Thesewere those two gold chains, which he’d carefully tucked beneath her breasts again, taking a moment to kiss at each of her cold, rock-hard nipples with his blessedly warm mouth. And then he drew back, frowning, as he absently tapped at her nipple with his claw.
“You are sure you do not wish me to pierce these?” he asked, tilting his head. “Or mayhap only one? You are yet so cold, you shall scarcely feel this.”
Ella’s heart leapt at the thought, hammering wild against his touch — and curse her, but in this moment, she was somehow actuallyconsideringit. Actually looking down, and then back at Natt’s face, at the odd glittering intensity in his watchful black eyes.
“Um,” she heard herself say, her tongue suddenly thick in her mouth. “Do you really know what to do? Have you done it before?”
“Ach, with Dammarr,” he replied, his eyes challenging on Ella’s now, because he knew exactly what kind of statement that was, the bastard. “And should I truly cause you pain, I shall take you to Efterar at once.”
Well. Ella’s breath was dragging in deep, her body again shivering, for reasons now entirely unrelated to the cold. And somehow, unbelievably, her head was actually — nodding. Saying —yes.
“Okay,” she whispered. “One. You pick.”
The astonishment flared wide in Natt’s eyes — he truly hadn’t expected her to agree, Ella realized, too late — but next was the hunger, warm and powerful and utterly thrilling. Curving into a true smile on his mouth, a wicked snap of his sharp white teeth.
“Brave lass,” he purred, as both his hands cupped both her breasts at once, squeezing tight. “This honours me.”
Ella felt herself smile back, breathless and still shivery all over. And then she watched, with increasing bemusement, as Natt stepped slightly backwards, frowning down at her bare breasts, and then began alternately weighing and plucking at each one. Pinching at one side, and then the other, before snapping off one of his own gold earrings, and holding it against each nipple as he did it again, and again.
Finally he’d seemed to settle on her left side, giving it a final little tweak before turning his attention to the earring in his hand. First scraping at the post with his sharp claws, drawing it to a finger point — and then tearing a bit of fabric off something nearby, and setting it aflame with a quick snap of his claws. And then he was burning the earring in the flame, turning it over and over, scraping again, turning more — and then dropping the fabric to the floor, and stomping out the fire with a grind of his bare heel.
“You shall look at my face,” Natt said firmly, as both hands finally came back to Ella’s breast, one holding the earring, the other pinching at her hard, chilly nipple. “And be a brave Grisk, for your orc.”
A brave Grisk, for your orc. The heat unfurled again, and Ella desperately nodded, holding her eyes to his face. Even as his glinting gaze dropped, looking intent at his hands, his fingers tight —
The pain was surprisingly sharp, drawing a choked cry from Ella’s mouth — but then it faded just as quickly, slipping into a raw, pulsing ache. And then warmth, nudging slick and careful against the ache, because Natt had ducked his head down, and taken her nipple fully into his mouth.
He held her gaze as he suckled it, his wet tongue brushing gentle against the wound again and again, until the pain had almost entirely faded, in favour of the rising, thudding pleasure. And when he slowly drew back, revealing the shocking, impossible sight of her own familiar peaked nipple, but with his gold ring embedded deep into it, Ella could only seem to blink, and gasp, and stare.
Natt was looking too, bringing a careful finger to brush against it, and it occurred to Ella that his breath was rasping too. And a swift, belated glance downwards showed a telltale bulge under his kilt, visibly twitching, seeking its escape.
“Not yet,” Natt whispered, as he caught her hand that had been snaking down toward it, all on its own. “Once I have finished dressing you, then I shall fuck you, my filthy little lass.”
The promise was heated and delicious in his glittering eyes, in the slow lick of his tongue against his lips. And then, while Ella watched, heat sparking wild in her groin — and in her still-aching nipple — Natt intently, purposefully kept dressing her. First slinging another gold chain around her waist, and then dangling more chains from that one, both in front and in back, so that the rippling gold teased and tickled whenever she moved. And then there were smooth, gleaming gold cuffs, too, which Natt slid over her hands, and up to her upper arms — and then he knelt to snap on another cuff, clamping it close around her bare ankle.
Ella had never worn so much jewelry before — in her old life, such a display of wealth would have been considered pathetically gauche — but as Natt stepped backwards, again eyeing her with that hungry warmth in his eyes, there was only pleasure, perhaps even pride. He’d called her a Grisk. He’d called himself her orc. And maybe even if he didn’t love her, maybe he did truly want her to stay, maybe he would ask —
The question was very nearly on Ella’s tongue — if I stay, will you make me your mate? — but Natt had abruptly drawn her away, further down the aisle, toward the plentiful piles of clothing, which had clearly been neatened since the last time they’d done this. A fact which Natt didn’t seem to notice in the least, frowning as he once again yanked out an item from the bottom of the stack, and then another, holding each one up against Ella’s skin.
He finally seemed to decide on another cape-like garment, this one made of a thin, floating fabric that clearly showed the hard jut of Ella’s new nipple-ring beneath it. And on her hips, this time he hung another skirt, this one longer but lighter, flowing easily against her thighs.
He stepped back from her then, his critical eyes sweeping up and down her form. Looking more and more approving with every breath, his hand reaching out to tilt up her chin — and his slow, heavy sigh was another jolt of pleasure, flaring and tickling deep beneath Ella’s skin.
But then he whirled around, and stalked toward yet another shelf. And there he shucked his own kilt, leaving it abandoned on the floor, before reaching and yanking on a new one. One that was made of fur, but with strips of leather around the waist and down the sides, with beads of gold studded into it.
Next he threw on a cape of his own, this one also made of fur, and then he snapped on more earrings, two into each pointed ear this time. And then there were thick gold cuffs for each of his arms, and finally he yanked out his braid, which had admittedly become a frayed mess during the day’s activities, and impatiently combed out his hair with his claws until it fell over his shoulders in a silken black sheet.
And when Natt finally turned toward Ella again, his hair loose, his claws extending sharp from his fingertips, his big body bedecked in fur and leather and gold, her heart seemed to stutter, and leap into her throat. He lookedhuge, tall and broad-shouldered and breathtakingly dangerous. And shocking, and monstrous, anddelicious, and Ella nearly moaned aloud when he beckoned her closer, with a single flick of a sharp claw.
“There is one more trinket I ought to wear,” he said, so smooth, “if you should wish to place this upon me?”
This, it turned out, was something that looked like a large gold bangle, thick and seamless and perfectly rounded, with no sharp edges to be seen. Ella had willingly taken it into her hands, smoothing her fingers against it, and she could feel her heartbeat thumping, her throat swallowing, as she looked up at those dangerous dark eyes.
“Of course,” she said, her mouth dry. “Where does it go? Your arm?”
Natt’s replying slow grin was tolerant, affectionate, with a telltale flare of wickedness. “Foolish lass,” he said. “This is for my prick.”
His — what? Ella was struck entirely, speechlessly shocked — for perhaps the first time in a full day, really, and that had to be some kind of improvement, didn’t it? — and she gave a hard, flustered shake of her head. “Your — yourprick,” she heard herself echo, her voice faint. “Truly, Natt?”
