Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

LILY

R yko squeezes my bottom as he walks at a leisurely pace, which I appreciate. I don't want my first time with him to be rushed. It's bad enough outside forces have pushed up the timeline.

His lower lip curls, wantonly flashing enough tusk to make my body hum.

I can't help but smile. This male knows how to distract me.

"Do that again," I say.

This time, when he curls his lip, I swipe my tongue over a tusk.

He groans, and pinches my ass, those intense green eyes never leaving me.

I've missed his touches, his kisses, and especially the way he looks at me. As if he needs me more than the air he breathes.

"I have to warn you. These weeks apart have made me kind of needy," I confess.

"Choose your words carefully, female. I fall asleep each night with a hard cock as I envision you and your warm mouth. I plan to claim every part of you, but if you overexcite me, I may not be gentle."

"Then don't be."

His ridges hitch in question.

"Be you," I say softly, then bite my lip. "With all that entails."

My warrior sets me down at the entrance to a cave deep in the forest. His eyes travel down me before he captures my mouth.

His tongue, smooth and as strong as the male himself, teases me before seizing control. As Ryko's lips glide down my neck, he cups my swells and sucks on a very hard nipple through the fabric. That does things to me. Stirring unexpected urges, needs… desires.

I stroke his cock through his loincloth, shocked at how hard he is.

"Keep touching me," he purrs. Not one of his usual growls, which I've come to realize have many meanings beyond merely showing displeasure. Much more. This purring... It's almost hypnotic. I can't resist Ryko. I don't want to resist him anymore.

"You are mine," he growls, thrusting his cock, still covered by his loin cloth, against my hand.

His breathing increases and his head tips back, the heavily muscled cords of his throat flexing. Seductive, sensuous.

He's breaking… at my touch. Because of me .

Suddenly, Ryko's hand slams over mine, stopping me from touching him. Male musk fills my nostrils as he leans his head in the crook of my neck.

"You excite me too fast. Too easily. We will do this right. Through risha, though with only the gods to witness."

I don't fully understand what he's talking about, but I don't care as his hands caress my ribs, moving higher with each stroke. My breath catches as two fingers slip under my bra and the pad of a callused thumb glides over my hard nipple. I arch my back, offering myself to him .

Ryko slides his tusks along my throat, sending shivers through me. I've missed this. I've missed him .

One simple touch and I'm his.

With his mouth on mine and his hands holding me tight to him, he backs me into the cave. Shadows swallow the daylight, but I'm not scared. How can I be? I'm with Ryko, a male I trust with my life.

I reach down and untie the straps to his leather loincloth. The covering falls to the ground and his impressive cock, hard as iron, brushes against my hand.

Despite my excitement and good intentions, I freeze up, thrown back to that one horrible night in my past.

Warm lips brush my mouth, rescuing me.

"Where did you go?" Ryko asks, cupping my cheek.

"I flashed back to my first time. That man who…"

"First time," he says with contempt, barely getting the words out before he spits to his right. "You've never had a first time with a male. An animal attacked you. I will be your first and your only male. Ever. Is that clear?"

I nod. Neither of us can change the past, but he's determined not to let it affect us. Or me.

Ryko takes my hand and guides it to his cock. "This belongs to you, Lily. I am yours, and you are mine."

"I like that."

Ryko moves my hand up and down his thick cock, giving me permission to touch, and do as I please. When his hand lets go, my fingers continue on their own, sliding silky-smooth skin over the steel rod beneath. The feel of him in my hand amazes and stuns me. But it's the growl that tears from Ryko's throat that makes my pussy throb and my nipples tighten until they're painfully hard and begging for attention.

With my hand on his cock, his hand sneaks under my skirt and pulls my panties aside. My heart races as Ryko's fingers slide over my mound and slip into my folds .

"Don't stop," I moan.

He chuckles, a comforting sound. With a nudge from his knee between my thighs, I open my legs.

He falls to his knees and seconds later, his face disappears beneath my skirt.

