7. Chapter Seven

Chapter Seven

Calliope

I didn't tip toe and act like a graceful fairy when I went to the dessert table. I pranced, my bare feet slapping the marbled floors. I was too excited, my hands shaking at what had just happened.

I fell into an orc's lap. I saw one up close.

Scars littered his chest, which I imagine were from the war so long ago. His hair wasn't in a braid like most of the orcs I'd seen. In fact, his hair was rather messy, but I liked that. I wanted to run my fingers through the strands. It looked so soft, like the rest of him. Which was strange, because most of the orcs look hard and lumpy. He was so comfy.

Leave was much softer than I imagined an orc would be. His legs were large as tree trunks, his arms strong and muscular, but he was surprisingly gentle with his size.

His yellow eyes stared at me, giving me a look that I had never experienced. There was a heat in his gaze that I'd often seen Uncle Osirus give to Melina, and my dad with Mom.

It made me squeeze my thighs together, and the parts between my legs pulsed like they had never done before just looking at a male.

I bit my lip as I remembered how he looked at my dress, felt the softness between his fingers, and touched my thigh.

A shiver ran through my body. His touch had lit a fire inside me. One that I hoped never burned out. I felt like the heroine in those romance books, who finds a male to quench desires that only mates should have for each other.

And he was—handsome.

Leave was certainly different from the other orcs. He had harder lines on his brow, and he was really bossy. But I liked that he was different. I wanted to know more about the male who saved me from making a mess all over the palace floor.

It wasn't the first time I'd fallen from high places, but usually I fell in the soft grasses or even in a pond or lake. Never on an orc. I snorted when I lifted a plate and gazed over the desserts.

Though his lap was soft, I noticed that it grew harder the longer I sat. I placed a hand over my lips to hide my smile.

He liked me! Leave liked me. A male's privates get hard when they like someone, or so it said in those romance books. He liked me, maybe he wanted to kiss me.

My eyes widened.

Could a human and an orc kiss? Can we date? Can we even like each other? The orcs were looking for mates, and he didn't say I was his. He didn't claim me when he saw me.

That was how the balls worked. If you found your mate amongst the crowd, you were to hold one another in each other's arms and make a loud announcement. Well, that was what you were supposed to do: scream mine, my intended, beloved, or mate, then they'd kiss and leave the party.

Leave didn't do that.

So, he wasn't my mate.

My lips pouted as I put an assortment of cupcakes on my plate. He can like me, and I can like him. People do date, but they have to know, going into it, that their mates are out there. Wouldn't that make it messy?

I huffed and grabbed another plate.

No, I couldn't do that. No matter how curious I was about kissing, touching and… the Hokey Pokey, I couldn't do anything like that. It's kinda like cheating.

I felt a nudge at my leg, and I looked down to see Simon. He let out a bleat and nudged me again.

"You got me in trouble, kid, but I made a new friend." I shrugged my shoulders and held the two plates in my hand. Simon tilted his head in the direction of Leave, and when I turned to bring his plate, his back was to me and he was walking away.

"Leave?" I muttered and watched as he continued to walk further away.

Uncle Osirus had his lips pressed into a thin line as he followed Leave to the door. Aunt Melina came toward me instead, with a smile on her face.

"Did you make me a plate?" Her colorful wings fluttered, and I blinked back the warm tears threatening to fall.

I knew I was different. I knew being a human in the Golden Light Kingdom was rare. There were a lot of humans who lived in the Cerulean Moon Kingdom, with a parent from previous relationships, and were stuck being human while their parent changed into their mate's designation.

But here? It was rare.

And I was the king and queen's favorite. You would think other fae, fairies and pixies would want to be my friend, but they didn't.

I couldn't help it that I found everything interesting and fun. I felt like I was seeing the world for the first time every day. What was the big deal, enjoying every light source rise like it was a gift? To smile when a flower bloomed and to chase after the fireflies?

At least I had Simon.

He didn't judge me or care what species I was. He'd been there for the longest that I could remember.

