Chapter 9

Lux

Cozy lighting, a cup of hot chocolate, a full belly, and a delicious-smelling female curled up next to me.

If it weren't for the damned spreadsheets—the shelter's budget numbers kept jumping from one column to the next—and the fact the rain pattering against the shutters was actually a fucking hurricane, then this might be considered an ideal evening.

I glanced over at Zoe, but she didn't seem fazed by the sound of the rain. She didn't seem fazed by much of anything; that's one of the things I liked about her so much. She was strong and resilient and willing to put up with a million questions from someone like me.

That and the fact she'd slipped into her sleep shorts after her shower, and I didn't think there was anything yummier looking than those long brown legs—now freshly shaved—tucked up on the couch between us and disappearing into lemon yellow cotton.

It helped that I knew what those shorts hid.

Her hair was already wrapped up in one of those colorful silk scarf things that always seemed to make her sparkle. The collar of her sleep shirt had stretched out and now slipped over one shoulder as she turned the page of the heavy book in her lap. She was hunched forward, eyes darting across the pages as she read. From my end of the couch, all I could see were the bright pictures.

Gods of the ancestors, I'd rather be looking at bright pictures than these stupid spreadsheets.

Frowning, I bent back over the coffee table, barely resisting the urge to tap my pencil against the wood. Instead, I used the eraser end to swirl the string that Mrs. Albee had used to bundle the spreadsheets together before she'd given them to me, as I tried to count the number of zeroes I was missing.

Had the puppy chow budget been a thousand dollars for June, or ten thousand? A thousand, surely? I mean, I know we had great donors, but that was a lot of puppy chow…

Muttering a curse, I flipped back through the pages.

"What's up?" Zoe asked, and I welcomed the distraction.

I sighed and flopped back against the couch, just as thunder crashed above us. She jumped, and I reached out to touch her bare foot, just to offer comfort. "I hate numbers. I'm no good with them."

Raising her brows, Zoe shifted so her back was against the arm of the couch, and she faced me, legs stretched between us. "Why are you messing around with numbers? Did you know you mutter to yourself when you do math?"

I wasn't surprised. The pencil wobbled back and forth between my fingers as I fidgeted. "I'm not even doing the damned math; I'm just recording numbers from one place to another. Mrs. Albee likes using the paper spreadsheets, instead of a computer program, and that's fine, because it's not like I'd suddenly be awesome at a computer or something, but this is just a lot of places I can screw up."

"Hey." Zoe nudged my thigh with her big toe, and when I looked at her, she frowned. "You're not stupid."

"I didn't say that." Not out loud, at least.

"Good." She nodded. "Stop thinking it too. Numbers aren't for everyone. Is Mrs. Albee better with paper than computers?"

"She's better with numbers ," I sighed, leaning forward once more to toss my pencil down and scoop up the hot chocolate I'd made for us earlier. Two scoops of cocoa mix, warm milk, and a squirt of hazelnut syrup. "I'm trying, but…"

Zoe poked me again. "But not everyone's good at them. Why isn't Mrs. Albee doing them?"

I sipped the chocolate and winced at the way the shutters rattled.

" Lux ?"

"I offered to help. She's got her hands full at the library, yeah?" I shot her a look, not wanting to bring up the fact Mrs. Albee had been lucky enough to land a full-time librarian job and hating the way my gut clenched at the thought of Zoe leaving Eastshore. Actually, I hated that in general. "Since she was worried about that, I told her I'd try to get these records up to date. Not like I have a lot else going on."

Zoe went to poke me again, and this time I reacted first, wrapping my hand around her foot and holding her in place. She yanked, but I raised a brow in challenge, and she yanked again before her lips twitched.

I raised another brow, an expression I'd learned was universal.

She began to giggle, and I tightened my hold. "What?"

"You have a chocolate mustache," she laughed.

"Oh, right, that's why you're laughing." I ran my thumb up the inside of her foot, and her giggles immediately broke off in a sort of breathless noise. Her eyes widened, and I grinned.

Holding her gaze, I dragged my tongue slowly over my upper lip.

"Better?"

She nodded without speaking, gaze still locked on my lips.

When her scent changed, I knew the exact moment her arousal spiked. It coincided with that subtle way she had of squeezing her thighs together, and how her pupils dilated just slightly. I doubt she was even aware of it, but the knowledge triggered something deep inside me.

In fact, Zoe triggered a lot of things deep within me.

My Kteer was giving me shit, and I couldn't seem to help it.

Zoe made me…itchy. That wasn't the word, but it was the best description. I wanted to run. I wanted to hunt, which was nuts, because I'd never been a hunter—never been strong enough. I wanted to chase her down and toss her over my shoulder and drag her back to my den, which was even nutsier , because the thought of sleeping in a den was pretty damned revolting.

