Page 16 of Claimed By the Orc Emperor

Axum smiles as he dries me off with the large towel—or what he calls a drying cloth. The necklace I have on catches on it a few times, making Axum frown at it.

I’m surprised to see he also bought a towel for my hair, collecting the water that drips from my twists with a small smile on his face.

After I’m dry, he takes my hand and leads me into his room. On the bed is a long shirt that looks soft to the touch.

He scoops it up and hands it to me. “I will have a tailor make you clothing soon. In the meantime, would you like to wear a tunic of mine?”

His expression is shy, soft. How could I turn down this sweet orc?

I take the garment from him, sliding it quickly over my head. It billows around me, making me aware that I am not wearing underwear. But, fuck, this material feels good against my skin. So soft and airy. “Thank you, Axum.”

The smile that stretches his face is fucking beautiful. Axum is hot as fuck. I’m one lucky human. “You are welcome. I will return with food and books for you and will complete my work before dusk.”

He kisses me quickly, then breezes out of the door. With a sigh, I fall back on the bed, grinning at the ceiling. How is this my life?

ChapterSeven

Axum

A headache poundsbehind my eyelids, frustration churning in my gut. I hate getting bad news and this has to be the worst. “What do you mean, you cannot find the rogue orcs? Did Nash not give you coordinates to patrol?”

Larek looks as frustrated as I feel as we glare down at the soldiers standing before us. Last week, I sent scouts to my brother to get as much information about the rogue orcs as they could, but it seems as if it was a fruitless endeavor.

The lead soldier steps forward, eyes downcast. “Once we linked with Lord Nash, we heard whispers they were in the Dostinl region, but they were not there. We found their tracks, so they may have been tipped off that we were inquiring of their location.”

Olog grunts, his arms crossed over his massive chest. “Did it occur to you not to ask anyone in that region, for they may have been sympathetic to those…orcs’ cause?”

The soldier’s cheeks darken. “It did not, sir.”

I grumble, “So you lost them?”

“Yes, Your Highness. But we shall return to help Lord Nash and?—”

“Enough,” I say almost wearily, raising my hand. “I will confer with my brother to better assist him. You may go.”

Before he leaves, the soldier bows and says, “I apologize for disappointing you, Your Highness.”

“You will do better next time.”

His face brightens, though his eyes still reflect the sting of his failure.

It is customary to relieve soldiers of duty when they are unable to perform the tasks set before them, sending them back to their trades. It would be a great dishonor to return to your trade before the six-month mandatory duty is served. What I just did for this orc was save him from dishonor, allowing him to keep his post as a soldier until his time has ended.

He places a fist over his chest, bowing more deeply. “Thank you. This will not happen again.” He and the other guards bow repeatedly as they head out of the door of the throne room.

Larek rests a hand on my shoulder. “Your father was fair, but he would not have been that kind. You may have earned yourself a loyal servant.”

I frown. “I did not do it to earn a servant. I did not want to disgrace him for a mistake. A big mistake, but a mistake all the same. This is their first mission. They will conduct themselves accordingly the next time.”

“As you say.”

I snap my fingers and a scribe steps forward, quill poised over a parchment. “Your Grace.”

“Send a letter to Nash. Inform him that we haven’t found any information on the rogue orcs. So he has full reins in locating them. If he has to, he can involve Mahk. He would be itching to get called in.”

The scribe's hands move quickly over the parchment, taking my notes. “Yes, Your Grace. I will send this forthwith.”

After transcribing the message, my scribe hurries from the throne room to send a raven to Nash. My brother has stopped all telepathic communication, so I have to send him messages by mundane means.

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