But there was only love, warmth, affection, peace. And even a surprising, whispering eagerness, at what was next to come. And as Ella held Natt’s eyes, she leaned in, and wiped at his wet cheeks, and kissed him. Kissed his mouth, gentle and sweet, as her still-impaled womb kissed his hard, twitching heft inside her.
His moan was deep, broken, lost, but he was kissing back, both inside and out, above and below. Already spluttering more seed up into her, Ella could feel it, so full she surely couldn’t keep it all inside — but then that hardness seemed to swell even fuller, blocking it within her, while she reflexively clenched back, locked, trapped upon its strength.
Don’t move, Natt’s kisses silently whispered, please, don’t take this from me, and Ella didn’t, couldn’t. Could only meet his kisses, meet his breaths, give him this, while he emptied himself out inside her, again and again, and the party raged around them, the drumbeat keeping steady time with her heart.
When Natt finally leaned back he looked dazed and almost dizzy, his eyes stunned and blinking, his big body sweaty and sticky. His hands still trembling against Ella’s flat waist, spreading wide and clawed beneath the gold of her belt.
“Ach,” he whispered to her eyes, with a shaky, quiet reverence. “We have made him, I ken.”
Made him.Him. The word sent a deep, visceral shudder all down Ella’s back —him— and then, for reasons she couldn’t at all comprehend, shelaughed. Laughed, her hands clutching at her mate’s astonished face, while her shoulders shook, and the world unfurled with joy.
“We did?!” she gasped, wildly grinning — and then she dragged Natt close, hugging him as tightly as she could, before drawing back again. “You” — she jabbed him in the chest — “are the most appalling, devious orcimaginable, Nattfarr of Clan Grisk. I told you about your shocking virility. Itoldyou.”
Natt was eyeing her warily, his head tilting, his lips twitching. “I do not ken you should laugh, lass,” he said, quiet. “Carrying an orc’s son is no small thing, for a woman.”
Ella’s hands seemed to move to her belly on their own, spreading wide and wondering, even as she kept smiling at him, perhaps even warmer than before. “Yes,” she said, with a roll of her eyes. “I know that, Natt.”
He replied with a low, not-quite-angry growl, and Ella again dragged him close, and kissed him. Feeling the heat spin and swarm as he kissed back, willingly, gently, his hand sliding into her hair, his tongue twining slow and tender against hers.
“We’ll figure it out, Natt,” Ella said, once he’d pulled back again, his eyes still intent on hers. “We’ll fund your science, and your research. We’ll hire good physicians and midwives. Iamthe wealthiest heiress in the land, you know.”
She gave him her best mock-haughty look, tossing her hair over her shoulder, and finally there was his smile, slow, sharp-toothed, tugging up the corner of his still-quivering mouth. “Ach, this is true,” he said. “But in all my dreams of this, never did I dare to think you wouldlaugh, after I have filled you with my son. You ought not to spur your mate thus, lass. You know not what I might do to you next.”
Ella couldn’t suppress the moan rising out her throat, and in reply Natt laughed too, deep and delicious and warm. But then he sobered as his eyes came back to hers, his clawed hands spreading wide against her belly. “I have also made you miss this party,” he said, and when Ella belatedly glanced around, she discovered that the party around them had indeed quieted significantly, and only held several dozen orcs, most of them caught in similar poses to her and Natt’s, many of them sleeping.
“Oh,” she said, and here was the odd, twirling realization that they must have been there forhourslike that, and — she gave an experimental tilt of her neck — she was very stiff, and also — she yawned — very tired.
“Ah, well,” she said lightly. “I certainly had a spectacular time. Did everyone else? Did you notice? Did Thrain get into the berry-juice again?”
Natt only blinked at her, incredulous, and gave a slow, disbelieving shake of his head. “I seed the first of my brood within you this night,” he murmured, “and here you are pondering Thrain and berry-juice. Ach” — his head tilted, a sudden amusement flaring across his eyes — “you only wished to see if Varinn should take him again, did you not? Has seeing Dammarr get his due whet your hunger for such sights? My filthy, leering little lass.”
He gave a grave shake of his head, all mock disapproval, and with a flail of shoving limbs Ella thrust him downwards, onto his back on the bench. But he easily sprawled upon it, dragging her close on top of him, even as his hardness stayed strong and hidden inside. And it was a glorious feeling, suddenly, Ella’s tired body stretching out over his warm silken one, and she yawned again, and nuzzled her face into his neck.
“My filthy, devious orc,” she murmured. “It’s all your doing, you know. Without your shocking influence, I might have grown up to be a proper fine lady.”
Natt’s laugh was husky and unfeigned, shaking his chest beneath her. “You, a lady? This was always laughable, lass. If you had in truth wed this foul man, he should have pushed you to breaking, and you should have then eaten him in his sleep.”
Ella laughed too, and wriggled herself more comfortably atop him. “And you should have come and watched, and cheered.”
“Ach,” he said, chuckling too. “Though I should have rather carved out his guts, or cut off his head. Had you granted me this, that first night, as I asked, I should not have needed to kidnap you at all.”
“Oh, it’s thekidnappingyou’d regret, in that scenario?” Ella asked, lifting her head to roll her eyes at him. “Devious, wicked orc. Youlikedthat part.”
“Ach, so did you,” Natt shot back. “For all your fine protests, you did all that I asked. With that, and all else. Youwishedto escape this man, and this empty life as a lady, and return to me.”
The words seemed to strike at something, settling deep, unfolding themselves as truth. A truth Ella hadn’t quite considered, until this moment. Natt had smelled her. He’dknown.
“I did want to escape that life, and return to you,” she said, quiet. “Thank you for making it possible, Natt. Thank you for showing me another way. Thank you for coming back to me, and —seeingme.”
Natt knew what she meant, as always, his head giving a solemn nod, his warm arms circling close around her back. Holding her naked, sticky body trapped against him, in a huge room studded with equally naked orcs, and in this moment it was contentment unlike anything Ella had ever tasted.
“I thank you for seeing me also,” Natt said, his voice so soft. “Thank you for learning my truth, and speaking yours to me. Thank you for helping me to gain my place as Speaker, and then helping me to keep it. I needed this. More than you know.”
But Ella did know him, too, and she nodded, quick and fervent, her eyes held to his. Watching them whisper of peace, hope, love. Of joy.
“Now sleep, my lass,” Natt said, blinking those shining eyes, and they were back to warmth again, and a twitch of disapproval. “You have a whole orcling to grow. You know not how wearying this shall be, foolish woman.”
Ella rolled her eyes again, but accordingly dropped her head back to his neck, giving it a sharp nip of protest. Revelling at the answering flare of his hard body still inside her, and — she twitched back to look — at how her previous bite hadn’t quite healed, the little tooth-marks just barely visible in the fading firelight.
