Dinnertime comes and passes, and still the hunting party hasn’t returned. The cook brings me a bowl of strawberries and a delicious yeasted cake to go with it, and I share my loot with Mara and my guards again. The king’s cousin is easy to talk to, and she tells me that when she’s not escorting me around, she’s responsible for making sure everything in the settlement runs smoothly. She calls herself the steward, and having seen how large the Hill is, I understand the importance of her role.
“You don’t have to keep me company tomorrow,” I tell her. “I’ll manage on my own now that you’ve shown me around. You must have a lot of work to do.”
She relaxes on the bench, her elbows on the table. “You can come and help me. It wouldn’t hurt for you to know how our people live.”
I agree immediately, glad of the suggestion. If I’m going to stay here, I don’t want to be a burden. If anything has stuck with me today, it’s that everyone in the settlement has their role. No idle hands in the orc kingdom. And I don’t want to be the exception, the lady who lounges in her bed all day or has guards escorting her as she strolls through the corridors while others work.
The only thing casting a pall over today is the presence of those four strange orcs, the ones no one wants to talk about. They sit at a table on the other side of the hall, talking in quiet voices, and even though orc hearing is excellent, it seems none of my companions can make out what they’re saying because of the noise in the hall. The strangers have chosen their spot perfectly—they’re in plain view, yet their conversation can remain private.
Suddenly, cheers sound from one of the other entrance tunnels to the great hall. I sit straight, wondering at the commotion, when a group of orcs stride into the chamber.
It takes me only a moment to single out Gorvor at the head of the hunting party. He’s grinning, his scarred chest smudged with earth and something dark—blood. My heart beats faster in a worried flutter until I realize it’s not his blood. No, the orc king is carrying a big, brown something slung across his shoulders.
He walks to the entrance to the kitchens, where the head cook and several of his helpers are waiting with sharpened knives. Gorvor heaves the animal carcass over his head without even breathing hard and deposits it on one of the tables.
It’s a boar. A large adult boar, which must weigh as much as a human man, and yet the king handles it like it’s a rabbit.
He faces us again, and the orcs in the hall cheer, the noise rising and echoing from the walls. Only the strange group of four remain seated, glowering at the king. And he smirks, his handsome face haughty and proud.
This is a message.
One by one, the other members of the hunting party bring their kills to the kitchen table. It’s a massive pile of animals, so their hunt must have been a great success. In the human world, a supply like this could feed a village for weeks. But I’ve seen how much each orc can eat, so I understand the need for this much food. That the king helps provide for his people is a significant gesture, too—and completely different from human lords who put unfair taxes on their people and live off their peasants’ work.
Very deliberately, Gorvor turns his back on the strange orcs and strides toward us. I didn’t think he’d seen us, but his dark gaze falls on me, and I know he’s only been biding his time. In one leap, he’s at my side. He wraps his hands around my waist, lifts me from my seat on the bench, and hauls me in for a kiss.
In front of everyone.
More cheers from the crowd, but I barely hear them. Gorvor kisses me deeply, his tongue invading my mouth. He smells so good, I want to crawl inside him. That scent of the forest and fire, combined with dirt and sweat he’d collected throughout the day, is tantalizing and addictive. I inhale deeply, realizing he’s doing the same.
“You didn’t wash me off,” he says, sniffing at my temple.
I shake my head in answer, too busy trying to kiss him again. If he likes his scent on me, I’ll take care to not bathe while he’s gone. He supports my weight easily, but I wrap my legs around his waist and loop my arms around his neck. A small part of me is horrified at this public display, but I don’t care. Not when he squeezes my thighs through my dress and grinds his hips up in a way that leaves very little to imagination.
“See you tomorrow, then?” Mara snickers, breaking the spell.
Gorvor growls at her, but when I peer up at his face, he’s grinning, and I think she might be one of the few clan members who would dare tease the king like this. A blush warms my cheeks, but I don’t let go. I’m perfectly content where I am.
Well, that’s not true. I’m happy in Gorvor’s arms, yes, but my need rises in my belly, warm embers fanned to flames with every slide of my body against his.
