Owed A Night (An Obscure Magic Book 12) Read online

  Day-ek raised his brows. “Well, damn.” He bowed low. “You have done this before.”

  She chuckled, and the sound ran through him like hot honey. “I have. One more final permission, and we can stay.”

  “Which one?” He knew what she was going to say, and she said it.

  “I have to talk to the clan speaker and get his protection for Corit until he’s an adult.”

  Corit snorted, and he headed back to help the others with the moving. “It’s two months, Aunt Jen.”

  Jen turned to him and smiled. “Two months. It feels like a heartbeat and forever all in one.”

  “Has he had training?”

  “Oh, yeah, he’s a monster on the battlefield and playing rugby.” She chuckled. “He also has some spell skills, but they seem confined to finding his phone or summoning a soda from the fridge.”

  “You have been his parent for a while?”

  A cloud crossed her features. “Seven years. His parents died seven years ago.”

  He suddenly felt like shit. She was tired and suggestible, and he was questioning her like a suspect. “Don’t worry about the clan speaker. He’s easy to get along with.”

  “Really? Doesn’t have a stick up his ass? That will be refreshing.” She chuckled, and it did things to his balls that made him blink and step back.

  “Right. I will help finish the move. You take a load off. You look wiped out.”

  She smiled and floated back to her chair. She didn’t seem to actually walk. She just moved gracefully and settled back in a lawn chair with a blanket around her. “Thank you. Do you like cookies or lasagna?”

  He grinned as he walked to the truck. “Either or both. I work nights, so I am usually getting home about now.”

  She didn’t say anything, but he felt her gaze as he walked to the truck, and a quick glance confirmed it. She was staring at his ass!

  * * * *

  Jen saw him catch her looking, and his brows rose in surprise. She turned hot pink and focused on her coffee. Day-ek was hot. He was an eleven out of ten kind of hot. If you liked orcs, which she did. Despite her past, she still wanted an orc in her bed when it was possible with Corit being around.

  Knowing that she was watching, he flexed a bit as he picked up the television, and he moved with an easy grace into her house.

  There was a small XIA on the tight black tee he was wearing, and she wondered if he was an agent or a contractor or just an enthusiast.

  They kept moving, and soon, other orcs from around the neighbourhood arrived and unloaded the last of her items, then the ladies started to come in and unpack her. Jen squeaked and ran toward the house, but Day-ek grabbed her around the waist and said, “Let them do it. They want to be helpful.”

  “Yeah, but why do I think that has more to do with you than me?”

  He shrugged and bent to murmur, “Because fae are suspicious by nature?”

  Corit came out, and he froze. “Aunt Jen? The ladies found something in your bedroom, and they are laughing a lot.”

  She squirmed to get out of Day-ek’s grip, but he held her easily.

  “Now, what could they have found in your bedroom to cause such interest?” Day-ek asked casually.

  “My sex toys. I have an extensive collection.” She huffed.

  Corit slapped a hand over his eyes, and he returned to the living room.

  “Do you, now? What makes it noteworthy? Length or girth?” Day-ek was having a lot of fun at her expense.

  “Both. Something for any mood. I thought you were tired when you came over?” She tried to change the subject.

  “Oh, I was. I need to nap and then make some other arrangements. I am very glad I came over today, neighbour.”

  He turned her, and he looked at her looking at him. “You actually are not repulsed or looking at me for curiosity’s sake. You actually like orcs.”

  She snorted. “I grew up in an orc community with an orc grandfather. I accept and understand the standards of beauty or attractiveness as they are. I also know that I am tiny, weak, and pasty in your eyes. It’s fine. I can look.”

  His dark eyes were huge by the time she finished, basically, stating that he was eye candy for her. “That is incredibly blunt.”

  “Life is too short to run around the obvious. Now you know to ignore me when I sigh, and I won’t worry about freaking you out. Don’t worry. I haven’t molested a neighbour yet.”