She made me feel all primal, is my point. Whatever was happening, it was as if she reached way down inside me and grabbed the part of me that used to be a wild orc and pulled it out.

I wasn't certain I liked it.

I should probably ask Giza about it. I'm sure he'd be happy to give me a lecture on whatever my Kteer was doing. The male didn't need an excuse to launch into a lecture about orc culture or biology…

"Lux?"

I startled, realizing I'd been staring at Zoe, my thumb running up and down her instep. Blinking, I pulled my hand away just as thunder crashed overhead, and we both jumped.

Her voice sounded a little sickly when she offered, "I guess we're going to lose electricity soon."

"Yeah, well, I'm not going to hate having to pack up these spreadsheets," I tried to tease. "Did you finish your chocolate?"

She pointed at her empty mug on the coffee table. "Please, I downed it in one go."

"Ah." So much for polite conversation, Lux. "What are you reading?"

Judging from the way her eyes lit, I should've led with that.

"Oh! It's a big spread on Luxor!" she said as she pushed her feet to the floor and leaned toward me, offering the large open book. "The pictures are incredible, look. It was for one of those big magazines, and then published for collectors with all these photos of Egyptian sites. I picked it up from the library today when I was helping Mrs. Albee."

I'd been startled to hear she was reading about me , so I couldn't help leaning sideways to study the photograph she was tapping with one blue fingernail as I shifted the pencil to the opposite hand to ensure I wouldn't mark whatever she was pointing at.

It was a picture of a statue. A bunch of statues, in a line.

I mean, don't get me wrong, they were nice statues. But half of them were missing their tops, and the ones that did have heads were wearing a jug or something. And were those thingies supposed to be beards?

I glanced up at Zoe just in time to see her expression soften from eagerness to understanding, and damn it, I did not want her pity, did not want her to think I was dumb…but sitting this close to her, I couldn't help but inhale her sweet scent.

My Kteer jumped in my chest, and I growled at it to behave.

"Luxor is an important archaeological site in Egypt, Lux," she murmured as she flipped the page to reveal another colorful photo. "Look at these statues, gah. They're almost as ripped as you."

My lips formed the word " Ripped ?" but no sound emerged.

"Hot, babe. These muscles are as impressive as yours." Zoe sent me a wink as she turned the page. "Egyptologists consider it one of the most important sites, since it encompasses Karnak and it is opposite the Valley of the Kings. It's full of temples and tombs and monuments and was a major place of worship back when it was known as Thebes."

I blinked, trying to get myself to focus, but all I could think about was those beautiful eyes and that incredible scent teasing me. I twisted the pencil between my fingers, trying to release some of the energy building inside my chest.

By the seven hells, Lux, she's not interested in your Kteer right now. She's telling you about…uh… Shit. What had they been…?

Egypt !

I blinked again. "Luxor and Thebes and Karnak are the same place?"

"Oh, no." She smiled at me and flipped a few more pages. "See? That's Karnak. Thebes was the ancient name for the whole area, I guess. Want me to ask Mrs. Albee to put this book aside for Karnak after I return it to the library?"

Focus focus . Now she'd moved on from Egypt and she was talking about other males? I resisted the urge to growl again. "Uh…maybe." We were talking about my friends. Focus focus . The pencil began to tap against my thigh now. "I heard that Thebes was going to be visiting Eastshore later this year too."

She straightened, turning her full attention to me. "You have a friend named Thebes?"

I nodded, trying desperately to ground myself, afraid my chest was going to explode from whatever had settled deep inside it. "He's—uh, he's living out west somewhere, but Giza told me he likes the idea of having a place to belong with the rest of us, so he's getting his house ready to sell. You haven't heard of him?"

Zoe blinked. "Why would I have heard of your friend?"

"Thebes is…I don't really know how social media works, because I'm not on it. But he's apparently built up quite a following."

"An orc influencer? What does he do?"

I guess I shouldn't be surprised Zo knew even less about this stuff than I did—she preferred reading to scrolling on her phone. "He takes pretty pictures? Also Giza says he makes videos where he talks about being an orc in the human world, and what he remembers of our world, stuff to try to help humans understand us. Giza—he holds our stories, remember? Geez says Thebes is popular with the ladies."

But she wasn't interested in Thebes anymore. Zoe began to flip through the book excitedly. "Here's Giza, look, and Cairo. And…who's the new guy with the kid you talk about? Sakkara?" She stabbed triumphantly at another photo.

Shit, my Kteer was not happy, hearing her talking about all these other males while smelling of arousal. But I wasn't that primal orc my Kteer was trying to get me to be.

That orc lived in a den and ate fucking berries and fucking fish and had a busted leg.

I was better than that.