His nostrils flare as he inhales, and his gaze darkens. “Aye. We will see you tomorrow.”
Without waiting for anyone’s reply, he clutches me closer to his chest and marches from the great hall and into the corridor leading to his room. From the quiet footsteps following us, I know the guards are behind us somewhere, but they stay hidden in shadows, unobtrusive. Still, I’m glad when Gorvor pushes his way through the door and slams it shut.
Then he makes a move as if to set me on the bed, but I cling to him, unwilling to let go.
“I need to wash, little mate. I am not clean.” He gently unwraps my arms from around his neck and lays me on the bedcovers. “I will be very quick.”
I protest, but he’s having none of it. Still, I can’t bring myself to pout too much, not when he strips naked in front of me and gives me a nice view of his backside. Like the rest of him, it’s muscled and taut, and his back… Well, his back is a testament to his hard work, honed to perfection by what I imagine must have been grueling battle exercises and hunting. The scars I’d seen on his chest and shoulders are visible here as well, silvery lines and spots from untold wounds.
I bite my lip to stop the questions from bubbling up. If I start, I’ll never stop, and I want him first. His body. His thick, proud cock. I don’t know how it’ll work, exactly, but I’ve decided to trust Gorvor that this is possible. That we are possible. The glowing sensation inside me, the mating bond, shines brighter with my inner admission that this is right. This is where I’m supposed to be, in the orc king’s bed.
He washes quickly, just as he’d promised, and returns to me, dripping with water. I want to lick every drop from his skin, but he rubs himself all over with a bath sheet, his heated gaze on me. He’s hard already, and I know he has the same plans for tonight as I do.
Silence stretches between us as he drops the linen on the floor and takes the last two steps to the bed. He sits on the edge and wraps his warm hand around my ankle.
“I want to fuck you tonight,” he rumbles, looking straight into my eyes.
Emotions swell inside me, a heady mixture of apprehension, lust, and curiosity. I give him a small nod, only a jerk of my head.
The king’s gaze radiates approval, and he slides his hand higher up my calf, caressing me slowly. “I will make sure you’re ready, Dawn,” he promises. “But you need to trust me.”
I swallow past a suddenly tight throat. “I do.”
Now he reaches my knee, and I let out a small giggle because I’m ticklish there, on the soft underside of my thighs. Gorvor’s lips twitch up, and he repeats the movement, watching me intently as if he wants to explore all my responses. So I relax against the pillows and let him learn my body. We learn together, because I’ve never had anyone kiss the pale flesh of my thighs, and I didn’t know until now how much I enjoyed it. Once, I try to sit up and caress him, but he pins me to the bed with a stern glower that has excitement fluttering in my belly.
What would he do if I disobeyed?
He pushes up my skirts, taking the thin linen shift with them, and I spread my knees wide to give him access. This is what he did this morning, and I anticipate the pleasure that will follow.
But he stops just short of kissing my pussy and growls, his eyes closed and his brow furrowed.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, lifting up on my elbows.
He presses his forehead to my thigh, and a shudder goes through him. “I need to go slow.”
I sit up fully and run my hand over his thick hair, down the braid he hasn’t yet unraveled. “You are. You’re taking care of me.”
He shakes his head, and the gesture has his stubble scratching over my sensitive skin. “I could hurt you. If you knew what I wanted to do to you, Dawn… You would run from me, screaming, and I’d never get my mate back.”
I caress the pointed tip of his green ear. “Tell me.”
He grips the covers with both hands, his massive fists bunching on either side of me. “I cannot. You are so small and fragile.”
Something squeezes inside me, a sadness that he’s being denied what he clearly craves because his mate is human. If I hadn’t seen how he looks at me, if I hadn’t experienced the pleasure he’d showered me with this morning, I might have run away from him in this moment. But he’d said I was his mate. Fated. Perfect. He’d said he was mine, and I intend to honor that.
“Gorvor.” I say his name gently and wait until he peers up at me. “Tell me.”
He rolls to his back with a groan and throws his arm over his eyes. His cock, so thick and beautiful, juts up, the knot at the bottom already bulging.
“I want to thrust inside you immediately,” he tells me in a rough, rumbling voice. “Fill you up and have you take my knot.”
