True Love's Kiss (A Slow Burn, Orc Romance)

CHAPTER V

VULTOG

Lady Rayna watched my every move.

Although we'd both signed a peace treaty of sorts, she had no trust for me. As irritating as her measures were, I understood her reservations. My intentions were purely self-serving, and I would gladly cast she and her sister aside for the opportunity to better myself. If the chance to rob her of her golden anklet arose too, I would be a very happy orc.

Lady Rayna watched me as I slept.

On my first evening at her residence, she dug a cylinder of fabric out of a cupboard and plonked it in my arms. The thing reeked of must and old age, but I suppressed any protest. I now had a secure place to lay my head.

"Right there," she pointed a finger at the rug-covered region by the foot of her bed. There was only one bedroom in the apartment and it belonged to Rayna. Lady Juno had ownership of the sofa-bed in the next room.

I crouched and unrolled my "sleeping bag", shaking thoroughly to rid it of any bugs, alongside unleashing my annoyance on the innocent material. "So, I am to sleep by your feet like a stray dog," I remarked bitterly.

"You're welcome to stay outside, if you'd like more room," she said sweetly.

The hostile pattern of her breathing was the last thing I heard before drifting off to sleep that night.

Lady Rayna watched me whilst I shopped for new garments.

The next day at noon, Lady Juno guided me to a busy transportation station that was located deep underground, and Rayna trailed us until it was time to board. Mortals milled around in every direction I looked. It was overwhelming. Suffocating.

A great metallic snake composed of connected carriages eased into the station. The glass barriers segregating the platform from the carriages opened, and more mortals spilled out. I hung back in disgust as they dispersed around me.

"Vultog, hurry!" Juno was inside a carriage, signalling for me to board. Her eyes were wide with alarm.

In contrast, Lady Rayna was unbothered.

I trod indecisively at first then broke into an anxious dash when the doors began to whir shut. My brush with death ended in my favour. I crammed myself into the mortal-packed carriage seconds before being chopped in half, to Lady Rayna's displeasure.

The high volume of humans squeezed into such a finite space meant she was pressed against me. Our carriage lurched into motion, and I was compelled to copy her posture and hold onto the horizontal purple pole overhead for stability. Up close, I studied the fine details of her symmetrical face: the soft flare of her nose, her full lips and the shine of her flesh. She was easily one of the most beautiful mortals in her realm, but this was eclipsed by her achievement of being the most infuriating maiden.

She scowled up at me when realising the scales had tipped, and it was now she who was under my close observation. "Problem?"

Meanwhile, our carriage was shuttling through a pitch black tunnel. A hooded youth seated near us was holding a slim rectangular device that projected obnoxiously uptempo music. A baby was wailing. The smell of chicken and chips was one of the familiar aspects of this hell.

"Your bosoms are flushed against me," I groused.

Her dark eyes bore into mine with distaste. Then she swiveled, replacing her plush breasts with the pointy angle of her shoulder. I huffed.

At long last, our party of three arrived at a whirlpool of bodies, chatter and sleek buildings full of trading and commerce. Lady Juno made me sample a bunch of oddly tailored garments and shoes. When the time came to pay, she and Lady squabbled over payment methods.