The Orc and the Innkeeper (Elderberry Falls, #1)

by Cora Crane

“You don’t have to say anything,” he murmurs. “Just know that I’m sorry, more than I can ever express. And I will do anything in my power to prove it to you. I hope we can have a fresh start.”

It’s a strange kind of magic, this: the power of sincere words spoken by someone you never thought capable of them.

“He kept it all these years,” I murmur, my voice barely above a whisper. “After Zara destroyed it, he gathered up all the pieces and spent hours putting it back together.”

“Oh, Mariah,” she sighs. “I was skeptical of his intentions by agreeing to this deal but I think I was wrong. Don’t you see? He’s been in love with you this whole time.”

The way Thorak looks at me when he thinks I’m not watching, the gentle brushes of his hand against mine that linger just a moment too long...could there be more to his feelings than just guilt and regret?

“Mariah,” she says softly. “I’ve known you for years, and I’ve never seen you light up the way you do when you’re talking about him. There could be something special there, something real and powerful. Don’t let your fear of the past keep you from embracing the future.”

want Thorak to see me in this dress. I want to take his breath away, to make his pulse race the way mine does every time he’s near.

But when Mariah is near—her presence like a live current arcing between us, every accidental brush of our hands sending heat licking through my veins—it seems like so much more.

It feels real. Powerful. Inevitable.

The door swings open and Mariah glides in, a vision in emerald green, wi...

Holy hell, she’s a knockout. I’ve never seen her wearing something so obviously sexy. The dress clings to every dip and curve of her body like it was painted on. The deep V neckline plunges dangero...

“Pour us some samples, love?” she says, her tone light and playful.

If we were really together, I’d shut the bar down for the night and fuck her on every surface, giving her orgasm after orgasm until she couldn’t see straight.

I’m so lost in the fantasy that I don’t even notice the door swinging open. Not until I hear my mother’s tentative voice saying, “Thorak?” My head jerks up and my heart free-falls straight to the floor. Standing in the entrance, wearing near-identical expressions of stony disapproval, are my parents.

Uh ooooooo

“Ma, Da. I didn’t expect to see you here tonight.” “We wanted to surprise you,” Ma says tightly, her gaze flickering to Mariah. “But it seems you’re the one with the surprises, Thorak. Who’s this?”

I slide my arm around Mariah’s waist, pulling her close. “This is Mariah,” I say clearly, making sure my voice carries. “My fiancée.”

Yes sir 🤭

Da’s eyes flash dangerously as a deafening silence descends over the taproom. “What do you mean, fiancée?” he growls. “You’re engaged? To a human?” I meet his furious gaze unflinchingly. I’ve never defied my parents so openly before. “I am,” I tell him coolly.

“Ma, we’ve discussed this so many times. Ygra and I are long over,” I say firmly, willing her to understand. “I’ve moved on. I’m happy with Mariah now.”

Mariah’s fingers lace with mine and she squeezes my hand, a silent show of support even as tension thrums through her.

Mariah flinches almost imperceptibly and a flare of anger pulses through me. I know my parents’ prejudices run deep but I won’t let them disrespect the woman I love.

Love. The realization hits me like a war hammer to the gut. I’ve fallen irrevocably in love with Mariah Parker. And now I’m caught between my duties as a son and my desires as a man.

“Mariah isn’t just some passing fling. She’s the love of my life, and I’ll be damned if I let anyone, even my own blood, disrespect her.”

Ahhhhhhhhhh hehehehehehehhehe 🤭😍🥵

Mariah sucks in a sharp breath behind me, her grip on my hand tightening to the point of pain. I don’t dare look back at her, too terrified of what I’ll see in her eyes.

“I’m going to marry this woman,”

Ahhhhhhhhh he’s gonna marry that woman

“You can either accept that and be a part of our lives, or not. T...

“Did you see that?” “I can’t believe he stood up to Krag like that...” “Never thought I’d see the day an orc would choose a human over his own clan.”

I turn to face Mariah, my heart in my throat. Her eyes are wide, luminous with unshed tears. But there’s something else there too, something that makes my pulse stutter and race.

“Thorak,” she whispers, her voice rough with emotion. “Did you...did you mean what you said?” I swallow hard, fighting the urge to brush away the single tear that escapes down her cheek. “Every word.”

I’m in love with her, plain and simple.

“When you love someone,” I say softly, looking up toward Thorak, “that love has the power to overcome any history, to heal any wound.”

“Why me, Thorak?” I ask softly. “What did I do back then that made me a target? Was it really just because I’m human? Or was there something else?” My voice cracks on the last word

“I had a crush on you, Mariah.” Heat floods through me at his words,

“That’s the stupidest thing I’ve ever heard.”

“I know. I was a fucking idiot.” He runs a hand over his face, his shoulders slumping. “Do you remember that vampire in our grade, Lucius? He wanted to use you for your blood. I overheard the disgusting way he talked about you...”

“I thought if I claimed you as mine,” he continues, “if I bullied you and made everyone afraid to come near you, then Lucius would never be able to hurt you. It was easier that way, easier than admitting how I really felt.”

“I know that now,” he murmurs. “But back then…I was drowning under the weight of everyone’s expectations. You were the only human in our grade, but I was the only orc. Everyone saw me as a brute, and I didn’t know how to be anything other than what they wanted.”

“I know I’ve already apologized,” he says softly, his voice reaching a deeper, dangerous octave that makes my toes curl. “But I will never stop begging for your forgiveness, Mariah. I’ll grovel at your feet for the rest of our lives if that’s what it takes to show you how sorry I am.”

Slowly, deliberately, I trail my fingers upward, skimming along the curve of his neck. Thorak’s eyes flutter closed as he leans into my touch with a shuddering sigh.

I surge forward, my mouth crashing against his. Thorak responds instantly, his strong arms banding around my waist to haul me flush against him. He kisses me like a man starved, desperate and consuming.

It’s intoxicating,

It feels like coming home.

Thorak runs a hand up my leg, pulling back from our kiss. His gaze is dark, determined. “Mariah,” he rasps. “Let me show you how sorry I am.”

I nod, desperate for him. Thorak slides my green dress up to my waist and then kneels down on the ground. He’s so large that at a kneel, his face is perfectly aligned with my inner thighs.

Thorak trails reverent kisses along my thighs, his tusks grazing my sensitive skin. Each brush of his lips sends more sparks racing through my veins. I squirm on the countertop ...

With a low growl, he rips my panties clean off. The display of his raw power combined with the sudden exposure makes me suck in a breath, my thighs trembling.

“I’ll never stop apologizing to you,” he murmurs, his breath hot on my sensitive flesh.

And then his mouth is on me. I gasp at the sensation of his tusks holding my thighs open for him—the slight bite of pain mixed with intense, bone-melting ple...

“Oh gods, Thorak,” I whimper, my hips rocking against his face.

The sight of him, this huge, powerful orc, on his knees worshiping me with his mouth as he grovels for forgiveness…it’s almost too much to handle. Heat coils tighter and tighter in my core.

“I’m so sorry, I’m so sorry,” Thorak groans against me, the vibrations sending sparks shooting up my spine. His tongue swirls around my clit before he sucks it into ...