Page 63 of Orc's Possession
“Just because I bought you, does not mean you are of any lessvalue to me than if you had been born orc. How you came to be mine does not matter, only that you are.”
She nods, but I’m not sure she believes my words. “What do the cendagi have to do with any of this?”
“They brought all five species to Kovos, one way or another. Toward the end of The Undoing, the war that destroyed my planet, the cendagi gave us ships. We had no ships, no pilots. The cendagi knew precisely what we had and didn’t have. They programmed the ships to come here, a planet they said was uninhabited. It was all too?—”
“Convenient?” she says, as if she’s starting to understand that the other species on Kovos are not necessarily our enemies, but that does not mean we are among allies either.
“Yes. I often wonder if they were involved with The Undoing. After we landed and unloaded the few tools and weapons we’d brought from Orcos, the ships lifted. Within a week, we discovered the cendagi had lied. We were not the only species on Kovos, but it was done. We could not leave. Even if we could, we had no home to return to. We had to accept Kovos as our home… and that we would share this planet with those already here. We arrived after the bantarans and moxxels and before the vints. Your people were last.”
“What happened to your women?”
“When it became clear our planet would not survive, I ordered as many people aboard the ships as possible, thousands of women and younglings first. Fifty ships left minutes before the planet splintered. Of the ships that left, only thirty-three arrived on Kovos. The ships that carried most of our females and younglings…” I take a deep breath before continuing. “Those ships exploded. I do not think that is a coincidence either. Not when your people have more females than males. And the bantarans have very few people but have weapons that make up for that deficit.”
Her jaw drops.
I close it shut with a single finger beneath her chin. “I do not know what the cendagi’s end game is, my female, but it does not change the fact that we are here and we will do what we must to survive. You’ve only seen the one set of tunnels. Mount Racha has other entrances, other tunnels systems that house many more of my people, but mostly males. My warriors are lonely.
“While it is true I plan to take more of the human females, it is not to make slaves of them, but to find mates for males who will cherish them, as I cherish you.”
Her mouth falls open again.
“Is there an issue with your jaw, mate? It won’t stay closed. Or is this an invitation to feed you my cock? This building has the privacy you desire.”
She snaps her mouth shut, then tips up on her toes and kisses me while her hands clasp behind my neck as she pulls me down to her. I do not resist, especially as her mouth opens again, inviting me in.
While I did not expect this reaction, it pleases me greatly. I need her on my side, not fighting me at every turn. And Iwanther to be my mate, to take me into her furs and let me know the peace that only a mate can offer.
Her tongue strokes mine, giving me other ideas, but in this, I let her lead. I’ve been so busy being grak, that I’ve forgotten I need to be her mate, to listen to her as much as I demand she listen to me.
Her lips shift, and her tongue glides over a tusk. To my astonishment, pleasure shoots through me. No female has ever touched me in this manner, stirring my blood and my cock.
As she slowly pulls her lips from mine, I wonder what I’ve done right, so I may repeat it over and over for my female.
“Does that mean I am forgiven?” I ask as her hand runs over my cheek and my jaw before resting on my chest. My thumb caresses the back of her hand as I wait for her to tell me what she needs, what it will take for her to accept her life with me.
“Thank you, Atox.”
“You call me Atox again?”
“It’s hard not to. It’s more intimate.”
I let it pass, because I miss hearing my name on her lips. And if this is what she requires to see me as her mate, then I may have to bend on this.
“Why do you thank me?” I ask.
“For telling me what happened to your people, for helping me understand your mistrust of the cendagi, and by extension, the other colonies here, but mostly for telling me your plans. While I don’t agree with them, I appreciate the position you’re in, but more than anything, I want you to know how important it is that you’re not leaving me in the dark.”
“I will never leave you in the dark again since you fear it and I do not wish to make you fear anything.” I take her hand and put it on my hard cock. “Especially this.”
She laughs, a sound that fills me with joy. I don’t want a slave or a female who says yes to everything. I want a female who will challenge me, support me as grak, and if the gods will forgive me for my part in The Undoing, want me as much as I want her.
CHAPTER TWENTY-FOUR
PALOMA
As we walk through Pen’Kesh, Atox rests his hand against my lower back, a gesture I treasure now that I’m starting to understand him. Running into my father was a blessing as it led to Atox telling me his plans. I never thought he’d share anything confidential with me. Even if he never seeks my advice, he trusts me and cares enough to include me in what is happening.
“I’m worried, Atox.”