I reach to my back and tug loose the first of my laces. “I know this already.”
He scoffs. “You think you do. But your human man rutted you for a minute, and it was over, aye? I would take you over and over until you screamed with pleasure and your tight pussy would be filled with my seed.”
Struggling with the rest of my laces, I let heat wash over me. The words are rude, but… “I’m not hearing anything that would put me off so far.”
When had our roles changed from me trying to escape him to him talking himself out of this? It must be the mating bond between us. I disliked not being consulted about it, yes, but now that I’ve felt it, I can’t deny its power. The pull toward Gorvor is so strong, thinking about leaving him causes me physical pain. I could no more do it than sever off my arm.
If this is my fate, I will do the best I can to make it fit. Like I’ve done every day in my old life, I’ll work and get through it.
Not that being mated to a magnificent warrior like Gorvor is a hardship.
I tug the dress over my head, the last few laces be damned. A ripping sound tells me I’ll have to fix something later, but I don’t care. I bunch the dress and dump it over the side of the bed, then do the same with my shift, until I’m completely naked and out of breath.
Gorvor is still lying on his back with his eyes closed, clearly tormented. “I want your lips wrapped around my cock and to see you take so much you choke,” he growls. “Then I’d put you on your hands and knees and fuck you from behind so I could watch how your pretty pussy takes my knot. You’d be limp with pleasure, but I’d hold you up and pinch your nipples until you screamed and climaxed again and again.”
I gasp, picturing it all in my mind. He fists his cock in one large palm and gives himself a hard jerk. My pussy clenches at the sight, throbbing in response to those fantasies. And I can no longer hold back.
Feeling brave and more than a little reckless, I climb over Gorvor and straddle his thick thighs. His body tenses at the skin-to-skin contact, and he finally draws his arm away from his face.
“Dawn?”
His voice is both incredulous and hopeful, and the longing shining from his dark eyes melts the last defenses around my heart.
I scoot down his legs to put myself in the right position and peek at him through my lashes. “You said you wanted me to wrap my mouth around you?”
His quick inhale tells me everything I need to know. But still, I love how low his voice gets when he rumbles, “I did.”
Tentatively, I grasp his shaft and lean over it. “I’m not sure if I can do this right. I’ve never tried it before.”
He reaches for me and buries his fingers in my hair. “Just suck me.”
The command sends heat skittering through my veins. It’s so simple, so primal.
Just suck me.
I lower my head and kiss the broad green cockhead lightly. It’s slick with precum, and I lick my lips, wetting them and tasting Gorvor for the first time. The salty-sweet, warm taste blooms on my tongue, and I clench my legs instinctively. But I can’t close my thighs—the king widens his knees, spreading me over him.
“That’s it,” he murmurs. “I can smell your pussy growing wet for me.”
My eyelids flutter shut as I bring my lips to his cock again. This time, I open them and glide down, taking the whole head in my mouth. It’s hot, and I run my tongue around it, getting used to it.
Gorvor’s fingers tighten in my hair, and he hisses in a breath. “Good girl. Now take me deeper.”
I relax my jaw and slide down his cock, taking as much as I can. Then I bob up, sucking in my cheeks. With both hands, I grip the knot, squeezing in time with my movements.
“Aah,” the king groans, throwing his head back. “You don’t need instructions. You feel so good, little mate.”
The knowledge that I can bring him as much pleasure as he does to me is powerful. I quicken my rhythm, sliding up and down his cock until his hips are rocking up to meet my mouth on every turn. The trickle of his precum intensifies, and I swallow it all down, enjoying the way Gorvor jerks every time I do it.
Suddenly, he grips my chin and pulls me off him, and I find myself airborne for a second, his hands at my waist. He lifts me easily, and I squeak, searching for somewhere to put my hands.
“What are you doing?” I cry.
He yanks me closer to his face, and I brace my hands on the wall behind his head on instinct. It’s a strange position, with my knees on either side of his head, and I’ve never felt so exposed. He can see everything, and I don’t doubt that he can smell how slick I’ve grown from pleasuring him.