  He leaned in close and murmured, “There’s a first time for everything, I hope.”

  “Um, thanks for helping unload stuff.”

  “Oh, I will unload with you anytime.” He leaned in and rubbed her nose with his.

  Her eyes went huge at his reference, and it preceded his kiss by a heartbeat. His lips brushed against hers, and she tasted green grass and a lot of magic. She wanted nothing more than to climb into his arms and wrap her legs around him, but there was a house full of orcs, and one of them was her nephew.

  Before she could demand that he deepen the kiss, he lifted his head and gave her a lopsided grin. His silver and gold banded tusks were bright, and he was showing a lot of teeth.

  His voice was a singsong as he said, “I know what I will be dreaming about.” He left here there as he went to talk to some of the others and let them know he was heading to bed.

  Jemmer and Wilk shook his hand, and she bit her lip as she watched him through the window. If she wasn’t a custodial aunt, she would have followed the orc home and let him act out some of those dreams.

  She backed into a corner and calmed herself down. Something wild and primal had woken up when she first saw him, and that something wild wanted to follow him home and get him out of that tight shirt and black tactical pants.

  She fought the desperate whine in her throat and wondered if she needed to get a new doctor with some kind of hormone therapy. Birth control might be nice.

  Jen waved farewell as he left the house and waved at her. He had a smile on his face that said he knew something she didn’t. She wanted to know where his tattoos were, if he had any scars, and how they felt under her tongue.

  She clamped a hand over her drooling mouth, and she tiptoed inside to find her house set up with everything in the proper place. “Oh. Wow.”

  She walked from room to room, and the boxes were broken down and tied in bundles, the orc males were in the kitchen, and she recognized the app that Leo had shown her. Corit grinned. “They ate our supplies, so they are ordering more.”

  “Thank you. Really. This is... quite the welcome.”

  One of the guys snorted. “If Day-ek is going to start lifting, we had all better pitch in, or the gods themselves will descend.”

  She thanked them again and headed to the bedroom, where the ladies were seated on her bed and discussing her possessions.

  “Thank you, ladies. Your help has been invaluable.”

  Oory smirked. “That is quite the collection.”

  “Of what?”

  The orc woman suddenly paused and blushed. “Ah. I mean...”

  “If you mean the sex toys, you can’t return them, so you have to keep trying them on for size until you get the one that is just right. You know, like dating.” She smiled.

  One of the younger women asked, “If you know it doesn’t work for you, why keep it?”

  “Well, I enjoyed it for a time and may again. Who knows?”

  The other women laughed, and introductions went around. They were thanked, and she promised to hold a barbeque when the majority of the occupants of the neighbourhood could make it.

  Groceries arrived a few minutes later, and the pantry was filled. The numbers for the best butcher shops and greengrocers were written and magnetized to the fridge, and after Wilks and Jemmer were hugged and thanked, they drove off. The entire house had been unloaded and unpacked in under two hours. She really hoped they could stay.

  Chapter Three

  Her least favourite part of moving was grooming, dre
ssing, and putting on the cloak for the drive back to the mayor’s mansion.

  Corit was asleep and ready for school the next day, so she took the vials of blood and brought them with her.

  Begging. She fucking hated the begging, but she would do it, and she would get through it as she had before. She was an elemental. Most of the speakers wanted her to use her power for their clans, so she did.

  Jennel parked and noticed an XIA vehicle waiting in the lot as well. She knocked at the door, and the tall grumpy man from the previous night took her through the house and to the gardens filled with night-blooming flowers.

  He showed her a path and left her alone. Shrugging, Jennel walked down the path until she reached the centre of the maze. The clan speaker was waiting with his chest bare and the glyphs and tattoos of his rank exposed. She flicked a glance toward him, froze for an instant, and then, she walked up to him and gracefully knelt.

  She had to wait, and long fingers stroked her hair, and finally, he said, “Drop the cloak.”

