and..."

"No."

Her breath shuddered, and she met his eyes. "I... I won't run like that again. I promise."

Govek said nothing, but his eyes flashed with something like surprise.

She wanted to ask if she could stay with him. Make him swear he wouldn't leave her to fend for herself in the forest, but it wasn't a fair request. She knew she was a liability.

Miranda, desperate for a distraction from her rounding thoughts, pointed to the spiral leaves in the muck. "What tree are those from?"

"That is from an oak born from the Great Rove Tree. One of the Fades' Relics."

"That's not what oaks look like on Earth," she said, referring more to how vibrant this Faeda tree was than the spiral leaf shape. "The Fades are your gods?"

"Yes."

Earth had so many dang religions, Miranda couldn't even fathom them all. In Earth's ancient times, before lack of food became more important, humans often had wars over their religions. "Is... is your war because of them?"

Govek was silent, and Miranda met his gaze. His eyes skittered away, his hand dragged over his scalp, pulling his hair.

"The Waking Order," he said slowly, "has deemed sentinels to be the cause of the blight and seeks our eradication. They also believe our demise will wake the Fades from their slumber and bring a new era."

So, yes then. "All sentinels are orcs?"

"Orcs for the surface, goblins for the structure, and sylphs for the sky. All three races are sentinels to the Fades."

Her lips thinned. "And the Waking Order are humans who are causing the war?"

His ragged sigh doused any hope she might have scraped together. "Yes."

Miranda sagged, defeated, completely unsurprised. "Obviously it would be humans. Who else?"

The gentle breeze continued, but it didn't cool her. Of course, he wouldn't be keen on bringing her along. She was from the race his kind were at war with.

If he was going to leave her here, she might as well let him get to it.

"I'm sorry," she said, meeting his eyes with as much gumption as she could muster. "If... if you want to leave me here, it's okay. I'll figure it out."

He searched her face for what felt like an eternity. "You want me to leave?"

"No," she said with a wry laugh. "God, no. I'll probably..." she trailed off, not wanting to make him feel guilty with the truth that she'd likely get picked off by another saber cat the second he was out of sight.

Or maybe not. She'd been stupid lucky so far. Miraculously. She shouldn't even be alive right now. She should have died with the rest of Earth.

But she hadn't. She'd made it here. And nothing said she couldn't survive Faeda too.

Govek was still crouching before her, his body tense, his eyes pensive. His hands were in tight fists, resting on his knees.

Miranda reached out and clasped them. Stroked her thumbs along his knuckles, met his wide, shocked eyes. "We're even now. We've both saved each other. I know I'm useless to you, especially if you're going to war. If you tell me how to get to that village, I'll be fine on my own. Really."

Everything seemed to still—the birds, the wind, even her heart.

And then Govek snarled, "No."

His eyes fixed on her hands, and she gripped him tighter. Half of her hoped he would unfurl his fists and let her take them, and the other expected him to rip away from her.

"I have proclaimed you as my conquest," he said firmly, determined. He leaned in closer, the heat of his body soaked through the cloak. "I will not let you go."

She licked her lips. A million questions blurring through her head. What was a conquest? Where would they go now? What could she do to ensure he wouldn't change his mind? She was afraid to ask any of them.

He snapped his gaze to hers again. "If you flee, I will hunt you, Miranda. So, I suggest you come willingly."

Hoo boy, was she willing! His voice was that sultry low rumble that made her mind turn to mush, and suddenly, she wanted to run just to find out what hunting her entailed. She'd run from him and her memories of Earth at the same time. See which one would catch her first.

"If you desire to be of use, simply continue your chatter."

Her eyes widened. "Continue my chatter?"

Govek went tense but grumbled. "Your voice is pleasant."

His warmth was making her dizzy. "You like my voice?" As much as she liked his? "Well, chattering at you is something I can handle." She shot him a giddy smile, delighted by his admission. "I've been told by a few people I talk too much. Anything else you want me to handle?"

His eyes widened and Miranda realized far too late what she'd insinuated, but she wasn't about to take it back. Even as she grappled with the fact that he was a completely different species from her.

But he wasn't that different. Not really. She focused on his large hands under hers. They were built the same. Five fingers. Opposable thumbs. Knuckles and nails. His pinky had untucked from his fist, revealing the long, black claw. She reached out to touch it.

And it shot back into his hand.

Miranda gasped and gripped his hand for a better look. He jerked, wrenching his hands away, and barreled to his feet in shock.

