Summoning the Orc (The Kingverse Orcs #2)

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Becca

“I’m going to get everyone settled into a bedroom and then come back, okay?” I asked Rok, and he grunted, making his annoyance with the plan known. I smiled, pressing a kiss to his forehead, but he turned his face at the last minute, catching my lips against his.

The kiss was everything I’d needed while he was gone. It was filled with passion, heat, and longing. I didn’t know what I would do without this male, and I never wanted to find out.

“No funny business in there while he’s healing,” Pen called from outside the door, rapping her knuckles against the wood and Rok growled long and loud.

Her tinkle of laughter made me grin and I pecked his lips one last time before pulling away. “She’s right. We have to get you checked over before you’re cleared for physical activity, mister,” I told him. “Plus you need that bath.”

He grinned at me. “How about you go get everyone settled and then come back and help your poor, injured mate scrub his back?” The gleam in my poor, injured mate’s eyes told me exactly what type of bath he was expecting when I got back.

And it made my entire body clench with need.

“Scrubbing backs is my specialty,” I told him with a wink before closing our bedroom door behind him.

I made my way back into the living room, my heart filled with love for my male. I stopped in the linen closet on the way, my arms overflowing with bedding by the time I made it out to see what everyone was up to.

The witch was still sleeping on the floor, her arms spread wide and a small line of drool making its way down the side of her face. I grinned at that, facing the three males who were investigating every nook and cranny of the room. Every once in a while they would eye Dristan with suspicion, but for his part, he was sitting on the armchair with Pen in his arms. She was whispering to him, nuzzling against his cheek and his expression was brimming with contentment.

“I brought some blankets and extra pillows for you to sleep with,” I said from behind the tower of soft fluffiness, and Dristan translated for me, not even looking at them as he spoke. I dumped the pile onto the sofa and then handed them out to the males who took them with wonder in their eyes.

The biggest one asked a question, his brow furrowed and wariness in his gaze as he looked between me and Dristan. “He’s asking if you’re letting them stay,” Dristan translated.

Oh, these males have had a hard life.

I nodded, pointing back in the direction I’d come from, allowing Dristan to let them know what I was saying in Orcish. “We have three guest rooms available,” I told them before looking over at the sleeping witch. “Well, maybe one of you can sleep in Rudgar’s apartment, because I’m not sure—”

“Rudgar’s on his way,” Dristan called, still snuggled with Pen, who gave me a small thumbs up from where she was sitting on his lap. I was certain she was using her feminine wiles to convince Dristan that this was the only option we had.

We were not letting the grumpiest male on earth kick these sweet orcs out on their butts in the middle of the city. I grinned at my best friend—so grateful for her.

The brisk knock on the door had me heaving a relieved breath. Rudgar might have the space that we needed to make room for one or all of the males. He could speak to them in Orcish and let them know—with way more finesse than Dristan—that they were welcome.

I hurried over to open the door, grinning up at Rudgar, whose eyes became slits of suspicion at my expression. “What did you do?” he asked, wary. “Dristan said that Rok made it back, but your look’s telling me that you want something.”

“That’s just unfair,” I gasped, clutching at my chest and pretending to be hurt. “My mate’s back and I’m ecstatic,” I said with a grin. “And I don’t need anything now.”

He beamed back at me, ruffling my hair like the brother he had come to be. “Well let me in, I want to see him.”

I nodded, opening the door wide and he walked in before freezing where he stood. The open layout of the apartment meant that he was getting a good gander of the three strange male orcs standing in our living room. Dristan’s head was lolled back on the chair as Pen nuzzled against his throat.

He’s putty in her hands.

I turned to beam up at Rudgar as he looked between the males and then at me. “You see them too, right?” he asked in a low voice.

I snorted out a laugh before nodding. “Yep. They helped Rok come back. And a witch brought them through a portal!” I was all but dancing where I stood. “But they need a place to stay and—”

“You have guest bedrooms,” Rudgar argued, turning an incredulous look my way.

“Yes,” I told him with a firm nod, “And they’re more than welcome here, but there’s four of them.”

He glanced from me to the three orcs standing in the living room, eyeing him with suspicion the same way they’d been looking at Dristan earlier. “And only three bedrooms.”

“I see three,” he said, pointing to each of them as if I was insane.

“And the witch ,” I sounded out, pointing to the floor where you could see the witch’s hair sticking out from behind the coffee table.

“Oh,” he said, nodding, before his movements slowed and he narrowed his gaze in her direction. He lifted his face, taking an audible sniff and then his head snapped back down to look at her again.

I watched as he took a tentative step toward her, but the three males shuffled forward, blocking her from Rudgar’s gaze. My eyes widened in shock as the usually calm and laid-back male lifted his lip in a snarl of aggression.

The males reacted as one, lowering themselves to their haunches and releasing low growls of warning. I gripped Rudgar’s arm as he began lowering himself as well, the aggressive focus in his gaze telling me that the male I was familiar with was taking a hiatus and his primal instinctive side was making its way out.

