Page 28 of Orc's Pride

“Here.”

She doesn’t meet my eyes.

I worried that she might be embarrassed after telling me so much. She doesn’t seem like the type of girl to be open, or toshare. I’d thought she was keeping secrets, and she was. I had no idea it was this type of secret, the type that might undo her if she let it out.

I know a bit about those.

But she doesn’t eat. Dana plays with her food, poking at it and sighing. Her eyes, when I catch them, look like she’s somewhere else.

“Take a bite,” I urge. “You’ll feel better.”

“Why do you care how I feel?” She pushes a piece of fruit around on her plate with a frown. “Why are you being so nice to me? Shouldn’t you treat me like a prisoner?”

Probably.

But the thought of it makes my stomach twist in disgust. I can’t imagine hurting her to try and pry her away from her secrets.

“I feed prisoners,” I scoff. “But if I treated you like I treat the dark elves, there wouldn’t be a bone left in your body that’s not broken. And I don’t hurt harmless creatures.”

She takes offense to that. “I’m not harmless.”

It’s almost a relief to see the familiar glint in her eyes. I bite back a smile, but then her gaze scurries back to the table.

“You’re harmless tome. What are you going to do, even if you are a spy? Poison me? It won’t work.”

I grab a piece of fruit from her plate and pop it into my own mouth, and she seems to settle a bit. Was she worried I’d poisonedher? What a strange creature she is, always so aware, always watching a trap.

Now I know why, of course. I can’t even tease her about it. After what she survived, it’s a miracle she only has a few strange quirks. Living through that would have destroyed most anyone else.

How does she bear it?

We eat in silence for a bit. It’s an easy silence, and I marvel at it for a bit, how simple being with her feels. Most people’s presence I can feel, like a bug crawling on my skin. But even morose, she’s good company.

Finally, I speak, but it’s because I catch her trying to politely gnaw at the bread.

“I’m sorry the bread’s a bit tough.”

Dana shrugs easily. “I’ve had worse.”

“I find that more troubling than anything you’ve said so far.” I knock the bread on the table and it clangs loudly. “My housekeeper is good at many things, but baking isn’t one of them. I suppose I could always use the loaves as weapons if someone were to break in.”

She doesn’t smile, but it’s close enough to make me crave the curve of her lips. Strange. I’m a straightforward person, not prone to entertaining others, but I find that I want her to feel…comfortable here, with me.

I enjoy watching her shoulders slump, seeing her ever-vigilant gaze rest when she’s relaxed.

Dana opened up and told me about her past.

Shouldn’t I do the same?

Mine is hardly a secret, after all. The entire clan was there, and then some.

“My mother…”

Dana perks up, intrigued, just as I falter.

I sigh. “Orcs are known for our strength. I don’t know how many of us you’ve spoken with, but I suppose that part’s common knowledge. It’s drilled into us at a young age, to be strong, and to fight. That the weak should be ruled by the strong.”

Dana’s eyebrows raise. “That’s a bit contrary to your bit about protecting the weak, isn’t it?”