  She undid the clasp, and it slithered off her shoulders, leaving her in nearly transparent soft blue silk.

  He made a hissing sound. “The dress. Off.”

  She looked up at him, and his dark eyes weren’t smiling. There was something predatory in Day-ek’s expression that sent a thrill through her, but then, part of her was a perv. She just didn’t know if it was the orc or the fae part.

  She crossed her arms and slid the fabric to her waist. She undid the filigree belt, and the dress fell to her knees.

  He groaned. “What do you need?”

  Back to business. “I am here to request safety and the chance of clan entrance for my blood, Corit.”

  “What will you offer?”

  She swallowed. “What do you want?”

  He crouched and looked her over, caressing her breast and belly as casually as a handshake. “I speak for three clans. One night for each of them. Three total.”

  She stared at him. “Three nights?”

  “Dusk until dawn, when I summon you.”

  Jennel stared at him. “What if I say no?”

  “Corit remains unprotected and will not be allowed to try to join any local clans. He will have no home and no people to call his own.” His voice was cold.

  “What do the nights entail?”

  “Your company and some light seduction if you are up for it.”

  “Light seduction?”

  “I could endure a heavy seduction if you were willing to put in the effort, but a speaker isn’t allowed to make the first move. However, I want the three nights.” His dark eyes glowed.

  She was about to lean up and seal the agreement when she paused. “His birth clan is trying to kill him.”

  “Why?”

  “They say he defies a prophecy and that he should never have existed. My prophecy says that he is right where he needs to be and that he is going to make a great warrior and eventual leader.”

  He cocked his head. “Corit isn’t pure orc. That means it is unlikely that he could get to the position of clan leader.”

  “Maybe he could join the XIA and become captain.” She chuckled. “Or a sports team. Prophecies are delightfully vague about stuff like that.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her. “That is not what you think.”

  She shrugged. “No, that is not what I think, but I am willing to keep an open mind. I find that if most leaders hear there is a leader entering their ranks, they get nervous, and I end up moving.”

  He chuckled. “So, I keep you and yours safe for two months, and that is it?”

  Jen shook her head. “Just Corit. I am on my own.”

  He stroked her cheek and chin in a remarkably intimate manner for someone she had met the same day. “His wellbeing depends on you, and there is no way I will let a cuddly little fae come to harm on my watch. Your figure is... surprising.”

  “I was wearing a sports bra this morning. It flattens everything out.”

  Day-ek chuckled and then crooned, “It is a shame to torture magnificence like this.”

  He stroked her with the back of his knuckles like her breasts were kittens.

  “So, speaker. You understand that Corit is in danger and that danger is likely to arrive in the form of another orc clan.”

  “Pay me the three nights you owe me, supplicant, and you will have your protection.”

  She nodded and held out her hands, palms up. “Agreed.”

  He took her hands, rose to his feet, and pulled her against him. “Agreed.”

  His mouth came down on hers to seal the agreement. Power flowed out of him and locked them together. She cupped his jaw and caressed his skin as the scars and tattoos lit up with power.

  She wanted to deepen the kiss, but it would be inappropriate. She stroked his hair, touched his braids, and when he finally set her back on her feet, she learned she had been lifted up against his chest.

  He released her and smiled, stroking her hair. “This is the first one of these meetings I have looked forward to.”

  She chuckled, and his muscles tensed. “Well, unless I am missing my guess, you are on duty right now. Is the rest of your team having snacks or something in the mansion?”

  He nodded. “Reymark and Jennor are waiting for me.”

  She sighed. “I should get dressed and go then. When would you like the first night?”

  “I have two days left on shift. What is your schedule?”

  “Well, I have to do orientation tomorrow, and then, I am on call. I am guessing that anytime I am called away negates the entire evening?”

  He nodded. “Dusk ‘til dawn. That is the agreement. No options for time away.”

  She bit her lip. “I am hoping that the first night locks in the agreement?”