The people who cared about me—my mom and dad—Uncle Osirus and Aunt Melina, I loved them to pieces, but I also knew they did too much for me. They hid me from the world and being the sensitive girl I was, I let them do it for too long.

"Uh, yeah. Here." I handed Aunt Melina the plate, and her eyes dazzled. "This just looks delicious, and I see you have your favorite here." She wiggled her eyebrows.

I took a deep breath and plastered a fake smile on my face, trying to hide the knot of discomfort in my stomach. Even though I wasn't starving anymore, I acted excited as Melina urged me to eat. The party was still going strong and would continue until dawn.

Melina continued to talk as we ate our food. She was excited that I had come down, and she and Osirus had broken no vows to my parents. I was here, on my own, and enjoying a party that I should have been coming to for years.

I forced a smile, refusing to glance back at Leave who had walked to the door. The pain was overwhelming, almost impossible to bear. The shattered remnants of the notion that a male, especially an orc, could feel any attraction towards me weighed heavily on my heart.

Maybe he just had to pee.

I wrinkled my nose.

Laugher grew louder over the music, and a rowdy group of orcs approached us, interrupting Melina's long-winded story about Karma already being let out of the dungeon because of good behavior and swearing to leave me alone.

Which was fine… Karma was just…Karma.

I would get my revenge.

"She is so small. I think this one is a fairy!" One orc raised his goblet of orc ale, and it sloshed onto the floor toward me.

"Yes, I think so, too," said another. "Her pink hair gives it away, also. I don't think the fae could create such a beautiful color with their genetics."

Heat flooded my face, and I suddenly stared at the floor.

"That's enough!" A slimmer orc pushed through the crowd. He was wearing a pink tunic with ruffles going down the middle. He stood out from the rest with the bright smile he wore. "Hello. I'm Sugha, and we need to settle a debate."

The other orcs nodded and elbowed each other in agreement.

"You see, we have a bet. We can't figure out the difference between the fairies when they are large; if they are fairies or if they are fae." Sugha nudged me with his arm. "Would you be so kind and tell us, what is the difference and what you might be?"

My heart warmed. They really thought I was a fairy? Or a fae?

I looked to Melina for help, but she stuffed a cupcake right into her mouth.

Okay…

"Well, a fae can hide their wings while a fairy can't." All the orcs nodded. "A fairy, while being in their larger form, well, there is one way to tell that they are a fairy."

All the orcs leaned closer to me. Their eyes were yellow and wide with curiosity.

"The patterns on their wings are different. If you look at a fae, their wings look like a large, winged insect's, but have deeper, darker veins going through them. They are able to withstand harsh wind." I pointed to Melina's wings and showed the dark veins of her wings that separated the color.

The orcs oohed and awed over them like they had never seen them up close.

"Pretty," one of them said, and I laughed.

"As for the fairies, the veins in the wings are much smaller. They cannot withstand windstorms and cannot fly over the coast. The sea wind is too strong for their delicate wings.

Sugha walked around me to study mine. "Yours are neither." His eyebrow raised.

"I-I, uh, well, I am neither," I said sheepishly. "I am a human."

An orc in the back spit out his ale, while his friend hit him on the back. "A hu-man?" The one in the back pushed everyone away. "I have never seen one. They have wings? Do you fly?"

I shook my head quickly and pulled down the strap on my shoulder. "No, I made these. I like to pretend I can. I am the only human living in the kingdom, right now, and I just wanted to fit in." I shrugged.

Sugha tutted and grabbed my elbow. His hand slid down my arm until it rested on my wrist. He patted it and showed off his white tusks. "A sweet cupcake like you was meant to stand out. Why cover it with cloth that doesn't shine as bright?"

My lips parted when I leaned my head back to stare up at him. He was thinner than Leave but he had some of the same facial features that reminded me of him.

"How about a dance? I have read much about dancing but never been able to practice with a partner?"

The other orcs muttered to each other and were nudging in excitement. "Yes, show us. We want to see a human and orc dance."

