“Ach, Grimarr says he wishes for this,” Natt replied flatly. “But he is still too caught in these wars and plans against men, and his own dream of five orc clans as one, all held under his thumb. But I say, if the Ka-esh do not wish for lamps, or the Skai and Bautul do not wish for laws to foil their deeds, then we Grisk should not suffer, for this. We ought to stride forward alone, and hope that the rest of our brothers will see our wisdom, and seek to follow.”
Ella was still nodding, and eyeing Natt with an odd, rising admiration. “So you need your Captain to grant you the authority to proceed, on these things,” she said slowly. “And the resources.”
Natt gave a curt nod, and Ella felt her head tilting, considering that. “What kind of resources?” she asked. “Your guard? Money?”
Natt’s jaw twitched again, but he didn’t answer, and drew Ella toward another black opening in the rock. Into a room that smelled starkly of sulphur, and which — Ella blinked — held several large, square, stone-carved baths, heavily steaming with what looked to be hot water.
“You have heated baths, just sitting here to use whenever you wish?!” Ella asked faintly, because even with her wealth, this would be a shocking extravagance — but Natt only shot her a smug grin, and kicked off his trousers. And here, again, confronting Ella’s formerly maiden eyes, was the sight of a tall, naked, muscular orc, showing off his spectacular backside as he strode to the nearest bath, and leapt in.
He sent water splashing everywhere, and more steam billowing through the room, and Ella watched with increasing amusement as he stood, streaming hot water, and then hurled himself in again. Twisting and splashing like a child, or perhaps an exuberant puppy, and then coming up and shaking all over, his wet black hair whirling out like a fan behind him.
But then he turned to look at Ella, and she was looking at him. And when his finger beckoned, saying, come here, she mutely nodded, and lowered her eyes as she pulled off her smelly, filthy shift, revealing her painted, sticky body beneath. And feeling Natt’s intent gaze prickling on her bare skin as she dropped the shift to the floor, and took a careful step closer to the bath’s smooth edge.
It really was remarkable workmanship, she thought disjointedly, blinking at the straight, clean cut of the stone — but then all thoughts had vanished at once, because warm wet hands had grasped for her, and dragged her bodily down into the hot, steaming water. And even as Ella shouted and flailed, she felt herself sink into the utterly glorious feel of it, and into the strong arms already wrapped around her, pressing her up against his silken skin.
“Do you remember how to swim?” Natt murmured, soft, into Ella’s ear. And at her tentative replying nod, he gave a triumphant growl, and then —threw her in.
The shock and the rage and the laughter seemed to swarm all at once, as Ella’s sore muscles revelled in the lovely heat, and her legs kicked her straight toward where her stinging eyes could see Natt’s blurry form through the water. And when she surged up, and tackled him back into the pool, he only laughed, allowing her to shove him deep under the rippling splashing warmth.
When they both came back up again, Ella was facing Natt in the water, her legs spreading apart around his waist, his big hands curving familiar and protective against her bare arse. Encouraging her to settle closer against him, until — Ella froze all over — there was the distinctive feel of that smooth, tapered hardness. Jabbing not against her still-tender heat, which had somehow spread rather gratuitously against his abdomen — but instead further back, to a shameful place it was surely not supposed to be.
But the sudden flutter of Natt’s eyelashes suggested otherwise, as did the long, sustained shudder of that hardness against her. And his warm wet hand had come up to pluck gently against Ella’s suddenly peaked nipple, while his mouth gave her a slow, devilish smile.
“I shall not take this maidenhood from you yet,” he murmured. “But mark me, Ishall. And you shall enjoy this, my filthy little lass.”
Ella’s traitorous breath gasped, her chest heaving, shuddering her bare breast closer into his hand — and curse her for it, because Natt only laughed, and settled her closer against him. Closer againstthat, still nudging foreign and shocking and oddly, thrillingly powerful against her.
“Stay,” he ordered, as he reached for what looked to be an actual bar ofsoap. “Feel me, and kiss me, whilst I wash you.”
