Maria gaped at that sword, her breath clutched in her throat — and somehow she forced her eyes to slide up, and up, and up, until they found the orc’s face.
And it was —horrifying. It was the stuff of nightmares, with its heavy-cut jaw, deeply scarred cheeks, and badly bent nose. With its swollen, ruined ears, one still tapering to a tall pointed tip, the other looking as though it had been bitten off halfway.
But most terrifying of all were the orc’seyes. Deep, glittering, pure black eyes, piercing into Maria,throughMaria, like sharpened deadly daggers. Like they could see everything,everything, and Maria swayed on her shaky feet, her limbs seized, her whole body shivering. While the panic began rattling again, clanging deep inside, raging, revenge,run—
But she couldn’t move, nothing moved, the world suspended in place around her. And then it began tilting, ever so slowly, and Mariahadto do this, she would, revenge, it didn’t matter, it was just an orc, oh gods ohplease…
“If you’re going to kill me,” someone said,shesaid, her voice very far away, “could you please just — do so now? Quickly?”
The orc’s eyes blinked, once — and in that instant, it was like his deadly command had broken, spattering to the earth. Releasing the last of whatever had still been holding Maria upright, the ground abruptly sagging and swaying beneath her numb, staggering feet.
And as she slowly pitched sideways, there was the certainty, flat and resigned, that this would hurt. And why did everything have to hurt so much, why wouldn’t it all juststop—
Until suddenly, the orcmoved. His huge body shifting, flashing toward her — and then his powerful bare arms curved close around her trembling form, his big hands spreading wide against her back.
The orc had —caughther.
And he kept holding her, cradling her in place with exquisite, stunning gentleness. At full odds with the raw power of his massive body, with the glinting, undeniablemeaningin his bottomless black eyes.
“Peace, woman,” he said, his deep, heavily accented voice rumbling into Maria’s chest, into her heart. “I no harm you.”
Oh.Oh. And even as a distant part of Maria was wildly, desperately protesting — how had he known she was a woman through her disguise, why hadn’t he let her fall, why couldn’t he have just used that scimitar and finished it all for good — she felt her exhausted body sagging, sinking deeper into the impossible strength of his warm arms.
Into —safety.
The orc still hadn’t moved, hadn’t stopped looking at her, searching her with those glinting, piercing eyes. And as Maria stared back, she felt her own shaky hand somehow moving on its own, rising up into the space between them…
Until her trembling fingers found the orc’s huge, hot barechest.And then slowly flattened against it, feeling the deep, steady thud of his rapidly pulsing heart.
And good gods, Maria was touching an orc,voluntarily— but in this taut, hanging instant, there seemed no reason to move, to resist. Only the hazy, urgent need to stay, to accept, tobe. To drink up the sheer power of him, the strange unaccountablereassuranceof him, the fierce galloping thunder of that heartbeat under her fingers.
The orc’s eyes had widened, his nostrils flaring, almost as though he weresmellingher — and as Maria stared, blunted and dazed, a long, sinuous black tongue slipped from his mouth, and curled against his lips. Baring a set of vicious white teeth, complete with sharp deadly fangs, clearly meant to bite and tear andkill—
But instead of the disgust or the terror Maria surely should have felt, her jolting thoughts were trapped, suddenly, on the surprising sensual fullness of the orc’s lips against those sharp teeth, on the smooth, shameless slide of that supple black tongue. On the rich, rugged scent that had somehow begun twining into her nostrils, heavy and sweet, stirring something deep inside that had almost been forgotten…
And for a skittering, blissful breath, there was —peace. This orc’s powerful eyes and hands, his full focus, all so intent upon her, holding her safe, while her own hand held his roaring heart. And what would it feel like to fully vanish into his strength, to lose herself in his eyes and his mouth, to forget everything, forever…
But wait. No.No. She was here for a reason. For her plan. Herrevenge.
“Then please, good sir,” she said, taut, riveted, choked, to those watching black eyes. “Take me as your own, and allow me to bear you a son.”
4
Maria’s words were chased by a jangling, dangling silence. By the unmistakable sight of something new, flaring to life within the orc’s eyes — and then by the sudden, shocking truth ofsharpnessfrom those fingers on her back, sinking through her overalls, scraping against her actualskin—
And in a swift scuffle of movement, everything changed. The orc’s powerful hands abruptly thrusting Maria away, settling her onto her badly shaking feet, while his hulking grey form lurched backwards, well out of her reach.
One of his huge hands had gripped his thick steel sword-hilt, the other snapped to a fist at his side — and somehow both hands now bore blackclaws, long and curved and deadly. And the tension in his massive body felt almost palpable, every muscle clenched and rippling, his skin covered in a shimmering sheen of sweat.
But most telling of all were his eyes. The eyes that had pierced Maria,knownher, given her that blissful, priceless instant offorgetting— they were suddenly narrow and chilly and distant, glinting with something that might have beenhatred.
“You ken this is good game, woman?” the orc hissed, his voice far harsher than before, heavy with menace and danger. “Seek to defeat Enforcer with false pledge? With falseson?”
Maria felt herself staggering backwards, her thoughts clambering, churning, choking all at once. Defeat Enforcer? False son? Agame?!
“It’s — it’s not a game,” she stammered, fighting to raise her eyes to his. “I’ve come here to — to meet an orc. To meetyou.”
The orc’s lip instantly curled, his hand flexing on his sword-hilt. “Women no wish to meet orcs,” he growled. “Youlie.”