Her eyes were still on his hand, which was now back to black, blunted nails.

"You have retractable claws?"

"I will not harm you."

"Can I see them?" she asked, fascinated.

"What?" The word came out strangled, almost a wheeze.

"Can I see your hand?" She'd seen characters in movies with retractable claws like that but had never dreamed it could be a reality.

He hesitated and drew in a long breath. "You need not concern yourself. I will not harm you with them."

"I didn't think you would. It's just cool."

Confusion furrowed his brow, and his shoulders relaxed. "Cool? Are you cold?"

A little snort of laughter left her lips. "No, no. I meant interesting. Neat. I want to see them closer. Will you let me?"

Govek hesitated, thinking. Then he kneeled down on one knee. He was so big, even in this position. He examined her face for another moment, as if looking for any hint of anxiety, or perhaps trying to hide away his own.

He held up his left hand and slowly extended the claws.

They appeared like pointed acrylics, if acrylics were as sharp as surgical blades, jet black, and were around two inches long.

She carefully took his hand and heard his breath hitch, but she ignored it. His claws came from underneath his actual fingernails. The space between his fingertip and first knuckle was long enough to accommodate them.

"Can you retract?"

He huffed and obliged. They disappeared into his hands, and only a slight indent showed against his green skin. She traced the indent. There was a slight difference in firmness. "Does it hurt?"

"What?"

Miranda looked up at his bewildered expression and wished she had a camera so she could immortalize it. It made him look almost soft. Cute. "I mean, what would happen if your hand got crushed? Would they cut you from the inside?"

He flinched his head back slightly, blinking. "Woman, I suspect if my hands were crushed, I would be more worried about my bones than my claws."

She quirked a smile. "Probably." She tipped his hand over and placed hers to his. It was twice the size of her own. In fact, his torso, as a whole, seemed to be disproportionately larger than his lower half.

She amended that while it was disproportionate to the ratios a human male would have, she didn't know what the orc standards were.

His skin was smooth and varied in green hues, the knuckles being darker than the surrounding flesh, his palms were much lighter, with many nearly white calluses. She drifted her fingers up to his wrists, to the bulge of his muscled forearms.

"Miranda," his voice was breathy, almost a warning. She looked up at his face to make sure he was okay with this and found him a little apprehensive.

His ears were pointed, but sat close enough to his head that she wouldn't have noticed if she wasn't looking. She reached up to trace the tip without thinking and made him shudder.

"Sorry," she whispered. He didn't respond. Didn't tell her no. She brushed at his hair next. It was short and disheveled, having dried every which way. She scooted closer and found that it wasn't black, but an extremely dark shade of green. She trailed her fingers down his temples to frame his face.

His eyes went wider. The color was striking. Bright green with golden flecks. His pupils were dilated and almost swallowed the color up. She pressed her thumbs into his cheeks, finding them devoid of any stubble as well. In fact, his whole body was hairless. There wasn't any on his arms or chest.

She brushed a finger along the crooked break in his nose. "What happened?"

His jaw ticked before he managed, "I got it during my trial."

"Your trial?" Had he done something illegal? Did they even have that kind of structure here?

"Into adulthood. I took down a great boar. I kept this boon as proof."

A broken nose was a prize? She sat back to examine it. "It does give you some rugged charm."

His scowl deepened, and his eyes blinked rapidly, as if her compliment confused him.

She gripped his face again and narrowed in on the little tusks at his lower jaw, teasing her fingers along the bottom of his chin. He was so tense it seemed almost painful.

"We should leave, Miranda."

She blinked at his mouth as he snapped it shut. His tension heightened. She was certain he was about to spring away.

She wrapped her hands around the back of his skull and scratched lightly at his hairline, hoping it was as sensitive on him as it was on her.

He huffed. His jaw slacked slightly, enough to intrigue her. There was something odd about it. She continued scratching with one hand and moved her other up to tap at the tooth butting out from his lower lip.

"It's blunt?"

"I've... filed it." He sounded breathless now. As she continued scratching, his muscles released. His relaxation deepened.

She grinned at her newfound power as his eyes shut.

"Do your teeth grow continuously or do you just get the one?"

He blinked several times before his eyes opened. "Uh... both."

Both? "Will you show me?"

He straightened. "No."

"Why?"

"You will be frightened."

She quirked her head, pursed her lips. "I don't think I will. I'm pretty relaxed."

"Let us keep it that way."

Miranda slid her other hand to the back of his head and dug her fingers into the base of his skull, pressing slow circles. He exhaled a strangled sound as she moved toward his forehead.

