Page 7 of Ashes, Apples, & Amorous Orcs

Maddie's face lights up like sunrise. "Really? You'll⁠—"

"I'll expand the patrol routes. Nothing more."

I reach for a honey-glazed roll before she can extract any additional promises. The pastry feels solid and warm in my palm, evidence of Maddie's skill and the comfort she creates in this space.

The bell above the door chimes with crystalline precision, cutting through the bakery's ambient warmth. I don't need to turn to recognize the measured footsteps that follow—heels clicking against wooden floors with practiced elegance.

"Draven. What a pleasant surprise."

Vaelis Thandor glides into my peripheral vision like moonlight on water. Her silver-blonde hair reflects the afternoon light streaming through the windows, and her pale gold skin seems to glow against the deep sapphire of her perfectly tailored dress. She moves with the fluid grace that comes from centuries of practice, each step calculated for maximum impact.

"Vaelis."

"I've missed seeing you around town." Her voice carries the musical quality that makes other races assume elves are inherently wise rather than simply practiced at manipulation. "Your patrols have kept you quite busy lately."

She positions herself between me and the counter, close enough that her expensive perfume—something floral and complex—mingles with the bakery's simpler scents. The proximity feels deliberate, designed to command attention.

"The borders require monitoring."

"Of course they do." Her laugh sounds like silver bells, carefully modulated for charm. "Though perhaps next time there's danger, you could rescue me instead. I promise to be far more grateful than whatever wild creature you've been wrestling with today."

Her fingers brush against a faint bloodstain on my sleeve that Liora missed during her cleaning. The touch lingers longer than necessary, and her pale eyes hold mine with unmistakable invitation.

Heat spreads across my neck. Not desire—discomfort at being cornered in public, at having my choices presumed rather than offered.

From the corner of my vision, I catch Isolde's reflection in the window. She's stopped testing her injured leg and now watches our interaction with the focused attention of someone reading a map. Her hazel eyes move between Vaelis and me, cataloguing details with the same precision she likely uses to assess her hives.

The weight of her observation makes my skin itch worse than Vaelis's presumptuous touch.

The walls of the bakery close in like a trap. Vaelis's perfume mingles with the yeast and honey until I can't breathe properly. Her fingers still rest against my sleeve, claiming ownership of space that isn't hers to take.

"Oh, Vaelis, have you met Isolde? She's my cousin, here establishing trade routes for her honey business. Draven rescued her from a wolf earlier today."

The words tumble out with Maddie's characteristic enthusiasm, but I catch the undercurrent of mischief. She's testing waters, seeing how Vaelis reacts to the introduction of competition.

Vaelis's smile sharpens to something that could cut glass.

"How... fortunate that Draven happened to be nearby."

The pause before 'fortunate' carries enough ice to freeze the Hollow's entire water supply. Her pale gaze flickers between Isolde and me, calculating distances and angles like a predator assessing threats.

I've had enough of being discussed like a prize bull at market.

The bakery's front door stands three steps away. Three steps to escape the weight of expectations, the suffocating presumptions, the careful maneuvering that treats my choices like chess pieces to be moved by other hands.

I take the first step.

"Draven—" Vaelis's voice rises, losing some of its musical control.

The second step carries me past Maddie's startled expression.

"Wait, where are you—" Maddie begins.

The third step brings my hand to the door handle. The brass feels cool and solid beneath my palm, real in a way that cuts through the bakery's perfumed air.

I push the door open without looking back.

CHAPTER 5