Before I can tell him he doesn't have to do this for me, his tongue presses flat against my most private area, licking, and swiping up and down, in circles, and patterns that have no names. The tip of his tongue—that naughty, silky soft tip—knows no bounds as it enters my core, even licks a path toward my back hole. Nothing is off limits. From his tusks grazing over my clit to his mouth sucking on my tiny nub, his every touch makes me squirm and pant as I succumb to him.

His fingers grip my hips, holding me steady, as his broad shoulders push my legs farther apart. I'm soaked.

Ryko's nostrils flare and a wild look fills his eyes, a millisecond before he dives in, like a starving man about to feast.

OMG, his entire face presses into me and every inch of me jolts alive. A nip on my clit, the glide of a tusk against sensitive tissue… I roll my hips, pressing myself against his face as he creates this maddening need in me.

My fingers sink into his hair, holding on for dear life as he tortures me with pleasure. I can't pull away. Don't want to.

Without warning, a simple drag of a tusk over my clit launches me over the edge.

"Ryyyykkkooo!" his name rips from my throat.

Strong, loving arms catch me as I slump my head against his shoulder. His lips nuzzle my neck as the waves calm, taking all the tension of the past days and weeks with them.

When my eyes finally lift to his, I see an intensity there. A seriousness I've never seen before. That's when he slides one very thick finger into my entrance and holds it there, curling it as he explores and watches my reactions.

I'm new to all this, especially letting go and trusting my instincts. My hand wanders down his sides until my right hand grips his cock, as much as it can, given how thick it is.

With masculine grace and power, thigh muscles flex as he rotates his hips, pumping into my hand with short thrusts. I'm wet all over again, but not my hands.

A second finger joins the first, this male intent on stretching me, preparing me. My sexy orc grins with such devilishness I slam my hips against his hand, driving his fingers deeper.

Bright green eyes darken.

A delicious tension rises in me. I need more of him.

He presses his thumb against my clit, startling me, but he soon has me moaning and panting beside him as he manipulates my clit with taps and pinches, testing every possible touch on me, making me twist and writhe until I finally shatter and my walls clamp down on his fingers.

Another orgasm. Surreal in its intensity. Reality slows as I gaze at the beautiful stars raining down behind my eyelids. He's left me limp and leaning against him, unable to move.

With nothing but a chuckle, Ryko pulls his fingers out from my pussy… and sucks on them. I've never seen anything so dirty and hot in my life!

That devious grin returns, curling his bottom lip until his tusks flash, looking hotter and more seductive than ever.

"I want you, Ryko. All of you."

Green eyes dance with excitement. "Remove your clothing. All of it."

I swallow, nervous about being fully naked even in a dimly lit cave. Holding my breath, I lift my blouse over my head and toss it.

"All of it," he says, his voice deep as he takes his cock in hand and pumps it once, twice until a pearlescent bead of moisture forms at the tip.

Without intending to, I run my tongue over my lip .

"Yes, female. You will taste me again. Finish undressing. I'm growing impatient."

He's growing, all right. That massive beast in his hands is larger than before, I'm sure of it.

I unzip the back of my skirt, slowly rocking my hips from side to side. I'm not normally a tease but seeing his eyes smolder makes whatever I'm risking here well worth it.

When I wiggle to push my skirt down, his hand pumps his cock faster. It's crazy that I affect him like this, so I drag the skirt down as slowly as I can, gyrating my hips the entire time.

His hand matches the rhythm of my hips, and the wetness between my legs gushes. His nose flares as he stares at my panties. "That too."

Heat filling my cheeks, I slide my panties down, slightly embarrassed I didn't wear anything frilly. Not that I own anything frilly. I thrust my ass out, hoping to compensate for the lack of sexy undergarments.

"You mean to tease me until I spill all over the ground, female?" He asks, grabbing his cock and squeezing until his knuckles go white, as if to stave off an inevitability. "Remove this upper garment next. I will see all of you. All which belongs to me."

My nerves get the best of me as I loop my finger under a bra strap and take my time sliding it off my shoulder.

