Chapter Four

brEAC

I was damned for my lies. Or going to be once I got the female back to the castle, and she realizes I lied to her. There was no portal or way back to her world, not one that I could control at least. Portals had been appearing in our realm for generations, randomly depositing people from other realms or worse, demons to terrorize our world. They disappeared as fast as they appeared, then materialized in another place. They didn't always go to the same realm and one could rarely go back once they came through, stranding them here. I'd worked with the military units who were assigned to track and eliminate threats to the realm, mainly the demons who came through. They also were tasked with collecting any females, though that was a different unit.

Ironically, I was assigned to bring King Gnarlug a female since none of the ones collected had turned out to be suitable for his needs or fulfilled the supposed prophecy he needed to maintain his hold on the throne. Apparently the king didn't trust his collector units to bring him the right female, especially since rumor had it that some females had gone missing, along with a few collectors, with the assumption that the orcs had mated the females and escaped outside the borders of the kingdom to live out their days with the female.

King Gnarlug was losing his grip on the orcs in his kingdom and, as he came down harder, he lost more and more to the rebellion that brewed in the north and over the borders, a rebellion that no one was supposed to know about. His castle swelled with hostages, or guests as he called them, to ensure compliance, like my mother and brother. He thought he had me trapped, and he did. My mother had not yet been placed in the harem, being too old to bear any more orclings, but I feared the king would kill her when she no longer served a purpose. And my younger brother was quickly approaching his majority and would be either killed or assigned to the military, where he could easily have an accident. I had to free them. I had to hope this last assignment would free them, as I had been promised.

Yet this female vexed me, called to my baser side, the male side of me who desperately wanted a mate. But I didn't deserve one. My hands were stained with the blood of so many of my people in the service of the usurper king. Even if I defended myself, said I was coerced, I still could never make amends for my crimes. I didn't deserve a mate when so many had suffered and died at my hands.

I saddled Mankala, avoiding waking the female, Evie, for as long as possible. It was cowardly of me, but I didn't want to face any more of her questions. As if sensing my mood, Mankala sunk his teeth into my shoulder. I wore leather shoulder braces as protection so his teeth didn't pierce my skin, but the pressure was enough to make me shout. I shoved his muzzle, and he snorted, rolling his eyes at me and ambling away as if satisfied that he'd expressed his thoughts.

"Breac? Are you leaving?" Evie sat up in the furs I'd laid over a pile of leaves to cushion her rest. She rubbed her eyes and blinked blearily at me, hurt and confusion in her light brown eyes.

She brushed her long dark hair, dusted with red fire at the ends, away from her face, finger combing it to some semblance of order. "How long was I asleep?"

I swallowed hard, mesmerized by the movement of her fingers. I wanted to feel those silken strands through my own fingers, draped across my body as she rode my cock to completion. Or maybe spread across a pillow as I plowed into her deeply, her eyes dazed and glazed over with passion. How would she sound when she came around me? Would she scream or cry my name? It had been so long since I'd felt the touch of a woman, felt her soft warm pussy around my cock. For far too long, I'd satisfied myself with my rough palm and quick strokes when I needed it. Far better than paying a tavern wench, since no female willingly lay with the king's attack hound.

"A few hours. It's barely daybreak, but we must be moving on. I left you some breakfast." I spoke gruffly, my body still clamoring to take her back to the furs while my mind reminding me of my oath to the king.

Her eyes brightened, and she turned to the solitary pan on top of the dead fire, her expression falling as she took in the meal. "Oh, it's the meat from last night. Is that what you have for breakfast?"

"This isn't an inn, milady. We have limited options. Meat or what we scavenge from the road."

I turned to avoid her look of disappointment at my harsh tone but better she not see me as her hero, savior, and more as a means to an end. It would be far easier when I betrayed her and handed her over to the king. "Hurry and eat. We must be on the road."

She wrinkled her nose at the meat, but her stomach growled at that moment. She shrugged, and a corner of the fur that she had wrapped around her fell off of one shoulder, exposing her tight shirt and rounded breast. I groaned and turned away. "I'll finish packing."

I busied myself loading Mankala, not that I had much to load, and, by the time I was done, Evie stood next to me, the last fur wrapped around her shoulders. She pulled it tighter and smiled apologetically at me. "It's still kind of cold. Can I keep this one?"

I nodded. It would provide a barrier between us for the ride, which would be uncomfortable enough already. I wasn't sure what type of clothes she had, but they were not suited for a long journey and would make our ride uncomfortable. Her clothes were not typical of our world. They were delicate and already torn from her flight through the woods. Her white top was streaked with dirt and made of fine fabric that I had never seen. And her black pants were more fitted than usual for females in our world and ripped in several spots. They would not survive our journey. I would need to get her more appropriate clothing, but the thought of stopping at one of the towns along the way filled me with dread. She would learn the type of orc I was and possibly discover the betrayal that I was leading her to, which I could not bear. Though I wasn't sure which was worse—seeing her realize who I really was or knowing that I was going to betray her. I lifted her onto the saddle and Mankala turned, his teeth already bared for his favorite trick of taking a bite out of his rider. I punched him in the flank.

