The Orc Who Hated Christmas (An MM Monster Christmas #1)

Chapter 29

CHAPTER 29

T he snowstorm passed after five days of bliss. Graal had spent the time with Cas and his family, hidden away from the world beneath the snow. But the snowstorm had had to pass eventually.

Cas told Graal he could stay with them longer. But Graal needed to find his own apartment. He couldn’t live off the kindness of Cas and his siblings forever. And the place really couldn’t fit Graal, especially not if Lacy came back. Although, at the moment, she still seemed keen to stay with Orim.

So yesterday, after Graal had returned to work and finished hauling rocks for the day, Graal had gone around and checked apartments that would accept an orc tenant. Cas had wanted to join him and make sure they treated Graal well. But Cas needed to work.

Graal had not had much luck. Or more specifically, he hadn’t had much luck finding a place where he would receive better treatment than what he’d gotten from Fernos. Graal pursed his lips.

He’d visited four residences yesterday. Every single landlord looked down at Graal. One had even covered her mouth and nose with a handkerchief as if Graal carried some infectious disease.

Once upon a time, Graal would have just accepted that as his lot. But after the way Cas and his family had treated him, it felt wrong to go back and accept the way he’d been treated before.

Graal deserved better than that. Cas had shown him that.

Graal sighed as he trudged through the snow to the bakery. He’d head out again tonight, once he’d changed and washed the day’s work from his body. He figured he had a better chance of being treated half-decently if he did.

Graal’s shoulders drooped. Perhaps he should move out of the city. Find a village where orcs weren’t treated like shit.

Graal had met Orim, Lacy’s girlfriend, the previous night. She’d told Graal about the place she originally came from. It was a mining village run by trolls, but orcs lived there too. She’d looked Graal up and down and said, “A strong orc who works hard would have no trouble getting work.”

She’d even given him some details on how to get there. It would take a few days of walking. But it wasn’t too far.

Graal should consider it. But that would mean leaving the city. And Cas.

Graal knew he and Cas had no future. No matter how spectacular their time together had been, no matter how special and surprisingly beautiful Cas had made Graal feel, Graal couldn’t forget that Cas had never wanted a proper relationship with him.

And that was fine. Graal had agreed to that. But every time he thought of Cas no longer in his life, his chest throbbed with pain.

Maybe once he’s finished with me, I’ll leave. Maybe I’ll just find somewhere crappy to stay whilst we have this brief fling. Then once Cas is done, I’ll leave the city for good.

Graal kept his head down as he walked .

A boy barrelled into Graal, bouncing off his legs. “Ow!” The child tumbled onto his back.

“You all right?” Graal stepped towards him.

The boy laughed. “Yeah.” The boy scrambled to his feet. Then he looked up at Graal. His eyes widened in terror. He fell back. “Father! Mother!” he screamed. “A monster!”

Graal took several steps back. Nothing he said in this situation would put the boy at ease. Best to just walk away. Then he paused. He looked at the couple of humans running towards the boy.

Graal’s heart sank.

Mother. And Jordan. That meant…

Graal looked at the boy. At Sam. This was Sam, Graal’s half-brother. He looked to be around the right age. It must have been twelve or thirteen years ago that Graal had left them.

Graal couldn’t move. Couldn’t breathe. Couldn’t do anything but stare in horror.

His mother leaned down and wrapped her arms around Sam. Finally, she looked at Graal. For a split second, their gazes met. Her mouth fell open as recognition hit her.

Graal’s chest tightened.

Then she turned away from Graal. She kissed Sam on the cheek and ushered him away. “My poor, sweet boy,” she whispered.

She strode down the street in the opposite direction, whispering words of comfort to her son, who’d been scared by a monster.

Something shattered inside Graal as he watched them walk away.

“Be gone, you filthy half-blood orc,” Jordan sneered.

Graal turned towards Jordan. He looked down at the man who’d verbally abused him for years for nothing but having orc blood. He seemed so much smaller than Graal remembered. But then again, Graal had grown a lot in the years since he’d last seen this man.