And then, gods damn the audacious bastard, he did it. Rubbing his big hands with soap, and then running them all over Ella’s wet, shivery form. Starting at her neck, her shoulders, and then slipping down her arms, to her hands, even sliding between her fingers — and then, under the water, over her hips and thighs, and even reaching around to her legs and feet behind him.
And all the while, that twitching, shocking hardness just kept nudging against her, againstthat. And Ella’s equally traitorous body felt it, and shuddered all over, and perhaps even —kissedat it, just like he’d wished.
“Good lass,” Natt whispered, husky, as his soapy hands came up her front, rubbing against the white, hardened mess he’d painted on her belly. “Can you feel how you might wish to kiss me deeper? How you might wish to flood your very innards, too, with my scent and my seed?”
It was a truly abominable statement, made only more atrocious by the harsh replying gasp from Ella’s mouth. Enough to make Natt laugh again, all warm approving eyes and sharp teeth, as his slippery hands finally,finallycame up to curve close around Ella’s peaked, shuddering breasts.
“I ken you shall take great joy in this,” he breathed, and he leaned forward, and pressed one of those slick, filthy kisses to her mouth. “I ken you shall writhe and scream as you are pierced deep upon me, like the filthy little beast you are.”
The hunger lurched higher, sharper, swelling behind Ella’s eyes, while her breaths came shorter, shallow, desperate. Her eyes darting between the sight of those huge, clawed, soapy hands, curving over her hungry breasts, and his glittering eyes, his crooked smile, his long black tongue coming out to lick slow, merciless, devastating against his lips —
The pleasure flashed, and flared out bright and wide. Escaping in the furious, desperate clenching of Ella’s open groin against Natt’s belly, in the strangled, wild shout from her mouth. In the way her traitorous, scandalous, most secret place had gripped and pulsed and opened against that impossible invading strength, almost as if to say yes, please, take it, Natt,now.
But Natt was already easing away, his smile rueful, his hands sliding softer against her soapy skin. “I knew this lesson should please you, lass,” he purred. “Now shall I wash your hair, also?”
He should, of course, and when those big hands bodily spun her around under the water, Ella’s pliant, sated body willingly went. Leaning into his solid strength, and into — she moaned aloud — the feel of his claws, sliding gentle against her scalp, and combing through her hair.
Good gods, it was lovely, and Ella tilted her head back, and breathed. Feeling those claws slide careful and slow through her hair, tugging it out long behind her, and then slicking it with soap, rubbing it in, combing it out again.
When he was finished, Ella felt fresh and clean and new all over, and perhaps more relaxed than she’d been inyears. And when Natt leapt out of the bath — a surprisingly impressive feat for someone who was still supposed to be injured — and reached a hand toward her, she eagerly took it, and let him drag her out, streaming water all over the smooth stone floor.
Natt gave one of his massive full-body shakes, and then reached for what appeared to be an actual towel — large enough to be a small blanket — and started wiping Ella down with it. Starting at her face, moving carefully over her eyes and nose, and then down over her still-peaked breasts and her belly, and even kneeling to wipe her legs and feet. While Ella only stood there and watched, fighting to swallow the rising, inexplicable tightness in her throat.
“Next, I shall clothe you,” Natt said, as he stood again, and slung the damp towel around Ella’s bare shoulders like a cloak. “Come.”
He hadn’t bothered dressing again, but had only grasped for their clothes, and his pack and lamp, as he led Ella out of the room. And thus began another trek through the twisty deserted corridors, with Natt entirely naked this time, until he led her into another room. A room fronted by a long counter, with rows of shelves and racks behind, and — Ella’s feet halted in place — anotherorc.
It was the first orc she’d seen in the mountain, beyond Natt himself, and he was huge and frowning, and — Ella felt herself edge sideways, closer behind Natt’s naked bulk — utterly, astonishinglyhideous. His face harsh and scarred, his hair lank and dull, his black claws on the counter before him almost resembling curved, deadlybird-talons.