Melina stood behind me, gently taking off my wings. "You won't need these, I don't think." She winked and put them on the table. She kissed my cheek and squeezed my shoulders. "Now, go have some fun."

I've never danced with anyone else before, other than Uncle Osirus and my dad during solstices or festivals, so I tentatively put my hand in Sugha's. His eyes and smile grew so large, and he pulled me gently to the floor.

He was graceful, more than I ever thought an orc would be. But, I guess I needed to stop thinking that orcs were clumsy and too large, because the two I'd met were both very different from the stereotypical orcs I thought they would be.

"That's it, come on, don't be shy." Sugha wrapped his large hand around my waist, covering it entirely with his one hand. "Now, whatever happens, I want you to know that I will be alright. No need to worry about me. I have a strong skull."

I tilted my head in confusion when a roar came from the other side of the ballroom.

Leave barged into the room, his legs spread in a wide stance. His hair was a mess, his tunic was ripped, displaying a large, muscled shoulder and speckled chest hair. His eyes were wild, his bottom jaw jutted out and his large teeth gleamed in the candlelight.

So hot!

Several orcs jumped back while others stood their ground, ready to defend themselves if necessary.

"Sugha! What are you doing?!" Leave growled, his fists clenched at his sides.

Sugha stopped dancing and turned to face Leave, still holding onto my hand. "I am dancing with this lovely human girl," he replied calmly.

Leave's eyes narrowed even more, and he took a threatening step closer. "She is not yours to touch. You are not allowed to breathe the same air as her."

The tension in the room was strong, as everyone watched the exchange between the two orcs. I could feel my heart pounding in my chest, utterly confused about what was going on. Leave left…

Maybe he had to go poop?

Simon bleated during the silence.

"I didn't know she belonged to anyone," Sugha said innocently, smiling, and released my hand.

Leave's face turned red with anger and he stepped even closer to Sugha, their chests almost touching. "She is mine," Leave growled.

Wait, what?

Simon bleated and bit on Sugha's pants to pull him away.

Sugha chuckled, unfazed by Leave's aggression. "I meant no disrespect, brother. I simply wanted to dance with her."

"Brother?!" I squeaked.

Leave shook his head in disbelief and turned towards me. His eyes softened as they met mine, and he reached out to gently touch my cheek. "Are you alright? Did he hurt you?"

Warmth spread through my cheek, down my neck, and straight to between my legs.

I was taken aback by Leave's sudden change in demeanor, and I could feel everyone's eyes on us. "No, I'm fine," I replied softly.

Sweet Moon Goddess, I need to be alone and take care of the pulsing problem between my legs.

But wait, why would Sugha hurt me?

Leave nodded and then turned back to Sugha, his tone still harsh. Before I could process what was going on, Leave pulled back his arm and landed a right hook into Sugha's jaw.

All the orcs threw their goblets in the air and took hits at one another. It was a chain reaction, as all of them laughed and began to wrestle.

"Oh heckers! Sugha!" I screamed and fell to the floor to check on Sugha. The ballroom went into mass chaos, couples running away and the guards flocking toward us.

Simon licked Sugha on the cheek, but before I could check on him, I felt two large hands pick me up by my waist.

"Wait, let me go!" I screamed again, only to be thrown over a giant shoulder and be very acquainted with a very delectable butt. It was a perfect combination of muscular and soft.

Great, now I was conflicted.

"I'm fine!" Sugha yelled from the floor.

Screams and panicked shouts filled the room as people frantically tried to navigate their way to safety. Amongst the chaos, Leave remained calm and composed, effortlessly carrying me away from the frantic crowd. His strong arms held me securely as he skillfully weaved through the flying fairies, ensuring our safety amidst the pandemonium. The sound of crashing furniture and shattered glass reverberated throughout the room, but Leave's focused expression never wavered as he guided us towards the nearest exit.

"She's MINE!" he roared, and my head lifted up to scan the room, to look for my uncle and aunt.

Once I found them, I saw them holding onto each other, waving playfully as Leave carried me out of the ballroom, into the hallway and out the front doors.