“Of course.”
She hesitated, then rolled her chair closer to mine. “When you were taking photos earlier, I noticed something on your wrist. It looked like a tattoo?” She gestured toward the mating mark.
“It’s not exactly a tattoo,” I said carefully.
“What is it then?” Her gaze shot to my arm lying onmy desk. Should I hide the evidence or let it blaze in the sun?
This was it. The moment when I either trusted her with the truth or found a way to deflect. But looking into her curious brown eyes, I realized I didn’t want to hold this back. I wanted her to know everything about me, including the part that made me hope we were destined for each other.
I pushed up my sleeve, revealing the intricate golden pattern that had appeared when we first touched. Delicate swirls and geometric shapes formed a perfect circle on my inner wrist, gleaming as if the ink had been mixed with actual gold.
“It’s a mating mark,” I said, watching her face for any sign of fear or rejection.
“A what?”
“When an orc finds their fated mate, a mark appears. It’s permanent. Magical, I suppose, though we don’t fully understand how it works.”
Riley stared at the mark, her expression unreadable. “When did it appear?”
“Monday.”
I didn’t need to say it out loud; understanding dawned in her eyes. “The day I arrived.”
“Yes.”
“You’re not suggesting…” She swallowed hard. “I can’t be your fated mate.”
“The mark doesn’t lie.” I pulled my sleeve back down, needing the barrier. “I want you to understandsomething. This doesn’t mean you’re obligated to feel anything for me. Orc mating bonds work differently than human courtship. I’ve watched lots of streaming images and?—”
“Streaming images?”
My face overheated. “When I first arrived on the surface…” I sighed, wishing I hadn’t mentioned the term. “We were all hopeful we could find mates here. Everyone deserves love. I started watching movies online and gave my brothers tips for how to woo a female, tips I learned from the movies that I originally called streaming images.”
She frowned. “You mean like taking a walk together or the guy singing while strumming a guitar below her bedroom window?”
My face only got hotter. “Yes. I soon realized now how archaic such practices are. Humans don’t woo each other like that any longer. They go to Broadway shows or art galleries or have dinner in a very nice restaurant. They don’t sing beneath windows.”
“I think that would be pretty sweet, though, don’t you?”
I used to.
But she thought that would be sweet? Maybe I needed to reconsider Wild West wooing techniques again.
“I just want you to know that you’re free to choose whatever makes you happy,” I said.
“What if I don’t know what that is?”
The vulnerability flashing across her facehit me square in the chest. “Then we figure it out together. No pressure, no expectations. Just…whatever feels right.”
She was quiet for a long moment, staring at the spot where my mark remained hidden beneath fabric. “Do I get a mark too?”
“Sometimes. Not always with human mates. The magic works differently for your species.”
“So you could be stuck with me forever, but I might not feel the same way?”
The pain in her voice made me reach for her hand lying on my desk, covering it with my own. “Riley, look at me.”
When she lifted her eyes to mine, I found uncertainty and something that looked like longing. I hoped it was longing.