"You're stalling, my little human."

I am, but I drag the other strap down just as slowly as I did the first. Ryko kisses me, distracting me while he unhooks the bra in the back.

With the soft woosh of my bra hitting the ground, Ryko steps back and stares at my breasts. "Gorgeous. But why do you hide from me?"

Hide? Oh. I've crossed my arms to cover my bare chest.

Ryko unfolds my arms, his eyes taking their time as they run over me .

When I reach for my blouse to cover myself, Ryko captures my arm. "Never hide from me, my Lily. I will see your beauty." He scoops his leather loin cloth off the ground and wraps it around my upper arms, binding them behind me. The position pushes my breasts outward. "You will not hide from me."

With my breasts pushing out, large globes bouncing without the support of a bra, I'm so damn exposed, like I'm some virginal offering. There's no covering myself now. I'm on full display. I want to crawl into a dark cave and… My eyes roam the rough stone ceilings and walls. I'm already there.

"You've made me helpless," I squeak.

"You are far from helpless."

"I don't understand."

"Control me," he orders. "Without your arms."

"How am I to?—"

I don't get to finish my question as he places his hand against my pussy, presses his thumb against my clit and slides two fingers inside me, as if it's a custom hand-hold to. "You will find a way. Take control," he demands, even though I'm in his grip.

A competition? Is that what this is?

"You have me at a disadvantage," I say as his fingers thrust in and out, stirring up the most delicious wanton needs, despite my confusion and sense of vulnerability.

"I would say the same of you." His cock stabs my thigh as he steps closer, making it clear his fingers are only preparing me.

He will take me.

Isn't that what I want?

Warm lips graze the shell of my ear. "Control me," he whispers.

My orc is always teaching me, trying to make me believe in myself. He doesn't want a submissive female. He wants an orc female. That's what he's saying.

"Suck me," I order, a rush of excitement moving through me when I bark the order. This isn't about being bossy but taking control over oneself. Even with my hands tied behind me, I'm not powerless. I never have been.

I press my upper arms together harder, offering him my breasts in earnest.

His mouth latches onto a tight nipple, sucking, nipping, pulling, and abusing my poor flesh in ways that draw moan after moan from me. My mouth waters and my need to suck on him, to do anything to draw out those glorious guttural sounds he makes, drives my hips against him.

With one last swipe of his tongue over my nipple, he reaches behind me and unties the bindings.

I can no longer contain myself. I slide down his body and my knees settle on the loin cloth he dropped between us. My lips brush along his tip, spreading the glistening liquid on me like lipstick. I'm not careful and dainty about keeping in the lines. I slather his essence on me because the more of him on me—in me—makes me feel…Powerful. In control. Not a victim.

My tongue darts out to taste him. The moment I lick his tip, a wetness gushes from my pussy. Ryko's nostrils flare again, but this time, I don't get a chance to take him in my mouth.

He walks behind me, a hand gathering locks of my hair as he stands between my legs. A hand presses firmly against the center of my back, guiding me to position myself on all fours. As I plant my palms flat on the ground, my hard peaks and soft belly brush the dirt.

One hand strokes me, from the top of my head, down my spine to between my ass cheeks, and under to my pussy, where his fingers stroke me over and over, making me wetter.

My head bends forward as I lose myself to the sensations, not even realizing he's settled between my legs until he nudges my legs open wider to fit his larger frame. His long, thick cock replaces his fingers, and I'm in heaven as that soft, pillowy head slides through my slick. My breath hastens, nervousness and anticipation rolling though me. Then, with one swift thrust, he impales me.

My eyes flash open wide with the shocking realization of how big he is. At how exposed I am.

"Vek, you're tight."

I am. And I feel every blessed, ridged inch of him.

A smile curls my lips. He's a part of me now.

Large hands grip my hips, holding me steady as he pulls out half way then thrusts back in, creating a delicious friction. Like everything about Ryko, it's not enough. I want more of his touches, his cock, the sweet way his hands glide over my breasts as he thrusts into me.

