“Indeed,” Ella said, twitching a smile back toward him. “And all over anyone with the misfortune to be nearby, as well.”
Natt turned to face her at that, his eyes still shadowed, but he brought his finger up, and flicked at her cheek with his claw. “Only if they are sweet, lovely lasses like you,” he murmured. “And only if they are dressed just as an orc’s mate should be.”
And oh, he’dsaidit, he’d said it and his eyes had glanced toward the wall, toward his own mother, who looked just the same. And something in Ella’s chest had wrenched so tight she couldn’t breathe, and her swallow was audible, echoing against the damning stone walls of this ancient, beautiful, devastating room.
“I — Ilikedressing this way,” she whispered, to his chest, because there wasn’t the courage to meet his eyes. “I like pleasing you, Natt. I — I’d like to do it more.”
And curse him, but here was the feel of his warm hand, tilting her chin up, making her look at him. Those eyes crackling with power, with meaning, with truth. “Say this again,” he whispered, soft, and Ella gulped, nodded, breathed.
“I like pleasing you, Natt,” she said, easier this time, and that was his magic, but in this moment, she didn’t care. “I want to please you more. I want to be truly yours, these next days. I want to trust you. I want to be —her.”
She didn’t need to say, because Natt knew, heknew. “You wish to be not only my willing guest, here to honour me,” he breathed, “but you wish to play a deeper game with me, my filthy, foolish lass. You wish for me to treat you as mymate.”
Gods, Ella wanted that, and she nodded, fervent, exposed, longing. “Yes,” she whispered. “I wish to be — Ella, of Clan Grisk.”
It was madness, pure and indefensible, those shocking words escaping from her mouth — but Natt gave a hoarse, shuddering groan, his eyelashes fluttering, his sharp tooth biting against his lip.
“Again, my lass,” he breathed, “you know not what you wish for. To play a game such as this, you must show me that you are a worthy mate for a Speaker. You must show yourself not only a willing guest in my home, but a willingpartnerto me. You shall freely speak truth without my prodding, you shall aid me in my calling, you shall uphold my work with my brothers, and help my cause with our Captain. And, you shall not only welcome my touch, but you shall eagerly seek it, without shame or regret. And from henceforth” — those eyes darkened, held to hers, and he was speaking truth too, he was — “this man shall be dead, to you. His name shall mean naught to you. Hisjewelsmean naught.”
Oh. The words flashed behind Ella’s eyes, heated, powerful, dangerous — but the raw, desperate craving was even stronger, winding tight, circling close. And when Natt’s hand moved against Ella’s own, scraping against the hard gold of her engagement-ring, it was as strong as a shout, a slap, a blast of wind to the face.
Again, she hadn’t eventhought.Natt had bathed her and dressed her all over, but throughout it all, still she’d wornthis. Probably even smelling of Alfred, still, taunting Natt with it every time she moved.
So Ella gave a quick, twitchy little nod — and then purposely held out her hand, that hand, trembling, waiting. And with those black, all-seeing eyes intent upon her, Natt’s claws slowly, purposefully, drew off the ring — and then he casually, viciously tossed it over his shoulder, toward the shelves opposite, where it bounced on a pile of clothing, and then stilled, its large diamond glinting innocuously in the candlelight.
“You know not what you wish for,” Natt said again, with an almost regretful stroke of his hand against Ella’s now-bare finger — but in this moment, with all these new truths warring in her head, the strongest of all was this one. Here. Whispering quiet, a promise, between them.
“But I want to learn, Natt,” Ella whispered. “These next few days. With you.”
Natt’s smile was wry, resigned, whispering of promise, or perhaps regret. “Ach, you shall, my foolish little lass,” he said. “You shall.”
23
The next day passed in a whirlwind of shocking, utterly surreal encounters, each one more outrageous than the last.
First was Ella’s awakening to find her sleepy, sore body sprawled over Natt’s, his hardness already nudging between her legs — and feeling her audacious body slip down to pierce itself upon it, seemingly on its own accord. And then taking him in a dreamlike, wondering silence, Natt’s clawed hands on her hips the only sign that he wasn’t asleep — at least, until he sprayed himself out inside her, while a stream of groaning black-tongue growled from his throat.
Ella was truly a dripping mess when Natt stood her to her feet, and this time he did produce a rag from somewhere, and partially wiped her up, without being asked. But not entirely, and when he finally lit a candle, and escorted her out of the room, it was to the discovery that his guard — all four of those unnerving orcs — were right there, lurking about outside the open door, witnessing absolutely everything that had gone on inside.
The humiliation seemed to swallow Ella alive, and was made only worse by Dammarr’s thunderous frown, Varinn’s delicately furrowed brow, and the curious, sweeping glances of Thrak and Thrain up and down her form. Lingering particularly below her too-short skirt, and when Ella shot a brief, furtive glance downward she found her bare thighs still marked with white, and red, and — she nearly groaned — the distinctive streaks of someone’s clawedfingers. A sight that Dammarr was studying too, his hand clenched to a fist, his jaw jumping in his cheek.
“Are you well, woman?” cut in Varinn, in a genuinely worried tone, his nose giving a careful little sniff. “Do you need healing?”
Ella truly could not speak, or move, and thank the gods Natt was here, slinging a heavy arm over her shoulder — but cursed orc that he was, he then flashed her a cool smile, eyebrows raised. “Ach, we go to Efterar now,” he said lightly. “My lass’ sweet maiden womb has not yet learnt to take a full fucking.”
The coarse, filthy words sent a staggering chill down Ella’s spine, her eyes held huge and shocked to his — but this was it, this was fully what he’d meant, by saying she needed to prove this. And surely she couldn’t fail his test already, not yet, not with all his brothers watching.
“Indeed,” she made herself say, as steadily as she could. “Especially with a prick so shockingly large as yours, Natt.”
Her face immediately flushed scarlet — had she truly justsaidthat? — but Natt’s wicked replying grin made it almost worth it, as did the approving grasp of his hand to her arse. “Ach, you shall learn, lass,” he said cheerfully. “Now, come see the rest of my rooms, before we go.”
Ella mutely nodded, with true gratefulness, and allowed Natt to guide her further out into this room. It appeared to be an antechamber of some sort, with a variety of benches and tables scattered about, many covered with the requisite furs.
“This is our meeting-room,” Natt said, with a wave toward it. “And this” — he drew Ella to another door, showing a large room hung with an impressive quantity of deadly-looking weapons — “is where we train, and duel. And here is where my guard sleeps, and oft me also.”
This last one was a small, cozy-looking room, with thick furs scattered all about the floor, and Ella felt an odd twinge at the thought of Natt sleeping here, in this small room, withthem. With this —Dammarr.
“And here,” Natt continued, waving at a small inset of doors at the back of this room, curved around a little circle, “is where any orcs may come who need safety, or peace. They stay beyond the Speaker’s guard, where they may not be reached.”
