“If you think I’m going to kill you in your sleep, then why keep me? I’m not worth the risk.”
She’s wrong about that, but I recognize hate when I hear it. This female truly doesn’t want to be with me or my people.
Too bad.
I need her.
It’s possible I’m going about this wrong. When training a gorja, one must get to know it, not merely break it, or one risks breaking its spirit in the process.
“You did not answer my question. What does your name mean?” I ask.
“It’s just a name.”
“Orc names carry meaning. They imbue the spirit of those who came before us.”
“We focus more on the here and now, not our past.”
Humans care little for their past or their future, giving away life-giving females such as this one. I do not understand this way of thinking. “Your people have no soul.”
“And you have no heart.”
CHAPTER NINE
PALOMA
This horrendous and horribly long day has drained me. As the rhythm of the orc-horse’s trot lulls me, I finally give in to this recently bathed orc behind me and his intoxicating scent and sink against him.
My, oh my, he is incredibly warm. Heat radiates through my soaked top, warming my flesh. For a brief moment, I wonder what it would be like to press against him, naked flesh to naked flesh.
My eyes jolt open. These thoughts will condemn me to a life as a breeder. I have to keep a clear head and find a way to Pen’Kesh.Beforethis orc touches me.
But I’m so fucking tired. If I want to sleep, that means trusting Grak.
Despite my determination, my eyelids keep closing. Opening them gets harder and harder as I soak in the heat coming from this massive orc.
With the gentle breeze and quiet surrounding me, my thoughts drift to my family. If my father had wanted to keep mefrom this horrid fate, he would have found a way. That council seat is more important to him than me. My needs, hell, my welfare, never seemed to be a priority growing up or even after arriving on Kovos. Though Camila, Marta, and Renata never had any issues with him.
When my family came to Kovos, we left behind a beautiful home overlooking the Pacific Ocean. The home had been in my mom’s family long before the Coalition took control of Earth. As far back as I can remember, Dad never worked. He called himself a stay-at-home dad and told everyone he took care of the four of us while Mom worked long hours as a surgeon. Except he spent his time hanging with friends and smoking whatever drug he could get his hands on.
That’s when I learned to cook, clean, and do the wash at such a young age. I mean, someone had to do that stuff, right? Mom got sick before I had a chance to move out. Then the aliens invaded Earth, forever changing our lives.
The Coalition set up their warlord who bit-by-bit tore our world apart. There was no escaping. Except for select families. The cendagi, one of the species that make up the Coalition, offered us a choice to remain or settle on another planet. My parents believed the sales pitch, that the medicine on Kovos would cure Mom.
No one told us there would be other species here. Ones with strange customs and even stranger appearances. Monsters so uncivilized that they smelled from poor or no hygiene.
But Grak doesn’t smell anymore. The water washed off the dirt and grime, leaving an enticing scent. And his customs, while different, do not appear chaotic or barbaric.
He jumped into the water to save me, protected me from my father, and punished the young orc who touched me, sending a message to all the warriors present that I’m not to be touched. He’s been straightforward with me, unlike my own people.
So much of this male is beyond what I expected.
As we whisk by the dark woods, our path twisting and turning, taking me deeper into orc territory, I realize I may never find my way to Pen’Kesh, even if I manage to escape.
When I drift to sleep, strange dreams assail me. All dark and terrifying. Then one dream turns erotic where Grak’s hand caresses my ribs with a feather-light touch.
I rouse slightly, but with the movement of the six-legged beast beneath me and a warm body behind me, I’m not ready to wake. I want to return to my dream, the one where I’m being touched in a way that warms my core and lightens my heart with hope.
Electricity moves through me as the rough pads of thick fingers trace my nipple, drawing out the sensitive peak. I arch, semi-aware that I’m not fully asleep.
