Rosa didn’t, of course she didn’t — but this damned orc somehow saw too much, knew too much, his eyes fixed to hers with a narrow, powerful intentness. And then — Rosa gasped aloud — that big hand slowly lifted again, and carefully, gently, brushed a warm fingeragainst her neck.
Rosa’s entire body froze at once, and she felt herself swallow, her throat convulsing against that audacious, lingering finger. But she didn’t otherwise move, or seek to push him away, andgodshe was so huge, soclose…
“Do not deny this to me, silly woman,” he breathed, and that —that— was the unmistakable, heart-stopping feel of his finger’s deadly claw, tracing gentle against delicate skin. “The strong scents of your fear and your hunger have swarmed me all this day. You wish for me. And you wish to be frightened.”
Rosa’s mouth opened to speak, but nothing came out, and that finger kept skimming against her neck, leisurely, deliberate. “So heed this, woman,” he purred, his eyes shifting, flaring, settling again. “I shall grant you this bargain you asked for, but uponmyterms, rather than yours. Should you grant me leave to stay here — tonight, and as many more nights as I should wish — I shall now sate your fear,andyour hunger.”
He would —what? Rosa could only seem to gape up at him, her heartbeat clanging wild against her chest — and if there had been any uncertainty around his meaning, it was immediately thrown to waste by the feel of that finger, slowly giving way to his wholehand. Sliding strong and smooth against her convulsing throat, in a movement that should have been a threat, but felt like something else entirely.
“I shall only offer this to you once,” he murmured. “And you shall not have my seed, in this. And, you must swear to never speak to any other of me, or what we have done. Ach?”
Goodgods. “Th-that is completelyridiculous, orc,” Rosa stammered, her voice coming out choked against the close, thrilling, terrifying touch of that hand. “Look, I didn’t make you that offer because I really wantedyou. I only wanted —knowledge. And that wasbeforeyou proved yourself even more of an arrogant, self-righteous ass than I already thought you to be.”
There was an instant’s still silence — and then the shocking, heart-stopping feel of the orc’s hand on her throat clenching, just slightly. Drawing a hoarse, furtive gasp from Rosa’s mouth, and surging heat deep into her belly.
“You lie, woman,” came the orc’s smooth reply. “You have hungered for me since the first moment I stood before you. It has been all I have smelled in this library, all this long day.”
The hell? Rosa sputtered again, flailing against the touch of that hand — but another gentle flex of those fingers on her throat jolted her back to stillness, and there was an odd flash of those eyes in the dim light.
“You shall speak no more falsehoods to me, woman,” he said, his voice silken, soft, dangerous. “I have learnt much of your kind, and I am not fooled by these lies and games and tricks. I wish to use your library; you wish to be used by a fearsome orc. All that remains is whether you shall swear to my terms, and” — he came a small step nearer, his huge body looming close and massive over her — “how you wish this to be done.”
Rosa’s clamouring heart felt like it would escape her chest, her eyes wide and searching on the orc’s harsh, frowning, uncompromising face. He meant all this, he really, really meant this, after what he’d said earlier, aftereverything?!
“B-but you,” Rosa began, and then took a deep, desperate breath. “Earlier. You yelled at me. Told me to get away from you, and stop oppressing you. You said you didn’t care what I wanted. Remember?”
The orc’s mouth betrayed an unmistakable grimace, his gaze flicking to the wall behind her. “I did notcare,” he said thinly, “to be toyed with by a foolish little human, who only sought to use me for her own selfish ends.”
Rosa somehow managed a snort, and even a creditable roll of her eyes. “And now thatyou’rethe one doing the toying, foryourselfish ends,” she gritted out, “you’re completely comfortable with that?”
There was a new, unfamiliar twitch at the corner of the orc’s thin mouth, a sidelong glance at her face. “I am,” he said coolly. “Are you not, also?”
He’d raised his eyebrows at her, taunting, mocking,amused— and gods curse her to hell and back, but Rosa felt her own mouth twitch up, too. While something seemed to flare and hold deep inside, burning bright and strong and strangely mouthwatering. Warmth. Understanding.Longing.
But no, no, he was an orc, he wasawful, Rosa couldn’t possibly still want this, it had been sheer madness earlier to even offer such a thing. And so much worse now that this orc was admitting tousingher, he was fully admitting that he was a selfish calculatingass—
But then it occurred to her, sudden and incongruous, that clearly her sources had been partially correct, after all. Clearly orcs trulywereravaging insatiable beasts, to some degree, no matter how peaceful they pretended to be. And was this not still knowledge, and perhaps just as useful? Perhapsthiswas the way to ultimately discover those weaknesses, scandals, shocking atrocities?
And Rosahadto impress Lord Kaspar. Shehadto seize this once-in-a-lifetime chance of becoming a student. And that meant — yes, yes — once again, she needed to suck it up. Get on with it. Do whatever needed to be done.
The orc’s eyes were very intent on hers, still waiting, that big hand still curved against her throat — and again, for an instant, there was the shuddering, uneasy fear that perhaps he could even follow her thoughts. Perhaps he’d guessed about Lord Kaspar’s war. Perhaps heknew.
“Oh, all right,” Rosa blurted out, before she could stop herself. “I accept. Your terms, I mean.”
The orc’s eyes fluttered, again betraying just a trace of amusement, of warmth — but then he stepped closer, solid, strong, steady. His hand big and warm, so oddly reassuring, and as Rosa blinked up at those watching eyes, his other hand came up, tracing slow and careful and quiet against her cheek.
“Clever woman,” that low voice breathed. “Now, how do you wish this to be done.”
Rosa’s whole body shuddered again, her mouth letting out a harsh, shaky gasp — and in reply that hand on her cheek slid to her mouth, his thumb brushing light against her parted lips. And gods, the smell of him was mouthwatering, all musk and sweetness, and the books hadn’t said that either, they hadn’t said anything,anything—
“Speak to me,” he purred, hurling another clenching flare of heat deep into Rosa’s belly. “No falsehoods. For what do you wish.”
Rosa couldn’t answer that — she wouldn’t — but the orc’s shifting watching eyes seemed to know that too, his thumb still brushing gently, almost absently, against her mouth.
“Ach,” he said, his voice a low rumble. “Then, mayhap, you wish me to take you as I choose. You truly do wish to be forced and frightened by a fearsome orc, and used as a silly little plaything, however I should wish.”
Another shudder wrenched down Rosa’s back, her breaths coming out hitched and shallow. Of course she didn’t wish for that, even the idea was entirely appalling, but if it was for research, perhaps, perhaps —
“No falsehoods, woman,” that voice insisted, velvety, desperately thrilling. “Shall I be this orc, for you? Shall I frighten you, and take what I wish from you?”
