Page 57 of The Savage Vow
“When I leave this place, you will come with me,” Nargol said. This time her voice was firm. She brushed a few of the strands that peeked underneath Orlena’s silk hair covering. The promise felt enormous even to Nargol, but it was one she was going to keep. She never made promises she broke.
She could not imagine her life without her mate in it.
Orlena searched her face as if weighing the truth of her words. Slowly, a smile bloomed.
“I would like that,” she whispered.
Nargol bent to kiss her again to seal the promise. This kiss was sweet and filled with every emotion that resided in Nargol that she couldn’t express. Arousal and desire plagued her body, but she ignored it. Tonight was all about Orlena. Her need to take care of her mate far exceeded her desires and wants.
She pulled back and pressed a chaste kiss to Orlena’s lips.
“Rest now,doakir,” Nargol murmured.
Dawn would soon be here, where she was sure danger awaited.
Bula had come back to her.
A soft smile graced Orlena’s lips. She didn’t want to move from where she was. The steady rise and fall beneath her cheek and the firm arm draped protectively around her waist had her body humming with happiness.
She nestled closer and listened to the strong rhythm of Bula’s heartbeat. It was reassuring that everything would be okay. All of the fears she’d carried with her this week slowly eased away.
She felt the connection between her and Bula. It was like an invisible thread that held them tethered together. It had been there from the moment they’d met.
We have to be mates.
Her heart fluttered with the thought. If there was ever a question about whether or not they were, she had her answer. Bula had come back for her. She had never imagined such a thing would happen to her. She had lived a small, ordinary life that most humans lived in Soza.
But Bula had returned to her. Orlena didn’t know where Bula had gone or what she had been through. The look in her orc’s eyes when she’d opened the door had taken her breath away. The woman had been tired, and it seemed she’d traveled long and far to get to her.
And now she was promising not to leave without her. Bula was a woman of her word. Orlena felt it deep in her bones. She would never lie to her. She was sure Bula would tell her where’d she’d gone and what she had to do when she was ready. She wasn’t going to push her.
What would it be like to leave Soza? For good? To walk beyond the boundaries of the only place she’d ever really known? She envisioned wide roads winding through beautiful landscapes, bustling markets in distant cities, mountains that were so high they scraped the sky. Her smile grew wider as she thought that she would be by Bula’s side while she got to experience things she’d only ever heard about in stories.
Freedom was almost hers.
Bula’s hand trailed lazily up her back. It sent a pleasant shiver through her. Orlena’s core clenched with need. She didn’t want to appear to be greedy, but the orgasms that Bula had given her had certainly sent her to the stars.
Now that her orc had returned to her, she refused to allow Bula to go. She didn’t know where Bula was staying while in Soza, but she was welcome to come live with her until they left.
“I will go and speak with your boss soon,” Bula murmured.
Orlena’s eyes flew open. She sat up so abruptly the blankets tangled around her legs.
“Oh my!” she gasped.
Bula’s arms tightened around her and steadied her. “What’s?—”
“I forgot—I have it.” Orlena scrambled from the bed. Her heart pounded for an entirely new reason now. How could she have forgotten? The parchment had consumed her thoughts ever since she had taken it, yet the moment she’d seen Bula standing in her doorway, everything else had vanished.
She knelt beside the loose floorboard. Her fingers shook, but she pried it up and reached into the hollow beneath it. The parchment was still there hidden. Relief washed over her.
She put the floorboard back in place then stood. She climbed back into bed with Bula. The candlelight flickered across Bula’s face as she presented the contract to her. A mixture of pride and nervousness filled her.
“I, um, took it. From his desk,” she admitted. “I needed to know what it said.”
For a heartbeat, Bula stared at her. Her expression went from shock to something fierce.
“You stole this from Yambul?” she asked.