“Rud,” I warned him, gripping his forearm in a tight hold. His growl lessened until he was able to shake his head, and I hoped he was snapping out of whatever trance he’d been in. “Are you okay?”

That was when the witch sat up, making me gasp with shock at the sudden movement.

“I’d like to go to bed now,” she said, turning to face me before looking over at Rudgar. Her eyes widened with appreciation as her gaze skimmed his body from head to toe. “Well, hello , hotness,” she gasped, pressing her hand to her chest before she slumped back down to the floor, passed out again, her snores resuming.

We all stared at her, bewildered, before I cleared my throat, holding my hand out to Rudgar. “ Rudgar ,” I enunciated, before pressing a hand to my chest. “Becca,” I added, and then held my hands out to them.

“Krusk,” the largest male said, thumping a fist to his chest and bowing his head.

“Savla,” the male to his right said and then the last male thumped his chest, and I winced at how the sound of the blow echoed across the room before he bowed his head.

“Enka,” he told me.

Beaming at them, I turned to Rudgar. “Can you please tell them that they’re welcome to stay here, but we’ll need to find an extra room for their witch friend?” I narrowed my eyes, prodding him in the chest and wincing as I hurt my own finger. “And don’t threaten them while you do it.”

He huffed out an annoyed breath before he turned to the males and spoke in Orcish. They still looked suspicious, but they nodded.

“And she’ll be coming with me,” Rudgar told me, pointing toward where the witch was passed out on the floor again. “There isn’t enough room here,” he defended when I turned an accusatory glare his way.

“You don’t think she would be more comfortable having another woman around? What if she needs something that she doesn’t want to ask you for?” I demanded, but he shrugged, scrubbing his palm over the back of his neck.

Rudgar being bashful was not something I was used to. The puzzle pieces in my mind were locking together, and a satisfied smirk spread across my face.

“ Ohhhh ,” I poked him in his side with one of my uninjured fingers. “I see, you like her ,” I sang in my most juvenile voice.

“I don’t even know her,” Rudgar grumbled, but I noticed that he couldn’t keep his gaze off of her.

“Mm hmm,” I hummed, turning to face the males. “Good luck getting her out of here,” I told him, eyeing the way they had surrounded her and crossed their burly arms over their chest.

“Can’t you just take one of the guys with you for tonight?” I asked, whispering out of the corner of my mouth.

“No,” he insisted, his mulish response making me roll my eyes. “Her. I want her to stay with me.”

“Fine,” I sighed, rolling my eyes before walking over to kneel next to the witch.

The males who were guarding her didn’t know what to do, so they scattered when I approached. After all, I wasn’t a threat to her in their eyes. They resumed glaring at Rudgar, closing ranks around us both.

“Hey,” I whispered to the witch and she slapped me across the face while trying to swat me away. I grabbed her hand before she could do any real damage and poked her nose.

She sat up again, her blink slow and sleepy. “Hey,” she responded with a wide yawn. “I’m sorry, I need to recover. I used a lot of magic.”

Gratitude for this female was a living thing inside me and I peeked over at Rudgar who looked like he was on pins and needles as he waited. “So I have a friend who lives across the hall,” I said and she cut me off, peeking at Rudgar with me before wiggling her fingers at him.

“The hottie with the suit?” she asked, stifling another yawn while Rudgar froze, peeking behind his shoulders for a moment before giving an awkward wave back.

“Yep, that’s the one. He has an extra bedroom if you need it,” I told her. “I have enough rooms for Krusk, Savla and Enka, but that’d leave you on the sofa. Or one of them could sleep—”

“They wouldn’t fit on your sofa, no offense,” she said, yawning again. “I’ll go stay with the hottie, don’t worry.”

“His name is Rudgar,” I told her.

“Hottie McHotpants, got it,” she drawled, standing and tottering on her legs before speaking in a strange echoey voice to the three males. She patted their shoulders as she stumbled toward Rudgar.

He was staring down at her in bemused fascination. She held her arms up to him and ordered, “Uppies.”

His eyebrows swung up and he glanced at me, but I shrugged, keeping an eye on the three males who were watching her with their brows furrowed with worry. He looked down at the female again, his expression softening as he did as he was told, taking her into his arms and cradling her against his strong chest.

The snores began right away and Rudgar’s smile was intimate as he turned with her, heading toward the door without even bothering to say goodbye. I pointed to the blankets and pillows that had fallen to the floor and the males jumped as one to grab their own, giving me apologetic looks.

They’re the sweetest. We’re keeping them.

I grinned at them, turning and leading them to the extra bedrooms. I pointed to each of them and then gestured toward the room they’d be staying in. They meandered in there and after a few moments, when they didn’t return, I decided to give them the grand tour with Rok the next morning.

For now, I’m going to go scrub my mate’s back.