Page 16 of Orc's Possession
Her jaw clenches. “It means I’m sad, frightened, miserable.”
“Females tell me my cock is quite pleasing. Before The Undoing, when there were plenty of females to fuck.”
Her eyes widen. “Are you mocking me or trying to terrorize me?”
The female has no scars that I can see. I doubt she knows the meaning of the word terrorize. I walk into the water until I’m waist high, my back to her so she may see all of me and my past.
Her gasp doesn’t stop me from lowering myself into the cool water. “What shocks you more, female? My scars or the fact that I bathe?”
“What do you mean?” she asks, her voice catching.
“I hear the words your people call us. They think we are filthy creatures who wallow in our own waste.”
“I’ve never said that about anyone.”
“It’s written on your face, female.” I run my hands up my arms and neck, scrubbing the dirt from my torso, without turning around. I want her to see every angry scar across my back. “You fear me. Why? I have not harmed you.”
When she says nothing, I turn to make sure she is still there, though with her noisy footfalls, I would have heard her fleeing. She’s standing at the water’s edge, watching me with wary eyes, but she’s not running. Progress. I still cannot trust her, and I likely won’t for a long time, if ever.
“Humans are immoral and untrustworthy creatures. Not to mention arrogant and entitled. As proven by the fact that your people sold you to me against your will. The strong of your colony sacrifice the weak. This is shameful. A grak fights for his people, from the strongest to the weakest. Especially the weakest, as they cannot protect themselves.”
A slight cry tears from her throat.
No one fought for this female. Not her sire, not the other males of her colony.
I will fight for her. If she allows me.
“Answer me, female.”
“Yes, I’m afraid. I didn’t ask to be here.”
“Nor did I.”
She lifts her chin, higher than before. Despite her pale coloring, she has an allure to her. While she will always look humanand never truly fit in with my people, she has a purpose with us, one she must accept if there is to be peace between us.
“Can you at least use my name? It’s Paloma.”
I could use her name, but why should I? It changes nothing. “Wash my clothes while I finish scrubbing my skin.”
She sighs then picks up my trou. As I turn away from her, I listen for the sound of metal sliding from leather. This is her chance to use my weapons against me. To my surprise, the next sounds I hear are those of her scrubbing the dirt from my clothing at the water’s edge.
“You want me for my ability to have kids. What happens If I can’t? Will you then let me go?”
“Where would you go, female? Your people do not value you. The moxxels and bantarans have no use for a small female such as you. The vints might take you in, but you would not survive them.”
“I have somewhere to go. It’s none of your business, frankly.”
I rise from the lake, water sluicing off my body as I stride toward her, ready to teach her not to speak to me with insolence.
She picks up my sheathed sword, struggling with its weight, then slams it, sheath and all, against my chest. “Here, orc. Kill me. Because I guarantee if you force me to sleep with you, I will fight you. And I’ll never stop fighting.”
“Good,” I say, as I strap my leather harness on, then sling my sword onto my back. No trou, but an orc is never truly naked as long as he has his weapons.
“Good?” she blinks twice, perplexed.
“I want a strong female. And our laws do not allow males to forcibly bed females. But I doubt the males of your colony have told you this. Only that we kill those who disagree with us. More lies from an untrustworthy species.”
Her jaw drops, and then shuts, as if she’s not sure what the truth is at this point. For the first time since I’ve taken her, I’mbeginning to understand her fear is not based on who we are, but what she’s been told of us.
