Page 53 of Orc's Possession
“I have many knives, but only one female. Lift your arms or I will cut your tunic off you.”
He would. This orc doesn’t bluff. When I lift my arms, I suck in a deep breath as pain lances across my stomach, hips, and lower back.
“Vekking racanna,” he says followed by Orcan words as hepulls the tunic off, exposing a thick ring of bruises around my middle.
Atox immediately tips my head up with one finger. “Do not look.”
“I want to see what it did to me.”
“You do not need to see the damage.”
“I’ve already seen the bruises.”
“But not the cuts.”
“Cuts?”
“Keep your head up,” he orders as he opens a wooden box near his trunk of clothing and furs and withdraws the healing gel he used on my ass that day by the river.
Atox sits on the edge of the bed and draws me between his legs with a gentle touch that still amazes me. I stand there completely naked, too tired and sore to be self-conscious while he applies the gel to my ribs, stomach, and back. He doesn’t seduce me or scold me, or try to teach me how to behave toward him. He simply applies the gel, as gently as he can, careful not to miss a single spot. My heart feels lighter. No one has ever cared for me so tenderly.
I shiver from the cold.
“Almost done, female. Then you will sleep.”
“I was scared, Atox.”
“Yengas chased you and then a racanna nearly drowned you. You would be a fool not to be scared.”
“You wouldn’t have been. Orcs don’t fear.” I look away, knowing I’ve just pointed out that I’m weak, something I know Atox detests.
He stops applying the gel. “Is that what you think?”
When I don’t answer or look at him, afraid to see the disappointment in his face, he tugs my wet hair. “Look at me, Paloma.”
He used my name. That alone makes me meet his eyes. It’s as if my name is as guarded as his, reserved for moments such as this. Life and death, healing and maybe forgiveness.
Those dark green eyes that have always drawn my attention pull me in deeper than ever before. I wish he’d let me see behind them, to get to know him better.
“Female, I fear many things in this life, as do all orcs. But we do not show it. We cannot appear weak.”
“But you’re not weak.”
He draws a long breath. “We all have weaknesses, but we hide them, fight them… do anything but give in to them. Fear is a powerful force, one that destroys. We cannot let fear infect us. Instead, we use it as a weapon. Instill fear in others… That is key to how we defeat our enemies. Slathering ourselves in muck, causing trouble with other species, being quick and decisive, all of these tactics make others think twice about crossing us.”
“So you don’t have to fight?”
His lips curl down, flashing more of his tusks. “You are beginning to think like an orc. But do not mistake strategically deciding when to engage the enemy with reluctance to do so. We enjoy fighting and will eagerly charge against an enemy, if and when it is necessary. And when we fight, we crush our enemy so they cannot rise up against us again. But fighting for the sake of fighting is a waste of resources.”
My shivering returns with a vengeance and I feel like I’m going to be sick, but it isn’t a reflection on him or his ways. And yet I can’t find the words to tell him how I feel about being here, because I’m no longer sure.
After drying me from head to toe with a towel that is stiffer than what I’m used to and is made of a fiber I’ve never seen but does absorb water, I sink to the edge of the bed. Atox quickly strips out of his weapons harness and loin-cloth.
He’s beautiful, with solid muscles everywhere, a trim waist, and a V that practically points to his cock. Even flaccid, that cock has girth and length that would intimidate any human male and terrify any woman. Except for me. I’m no longer scared of him, because I’ve seen a side to him that he hides from most.
“You are tiny, but you will adjust to me,” he says standing over me, his cock bobbing before my face.
I’ve been in this position with him before, but this time I’m intrigued. Subtle ridges run the length of it, bands that swirl and change direction, like a piece of art. It’s beautiful. And the ridges… they remind me of his forehead. I tip my head back and take in his face.
