RAYNA
I missed Vultog a lot more than I thought I would.
The lullaby of his snores, from the foot of my bed, was notably absent during the dead of night. In hopes of alleviating the stress of her living nightmare, Juno slept beside me. Forfeiting my portion of the duvet to her tossing and turning, I reclaimed my cell phone from my nightstand.
Blue light cast an artificial blush over the underside of my face, and my bleary eyes took no notice of the time. Work awaited me the next morning. The last thing I should've been doing was messaging Vultog. Yet...
ME
Are you still alive?
The phrasing was a little over-dramatic, but short and to the point. Before I could talk myself out of it, I pressed the send icon.
Thinking of Vultog and initiating contact was more than enough. Gazing at the phone screen in anticipation of his reply was where I drew the line. I locked the device, and put it back on the bedside drawer. Juno lashed out, accidentally whacking me in the face with the back of her hand.
"Ow." I rolled away so that my back was to her. A respectable period of time passed before I picked my phone up again.
Joy fluttered at my heartstrings when I saw the new message notifications. One was from Masachi, asking if I was awake with eyes-emojis. I disregarded it and quickly opened my text thread with Vultog.
VULTOG
I am aroused, yes
ALIVE
I am alive!
ME
Lol?
VULTOG
Auto-correction thwarted me, my apologies
ME
It's fine
Glad you're okay
Did you find somewhere else to stay?
VULTOG
Jacyln has kindly offered me accommodation
She is also friends with a healer
ME
Good 😀
VULTOG
She corrected the course of my nose, and I experienced the WORST type of pain imaginable
But all is well now
Look
His latest message was an image. In a selfie–which I assumed was recently taken–Vultog's face was stretched into a goofy expression. A brutal constellation of bruises and scabs still underscored his scrunched up eyes. But, on the plus side, his nose was straightened again and covered in tape. His bare chest was within view too. Blonde hairs trailed downward and out of frame, making heat flush in my cheeks.
ME
Don't exaggerate
I bet you took it like a champ
YOU ARE READING
True Love's Kiss (A Slow Burn, Orc Romance)
FantasyAfter being cursed and banished to the human world, a foul-tempered orc fights to return home and restore his physical appearance. The only way he can travel back to his realm, is through the power granted by true love's kiss. However, his reluctant...
