Page 7 of The Orc's Bride

It wasn’t just his size. Orcs were larger than humans. No, it was about his presence. The power that suffused his whole being. A demanding attitude which could bear no resistance. He was used to being obeyed, and he radiated a kind of cruel arrogance, a certainty that nothing could hide from him. Nothing could run from him.

And nothing and no one could resist him.

Could I?

He unsettled me in ways I hadn’t ever expected. He didn’t just terrify me. I could have lived with that.

He did something infinitely worse.

Hefascinatedme.

He seemed so unlike the orcs I had met, and it wasn’t just because of his silver eyes or his all-consuming presence. There seemed to be a sharp, calculating wit in his eyes. The way he looked at me, analyzing, burrowing down through my layers of defiance and pretended courage, made me feel completely helpless.

It seemed I couldn’t hide from those attentive eyes that missed nothing.

Which was deeply unfair. Since when did orcs care about us, humans? Since when did they expect us to be more than just useful servants, or their dumb playthings?

He didn’t see me as a toy or a slave. No, he looked at me as if I were his equal in intellect and cunning. He didn’t underestimate me.

It meant he was deadly dangerous to me, to my plans, to any underground movement I was planning to organize. I hoped like hell that after we arrived in the capital, he would really let me go so I could become an overlooked servant in some other orc’s house.

And if not? Well, I would have to make him lose interest in me somehow.

And if I couldn’t lull him into thinking I was just a mediocre human female and no threat at all… I would have to kill him.

And under no circumstances could I become attracted to this cunning beast. Because if I made the mistake of agreeing to this bizarre marriage proposal, I wouldn’t be able to carry out my vendetta.

Oh. And, of course, there was another reason I couldn’t agree to become his wife. If we married, we would have to mate. Lie together. My body in the grip of his enormous paws.

His gargantuan member ploughing inside me, maybe even tearing me apart.

My cheeks heated when a vision of his hands wrapped around my waist appeared in my mind. His sharp teeth marking my skin, drawing blood. And his monstrous length entering me, filling me close to breaking, tearing into my body with beastly force.

Warmth pooled in my lower belly, and a slickness in my underwear. My eyes widened in comprehension and a new terror. No! That couldn’t be! I couldn’tpossiblybe wanting to rut with an orc.

Yet, that was exactly what my body was telling me.

I clenched my fists, letting my nails dig deep into my palms. I had to calm down. I had to deal with my body’s betrayal. And I would. But first…

“I will come with you,” I told the orc, trying to speak to my best ability. What came out probably sounded like gibberish. The important thing was, in my head it sounded all right.

Learning to speak the language of the orcs had never been my main priority. I had learned to understand them so I could kill them better. Besides, my human tongue wasn’t made to speak the crude sounds of the orc language.

“When do you set out?” I asked.

He grinned at me, now more amused than threatening.

“Now,” he said.

Without a warning, he picked me up as if I were a sack of potatoes and threw me over his shoulder. I didn’t even have time to gasp – or say goodbye. We were off, moving fast with the orc’s easy strides. A few other orcs rose and followed us.

The orc’s hands were gripping the backs of my thighs, and I felt his skin against mine, hardened and calloused. His hands were warm.

And again, my warmth rose inside me, unbidden and unwanted. Treacherous, foolish body. As if it didn’t know that desiring an orc could only lead to pain. That it was unnatural.

“Let me go,” I said, trying to struggle in his grip. But it was useless. I was like a kitten seized by a mountain bear.

“Oh, no,” he said, his voice dark. “Not when you smell so nice, and right under my nose.”

---