Page 10 of Tryggred By the Orc

“Ach, prettyKa-esh,” interrupted a voice, andEben’seyes snapped open, his heart surging into his throat.Becauseno, no, there was a strangeSkai,here, huge and sweaty and dripping fresh blood — and he was leaning in far too close, his breaths heavy and sour inEben’snostrils.

“Whatbrings a sweet smallKa-esh like you to theSkaiarena, this night?” the orc crooned, his eyes alight onEben’sface. “Seekingsome pleasure,Iken?”

Eben’sheart wheeled up harder, his stomach twisting in his gut, and he clutched his claws at the wall, and wildly shook his head. “N-no, naught of the sort,” he croaked. “Iam only here for a moment.Only— seeking someone.”

Butthe orc only leaned closer, and his huge clawed hand settled to the wall besideEben’shead, blocking him from moving forward. “Ach, are you?” he drawled. “Seekingsomeone who can make you kneel and beg, mayhap?Justas a good littleKa-esh should?”

What?Ebenstared at the orc for an instant too long, as the heat and the misery pounded through his cheeks, against his screaming skull.No.No.Thiscould not be happening.Heshould have known better, he should never have come here —

“No,” he gasped, pressing himself back further against the wall. “No.Please.Iam only here for — for —Tryggr.”

Hisvoice was badly wavering, enough thatTryggr’sname was scarcely audible — but wait, the orc’s beady eyes had dartedsideways.Sideways, perhaps only a dozen paces away, where — yes — there wasTryggr, on the floor amidst the mass of fighting orcs.Andhe was grappling with another lean, handsomeSkai, both of them laughing and gasping and snapping their teeth — butTryggrclearly had the upper hand, straddling the other orc like that, pinning his wrists to the floor…

Andthen —Eben’sheart lurched —Tryggrroughly shoved the otherSkaionto his belly, and yanked down the orc’s trousers.Revealinga hard, muscled grey arse, oh — andTryggr’sclawed hand gave it a swift, ringing slap before yanking down his own trousers, releasing his own swollen, scarred, dripping prick.Thesame prick that had filled so many ofEben’sthoughts these past weeks — and it was now sliding easy and hungry between the orc’s bared, quivering arse-cheeks.Seekingits place, finding it, and then sinking inside slow and deep…

No.No.No.Ebendidn’t want to see it, couldn’t bear to see it, but he couldn’t look away from it, while the huge, horrifying orc before him — laughed.Laughed, because wait, he’d been lettingEbenwatch this, letting him see how his intended target was so obviously enamoured with someone else.

“Ach,Tryggris busy,Iken,” the orc drawled, asEben’sblinking, traitorous eyes watchedTryggr’ships start plunging, while the orc beneath him gasped and moaned. “Thus, mayhap you can find other pleasures also, ach?”

Cursethis orc, curse this horrible overwhelming room, this horrible day, the horrible sick jealousy screeching inEben’sbelly.Thishad been so foolish, so, so foolish,never trust aSkai, never let one get you alone, butEbenhad promised, he had, and he needed to fulfill his promise, and then run as fast as he could, until he could collapse a tunnel behind him…

“Tryggr!” he shouted, through his hoarse throat. “Tryggr!Help!”

9

Foran instant, nothing happened.Nothing, but the incessant noise and chaos, whileTryggrkept plunging into the orc beneath him.

Andthe huge orc saw it, and laughed.Laughed, loud and triumphant, as he pinnedEbencloser against the wall, his breath hot and nauseating, his swollen groin grinding hard intoEben’sbelly.

Eben’spanic was screaming white and wild, now, blinding his eyes, trembling his entire body against the orc’s massive bulk.Whatcould he do, surely someone would notice or help, maybe he could catchEfterarorKesst’sattention somehow — but the room was too full of noise and blood and mayhem, oh please, please —

“Help!”Ebengasped. “Help, please!Please!Sir!”

When— there.Tryggr’sbody jerked up, his head snapping sideways, toward — towardEben.TowardwhereEbenwas cringing and cowering against the wall, against the orc — and oh no, no,Ebencould even feel water streaking down his cheeks, hot and shameful and humiliating.WhileTryggrjust keptblankly staring at him, as if not seeing, not following.Maybenot even — not even caring.

Andoh,Ebendidn’t care, he didn’t,never trust aSkai, never — but wait.Wait.Tryggrwas leaping to his feet, yanking up his trousers.Andthen lurching over toward them with astonishing speed, vaulting over another pair of grappling orcs on the way.

“Whatthe fuck,Skaap!”Tryggrsnarled, as he drove his shoulder into the huge orc, and shoved him sideways. “Can’tyou scent how terrified he is?Skai-kesh above, he’sweeping!”

Andno, no,Ebenwasn’t weeping, why was he weeping, the water streaming down his face, his head hanging, his shoulders heaving.Betrayingall his shame, his horrifying humiliation, for all these orcs to see, for thisSkaapto see, forTryggrto see —

“Ach,Ka-esh,” cameTryggr’svoice, rushed and urgent — and that was his hand onEben’sface, tilting it up toward him. “Ach, you’re all right.I’vegot you.Naughtto fear, ach?”

Oh.Oh.Ebensank against the wall behind him, his eyes fluttering closed, and that was an odd sound fromTryggrbefore him, much like a growl — but his hand kept cradlingEben’sface, caressing against his wet cheek. “Ach, naught to fear, sweetKa-esh.Noneed to scent thus.Skaapshallnevercome near you again.”

Hisvoice had deepened at the end, into something hard and almost dangerous — and whenEbenblinked up again,Tryggrwas baring his teeth, and glaring over his shoulder.Towardwhere a cold-eyedSkaapwas rapidly backing away from them, sinking into the clamouring throng.

Itwas enough to sagEbenheavier against the wall, and perhaps he’d even managed a nod.AndTryggr’shand on his face gave another approving little caress, his eyes slowly softening, despite the grim tightness still on his mouth.

“You’reall right,Ka-esh,” he said, even gentler than before. “Now, is aught else amiss?Youcome here to find me?Tospeak to me?”

Ebentwitched another nod, and suddenly the urgent surging panic was here again, stark and scraping in his belly. “It’s—Alma,” he gasped. “She’s— gone.Runaway.”

Tryggr’seyes snapped wide, and then darted sideways, catching on —Drafli.Drafli, halfway across the room, his lean body whirling through the air, and hurling another orc onto the floor.Buthe’d almost seemed to senseTryggr’sgaze, somehow, because he twitched around, frowning — and thenTryggr’shand rapidly began moving in midair, speaking in their sign language.

Drafliinstantly stiffened, his hand snatching sideways, toward — oh.Baldr, who’d been fighting close beside him.Andat another sharp motion fromDrafli’sclawed hand,Baldrfrowned and closed his eyes, inhaling deep — and then he stiffened all over, too.Andwithout a word, or a single glance around them, they both sprinted for the door, dodging and leaping over other orcs as they went.

“I’dbest round up a few brothers to help, just in case,”Tryggrsaid now, turning back toEbenwith unmistakable urgency in his scent. “Mayhapyou oughta —”

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