I felt Ruka go rigid beside me.
"Um," I said quietly, "what does that mean?"
"It is a greeting." Ruka's tone was so carefully neutral it practically screamed subtext. "An acknowledgment."
Right. And I was the Queen of England.
Still, I offered the Orc a small wave and what I hoped was a friendly smile. No point in being rude.
The Orc's tusked mouth curved into a grin that showed way too many teeth. He thumped his chest again, harder this time.
Ruka's hand materialized at the small of my back, warm and firm, steering me forward with gentle insistence.
We passed a workshop where wood shavings carpeted the ground like snow. An Orc bent over a half-finished chair looked up at the sound of our footsteps. His eyes found me, widened, and—
Thump. Thump.
"Hi," I said, waving again because apparently I was committed to this now.
Ruka's jaw could have cracked walnuts.
"Should I not be waving?" I whispered.
"You may do as you wish." The words came out slightly strangled.
A third male emerged from a nearby building, younger and leaner than the others, his arms full of firewood. When he spotted us—spotted me—the bundle nearly went tumbling. His eyes went huge, and he executed the most enthusiastic chest-thump yet, the sound practically echoing off the surrounding buildings.
Ruka made a noise low in his throat that definitely qualified as a growl.
"Okay," I said, fighting to keep my voice light despite the waves of tension rolling off my companion. "I'm definitely missing something here."
"It is nothing."
"Ruka. That was not anothinggrowl."
He was quiet for a long moment, his hand still resting at my back. Then he sighed, the sound heavy with resignation. "They are... expressing interest."
"Interest in what?"
Those golden eyes slid toward me, and I caught something in them I couldn't quite name. "In you."
Oh.
Oh.
Heat flooded my face so fast I probably looked sunburned. "I see."
"They mean no disrespect," he added quickly, and was that actual concern in his voice? "It is simply... you are a lone human female who doesn't carry the scent of a mate. And you are..." He paused, seeming to wrestle with his words.
"I'm what?"
"Pleasing to look upon." The words came out rough, almost reluctant.
If my face got any hotter, I'd spontaneously combust. "Well. That's... thank you. I think."
We continued in silence, weaving past more tidy homes and flourishing gardens. The village sprawled wider than I'd first realized, fanning out in an organic circle around the central gathering space. At the far edge, where civilization surrendered to wilderness, a structure rose that commanded attention.
It dwarfed everything around it. And the craftsmanship—even from a distance, I could tell it was exceptional.
