He races off. At last, we have a moment of privacy.
I place a finger beneath Ethan’s chin, coaxing him to look at me. “The cart is broken, Ethan, so we will have to ride the gorjas home. Would you like to ride with Sojek, and your mother will ride with me?”
He nods. He’s not talking, but he’s communicating. It is a start.
Tansey slips her hand into mine, and I lean down to capture her lips. Nothing has ever tasted so sweet, right, and perfect as my female. For a brief moment, I hear Veeya and Haaka’s laughter in the back of my mind. I see their faces in my mind’s eye clearer than I have in years, but no sorrow follows. Only the understanding that this is a new beginning, and they are happy for me.
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
TANSEY
We don’t reach Mount Racha until morning. Everyone is eating by the fires or already starting their work. When we dismount, one of Sojek’s peers runs forward and collects the gorjas from us, to take them back to the pen and ensure they are fed and groomed.
“Go sleep,” Verig orders Sojek. “I will report to our grak and let him know you performed your duties beyond satisfactory.”
Sojek flashes his tusks.
“He looks more confident than I’ve ever seen him.” I’m still holding Ethan. He slept most of the ride here, except when we stopped to wash and treat Verig’s wounds, but he’s wide awake now and looking around.
“What happened?” Atox heads right toward us, not hurried but single-minded as his eyes roam Verig’s injuries. By now, he’s noticed we don’t have the cart.
“Grak, let me get the youngling to bed and then?—”
“No need,” Atox says as Ethan squirms to get down from my arms. The second his feet hit the ground, he runs up to Evve and a little orc boy, one I haven’t seen before. The three of them run off into the woods.
“Maybe all he needed was sleep,” I say, but I know it’s more. He feels safe here. We both do.
A moment later, Ethan races back to us. “Where’s Brownie?” It’s the first he’s spoken since we left Pen’Kesh. I look at Verig. I have no idea where his toy is. Verig shakes his head.
Brownie has become a casualty of war.
I kiss the top of Ethan’s head. “I think he’s lost, sweetie.”
Ethan looks from me to Verig, who bends down to look him in the eyes. “Sometimes we lose those we love, but they remain with us.” He taps Ethan’s chest above his heart. “In here.”
Ethan throws his arms around Verig and says, “I love you.”
“Ethan?” Evve calls.
Ethan breaks free from Verig and runs off with the orc kids.
Verig stands there with an expression I’ve never seen before. Orcs don’t cry, but damn, I swear if they had tear ducts, I’d see tears in his eyes right now.
“I knew you’d make a good father.”
“Because of Veeya?”
My heart squeezes now that he can finally talk of her. “No, because of you. Ethan and I are lucky to have you.”
Verig’s hand slides to my lower back as he recounts yesterday’s events to Atox. His grak, our grak, shows no emotions, even as Verig recounts Baloq’s actions. I’m still surprised Baloq came to our rescue, but at the same time, I’m not. There’s a code among the orcs that doesn’t allow them to walk away from their people, even ones with whom they have personal disputes.
That was the final piece that allowed me to accept that this is where Ethan and I belong. No people are perfect, and Verig and I will probably have some issues over time, like all couples, but orcs aren’t monsters. They’re very human, maybe more so than the people of New Earth.
I know without a doubt, no matter what happens, Verig will fight for us. We are his now, and he is ours.
I throw my arms around him, interrupting the conversation he and Atox were having.
“Female, what is wrong?” Verig asks.