“I wasn’t done,” I protest, trying to wiggle my way back down his body.
But his palms land on my ass, holding me in place. “I want to fuck you, Dawn. I need you ready.”
“I am,” I protest, “just let me—oh!”
My words taper off on a cry as he shoves my thighs farther apart and fastens his mouth on my pussy. His hot tongue licks over my sensitive bud, and pleasure explodes inside me, hot and sudden. I melt over him, barely supporting myself on the wall, but Gorvor has me pinned in place, holding me where he wants me.
Then he spears his tongue into my pussy, licking up all my slickness, and growls. The sound is savage and reverberates through my body. I’ve never heard anything like it, but some base, primal part of me loves how it makes me feel. I’m at his mercy, and his only mission is to bring me to my finish.
He returns his tongue to my pearl, teasing it with hard, long strokes, and wedges his hand between my spread thighs. “I need to stretch you. You’ll ride my hand, and then you’ll ride my cock.”
He presses first one finger inside my slick pussy, then another, and I cry out in shock. But I’m so wet now that I take him easily, and I bear down on his hand, wanting more contact. I’m so empty inside, and it feels so damn good to have those hot fingers pushing deep.
Gorvor adds another finger. “Pinch your nipples,” he commands.
I cup my full, aching breast with one hand, keeping the other braced on the wall, and bring my fingers to my nipple. When I squeeze, the sensation travels through my body and straight to my core, as if an invisible line of pleasure connects both. The pressure builds inside me, an onslaught of sensation from all the different parts of my body being stroked and filled and pinched and—
It starts slowly, a rush of heat that grows, expanding until I’m consumed, overwhelmed. I cry out, rocking my hips down to chase more of that feeling, and Gorvor laps up all my wetness, keeping up with me. Shaken, I put both hands on the wall to keep myself from collapsing, and whimper as he pulls his fingers from me.
“You taste so good when you come,” he murmurs, dragging his tongue lazily through my folds. “I could eat your pussy all day.”
I laugh, shaken. “You will get no complaints from me.”
Gorvor grins and drags his palm over his mouth, wiping away traces of me. Then he grabs my hips and moves me lower down his body, and I end up stretched on top of him, my chest pressed up against his. He’s so warm, and the rapid beat of his heart echoes mine perfectly.
I should be sated, tired and spent, but the tension in Gorvor’s muscles has me on edge. I want to know what more he has to show me. Everything up to this point has been exquisite, and I’m eager to learn.
The king keeps his gaze on mine as he urges me to sit up over his cock. Anticipation and a twinge of fear war in my head, but I want this. I do.
I’m not certain how we’ll fit. Because even three of his fingers aren’t nearly as large as the shaft currently notched at my pussy. It’s long, yes, but more importantly, it’s thick, and there’s a part of me that balks at it, panicking.
I bite my lip and look between my legs. “You’re just so large.”
He chuckles deeply. “I am. But we were brought together, and you are my mate. This will work.”
I brace my hands on his muscled chest and dig my fingers into his skin. “All right. But slowly.”
He jerks his head in a nod, but the strain in his neck tells me this is costing him. He’s suffering, sweat breaking out on his brow. His chest rises and falls with rapid breaths, but he doesn’t force me, doesn’t pull me down on his cock.
It’s this restraint, the barely leashed power, that gives me courage. I spread my knees wider and reach between us to align us just right. Then I let my weight do the work as I bear down on the broad, warm cockhead.
It’s big. I inhale through my nose and let the air out through my mouth. “Gorvor…”
I don’t know what I’m asking for, only that my brain and my body are at odds, one telling me that this is impossible and the other urging me on because I’m aching and ready.
The king slides his hands up my thighs, past my belly, to cup both my breasts. The sight of his big green palms on me has my heart beating faster, and when he pinches my nipples, hard, I loosen over him.
The head of his cock slips inside me, and I groan, closing my eyes at the stretching sensation. It fills me up, the tip nudging at that wonderful place Gorvor showed me yesterday.
“This feels… Oh, it feels so good.”
My voice comes out as a breathy, needy moan. At the same time, I’m aware I’ve barely taken the head of the king’s cock, and I’m far from being done.