  Day-ek put his thumb on her lip and eased it away from her teeth. “It will.”

  She licked his thumb and sucked it before she could stop herself. His breath hitched in his chest, and his marks flared wildly. She winced. “Sorry. Weird instincts around you.”

  His voice was thick gravel as he said, “I really like those instincts.”

  She blushed and bent to pull her dress back on and buckled the metal belt into place. The cloak went on, and she bowed again before turning to walk out of the maze. “It is nice of the mayor to allow this kind of interaction here.”

  He chuckled with a hand to her back. “Hood up. My guys are outside, and they are curious fuckers. Walk past them and into the mansion. Dorn will see you out.”

  She pulled her hair in and pulled the hood up as he slowed, and she continued on at the same pace. There were a few attempts by the man made of shadows and the bulky minotaur to gain her greeting, but she walked past them without looking.

  As she passed them, their conversation paused. She blushed and headed inside the mansion and then through it and out the front door to her truck.

  She got in, pushed the cloak hood back, and buckled up. She was turning out of the drive as they exited the mansion with Day-ek putting his shirt on. She was going to have to head home and read the regulations for Corit’s new high school. That should stop the lust efficiently.

  * * * *

  Day-ek grabbed his shirt and tossed it over his shoulder as they walked out respectfully. The moment they were outside, Jennor stamped his hoof. “Tell me that you get a piece of that at some point. She smells like honey.”

  Reymark chuckled, and his shadow tendrils moved restlessly. “With an aura like a power station.”

  Day-ek pulled his shirt on and then reached into the vehicle for his vest. “None of your business. She’s not for you.” He was smug. “She’s for me.”

  Jennor took on a human form to get into the vehicle, and Reymark got in the back.

  “So, you orc bastard, how did you get so lucky, and why was she an eight out of ten for aroused scent?” Jennor huffed.

  Day-ek chuckled and got behind the wheel. “There is a scale?” He move
d carefully to not irritate the erection that was threatening his pants.

  “Sure. Ten out of ten, and she would have been climbing you.”

  Reymark chuckled. “Whatever power she uses was close to the edge, too. Were you calling it? Teasing it out?”

  “I was not the one teasing.” He called dispatch and told them that they were back on the road.

  Reymark leaned forward. “So, what was it all about? She wants revenge on an orc lover? A business matter? Spill.”

  Day-ek chuckled. “It is a speaker matter.”

  “Fine. What did you take in payment? That part isn’t privileged.” Jennor huffed.

  Day-ek shrugged. “I demanded three nights. Dusk until dawn. She agreed.”

  Jennor stared at him. “Wait a minute. You know her! Like outside of this.”

  Day-ek grinned. “I do. She’s my new neighbour. She moved in this morning.”

  Reymark chuckled. “Oh, we are so dropping you at home first after shift. Is she an early riser?”

  “She has a teenaged son, so keep all catcalling to a minimum.” He grinned.

  “You don’t want him embarrassed?”

  “I don’t want to pick up your teeth if you say the wrong thing. He’s bigger than you are, Reymark. Nearly as bulky as Jennor. He’s going to be a fine orc warrior.”

  Jennor snorted. “Shit, her son is an orc? No wonder she’s hot for Day-ek. He’s prreeettyy.”

  Day-ek chuckled as they got a call. “She was not looking at my face.”

  They laughed and responded to a young werewolf and a three-car accident. Jennor stepped out when they arrived and resumed his normal appearance—horns up, shoulders wide, and hooves thudding on the pavement.

  Reymark slipped out and wrapped himself around the werewolf, who had no control over their form. Day-ek kept in communication with dispatch and ordered three ambulances for the injured in two of the vehicles. He pulled the cars apart, and Jennor worked on one car while Day-ek worked on the other.

  The ambulances arrived, and they offered a hand where needed, including handing over the werewolf for sedation, his worried parents at the scene, and trying to talk him through the slow loss of consciousness with minimal violence.