He pulls out and wraps his torso over mine, pressing his lips against my ear. "Can you take all of me?"

"There's more?" my voice pitches high.

With a throaty chuckle, my orc pushes between my shoulder blades until my head rests against the ground, leaving my ass higher. He thrust back in again, and heaven help me he sinks deeper. With fast, powerful thrusts, he drives into me at an exhilarating pace. Short, breathy moans escape me, coming faster as delicious tension builds within me.

As I reach a precipice, he suddenly stops moving, his hard length deep inside me.

"Don't stop," I plead, having trouble forming the words. It's as if I'm hovering on the edge of a cliff, about to plunge into a heart-stopping free fall, but can't. "More," I beg.

Another chuckle.

"Are you trying to torture me?" I ask when he doesn't continue.

"I need to know your limits."

Is he serious? A pent-up energy has my every nerve on fire as if I'm ready to explode but can't.

"Just fuck me. Please!"

One hand leaves my hip and reaches around me to play with my clit. His touch soothes at first, calms the raw edges he's created. Then a new heat builds from where his fingers play me and collide with the heat spreading outward from my core.

Energy crackles within me. I'm climbing the walls trying to escape this energy. I can't wait any longer. I push back into him, sheathing him to his root. Then I rock forward only to slam back onto him again. I'm slow and don't have his power, but I hear his moans as he restrains himself. Stubborn orc!

I pull off completely and wiggle my ass to tease him, to beg him to stop treating me as if I'll break.

He lightly smacks my right butt cheek. "If you overexcite me, I may not be as gentle as you require."

I'm momentarily overwhelmed with a sensation I've never experienced before. The energy within me sizzles and spikes, leaving me on edge, but this new sensation… heaven help me, this is freedom . My soul soars as I understand what it means to take control, to demand what I need, without the worry that I'll lose him if I misstep. Because I won't.

He's as much mine as I am his. And together… we're whole .

"Show me who you are. Don't hold back," I demand, and then add, "Trust me, Ryko. I won't break."

"You want rough, female?" He sounds surprised.

I want you. All of you. I shake my ass to send a very clear message.

His palm smacks my left butt cheek with a sharp crack that echoes through the cave. Shockwaves travel straight to my pussy.

"Humans are fragile compared to orcs."

"Take me hard, orc. That's what you want, isn't it?"

"Yes," he draws the word out as he pinches my nipple and holds it, as if he's debating what to do, how far he can go.

A single long thrust, deeper than last time nearly catches me off guard. I dig my hands into the dirt for leverage just in time as he thrusts again.

I savor the fullness even as his hands settle on my hips. He's as far in as he can go, I believe, but before I can ponder if that's the case, he pulls out and thrusts back in. Again. And again. And again until his grunts drown out my panting.

I can barely hold myself up against the force of him, and yet it feels as if he's holding back.

"Show me who you are, Ryko," I grunt out.

"No, I can't do that to you."

"If you don't, then your grak will!"

With a roar, he pulls my knees off the loin cloth and into the air, supporting my body with his hands beneath my thighs and drives into me from behind so fast and deep I cry out from the sheer fullness. His pace turns relentless, each thrust harder, faster, deeper.

"Mine! You are mine. No other will touch you!"

From this position, with only my hands on the ground, I can no longer rock back into him. He's thrusting so hard, every part of my body awakens. His balls slap against my clit, as my taut nipples rake over the ground, the friction adding to the maelstrom building within me.

I'm balancing on the edge of that cliff, teetering, desperate for him to push me over. "Need to come."

"You will not." His voice turns unyielding as he continues fucking me hard.

The pace is punishing and oddly intoxicating. My greedy body sucks him in with each thrust, as if he's a part of me I can't survive without. The fullness, the feel of those ridges inside me… fuck, I'm wound so tight I can practically see the strings tethering me to this plane ready to snap.

"Vekking mine!" He slams into me so hard that it's all I can do to keep my head off the ground. