Intro
When I buy a castle on impulse, eager to spend the money from my divorce settlement, I don’t expect it to come with… a portal. In my closet. And the portal to come with… a sharp-tusked, green-skinned monster. A monster that looks like an orc.
At night, he climbs through the portal and into my bed, and I don’t stop him. Because with him, I feel things I’ve never felt before.
Chapter 1
Heather
I took a deep breath, stepped out of my car, and looked up at the mighty structure. I still couldn’t believe I’d just bought a castle in the middle of nowhere. It was mighty because it was tall, with two towers dominating the landscape, wide arches, and a garden that spread behind it, not because it was in particularly good condition. But that was okay. I had plenty of money left to renovate, especially since I was determined to get my hands dirty for a change.
I needed this. Something to call my own. Why not a castle away from civilization, a dream of mine since I was a little girl? I had to use the money on something. Had I inherited it, I would’ve thought twice. Had I worked for it, maybe thrice. But it was my ex-husband’s money, so when I saw the advertisement that this beautiful castle was for sale, I didn’t hesitate. It was an impulse buy.
My stupidly rich ex-husband cheated on me from day one. Now, I’d gotten a huge settlement and treated myself to a gift I knew I deserved. Why not?
The moving truck pulled in and snapped me out of my trance. No point in thinking about the past anymore. Mrs. Adler was gone. I was back to being Heather Dale, middle-class roots, with romantic, cozy dreams for the future, ready to work toward the life I wanted. This castle was home now, and as I admired its rough, beaten-up stone from a distance, I didn’t regret my impulse purchase. I could be happy here.
The movers greeted me, and I walked to the front door to let them in. I instructed them where to leave the boxes and where to carry the little furniture that I had. The castle had come fully furnished, but I was attached to a few pieces from my other life. Luckily, my ex hadn’t argued about my taking them. He probably wanted to bring his new mistress home as soon as I was out of there, so he let me take whatever I wanted. My settlement hardly scratched him. If anything, the money he’d lost in the divorce was an inconvenience of paperwork. He must be happy we didn’t have children. Then, the divorce could’ve affected him.
“If you could sign here and here, Mrs. Dale.”
“It’s Miss. Of course, thank you.”
I signed the papers, and the men left. I waited to hear the truck pull away, then took a deep breath and relaxed. This was good. This was nice. It didn’t bother me to be alone in this huge place. After the mess and the drama of the divorce, with his family and mine begging me not to do it, a little peace in an isolated castle was exactly what I needed. I knew how to take care of myself. Before marrying rich, I was middle class, working for a living and finishing my studies at the same time.
I took the groceries out of my car and stocked the fridge. Then I fired up the stove and brewed a strong cup of tea. I could take things slowly. I’d seen every nook and cranny of the place when the realtor showed it to me, so I hardly thought there would be surprises. I took my cup of tea and went for a stroll in the garden.
“Ugh, I’m going to have to hire a gardener, for sure,” I whispered to myself as I looked at the overgrown trees and bushes. There were flowers here and there, but weeds suffocated them. “I can clean and cook, but I can’t keep indoor plants alive, let alone a whole garden.” That was one skill I hadn’t acquired before marriage.
It was okay. Doable. Even if I spent all the money from the settlement on renovating the castle, I still had plenty in stocks and bonds. I hadn’t gotten my diploma for nothing. I knew how to invest and live on the interest. If I could detach myself from the toxicity of my marriage, I could even say it had been a good deal in the long term. I was set for life.
I found the vegetable garden and felt excited to grow my own veggies and eat fresh every day. But the weeds were so overgrown that it would need a lot of work, and then, maybe next year, my wish could come true. There was a rose garden, too, and it looked better than the rest. Who would’ve thought roses were so resilient in their beauty and could grow wild and free without needing much attention? There were stone statues here and there, maidens with their breasts uncovered, carrying baskets or reading. I found an old, half-rotten bench, sat on it, and finished my tea in peace.
I lost track of time admiring my wild surroundings, and thought about everything and nothing in particular. My cup was empty, and the sun started to set. I got up and winced when I felt my leg had fallen asleep. I rubbed it and hobbled a bit until it recovered.
I returned to the castle, entered through the back door that led directly into the kitchen, and made myself a sandwich. With my plate, I walked around the ground floor, staring at the boxes in the hall. I wasn’t going to start on them today. All I needed was to pick a bedroom upstairs, throw fresh sheets onto the bed, take a bath, and then sleep.
And I did exactly that.
I carried two suitcases to the first floor and checked out the bedrooms. I chose the biggest, with tall windows that faced the rose garden, and settled in. It had its own bathroom with a vast mirror, an old sink, and a generous claw-foot tub. All the faucetswere golden and only needed a good polish. Turning the water on, I felt rather fancy.
The tub filling, I went back into the bedroom to make the bed. It was a massive four-poster, and after checking the mattress, I decided it would do for now. It would need changing the first chance I got, but I wasn’t going to die tonight if I slept on it. I made the bed, then rummaged for my pajamas.
There was a tall, wide closet on the wall opposite the bed, and I stared at it for a minute, then sighed, feeling too exhausted to take out my clothes and put them in it. From what I could tell without opening it, it was big enough that I wouldn’t need a walk-in closet, as I used to have when I lived with my ex. I liked that it was all vintage, built of solid cherry wood, and like most aspects of the castle, only needed polishing.
Tomorrow.
I took a long bath, and once my body was so relaxed I could barely sit upright, I slipped into my soft pajamas, then under the sheets. I turned off the lamp but didn’t close the drapes. The moon was full, and its soft light was all I needed to soothe myself in this unfamiliar place. The silence was all-encompassing, and I soon drifted to sleep.
A noise startled me, and I groaned and turned to my other side. Must’ve been the wind howling. Another noise, louder this time, and thumping, made me snap my eyes open. I stared at the ceiling of the four-poster. Moonlight brightened the room, and I held my breath to listen closely.
Then the impossible happened, the doors to the closet in front of the bed burst open, and through them, a tall, wide figure stumbled out. I screamed and sat up in bed, pressing my back to the headboard and pulling the duvet up to my nose.
The figure rose, and I saw it had two strong legs, arms as thick as tree trunks, wide shoulders, and long, dark hair. I started shaking like a leaf. It looked like... a man. A huge,deformed man who’d just leapt out of my closet. And then he took a step toward me. And another. Moonlight hit him across the face, and I froze when I saw that his skin was green all over. He wore little in terms of clothes – only a tunic that hooked over one shoulder, and heavy boots made of leather and covered in animal fur. But his face... His face was that of a monster. He had sharp double tusks poking out of his mouth, curling over his upper lip. A scar crossed his features from his jaw to his left eye. His hair was black as night, long and coarse, and his eyes were just as black, filled with something I couldn’t decipher.
He looked around the room, then his gaze fell on me.
I screamed louder, until my throat burned. He grinned, jumped on the bed, and I screamed again and again.