“He won’t do that. He detests humans, and he believes that to accept tribute from your species is a sign of weakness. He also believes that a child born of a human female is only half orc.”
“Well, technically...”
“Yes, but the orc gene is so strong that the children never inherit human traits. Your baby may have your eyes, but he or she will be as strong as Uthar.”
Beth nodded. They walked a while longer, and Sonya told her about Goran. Beth noticed that she talked about him with equal joy and regret in her voice. She missed him.
“You should go to your mate now,” Sonya said after they returned to her house. “Tell him about Abby, and don’t worry about what he’ll think about you. Because I promise you, he will only think good things.”
Beth took a deep breath and released it slowly. “Okay, I’ll do that.”
“And talk to Kinna, too. It was wrong of you to think that she would refuse to help someone who is dying.”
That made Beth feel a little ashamed of herself. Sonya was right, of course. The mage was a little fussy and unfriendly. Arrogant, too. But she wasn’t cruel.
The orcs had trusted Beth so far. Uthar had brought her here, and the horde had accepted her. She was one of them. Now it was her turn to trust them. Without fear, without second thoughts. For Abby.
And why wouldn’t they welcome Abby like they’d welcomed her? Her sister was much more pleasant and cheerful than she was. Beth was sure that if she came to live here, even only for a while, she would win their hearts.
Chapter Sixteen
Beth could barely eat at dinner. She’d thought of asking Uthar to have dinner together, just the two of them, at home, but then changed her mind and decided it was better to act natural and stick to their usual routine. She poked at her food, her mind going in circles about how to tell him about Abby. The truth was she felt exhausted. She’d told Sonya, and the weight had been lifted. Now it was going to take extra effort to tell the story again.
When dinner was over, Beth wrapped herself around his thick arm and pulled him out of the diner. Some evenings, Uthar liked to spend more time with the horde, drinking ale and making plans for the next day. Beth would go home and wait for him in bed. It was different this evening. She needed him all to herself.
“Let’s go,” she urged.
“Oh, you have a surprise for me?” He grinned. He knew that when she was impatient, it was because she wanted him.
Beth smiled. “Not quite. I need to tell you something, that’s all.”
His brows instantly furrowed. “Is everything okay? With the baby?”
“Yes! The baby is fine. I’m fine. What I need to talk to you about is not... that.”
“Then?”
His mood changed in mere seconds. He could feel that she was nervous, and Beth realized that trying to hide it was silly. It was what it was, and she felt how she felt. She pulled him toward their house.
“Let’s just get there. I’ll make us tea, and I’ll tell you everything.”
“Everything about what?”
She sighed. “Please, my love. Be patient.”
It worked. Every time she called him “my love” he melted. They walked in silence the rest of the way.
Beth went straight to the kitchen, where she put the kettle on. Uthar followed her and sat at the kitchen table, something he rarely did. He gently ran his fingers over the covers of the books she was reading. The kitchen table was always cluttered with her things – books, notebooks in which she wrote her thoughts, coloring books, and crayons. He smiled as he leafed through them, not focusing on anything in particular. He loved this side of his mate – the romantic, creative side. He didn’t understand it, but he saw it brought her joy.
Beth poured the tea and sat across from him. She placed her hands around the hot mug, feeling soothed and grounded by the heat.
Uthar didn’t drink tea, but he politely accepted the mug. He was going to stare at it until it got cold, and then Beth would reheat it and drink it herself. It was almost a ritual.
“Tell me,” he said. And his tone was soft and reassuring.
Beth closed her eyes for a second, nodded to herself, then opened them and looked at him. His attitude had changed. Just like that. She remembered how he’d been the first time he’d brought her here, and how his mood swings used to give her whiplash. Even though they were much more balanced now, his mood could still change at a moment’s notice. It just didn’t happen as often.
She pulled out her phone and looked through her photos until she found one of Abby. It was one from a few years ago, where she looked beautiful and healthy. It had been taken at a national park, and Abby was in hiking gear, with her blond hair tied in a messy ponytail, and her blue eyes sparkling with mirth. Beth showed the picture to Uthar.