“Dawn,” he groans. “You’re beautiful. I never thought I’d find my mate, and there you were. So fucking perfect.”
His words fall from his lips in a rush, as if he’s been keeping them hidden and now they’ve been revealed. I don’t want anything more between us—no pretense, no secrets.
“Help me,” I gasp. “I need more.”
His brow furrowed, he reaches between my legs and swirls his fingertips around my bud, and I slip an inch lower on his cock. We both shout out, and the shock of the rude intrusion has me clenching down on him, hard.
“You need to relax, little mate,” Gorvor forces out through gritted teeth. “Or I might not last much longer.”
That he’s suffering, too, actually helps me. I can’t help but laugh at our predicament. We’re both in pain, though for different reasons.
“I’m sorry.” I snort and cover my mouth with my hand. “This is too ridiculous.”
I slide lower on a gasp, my body stretching to accommodate his. Gorvor gives me a grin in return, flashing his tusks, and caresses my pearl in slow, sensual circles.
“This is better.” I rock forward a little. “I think it might work.”
The wet slide of him through my pussy has me moaning, and I repeat the motion, each time taking a little bit more of his cock. Glancing down between us, at the green shaft impaling me, I groan and close my eyes, though. I haven’t even reached his knot—and I have no idea how I’ll take in that as well.
And if I can’t, does that mean Gorvor and I aren’t meant to be mated? Maybe the gods have made a mistake, and we’re not compatible. Maybe he was never supposed to fit inside me.
The thought makes me unbearably sad—and that bond between us tightens, throbbing painfully.
“Shh.” He brushes my hair away from my face. “Don’t worry. There is no need to hurry.”
He pushes himself up to a seated position, bringing his chest flush with mine. The angle between us changes, and I slip a tiny fraction lower, my thighs stretched wide. He kisses me, exploring my mouth with his tongue, thrusting in with the same slow, steady rhythm as he rocks me in his lap. With a bit of maneuvering, he has me loop my legs around his waist, and finally, finally, we are joined fully—apart from his knot.
The fullness is incredible. Every hard inch of his cock is buried inside me, and I instinctively squeeze my inner muscles around him. His knot presses up against my pussy, teasing me from the outside. Gorvor groans through our kiss and bites down on my lower lip. The sting of pain is fleeting, replaced by exquisite pleasure, and I kiss him back with everything I have.
“Dawn,” he rumbles. “I need to come. Inside you. Right now.”
His words are rough, each one punctuated by a harsh breath. The tension in his muscles is testament to how much this is costing him.
“Yes,” I breathe against his lips. I’m ready. I can take it.
He buries his face in my shoulder and lets out a shuddering exhale. Then his fingers squeeze my hips, and he pulls me almost all the way off his cock and slides me back down in one long, forceful thrust. I’m wet enough now for his cock to glide smoothly, and we both groan, clinging to each other. He picks up the pace, and I ride him as best I can. I wrap my legs tight around his waist and undulate my hips in time with his thrusts. Gorvor gives me a feral, breathless grin, then kisses me roughly, taking full advantage.
My climax hits without warning. The thick shaft drags over my inner walls so well, and with a fierce thrust, Gorvor sends me over the edge. I scream, all the sensations coalescing into one perfect, endless explosion of bliss. The coarse hair on his chest drags over my nipples, his tongue invades my mouth, and it’s all too much, too good, too—
“Gods!” I bear down on his cock, needing more, even though I’m so full already. “Please, please!”
The king grips my waist, and with one last push, he slips his knot inside me. I gasp, clutching his shoulders. My fingernails dig into his warm skin, but he doesn’t seem to care—he kisses me deeply, then tears his mouth away from mine and bellows, coming hard. A rush of warmth floods my pussy, his cum coating his cock and slicking me up so we slide together so perfectly.
The hot, bulging knot pulses inside me, triggering another climax in me. I cry out in shock and delight—the throbbing pressure against my inner walls feels like nothing I’ve imagined, and it’s almost unbearably good. I squeeze my eyes shut, overwhelmed.
A big hand closes around my chin.
“Look at me, Dawn,” the king growls. “Look at me when you come.”
