Maria’s brain kept scrambling, shouting, and gods, why did it matter, she’d chosen this, he was just an orc, she didn’t care,revenge…
“I’m not lying,” she countered, though her voice still wavered, her gaze dropped back to the orc’s massive booted feet. “I’mfinishedwith human men. And I have no income, and all my blood relations are dead, and several physicians have confirmed that I’m in excellent physical health, and likely to handle child-bearing very well. And I’ve heard again and again how desperate orcs are for sons, so I thought —”
She couldn’t seem to finish, even though it was exactly what she’d rehearsed. Even though there was no whiff of falsehood about it, because apart from that one single vital point — her husband being the Duke of Warmisham — Maria had no intention of lying to these orcs. Not when the truth would do just as well.
But there was no answer from the huge orc, and when Maria finally mustered the courage to meet his eyes again, he was still glowering down toward her, his scarred face cruel, furious, uncompromising. And gods, how had she ever found his face evenslightlyintriguing, clearly she was even more exhausted than she’d thought —
“I hoped we could reach an — agreement,” she made herself continue, the words thick in her mouth. “I’ll give you a son, but in exchange I want room and board, and your protection throughout my pregnancy. And then, if the birth is successful” — she swallowed hard — “I’ll hand our son over to your care, permanently. But as compensation, I also want fair payment from you. Enough to secure me a small annual income afterwards.”
Maria couldn’t quite hide her wince as she spoke, because she knew it was far more likely that the orcs would simply take her, and do with her as they pleased. But they were bound to be suspicious of her motives in coming here, and a mercenary explanation surely would be the easiest for them to swallow.
And, Maria could admit, a distant, foolish part of her still carried some hope — however small and pathetic — that she might still survive this. And that one day, maybe, she could be free again. Make a real family. A realhome.
But this orc’s reaction wasn’t encouraging, his heavy black brows furrowing, his mouth thinning into a fierce, bitter grimace. “You wish tosell?” he spat, the distaste all too clear in his deep voice. “Sell womb, sell ownson, forcoin?!”
Maria felt herself flinch, but she kept her eyes steady on the orc’s furious face, even as his narrow, flinty gaze flicked up and down her filthy body. And though she held no delusions about her attractiveness in her current state, her stomach still twisted at the visible scorn, thecontempt, in those assessing, all-seeing black eyes.
“Why sell to orcs,” he growled at her. “You are tall woman. Strong. Ripe.Easyto sell to men.Easyto bear tiny man-sons.”
There was a strange, laughing hiccough, lurching deep in Maria’s throat. “I told you, I’mdonewith human men,” she shot back. “And they’re done with me. My husband, he —”
Shit,shit, she was not supposed to be bringing that asshole into this — but it was too late, and the orc’s harsh face had somehow, impossibly, become even more contemptuous. More disapproving. More —disgusted.
“Ach, yourhusband,” he sneered at her. “Now I ken this game, woman. You use orc — you useson— forvengeance. You strike shame at husband when you bounce upon fat orc-prick, and suck foul orc-seed into empty womb. Ach?”
For a jolting, hanging breath, Maria truly couldn’t speak, and instead only stared at this crude shocking orc. How had he known. How had he seen through her so easily. All her plans, all her revenge, what else could he see…
She couldn’t fail now. She couldn’t be defeated by a single, horribly astute orc. It was too late. She’d already come too far, done too much. Shecouldn’t.
“Yes,” she shot back at him, spitting the word out, hearing it ring with biting truth. “Ihatemy husband. I will do whatever it takes to escape him, and heap shame upon his head. And therefore, yes, I will happily bounce upon you, and bear you a son, and allow you to do whatever youwishwith me!”
But it wasn’t working, oh gods it wasn’t working, the scorn and the revulsion and the sheer visceralhatredflashing across the orc’s eyes. And for an instant, there was the fear, raw and choking, that maybe he would just draw that sword after all, and fell her where she stood —
“You claim wrong orc forgame, woman,” he snarled, every word a deafening thud in Maria’s belly. “I am Enforcer of Orc Mountain, and thus I abide notrap. Nobuy. No weak humanvengeance!”
Maria’s breath was heaving, her eyes inexplicably prickling — what did he mean he was Enforcer, and he truly didn’twanther? — but no, no, it didn’t matter, it was just an orc, nothing mattered, but revenge…
“Very well,” she whispered, raising her head, meeting the force of the bareloathingin those black orc eyes. “If you will not have me, sir, then please, take me to another orc who will.”
5
At Maria’s words, the furious orc before her froze to utter stillness. His clawed hand gripped to his sword-hilt, his breaths hushed in his huge chest, his glittering eyes fixed blankly to her face.
A strange, unfamiliar noise was rising from his throat — agrowl, Maria realized, as she gaped slack-jawed at his taut, immobile body. This orc wasgrowlingat her, this orc hated her, maybe this orc truly would still kill her, after all…
But then, in a stiff jerk of movement, he spun away from her, muttering something under his breath. And then he strode off, his steps long and graceful, his huge black boots surprisingly silent on the loose rock and dirt under his feet.
Maria blankly blinked after him, her gaze catching upon the gleaming braid that hung down his broad bare back, brushing against more scars, more powerful rippling muscles. The braid was wrapped with thick strips of leather, studded with what looked like bone, or perhapsteeth— and was that actually adagger, embedded deep into the base of it?
And the sight of that dagger, glinting so innocuous and yet so brazen in this orc’s actualhair, seemed to snap the awareness back to Maria’s blunted thoughts. This was anorc, and he was walking towardOrc Mountain, still huge and craggy and streaming smoke above them — and wait, wait, was the orc actuallytakingher there? Like she’d asked?
But yes, he was darting a dark, baleful glance over his shoulder, clearly expecting Maria to follow. And somehow her aching body lurched into motion again, staggering after him, straight toward what appeared to be a solid stone cliff at the base of the massive, smoking mountain.
She only distantly noted what looked to be a few outbuildings around them, perhaps sheds, or stables — because the orc had angled his huge form sideways, slipping with unnerving ease through a narrow crack in the stone. A crack which, upon closer inspection, turned out to be a cleverly engineeredopening, leading into the mountain’s gaping darkness.
Maria felt herself hesitating at the edge of it, her gaze darting longingly behind her to the sky, the open air, the sun — but then she squeezed her eyes shut, shook her head. It didn’t matter. Nothing mattered, but revenge.
She silently repeated that truth as she stepped over the threshold, following the massive orc inside. IntoOrc Mountain, quiet and close and cool, and illuminated with a faint flickering glow.