And as Graal stared down at this cruel man, an image of Cas, of the pretty Christmas pixie, filled his mind. Because Cas cared for Graal. Cas thought Graal worthy of affection. He even called Graal beautiful. And Graal believed Cas.

“Did you hear me, you stinking mongrel? Get away!” Jordan made a shooing motion.

For the first time in his life, Graal thought he deserved better than his mother’s neglect. He thought he deserved better than Jordan’s abuse.

Graal decided he had taken enough of this man. He pulled himself up to his full height. He bared his teeth. Jordan’s eyes went wide.

“It’s not wise to insult an orc,” Graal growled low in his throat. He took a step towards Jordan.

Jordan faltered and fell, mouth dropping open.

Graal took another slow, deliberate step towards him. “You’re a bully and a brute, Jordan. Did you enjoy picking on someone so much smaller than you for years?” Graal leaned over Jordan. Graal smiled. “But I’m not smaller than you anymore. Am I?”

Jordan trembled, shrinking in on himself.

“Now apologise for how you treated me,” Graal said.

“What?”

“Apologise to me for how you treated me.” Graal kept his voice level and cold as the snow around them.

“I’m sorry!” Jordan stuttered. “I’m sorry!” Jordan raised his hands in front of his face.

“Good.” Graal took a step back. “In the future, best watch who you insult. You never know, they might grow up to be able to snap you in half like a twig.” Graal pointed in the direction his mother and half-brother had gone. “Now run, you fucking pathetic worm. ”

Floundering to his feet and kicking up snow, Jordan sprinted down the street, falling a couple of times.

Graal watched. He should feel satisfied. He’d just stood up to the man who’d been a big part of making his childhood a nightmare. But Graal just felt strangely numb. Because if Graal had ever had a family, that was them.

Graal turned and walked away. He needed the comfort of Cas’s arms. But as he walked, Graal smiled.

Cas would be proud of him for standing up to Jordan. Cas would laugh and tell him the arsehole deserved it. Graal would never have actually hurt Jordan. But perhaps it had been good to remind Jordan to not go around being a dick. There could be consequences for being a colossal arsehole.

His footsteps sped up as he approached the bakery, eager to see Cas. He strode past the front window. He paused and stepped back, looking in.

Cas didn’t stand behind the counter. He stood in front of it, talking to someone with horns, a tail, and dark wings. Xavier. Cas’s ex-lover, who Cas still loved.

Graal’s stomach convulsed. His hands clenched. Why was Xavier here? Why was he talking to Cas?

Then the incubus stepped in close, wrapped his arm around Cas’s waist, and kissed him. Graal flinched away from the window as if burned. He glanced back and saw them still entwined. Graal looked away, and this time, he didn’t look back. He couldn’t see the pixie he loved kissing someone else.

Because Graal knew with startling clarity that he loved Cas with all his heart.

Graal closed his eyes. He wanted to beat his chest and howl with agony. Instead, body shaking, Graal stumbled around to the back of the bakery. He raced up the stairs and knocked on the door .

Jack opened it. “Graal.” He frowned. “Everything all right?”

“Yes. Fine.” Graal brushed past Jack. “I’ve decided to take a job out of the city, in the mining village Orim mentioned.” Graal strode to Cas’s room and threw the door open. It banged, but Graal didn’t pay it any attention. He shoved his things together as quick as he could.

“Does Cas know?”

“I’ll send him a letter explaining.” Graal stood and strode past Jack, not meeting his eyes. “But I have to go now.”

He couldn’t face Cas. Not now. It might be cowardly. It might be rude after everything that had happened between them and after everything Cas had done for him. But he couldn’t look at Cas, not now that Cas was with someone else.

“Well, Cas is just downstairs in the bakery. You can talk to him now,” Jack pressed.

Graal opened the door. “All right,” he called out as he stamped down the stairs.

But he didn’t even glance towards the bakery as he fled. His heart would crumble entirely if he saw Cas gazing into Xavier’s eyes with the love he didn’t feel for Graal.