Page 5 of Rescued By Her Monster Mercenaries

Other women drifted over as they finished eating, gathering around us, some gestured over by Daria and others by their own curiosity about the new girl, me.

“So, you all want to be here. You want to marry monsters?”

“We don’t consider them monsters. My father, now he was the monster, especially after spending the evening at the local tavern,” a brunette admonished which braiding another girl’s hair.

Another girl patted her shoulder and looked at me. “We all volunteered to be here. Most of us have a chance for a much better life here than back home. Beth here left an abusive father who was selling her to one of his drunken friends.”

Beth snorted. “You make it sound almost nice. His friend tried to rape me and my father only stopped him until he could get money for me. Lucky for me, the trader came, and I jumped at the chance, getting four times as much money. But I didn’t give that money to my father. No, I made sure it went to my little sister so she could get out and study healing at the local temple. She was settled before I left, far out of my father’s tender reach, or his lecherous friends.” She lifted her head and looked at me. “Trust me. I’d rather spend time with a troll or ogre than my father or his friends.”

Holy shit. What kind of world did these women come from? “Didn’t anyone help you? Stop your father from doing that?”

Daria sipped her cup of tea. “I’m not sure what kind of world you came from, but in our world, women are little more than property. My choices were this or marry a local farmer, push out a bunch of kids, and, if I survived the childbirth, work in the fields with my husband while he probably chased women all around the town. Here, I get to choose the male I’ll marry and I’ll be treasured. Females are rare for those you call monsters and, when they get one, she rarely works, but is treated like a queen.”

“And she gets treated to giant dick with males who want to actually please her. Not a couple of pumps and done,” another woman interjected slyly.

Daria smiled. “There is that. The males here are concerned with our pleasure and not just their own. A refreshing change. There is one snag, however. The orc king has locked down his kingdom. All human females must be brought before him first. Some orcs have risked his decree by attending these auctions and taking a bride.”

“Why take a chance? Won’t the king find out?”

“It’s a risk they’re willing to take to have females and offspring,” Daria stated simply. “They can pay to enter the king’s tournament and hope to win a woman, but the price is higher, the risk greater, and the women are not always willing, or so we’ve heard. ”

“Most often, they’re scarred after their time with the king,” another muttered darkly and the women nodded in agreement.

“The king needs a female heir and, despite having a queen, he has no problem sampling the women taken. And he’s not always gentle,” Daria explained. “But if we’re mated and with child, he can’t touch us. Even he won’t go against the law. At least not yet.”

“What about you? Daria said you came through a portal, not by choice. What is your world like? Do you have family or someone to go home to?”

I had been so focused on finding the portal that I hadn’t really thought about what going back would mean. What was I going back to? I hadn’t spoken to my mother in three or maybe four years. My boyfriend had been fired from his most recent job as a security guard for a box store for, ironically enough, stealing. Now he spent his time on my couch, playing the video games he stole from the store and drinking with his buddies. I worked a dead-end job with nothing much to look forward to for a future except more hours and shitty pay supporting a man-child whose only offering was a decent dick and nothing else. What was I going back for?

Daria’s eyebrow rose as if reading my thoughts. “Rethinking a few things?”

“A little,” I admitted. In fact, it sounded a bit too good to be true. I mean, not having to work for asshole bosses for minimum wage. Having a man who cared if you got off, and had a giant dick and knew how to use it. And someone who actually cared about you and your feelings? It seemed too good to be true. I still wanted to go home, though. I mean, this world was not exactly what I signed up for, right?

While I’d been lost in thought, the other women had slowly drifted away into smaller groups, chatting and preparing for their auction. Daria, however, had remained while I worked through whatever I was doing inside my head.

“Wait until the reception this afternoon. They’ll all be trying to convince you to choose them. You’ll get first choice, lucky bitch, but you haven’t been here as long as we have so you haven’t had enough time to meet the suitors.” She spoke without any heat, and I realized I was lucky she had cared enough to talk to me that first day and educate me.

I fixed my gaze on the woman who treated this whole venture as a business proposition, more than the others. “Teach me about the races so I can be prepared to pick.”

Not that I was definitely staying but, if I had to make a choice, I wanted it to be informed. And, if a portal option showed itself or I found a way home, I could figure it out then. I just didn’t want to be in a worse situation through my own ignorance.

Daria set her cup down in the saucer and studied me for a long moment. “As long as you accept the orc lord is mine. You’ll meet him this afternoon at the reception, where we are put on display and mingle with the proposed bidders. We get to spend some time with them to make our decision. It’s not much time, but you’ll know him when you see him. He’s mine. And if you’re lucky, there will be another orc you can choose.”

The last was said with much ferocity, and I nodded. “Deal.”

Chapter 4

Jarrus

I hated these pre-auction receptions. For one thing, I towered over everyone in the room, except the odd ogre or troll who attended, of which there were three of each this time. Second, the women watched me with a mix of odd fascination and outright fear. It didn’t matter that I worked hard on developing courtly manners or treated them gently. My size intimidated them, and I was large even by minotaur standards. It was as if they could sense the rough mercenary in my background, knew I wasn’t a fancy lord or wealthy landowner. My coin was earned on the battlefield, as were my manners.

I didn’t dare sit in any of the offered seating, for fear it would break under my weight, though I really wanted to, hoping it would reduce their intimidation. Instead, I was left to loom over everyone in the corner, my hooves making loud clopping noises every time I moved, despite the coverings offered at the door, causing the women to freeze as if they were prey caught in a hunter’s trap.

This was a mistake. I shouldn’t have wasted my coin again this season. These women were too small for the likes of me. The fire-haired one maybe could be trained to take me, with her plump curves and sturdy figure. She had full breasts, rounded hips, and a plump ass I’d like to see jiggle when I swatted it. I’d have to get closer to see if she was a scent match. Then I’d know if she could complete the training. But she appeared terrified of all who came near her.

Kharag joined me by the window and handed me a cup of weak tea in a delicate china cup. I took it gingerly, afraid to break the delicate piece of china. “Not a promising batch this year. None will even speak with me. Afraid of my scars and age, most likely.”

“Or maybe it’s the lordling holding court, with his fine manners and fancy clothes,” I pointed out.

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