Page 14 of Claimed By the Orc Emperor

“Anything.”

“I know you said I can’t leave, but is there, like, a loophole where I can get a message to my friend? Just to let him know I’m okay. I promise to come right back.”

He takes a while to answer, washing his body as his face scrunches in thought. He hands me the soap bar and I fall in love with the smell of some kind of citrus and cedar. Not only does it smell phenomenal, the bar glides over my skin and seems to infuse it with oil. It’s fucking amazing. I eagerly rub some into my cloth and wash the sweat and yesterday off my skin.

Axum dips his head under the water after he washes his hair. When he comes back up and squeezes the water out, he meets my gaze. “There is a way for you to go home, Rainn. But it is not exactly ideal at the present.”

Hope blooms in my chest as I think about getting back to Kai. Not forever, just long enough to tell him that I’m okay. But I don’t think I can stay gone for long. Just thinking about it makes my chest ache for some strange reason. Not the thought of leaving this place, but of leaving Axum. It’s a little odd, but I’m going with it.

Other than Kai, there is nothing for me in Destiny. Sure, my career as an author is waiting for me, but I’d rather stay here than peddling stories to make ends meet. Besides, I can write anywhere.

Even without knowing what I’m going to do, I know this is where I belong. My heart and soul feel at ease here.

“What is it? I promise I’ll come back, I just?—”

“Rainn, you would need to be claimed by an orc to leave this realm. And if an orc claims you, you are tied to them. Forever.”

My mouth drops open. Yeah, I see why he says it’s not ideal. Tying myself to someone? I’m not sure I want to do that just to get back home.

“What does it mean, an orc claiming me?”

I watch Axum swallow thickly and lick his lips. The thick flesh of his tongue swipes over one of his tusks and I again cannot stop staring. My dick twitches, itching to touch him, taste him…anything. “Rainn, have you felt…odd when you think about being apart from me?”

A change of conversation, but I’ll bite. “Yeah. It’s the weirdest thing. Not bad, but I’ve never felt anything like it. It’s mind-boggling.”

He nods, rubbing his hand over his wet hair. “I am not sure how to tell you this, but we are mates. You were only able to cross the barrier because you had a mate in this world. That is…me.”

A mate?Axum would be the orc I have to tie myself to?Well, that’s…interesting.

“Since you are my mate,” he continues, “I would have to claim you. But it is a big decision. We would be together from the day we mate until the day we die. We would become physically ill if we were apart for too long and could die if we did not come back together. So if you are in the human world without me, we would both suffer.”

That’s big. It’s a lot to think about. Yes, I’d like to go home and see my best friend, but am I willing to tie myself to Axum? I like him, there’s no doubt about that, and he says we’re mates, but what if we get sick of each other? Forever is a long time. I mean, I’m in my late twenties, so I have at least fifty years left to live if I take care of myself. That’s fifty years with one person, unable to leave if we don’t work out or we’d suffer, as Axum says.

He’s right, it’s not ideal.

I wrap my arms around myself as my spirit, which was just flying high with hope, deflates and some of the light is taken out of my day. “I’m not sure what to say.”

“You do not have to say anything, Rainn. I will consult with my advisors and most accomplished spell weavers to see if there is another way. I will explore every avenue for you.”

Smiling, I say, “Thank you.” The silence is thick and awkward following my words. I don’t want things to be like this between me and Axum. I really enjoy his company. I don’t want him to feel guilty for something he can’t help. “What does ‘claiming’ mean? What do you—we—do?”

To my surprise, Axum’s eyes flare and my own grow wide when I see his cock grow hard and bob beneath the clear water. It should defy science for a dick that big to get that hard. Hell, I’m lightheaded just looking at it. Holy fuck.

He licks his lips, his gaze drifting down my body. “Are you sure you wish to know, Rainn?” His voice drops to a deep, sexy rumble that makes my dick twitch.

A flush blooms over my skin as I soak up his attention. Kicking my chin up, I answer, “Yes.”

As he speaks, Axum takes slow steps towards me, his movements sending a wave of warm water sluicing up my chest. “First, we must build a connection. A deep connection where we feel consumed by each other. So taken that there is no way we want to be away from one another.” I take small steps back as he advances on me, but not out of fear. I want to keep him in my line of sight so I can keep staring at him, keep watching how his gaze roams over my body. “Then, we must make love. While we make love, I would bite you. I will also knot you, as I would any other time I am inside you.”

My back hits the edge of the bathing pool. I’m out of room. But I barely even notice. My sole focus is on Axum and his alluring words.

“Knot me?” I ask in a husky voice that I hardly recognize.

“Yes. There is a knot that inflates within the base of my cock, locking us together until it goes down.” Axum is standing in front of me now, bracketing me with his body. His cock bumps against my belly.

I’m still not sure what he means by ‘knot’, but there is an even more pressing question that races through my mind.

“Inside me? Can you…” I swallow hard. “Will you fit?”

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