I force my lids open and stare into Gorvor’s dark eyes, so feral, focused all on me. He holds my hip with one hand and digs the fingers of his other hand into my hair, bringing me closer for another scorching kiss.
“You took my knot.” His breath mingles with mine as our foreheads touch. “Little mate, you’re incredible. I can feel your sweet pussy squeezing me.”
I shift in his lap, trying to see if we’re really locked together like he said we would be, and we both shout at the sensation. It’s so intense, another flutter of pleasure pulses in my core.
“How—how long will we stay like this?” I tighten my legs around his waist in an effort to stay still. I don’t know if I can take another round of such exquisite torture.
He frowns down at me. “You don’t like it?”
“No, I do,” I answer truthfully. “But it’s so…”
I try to find the right words to describe what I’m feeling. With our bodies locked together, naked, I’m so exposed. I’ve never been this close to someone, and I don’t just mean that in a sexual way. There’s no hiding from Gorvor’s piercing gaze, not here.
He strokes his palm over my back, a slow, soothing caress. “What is it?”
Taking a deep breath, I say, “It’s very…intimate. More than I imagined it would be.”
His palm makes circles on my skin, hypnotic. “What did you imagine?”
I can’t look him in the eyes anymore, so I drop my gaze to his chest. “I didn’t think you’d be so good to me.”
His scowl darkens, and I hurry on to explain before he jumps to the wrong conclusions.
“I didn’t think you’d hurt me. Well, not after the first, um, visit to this room,” I say. “You kept your word and you showed me pleasure. That was incredible.”
He flashes me a smug smile, and I smack his shoulder lightly. He laughs, but still, he rubs my back as if he’s trying to keep me talking. All the while, I’m so, so aware of the rigid length buried inside me. It hasn’t softened one bit, and the sensations it brings out in me are no less intense than before. It’s a strange sensation, to be talking when we’re…connected.
“I didn’t think there would be a real place for me in your life,” I conclude. “I’m human. You’re an orc.”
“And that’s bad?” he asks. “Did you want a human mate? A husband?”
I bite my lip, wondering how to explain. “I never expected to marry.”
He moves beneath me to lean back against the headboard, and the knot triggers another wave of intense heat in my pussy. It’s not enough to push me into a climax, but I gasp and cling to his shoulders, waiting for him to settle.
“You are a beautiful young woman,” he grumbles. “Are human men so blind that they didn’t see that?”
His words warm my heart, but there’s so much more than that involved in a human relationship. The next part is hard for me to admit, though, so I duck my chin and decide to just get it over with quickly.
“First of all, I wasn’t considered exceptionally pretty among humans,” I mutter. “If I had been, things might have been easier. But to top that, I had no money—and no family.”
He takes my chin again and lifts my face. I still don’t want to look at him, but he doesn’t make me. He drops a kiss on my lips, his tusks touching my cheeks lightly.
“I am sorry you lost your family,” he says. “But you are here now. You have a new family.”
Tears prick behind my eyelids, and I don’t want to cry now. I also don’t want to explain how wrong he is. I haven’t lost my family. My parents just didn’t want me. So I wrap myself around him and squeeze, showing him with my body what I can’t say with words.
“Ah, Dawn!” His big body jerks upright. “Gods, woman.”
I giggle despite myself, realizing I must have squeezed all my muscles, even the inner ones. His hands land on my hips, and he pushes me down slightly, at the same time rocking up his hips as if he can’t help himself. The knot jerks inside me, and I feel an answering pulse of his cum as he unloads himself again.
I scream his name, pleasure overtaking me, and moments later, slump limp against his chest, already so spent.
“I didn’t know you could come more than once,” I croak between panting breaths. “What else can you do?”
He chuckles, the sound reverberating in his broad chest. “Do you like it, Dawn? Having a big orc mate who can fill you up with his seed over and over in a single night?”
I bite my lip, then nod—just once, because it’s difficult to admit, especially since I’m also worried about getting pregnant. But nothing has ever felt better than having Gorvor deep inside, telling me all these outrageous, beautiful things that make me hope for a better future.
“Good,” he replies. “Then hold on.”
