Page 10 of Captured By the Orc

“Good work,” I manage roughly from things I shouldn’t be feeling.

We pull apart, the distance suddenly feeling like a cold, empty void. And I push my thoughts to the stars outside. But it’s no use; they keep circling back to her, caught in her gravity.

The ship’s hum is like a lullaby, the same old song. But there’s a new note in it now, off-key, setting my teeth on edge. I’m at the console, fingers dancing over the controls when the universe decides to throw us a curveball.

The deck bucks like a wild beast beneath me. “Shraak!” The curse rips from my throat as I’m thrown forward. Lila’s there—she’s always there—and we collide, a tangle of limbs and startled gasps.

Her body’s firm against mine, every curve pressed close. My arms wrap around her on instinct, hardened by countless battles. It’s meant to steady us, nothing more. Yet having her this close stirs something primal in me, hungry and raw.

Her striking blue eyes meet mine, wide and bright as stars. There’s fear there, yes, but something else too—a hint of that same hunger, maybe.

“Sorry,” she breathes out.

“Think nothing of it,” I reply, gruff, as we untangle ourselves.

Later, the ship’s silence wraps around me like a shroud. Sleep’s a no-go, far out of reach. I wander to the galley, drawn like a moth to whatever flame burns in this endless night.

Lila’s there, a shadow against the glow of the food synthesizer. She turns, and I can make out every line of her athletic build, that practical braid of dark hair. She’s poured into clothes that are both armor and temptation—tight, functional, leaving little to the imagination.

“Couldn’t sleep?” she asks, cutting through the quiet.

“Something like that.” My words come out rough.

We fall into an easy rhythm, side by side, dictated by the cramped space and the pull of something neither of us names.

“Your turn,” I say as I hand back an empty glass, careful not to touch her skin despite everything in me wanting to.

“Thanks.” A smile tugs at her lips, a silent challenge in those ocean-deep eyes.

I watch her move, grace in every step, a diplomat waging war with peace as her weapon. Sharp desire stabs into me.

I want to talk, to bridge this gap between us, but my mouth’s dry as a desert.

“Garoth?” she asks softly, probing, pulling me back from the edge of my wild thoughts.

“Tell me something about your Earth.”

And she does. She talks about oceans and forests, cities that never sleep. Her words paint pictures in the darkness, conjuring worlds. It’s like magic, and I’m caught in its spell.

The hours slip away, time losing meaning out here in the void. We sit there, warrior and diplomat, sharing stories of our separate lives, finding common ground in the emptiness of space. Her laughter is a melody, one I realize I’d fight wars to keep.

And beneath it all, beneath the banter and the shared smiles, the tension keeps building.

“Goodnight, Garoth,” she says eventually, rising like the dawn breaking.

“Night, Lila.” I nearly growl, feeling like a caged beast.

She leaves, and I’m alone with the ghosts of what-ifs and maybes. I stare out into the void, the stars cold and distant. But inside, there’s a fire building, fed by every glance, every word, every accidental touch.

CHAPTER 5

LILA

The ship’s core thrumming beneath me matches the wild beating of my heart. We drift in the black emptiness between stars, the silence pressing against the hull like it’s trying to crush us.

Garoth’s massive form looms over me, turning the console lights into a blood-red halo around him. God, he’s huge. And hot. No, focus, Lila!

“Wanna play a game?” His gravelly tone jolts me out of my spiraling thoughts.

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