Page 21 of Agor

Becca

Agor cradled me to his chest. “I’m taking you home.”

Clutching the knife in both hands, I shivered in my damp clothes. My feet were so cold, I couldn’t even feel them in my soggy boots anymore. Instinctively, I leaned into the warmth of his body, pressing my knife to my chest.

Being carried all the way back to my settlement in this fashion didn’t sound bad at all. Then, I remembered that the word “home” held a very different meaning for the orc than it did for me.

“Wherehome?”I tensed.

“To the keep.” He grinned. “I’m keeping you, my fire newt.”

“You’re what?” I scrambled out of his arms.

Covered in mud and blood, I was too slippery for him to hold on to me.

“Hey, stop wiggling.” He grabbed for me, but I’d already slipped out of his embrace and landed on the ground in a crouch. “Where are you going?”

“Home.Myhome.”

I climbed over the limp neck of the hydra’s head that had almost swallowed me whole.

Agor caught up with me and grabbed my arm.

“You know, I can toss you over my shoulder and get you back to my house well before the sunrise, no matter how much you’d kick or scream.”

The truth of his words weighed heavily on me. He most certainly could do whatever the hell he wished with me. If I ran, he’d catch me.

I was tired. So tired, my hands shook and my legs barely held me upright. Despite the exhaustion, I would still put up a fight, of course. He wouldn’t get me easily. But the element of surprise was no longer on my side. He’d underestimated me once. It was safe to assume he wouldn’t make the same mistake again. In a fair fight between us, the odds were on his side. He was probably three times my size, better fed and more rested than me. And he had a giant, vicious dog with him. If I fought, I’d lose.

Putting the knife away in my boot, I released a sigh and sat down on the neck of the dead hydra.

“And then what?” I asked the orc.

“What do you mean?”

“What will happen once you drag me back to your house?”

A lazy smile spread on his face as he must be envisioning me helpless and at his mercy.

“We had a great time tonight, didn’t we?” he said. “But I got only a taste. And I want much more. Maybe I’ll be the one to putyouin chains this time and have my way with you. You’ll love it.”

I shook my head. “I’ll hate it. If you drag me back to your keep against my will and force me to become your ‘plaything’ chained to your bed, I’ll hate you for as long as I live. I’ll never stop trying to escape, even if I have to kill you for my freedom. And trust me, I’m persistent enough to succeed at that sooner or later.”

His dreamy smile dimmed but didn’t disappear completely.

“There is some fun to be had in taming a hellcat like you.”

“Hellcat? Me?” I scoffed at his choice of words. “Funny, because I’m more of a dog person myself.”

I glanced at Ata, who sat nearby licking a scratch from one of the hydra’s teeth on her paw. She was an exceptional animal, I had to admit, strong, smart, loyal, and fierce.

“You like dogs?” Agor perked up. “Do you have one?”

We barely had enough food to feed the children in the settlement. I couldn’t possibly afford to have a pet. But the orc didn’t need to know about the sorry state my people had descended into over the years.

“We travel a lot,” I waved him off. “Not the best lifestyle to have a pet.” The disturbing plans he had for me wouldn’t leave my thoughts. “Is that what you want me to be? Your pet? What do you imagine it’d be like if you succeed at taming me?”

“I’ll have you in my bed every night. What’s not to like about that?”

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