Total pages in book: 91
Estimated words: 89222 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 89222 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 446(@200wpm)___ 357(@250wpm)___ 297(@300wpm)
Additional mirth spreads across my flushed face. “Do you mean bottle?”
“What did I say?”
“Keg.”
“Then no,” he cheekily retorts prior to enjoying another swig.
More giggles freely seep from me causing my body to crash against his rock-hard chest. The collision receives a whimper from me that doesn’t get contained behind the biting of my bottom lip like I hope. Pretending it didn’t happen is a thought that crosses my mind; however, seeing the platinum glow in his gaze strengthen from the noise convinces me otherwise.
Calls for me to embrace it.
Him.
Us.
“What about you, Pint-Size?” my unexpected date for the evening inquires, cup gently abandoned in the jug. “Ever been in a barfight?”
“Technically, no.”
His chuckle is given on a cocked head. “Technically?”
“It wasn’t a barfight, it was a tit fit.”
“Tit fit?!” Body bouncing laughter shakes us both. “What in the actual D, is that?”
“I was at a wine tasting, someone accidentally bumped into me, which resulted in me accidentally bumping into her, and instead of taking my apology for said accident, she got up in my face until I hit her in the tit.” The combination of horror and humor in his expression prompts me to continue. “My inner instinct told me that was her point of weakness, so I went for it. Turns out the voice was right. They were extra sensitive because she had just had them done. One tiny tap ended the entire thing. She was howling like she had just been beat with a tire iron instead of the tips of my fingers.”
“You probably hit a lot fucking harder than your Sleeper—um—human side wants you to believe.”
Yes.
The statement followed by the echo from inside pushes me to ask, “What happens if we—you or me—don’t wanna be together forever, Beanstalk? What if we don’t…click or more likely—since it’s obvious that we are already clicking –”
“Agreed.”
“—that we stop clicking? What happens if we would rather pursue other people or beings?”
Impossible.
It’s a fair question!
Rude.
It’s not rude, it’s…something that needs to be addressed.
Isn’t.
Hurt suddenly begins to radiate so strongly from him that I find myself desperately wishing I had never asked.
Afterall, the last thing I want to do is hurt him.
Just the idea has my chest constricting to the point I almost can’t breathe.
“I was born bound to you and only you, Cameron. That’s what being Fate Mated means. There will never be a time when any part of me won’t want you or won’t want to take care of you or to protect you or to love you. I am prepared and more than willing to spend what remains of my years pleasing you in whatever capacity you need me to.”
There’s no stopping my thighs from squeezing together on a soft swoon.
Bond.
If he keeps saying that type of shit, I might not have a fucking choice.
“However,” Ptur reluctantly proceeds, “if you don’t bond with me—which is actually a physical process—and you reject me as your mate, I spend the rest of our lives in unadulterated agony. Like I said earlier our souls are intertwined and our lifelines locked, regardless of our bonding status. We may have been born at different points of existence, but we die at the same one.”
“That sounds like The Goddess of Fate basically invented the Bonnie and Clyde, ride or die, shit.”
From the small twitch of his eyebrows, it’s apparent he doesn’t get the reference but would rather not admit it.
Really?!
It’s not even a comic book one!
Cautiously, I ask, “Does that live in unfathomable mourning thing happen to me, too?”
“It’s harder to say since you’ve got Sleeper—er human—blood and have an ancient warrior spirit-”
“The voice?”
“Yes.”
So that’s why I hear your voice? Because you’re my orc side? Some sort of inner warrior that…comes out?
Yes.
When? When do you come out? Is there like a whole process like there is for the dragons?!
Complex.
The transformation or the explaining?
Explaining.
“From what I know about full orcs, they’re like shifters in that particular sense. They can’t deny who Fate has mated them to and also crave to bond with the same level of urgency. Your ancient warrior side if rejected—which just to be on the same page is something I would never do—would spend what remains of your life completely restless. Some handle their anguish with rage and bloodshed in a violent pursuit to rid themselves of the pain. With you being half Sleeper—though technically a half Awaker—however, I honestly don’t know what happens or can happen. You might endure the same or if you dismiss our mating it might then completely untether you from this world. Rid you of your orc side altogether. It’s hard for me to provide you with that answer because I’m not an orc. Unfortunately, I don’t know much more about your kind. And it gives me a heavy heart to have to admit that.”
“Because you don’t like not knowing something?”