Well, I mean, I still liked fish. Just not fucking fish.

Not fucking fish , but—hells, you know what I mean.

Sakkara. Giza. Hells, Thebes , who I hadn't seen since Denver. Karnak and Cairo, who seemed so much more at peace since they'd found their Mates—

The pencil snapped.

And Zoe laughed, cool and clear. "Oh my God, Lux, you don't care about all this, do you?" She snapped the book closed and hefted it onto the coffee table next to my spreadsheets, the mugs, and the length of string. "You need a distraction."

That's when she scooped up the string and climbed into my lap.

Not the distraction I was expecting, but I mean…I'll take it.

Zoe

I laughed at the expression on Luxor's face when I climbed into his lap. It was part confusion, part hope, and I discovered I really enjoyed teasing him.

"See this?" I asked, holding up the string as I settled my thighs over his, pretending to ignore the hard length I could see thickening beneath his shorts. "I'll show you a game."

"A game?" he rasped as his hands settled on my hips. "What game?"

"It's called cat's cradle." My lips tipped into a smirk as I focused on tying the two ends of the string together, then weaving them between my fingers. "My grandpa taught it to me."

He shifted beneath me, bringing my core closer to his cock, and I wasn't certain if that's why he'd done it, or if I was too heavy for him or something. "Okay. Cat's cradle."

I triumphantly lifted my two hands, fingers spread with a web of string between them. "See this?" I bent one finger down at the top knuckle to point. "Pull that piece."

"Pull the piece of string?" he repeated doubtfully, his attention now on the web between us.

"Yep. Pinch it and pull…" I waited until he'd released one of my hips and followed directions. "Now hook it around here." I wiggled another finger and watched him do as I'd said. "Good, now do the same here…to here."

When he finished the simple design, I grinned brightly at him. "Ta-da!" I waggled the new shape in front of him. "Isn't it pretty?"

His eyes didn't leave my face, that same strangely intense heat in them that I'd seen a few other times, including a while ago, right here on the couch. "Yeah. Real pretty."

I didn't think he was talking about the string.

Lowering my hands slightly, I cocked my head. "You're not sufficiently distracted."

The lights flickered, and I winced, but his gaze never left my face.

"Zo, I have access to streaming television shows from sixty years ago and RPG video games…why would string distract me?"

I burst into laughter.

"Yeah, okay, fair." I dropped my hands to my lap. Or what would be my lap if we hadn't somehow scooted closer together. "I guess cat's cradle might seem a little…primitive?"

The lights flickered again.

His dark gaze was intense. And…something was different.

His nostrils flared, and his tusks seemed suddenly quite prominent. His eyes…I found myself leaning forward breathlessly, studying his eyes.

Was that a spark of green in the depths? Rather than the darkness I was used to, I swore there was a bit of green I'd never seen. "Um…Lux?"

"I'm an orc," he rasped, fingers digging into my hips, and I wondered if those were his claws I could feel gently dimpling my skin. "I'm quite familiar with primitive ."

Was it warm in here? It was warm in here, wasn't it? Why couldn't I take a full breath?

"Primitive?" I whispered, or tried to whisper. I swallowed and tried again. "H-How exactly are you familiar…?"

Thank God he knew what I meant because I didn't.

His free hand reached for the string, gently pulling it from between my fingers as he held my gaze. "Where I'm from, if a female climbs into a male's lap after talking about other males the way you did, he would consider it his duty to convince her to think only about him. "

I felt my lips form a little "oh" of surprise. My tongue darted over my lips. "And…how would you do that?"

"Like this."

Before I could blink, before I could make more than an eep of surprise, Luxor had gathered my wrists in one of his hands and was twisting the string around them. I hadn't had a chance to take a breath before he held up my bound wrists between us.

The string wasn't too tight, or even knotted, but the sight of it—the realization I was his , his captive, his to do with what he wanted… Well, it did more for me than the fact I was sitting pressed against his hard cock. Liquid desire flooded my pussy, and I sucked in a gasp.

His nostrils flared again, and that spark of green in his dark eyes brightened.

"You like that, pretty little human?" He shifted forward, lowering his head until his tusk grazed the skin between my neck and my shoulder, causing me to shudder. "You do like that."

"Oh God, Lux," I groaned, rocking forward, trying to ease the ache in my core.

His tongue flicked out across my skin, and I jerked against him.

"In the old days, when an orc was ready to mate, and he knew his female was receptive, he'd hunt her. She'd lead him on a chase, but he'd catch her." His lips teased me on their way up to my earlobe. "She'd let him catch her. And sometimes, he'd bind her and take her to his den."

Oh God, oh God . I swallowed, completely flabbergasted by my response to this. To him .

