Page 23 of The Orc's Bride

His arm pressed to my side, holding me secure, and a deep rumble vibrated in his chest. It could have been laughter, or words of comfort, or…

I fell asleep.

When I woke up, I was in Urgan’s lap. We weren’t riding. He was sitting with his back to a large tree and holding me close. I was enveloped in his heat… and pressed very close to his monstrous length that was as hard as a rock.

It seemed like a dream. A good one, too. Still fuzzy from sleep and so pleasantly warm, I rubbed myself against Urgan’s hardness, arching my back. A soft sigh escaped me. I squirmed in Urgan’s lap, heat and wetness building up between my legs.

“Stop,” he said quietly. I froze, going from mellow to wide awake in a matter of seconds.

“Stop or I won’t be able to hold back. And this is not the time and place.” His voice was calm, but I could hear the tension now. The suppressed passion.

Gods. What was I doing?!

I tried to push him away and step back, but his hold on me would not budge.

“Oh, stay. It’s pleasant with you in my arms. And you’ve done a good job keeping me awake and alert. But… even I have my limits.”

“Let me go,” I said through clenched teeth.

Urgan peered down at me, his silver eyes reflecting the glow of a torch that was burning nearby, stuck into the ground.

“Tell me why and I will.”

“I… I need to pee,” I said. It was true enough.

And I was also hungry. I had only had water over the journey, and my last meal had been somewhere around noon. I could bet it was past midnight now.

Urgan let his arms drop.

“Don’t go far,” he said. “It’s safe for now, but it could change any minute.”

I shivered. For now. Of course. Because there were ragghits on the prowl, hunting for blood.

I squatted behind a bush just ten steps away from the camp, caring little if Urgan heard me. I could travel over a mile and he would still be able to hear me if he focused. The orcs’ senses were that sharp, as I had learned from the Tradesman.

And they had a keen sense of smell, too… I closed my eyes, mortified. Had he smelled me just now? He must have.

I gathered some dry, soft moss growing on the side of a tree and wiped myself as best I could. What I really needed was a proper bath, with water and herbs, but I doubted I could get it in the middle of the wood.

And I could guess what Urgan would say if I demanded to wash myself in a stream.

He would say he would watch me. For my safety, of course.

Being in the water, having those silver eyes caress every inch of my naked body… Urgan’s sharp focus on me only… I closed my eyes and shook my head. I was getting wet again. At this rate, no amount of moss would save me.

Why would my mind not behave?

I stood up, looking around. I could just make out the darker outlines of the trees and the general entanglement that was the undergrowth. I could probably walk through this forest until I found a human settlement. There were plenty of streams here. There were berries and nuts. I wouldn’t starve.

There were also ragghits and other beasts. Or, at least, Urgan claimed they were nearby. We hadn’t seen anything since the attack. And, of course, there was Urgan himself, who would hunt me down as soon as he noticed my disappearance.

But… maybe next time, I would set off further into the woods to do my business. That way, if I decided to run away, I would gain a few precious minutes. He wouldn’t suspect me right away if I walked too far off.

When I got back, Urgan was waiting, his eyes flashing in the darkness.

“Grikh,” he said. “Zadran.”

Two orcs sat up at once, rubbing their eyes. Urgan motioned for me to join him. He had fashioned one bag from his saddle into a lumpy pillow and was sitting by it, waiting. I walked closer to him and sat down.

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