“Promise?” I did not just ask the orc for sexy times, did I? And was that my voice, that breathy sound? It was! How embarrassing.

But Kharag only chuckled, his chest rumbling against my back. “As to the lore, human females are very attracted to orc males and other races, too, like the minotaur and the fae. When a female scents a male and he is pleasing to her, it indicates they are bound to be mates, with ties blessed by the gods.”

“Mates? Bound by ties? What does that mean?”

He glanced down at me. “I forgot that you are you not from this realm. Do you not have mates and soul bonds?”

A laugh burst out of me. “Not exactly. Not that I’d ever heard of. Where I come from, if you can tolerate the person, even fool yourself into thinking you’re in love, great. Most of the time, it doesn’t last, though. Not in my experience, except on television or in movies.”

He frowned, confusion reflected in his deep black eyes. “I don’t know what that is. But here, we can mate for affection or we can wait for a soul bond. Most of us prefer a soul bond. I’m told it’s like finding the other half of yourself. Human women often mate for protection, finding the strongest or wealthiest male to support her. Other females are overcome by the scent bond and choose based on that. Or so I’ve been told. I haven’t experienced it for myself. Until now.”

The last was said with a sidelong glance down at me, and I could feel my face heating. There had been a hint of something in his voice that sounded like longing, which made my heart twist a little inside. “So you’ve never had a mate?”

That seemed unlikely. He was an older male, not like the younger lord who had made me that fancy offer, despite being supposedly devoted to Daria. But now that Kharag mentioned it, the younger orc’s scent had been slightly sour and maybe even a little bitter, like a baby. Sour milk and powder. That fit. He was young and not attractive to me, while Kharag had drawn me from the moment I’d scented him from behind the curtain. Irresistible and mouthwatering, even as I was afraid of orcs and the tusks that jutted out from their lower jaws.

I had vowed to stay hidden, praying against hope that the nightmare I had found myself in would disappear. Then a delicious scent of earth and home had teased my senses, and I was drawn out from my safe space and into the arms of one of these creatures. There had been two scents, complementary, but I found the first one, the one I now associated with Kharag, that called me forward at the auction, that told me I would be safe with him. And now, here I was, squirming on his horse, wondering when he would take me fully as his mate.

When had I lost my fear of him, of the monsters that inhabited this strange place? Now all I wanted was to climb this orc like a tree and ride him until I was a limp, sweaty mess. He even made me reconsider my decision to return home. Maybe.

Kharag kept a firm hold on me, his hand dropping low until his fingers teased me right above the area where I wanted him to touch me. I was soaked between my thighs and knew the split skirt would have a stain on it when we finally dismounted, since this place didn’t have panties. “Settle, lass. No, I’ve never had a mate. Our clan is small in numbers and I’ve been too focused on defending our territory to worry about a mate. I’ve tried at auction before, but no human has found me appealing.”

I turned my head until my nose was buried in the green skin of his firm biceps and I inhaled, sending a throbbing deep inside. “Well, those women don’t know what they’re missing.”

I tilted my hips so his hand slid down further to settle between my thighs. These flowing split skirt outfits that I had been given to change into for the ride weren’t very heavy and didn’t provide a significant barrier to his touch, but enough that I couldn’t get the skin on skin touch I so desperately desired. I writhed against him, feeling a little like a cat in heat, my body burning despite the cool night air. Sweat cooled on my body, yet I was hot, almost feverish.

“What’s wrong with me?” I sounded whiny, plaintive to my own ears.

A thick finger settled between my thighs, stroking over my clit and I rocked over it, trying to get closer, to feel a firmer touch, wishing there wasn’t a barrier between us. “You’re reacting to my scent, lass, as I said. Your body is preparing itself for its mate. We may not be able to wait for a settlement, not that there is one out here.”

“A settlement?”

“Aye. I had hoped to find a place for us to bed down. A safe place, in case someone followed us. But I took us on a long route, to try to lose any trackers. There isn’t a settlement for quite a distance this way. I’m sorry, lass. I haven’t provided well for you.”

As he spoke, his finger stroked gently against my slit, the material preventing a closer touch. I whined and rocked against him, trapping his finger between me and the saddle. He pulled me against him more fully, trapping me so I couldn’t move. Then he slipped inside a side pocket to find an opening in the material. He ripped the opening to fit his hand through to find my wet slit, his fingers moving easily between my folds. He shifted back a little, lifting me so I was splayed, my pelvis tilting backward, and one long finger speared me in one, smooth thrust that had me crying out in the night.

The sensation of being filled at last was so wonderful, I could have cried, yet it wasn’t enough. I clenching against the rubbing of his finger, trying to draw him deeper. He added a second finger, and I let my head fall back against his chest, closing my eyes to fully drown in the feelings swamping me. Meanwhile, his thumb caressed my clit, causing me to jerk and gasp.

While he fingered me like a master, his other hand tweaked my nipples, the bit of pain sending shots of electric fire to my core. He twisted and tugged, first one, then the other, while his fingers plunged in and out, finally adding a third, then fourth finger, stretching me almost painfully.

“You’re so tight, lass. Have you ever had a male before?”

“I’m no virgin,” I managed to gasp, praying to a deity I didn’t believe in that he wouldn’t stop. “Sorry to disappoint you.”

He chuckled. “You misunderstand. I don’t mind that you’re not untried. If you were, we wouldn’t be able to play so soon. But he must have been a small male.”

I barked a laugh at the thought of my ex as a small male, still drowning in the pleasure this orc was pulling from me. My ex was the largest male I had been with, for a human. I sensed he would be small compared to Kharag. His fingers continued to play me like a master, then, with a final twist and deep plunge where he rubbed a spot inside that made my eyes roll back, I came with a loud cry, jerking in his arms, fluid gushing from my channel. Had I just squirted? Holy shit, I think I had. The orc continued to rub the front of my pussy and my clit, drawing out my orgasm until I was limp and exhausted in his arms.

He pulled me back against him, finally withdrawing his fingers and licking them clean with relish. “You’re delicious, lass. I can’t wait to get between your thighs and taste for myself. But you’ll need a bit more training to take an orc’s cock. You’re a little tight.”

I huffed a laugh. “Tight? My last boyfriend was considered decent sized.”

The orc snorted and took my hand, pulling it behind me to wrap about his considerably bigger cock. “I think you’ll find that I’m quite a bit bigger. I won’t hurt you, lass. We’ll work up to it. And have lots of fun in the training. Madam Odelia threw in some training devices in the price of your auction.”

“Training devices?” I was too tired to imagine what those could be, though they sounded like fun, and I closed my eyes, drifting off to a sated sleep.

Chapter 8

Kharag