Much more of this and he would turn to putty in her hands and she grinned at the new power this gave her. She softened her touch at his temples. The short, coarse hairs framing his brow tickled her palms. His eyes closed, his shoulders slumped, his hands were limp at his sides.

His jaw was still tense. It had been tense the entire time she had been with him, and she was going to figure out why. Right now.

She moved her massaging fingers down to where his jaw hinged into his skull and pushed into it. "Flex for me?"

His tense muscles gave as he adjusted them so she could get better access to the deeper tissues.

His chin relaxed and fell further. And further. And further.

Her own jaw slacked as his mouth opened, moving like he was chewing.

Lord almighty! Did he have teeth!

He'd been hiding them. The slit of his mouth was wide, allowing him to cover his upper lip with his lower jaw. It couldn't have been comfortable for such a long period.

The tusks were the longest by far. Probably three inches total, but they were flanked by two much sharper looking teeth. The top fangs mirrored this pattern, but were smaller and inset slightly so they would fit together when he closed his mouth.

They were distinctly predatory. Obviously designed to rip out the throats of his victims. They shimmered from his saliva. The tips of the upper teeth were so sharp she felt like she'd be cut from looking at them. Only the largest tusks had been filed, and probably only because they were long enough to skewer him in the cheek if he flexed his jaw the wrong way.

She sat back slightly, taking it all in, and her heart flipped over.

By god, he looked way better. His face was no longer squat and rounded. She hadn't realized how odd his features were until she saw them as they were supposed to be. His cheeks were slender, not plump, his chin was long, not tight and bunched, his lower lip was less taut, and his upper one was full, whereas before it had been nonexistent.

His proportions were striking perfection, even with the slight under-bite, which wasn't nearly as pronounced now that his jaw was in the right spot.

He wasn't human, not at all, but dang, he was gorgeous.

She accidentally stopped rubbing him. His eyes popped open, and he reared away, scrambling to his feet. Her fingers caught on some of his hair, and it yanked free, making her flinch.

"Oh, god. Sorry. You okay?" she asked.

He was facing away from her, stalking toward the depths of the woods. For a terrifying moment, she thought he may be about to abandon her.

She scrambled up after him and gripped the edge of his cloak. His eyes went huge, as if he couldn't believe she would approach him of her own will. "I... I'm really sorry for pulling your hair out. Are you all right?"

He turned finally. His pupils were small pinpricks in those oceans of shimmering green. There was no anger in the set of his brows, however, and she breathed a desperate sigh of relief.

She reached up slowly and traced the frame of his face. He shuddered almost violently. Was he scared? It was unbelievable that this massive, powerful man could be scared of anything, and yet his expression betrayed him. "You don't have to do that."

His brows pinched in silent question.

"Hide your teeth. It looks uncomfortable."

And weird. Now that she'd seen what his face was supposed to look like, he seemed deformed with his jaw all crunched up.

"I do not want to frighten you," he said slowly, as his fingers curled around her wrist. "I do not want you to flee."

"I'm not going to flee." She had nowhere to go. "You've saved my life. Why would I run?"

He still hesitated, as if he didn't quite believe her.

"If you were going to use those teeth on me, you would have done it by now," she pointed out. He blinked, clearly having no argument to counter that.

Instead, he looked back toward the rock and released her to go back to his pack. His motions were stiff as he scooped it up off the ground.

When he faced her, his jaw was no longer covering his teeth, but tension radiated from every inch of his burly frame.

Miranda stepped closer.

Then her foot caught on a root and she tripped forward. Govek lunged and caught her easily. His reflexes were insane.

"S-sorry." Her cheeks went red hot, more from how good it felt to have him catch her than of the embarrassment of tripping.

"Do you . . ."

"Do I?" she pressed.

"Do you want me to carry you?" he offered rapidly, showing her generous flashes of his teeth. The sound of his voice was crisper, and she wanted him to rumble words at her until she was reduced to contented jelly.

"I do."

He hesitated briefly before shifting his grip down her back and under her knees, curling his body around her. Her breath caught in her throat as her heart thundered. Then he swooped her off her feet and lifted her. His massive warm hands slung her up, so she was resting in the crook of his elbow, and he tucked her forehead into his neck.

"Keep your head here," he ordered gruffly, before adjusting his cloak so his face was hidden from her prying eyes.

She sighed heavily, wondering if hiding had been his true reason for offering to carry her, but she obeyed.