I'd never been into bondage or anything before, but oh my God , the sensation of that string around my wrists? And his lips on my skin? And his words in my ears? I was rocking back and forth against him, each brush against his cock sending sparks from my clit up to my brain to burst behind my eyes.

"You look like you wouldn't mind that, pretty little human," Lux murmured, straightening.

And I couldn't help myself. I threw myself forward, trying to capture his lips in mine, even as he tugged on my bound wrists, pulling me against him. His other palm pressed into my lower back, holding me in place as his tongue pressed between my lips.

It was bold. It was dominant. It wasn't at all like what I'd experienced with Lux thus far, and holy shit, did I like it.

I'm assuming my little whimper told him so, because he growled in response, his hand sliding up my back under my shirt.

I wasn't wearing anything under it, of course, and yeah, maybe that made me feel a little primitive too. I shuddered when his fingers spanned my back, pressing me against him, and I rubbed my suddenly too-sensitive nipples across his chest.

We both had too many clothes on, but Lux didn't seem to mind.

In fact, without breaking the kiss, he lifted my bound hands and slid them over his head, so I was holding onto him. With an extra hand free now, he reached for my thigh.

No, not my thigh, my sleep shorts. His thick fingers pushed aside the cotton material, and I gasped when he touched my wetness.

Guess I hadn't realized how short those suckers really were.

"Lux," I groaned against his lips, and I felt something in his chest. A rumble, maybe, a laugh.

Hell, maybe he was having a heart attack, I dunno. All I know is that he pushed his finger into me then, and I forgot my own name.

Oh God, yes!

"Lux," I whined again, squirming against him, pushing his thick finger deeper into me.

"You like that?" he murmured against my skin, scraping his tusk along my jaw. "You're my captive, Zo. You're mine."

"Yours!" I gasped.

" Mine ," he repeated, pulling his finger from me just far enough to join it with another one. "Mine."

"Oh my God, I'm yours!" My head fell back, and vaguely I recognized I was mindless with need, humping his fingers. But…that wasn't what I wanted. "Your cock, Lux. I want…"

His fingers slid from me, and I hoped he was reaching for his shorts. "I'm not taking my time," he warned.

Fine by me!

I shifted forward onto my knees, taking my weight. The movement pressed my boobs against his face, and I felt Luxor's thick tongue slide across one of my nipples. I whimpered at the sensation of wet cotton against my sensitive skin.

And then I felt the tip of his cock probing at my entrance. I shifted my weight, preparing myself. Then I straightened and, holding his gaze, sat back, sinking atop his cock.

My orgasm was immediate, as always. I screamed his name as I came, and either the lights flickered again, or I was close to blacking out.

My inner muscles spasmed around his thickness, as if I was milking him, urging him to give me all of himself, as my pleasure crashed over me.

Forget opposable thumbs; instant orgasms were my all-time-favorite evolutionary adaptation.

Gasping, I used my bound wrists for balance and twined my fingers through the hair at the back of his neck. I rocked forward, trying to prolong the pleasure, even as his fingers dug into my ass. Oh Lord, I was still wearing my shorts, wasn't I? We hadn't even removed our clothes, just pushed aside one of the leg holes like we were horny teenagers.

I mean, the guy was talking about hunting you through the woods. Kinda sound like horny teenagers to me.

Oh great. The pleasure was so great I was arguing with myself.

By the time I could breathe again, I think I was already halfway to another orgasm. The first one had—well, let's say lubricated everything well enough that Lux slid in and out of me in small movements, no problem.

It felt amazing, was my point.

Then I met his eyes.

Holy shit, his eyes.

Luxor's eyes were glowing . Glowing green in a way I hadn't seen before.

He wore a fierce expression, one which told me he was 110% focused on what we were doing, but also gave me an idea what the orcs of old must've looked like when they'd gone into battle. Briefly, I made a mental note to find books on their culture in the library so I could research—

And then clawed fingers dug into each one of my ass cheeks, lifting me up and closer. When he slammed his cock up into me, I felt my pussy juices soaking the fabric of his shorts, which he'd merely pushed aside, same as mine.

His eyes flashed, and he growled something.

"What?" I managed, only half paying attention.

"Mine. Mine ."

"Yes!" I gasped, tugging at his hair. "Yours, Lux. All yours."

With a roar, he came, heat spilling into my core. The sensation triggered my own orgasm, and I tugged him forward to claim his lips with mine.

He pumped into me, each thrust filling me with more of his thick come, as my pussy clenched around him. And suddenly, my chest was filled with so much joy , such intense pleasure, that laughter burst from my lips, pressed against his.

With a mighty crack, the electricity went out.

And I was left there, straddling Lux, his cock still pulsing inside me, flutters of my orgasm making my limbs weak, holding him against me.

Knowing something important had changed.