His hands abruptly gripped her hips tighter, clutching her up against him — and in an easy, powerful shift of movement, Maria was lying fully on the bed again, with an orc lying long atop her. Off to the side, slightly, so he wasn’t crushing her with his full weight — but that invading heft between her legs was still firmly there, thrust and trapped deep, even if it felt somewhat softer than before.
Maria’s breath was heaving in gulps, and her hands settled on Simon’s hard back, fingers spreading against sweat-slicked skin. While he buried his face in her neck, his breath hot and oddly reassuring, and she felt her own breaths slowing, settling into the rugged, rich scent of him. Drinking up the truth of this orc’s vital, powerful, untamed body, still hidden and cradled close inside her.
Warm. Safe. Atpeace.
“How did your battle go?” she heard herself whisper, hoarse. “Did you end up fighting the men?”
Simon didn’t move, though she thought she could feel him slightly stiffening, his claws flexing against her belly. “It was naught,” his husky voice replied. “Only a show, as I said.”
Oh. The relief skittered through Maria’s chest, but she could still feel her own tension rising, the chaos beginning to swirl again in her thoughts. “But that orc said,” she whispered, “that this was thefirstband of men. Like there could be — morewar.”
More war from my husband, she wanted to add, the words so close, so deadly.More war on my account. What if I’ve destroyed your entire peace-treaty by coming here.
But Simon scoffed into Maria’s neck, deep and dismissive. “We no fear these foolish men,” he said flatly. “They only come here to rattle their swords and bows, and piddle away the last of their lords’ waning riches. They only play their foolgames.”
His voice sounded truly derisive — he truly didn’tcare? — and Maria shifted to look at him, searching his lazy, half-lidded eyes. “But — you told me your clan wasdying,” she countered. “And you wanted me to read that treatise today, and it” — she swallowed — “it made an admittedly convincing argument that this war has beenterriblefor you orcs. And that if you’re going to survive, it needs to end.”
“Ach,” Simon replied, without a trace of hesitation. “And this is why the Ka-esh write these words. This is why we spread them across the land. Without this, these men shall always find new cause to come here and rage against us. This war” — his breath exhaled, heavy, against Maria’s neck — “shall only be won with words. With whispers. No with swords.”
It was a completely bizarre statement, from someone who probably had thirty deadly weapons currently scattered around his room, and — Maria’s audacious hands flitted up, feeling at his head — adaggerstill hidden in his hair. His hair, which she was now touching for the very first time, and it felt surprisingly smooth, like soft silk under her fingers…
“You really believe that,” she said, the incredulity ringing through her voice. “You. The Enforcer of Orc Mountain.”
“Ach,” came his reply, his head tilting into the touch of Maria’s still-lingering fingers. “I no always think this, but our captain has proven its truth. You no find peace in war. You find peace” — his hand slid up, his claws tapping at Maria’s head — “inhere.”
Oh. Maria blinked at him, again and again, her thoughts whirring, her heartbeat jangling. You find peace inhere. With beliefs. Words.Whispers.
And surging up, suddenly, was the realization that this was —familiar. Because wasn’t this wasexactlywhat Maria had done, in coming here? Her husband was far too wealthy, too powerful, to be defeated by force — so she had instead resorted to those letters. Words. Whispers. Perceptions.
A lord, in the prime of his life, cuckolded by an orc.
And said orc was smirking lazily toward her, as though heknewall that was currently crashing through her thoughts — and Maria clutched for words, for some crumb of coherent truth. “Well, that’s a lovely sentiment, orc,” she heard her shaky voice say, “until we remember how you apparently need to fight to thedeathto keep your place within your clan.”
But if she’d hoped for a concession, she was disappointed, because Simon only shrugged, his claws lightly tapping against her head. “You ken I no think of this, when I Enforce my kin?” he said coolly. “Or when I buy ripe, yielding woman to bear me a son, with no hunt, and no rut? When I keep her safe in my home, whilst she seeks to please and honour me, and earn my rewards?”
Wait.Wait. Did he mean — he couldn’t mean — he had some kind of masterplanwith all this? He’d done it all onpurpose?!
“You bastard,” Maria gasped, stiffening all over, gaping at his smug face. “Do you mean — you’re playing anothergamewith this? Not just with your ridiculousrewards, but with —me?Us?! Against yourclan?!”
Simon’s forehead instantly furrowed, his mouth sinking into a scowl. “I told you, I play no games, woman,” he replied. “I only seek to be true Skai. Seek to watch. Listen.Learn. Seek to find new ways. Find newfuture. Findpeace.”
And once again, it was almost as if this unnerving, alarming orc had somehow slipped inside Maria’s verythoughts, and begun speaking them back into her soul. New ways. New future.Peace.
“I wish this for you also, Maria,” he said, quiet. “I wish you to forget these old ways, and seek new ways with me. Ach?”
Oh. And for some entirely inexplicable reason, Maria found herself — softening.Relaxing. Her body sinking against the warm furs beneath her, into the raw, reassuring force of those bottomless, glittering eyes.
“You want me in thrall to you and your horrid rewards, you mean,” she said, but there was no heat in it, and good gods, she might have even beensmilingat him. “When you haven’t evengrantedme one yet, after I obeyed you so thoroughly today.”
And there was the familiar smirk, curling slow across his mouth — but, perhaps, without the mockery this time. “Oh, you shall have your reward, wilful woman,” he purred. “In the shape of two new tools, to further open your pretty holes for me. These ones today were too easy for you, ach?”
Gods, he was such a crude and infuriatinglech, and Maria glared at his sparkling eyes, and elbowed at the massive weight of his body over her. “That wasnoteasy,” she archly informed him. “I workedhardfor you today, asshole.”
And damn him, smiling down at her like that. Slow, crooked, true, almost like he meant it. Like he was pleased.Approving.
“Ach, I ken,” he murmured, his face ducking back against her neck, breathing in deep. “Now show me more proof of this, ach? Fuck again?”
And surely it was the hysteria, swallowing her alive — but Maria’s eyes had fluttered, her legs slipping up to catch behind his. Her arms curling again around his muscled bulk, her fingers twining deeper in his hair. Stroking, careful,careful, against the dagger still hidden within it.
