"Then we'll make it happen." He said it like it was the simplest thing in the world. "Whatever you need. Equipment, medications, additional staff if you want them. We'll make it happen. We will build you the best clinic not only in the village, but in Franklin as well."
"Other than what happened with Ardin, I really don't know the first thing about treating Orcs," I admitted. "Well, except foryouranatomy." My face burned. "Which I've become... intimately familiar with."
Ruka's laugh was rich and warm. "Morg will teach you. And you'll teach us things we've never known. It will be good for everyone."
The idea took shape in my mind—a real clinic, my own practice, a chance to actually help people instead of just patching them up between insurance battles and hospital politics. "I could actually make a difference."
"You already have." The sincerity in his voice made my chest ache.
"Well," I said, trying to lighten the moment before I got too emotional, "at least I won't spend my days bored out of my mind."
His grin turned wicked. "Oh, I have extensive plans to keep you occupied."
"We have to leave the bedroom eventually."
"Do we though?"
"Ruka!"
He laughed, but his eyes softened as they flicked toward me.
"Zuhra will be beside herself with excitement about your return." His tone carried a hint of amusement. "I'd wager good coin she’ll orchestrate some elaborate welcome celebration."
My stomach dropped. "Please tell me you're joking."
"Afraid not. The village will want to honor the arrival of the chieftain's mate."
I let out a theatrical groan, though I couldn't suppress my smile. This was my reality now—a world of ceremonial feasts and mountain villages, where an Orc chieftain gazed at me as though I hung the stars themselves.
The Hummer conquered the treacherous mountain road with impressive ease, its robust frame swallowing the worst of the terrain that would have rattled my old truck to pieces. When we finally came to the last ridge and began our climb toward the village, something warm and certain bloomed in my chest. Home. The word resonated through me with unexpected power.
Then Ruka went rigid. His knuckles whitened on the steering wheel, and his nostrils flared wide as his gaze swept the surrounding forest.
"What is it?" My pulse quickened as I straightened in my seat.
"The guards." Each word came out clipped, controlled. "They're not at their posts."
I peered through the windshield, searching for whatever had triggered his alarm. The woods appeared tranquil enough, but now that he'd pointed it out, I felt it too—that unnatural stillness. No welcoming calls echoed through the trees. No figures moved along the perimeter.
"Could they have just—" I began, searching for an explanation.
"Impossible." His jaw set like granite. "My warriors would sooner die than abandon their duty."
Dread coiled in my gut. "The hunters. You don't think... after what they did to Ardin, maybe they decided to escalate."
The possibility chilled me to the bone. Anyone capable of shooting a child wouldn't hesitate to target an entire community.
Ruka eased the Hummer to a halt, his attention fixed on the shadows between the trees, cataloging every potential threat. The silence wrapped around us like a shroud, heavy with menace.
"Whatever happens," he said, his voice barely above a whisper, "you stay within arm's reach."
We abandoned the Hummer and slipped into the forest on foot, moving like ghosts between the ancient pines. Every step deeper into that oppressive silence felt like wading through quicksand. My heart hammered against my ribs as the wrongness of it all sank in—no children's laughter, no voices raised in conversation, no comforting sounds of daily life. Just that terrible, suffocating quiet that screamed danger louder than any alarm.
The rasp of steel against leather made me flinch. Ruka had drawn his blade—a wicked thing, easily the length of my forearm, its edge gleaming like captured sunlight even in the forest's gloom. I should have been afraid. This was the warrior side of him, the predator, the part that would kill without hesitation if threatened. But watching him move with that deadly grace, weapon in hand, I felt something else entirely. Safe. Protected. Like nothing in this world could touch me while he stood between me and danger.
He turned, those golden eyes burning into mine with an intensity that stole my breath. "Jordan, listen carefully. If I tell you to run, you run. Back to the Hummer. You drive away and you don't look back. Understood?"
"Absolutely not." The words came out sharper than I intended, but I didn't soften them.