"Not this time," I barked.

He settled with a baleful look at me. Evie made a sound of distress. "Poor horse. He has to carry both of us today. You should be nicer to him."

And she stroked his flank and neck with her soft hands, making cooing sounds at my vicious warhorse. And that traitor shook his head and subsided immediately all of his antics and gave her a vapid look, half in love already. Bastard.

I grunted. "He carries a lot more than you weigh during war, lass. He'll be fine."

I grabbed the reins and swung myself up on his back, settling in behind her and out of reach of his teeth, or at least with the barrier of Evie in the way. I kicked my heels into his side and we set off on the journey to my damnation.

I really needed to get Evie her own horse or find a stronger barrier between us. A fur and her flimsy clothing did nothing to hide the swell of her buttocks from my cock, which had been erect ever since we settled into a steady gait a few hours previously. Evie had started the ride asking more questions than a young orcling, but eventually had settled against my chest and dozed off, her soft curves pressed against my body, rubbing against me with every rock of Mankala's gait. I wonder if King Gnarlug would accept this as my torture? Doubtful. He had more creative forms of torture, though they often included balls and cocks, too.

I preferred to avoid all towns and settlements, but Evie needed more appropriate attire. I considered leaving her behind while I entered the town alone, but I couldn't risk leaving her alone. Bandits, unsavory types lurked in the forests, along with wild animals, and Evie would be an easy target. I avoided my inner orc, demanding that I keep her to myself.

We stayed away from the main roads to avoid other orcs and traffic, not that there was a lot of traffic this far out from the capital. Though, it was more a risk that I would run into patrols or collector units, ensuring that the towns paid their tithes and that no one was escaping over the border. The king was tightening his hold on the kingdom, closing his borders, and locking people inside.

I had most recently been assigned to the northern border, where several orcs had slipped through and joined rebels in Minotaur territory. We had reports of deserters from the unit and I had been tasked with stopping the bleeding. When I arrived, the guardhouse was empty, everyone gone. Word had preceded my assignment. King Gnarlug had been furious and initially assigned a force for me to lead in recovering the unit, or kill them all in the attempt. But then his seer had the prophecy of a fire-haired female who would give him an heir and I was re-assigned. Evie wasn't quite the female expected. Her hair was dark with red along the bottom edge only, which I didn't think was what the seer foresaw. But I couldn't go back empty-handed.

As the late afternoon sun set behind the trees and the shadows grew longer, I began looking for a place to make camp. Evie slowly wakened, stretching and rubbing against me. She blinked at the never-ending sea of gnarled branches and twisted roots and frowned in disappointment. "It hasn't changed much, has it?"

I smiled. "What did you expect? This forest is old and covers much of the realm. We have several days ride to get to the capital and the view will be much the same, lass. Don't worry. I know the area well."

She sighed. "Well, I hope we can find a place to take a bath or I'm going to start to smell pretty ripe."

I resisted the urge to tell her that she already smelled divine. "There are plenty of streams between here and the capital."

"Streams?" She gasped. "I was hoping for something more private and warmer."

"Settlements are sparse between here and the capital, though we are coming to a more populated area. As you are unmated, you are at risk for being taken and claimed for a mate." He paused, debating on his next words. "If we meet up with anyone, we should say you are my mate. That way, no one will harm you or attempt to take you."

Her eyes widened as she stared up at me. "They would do that?"

Guilt rode me hard, as I was the biggest threat to her, though she didn't know it. "A plague tore through our lands many years ago. Females were the hardest hit, especially orc females. They have been unable to have children, especially female children. Our race is dying unless we mate with other races. Human females are the most compatible with us, so you are highly prized."

An impish grin curved her lips. "Well, it's nice to know someone values me, but I would much prefer to choose my husband rather than be forced into it."

I chuckled. "You would have males fighting for you, if given the chance. However, in the borderlands, there are those who would keep you for themselves and not give anyone else a chance, not even yourself."

She shifted on the saddle and looked up at me, the trust reflected in her gaze only increased the guilt laying heavy on my shoulders and in the pit of my stomach. "They sound like they don't have any honor, unlike you. I trust you, Breac. You won't let anything happen to me." She let out a small laugh. "It's funny. I never trusted anyone so quickly in my life. Yet here I am, riding a horse with you and having full confidence in you. I hope my instincts aren't wrong."

My stomach clenched at her words. She was forming an attachment to me, and, given my own dangerous attraction to her, I feared that we were forming a mating bond. The king would be furious if that were the case. It could prevent her from forming any bond with him, from being able to bear his orclings, especially the coveted female orcling that the king needed to solidify his claim to the throne. I had to keep my distance and resist any bonding. To bond with Evie would put my family at risk. I had to deliver her as ordered or he would kill my mother and brother.

I cleared my throat and changed the subject. "We'll camp in this small clearing tonight. It's off the main road, so we should not attract any travelers and there is a small stream just ahead for fresh water and bathing."

She wrinkled her nose but sighed. "It would be nice to be clean."

And just like that, imagining Evie wet and naked, my cock was hard as a rock.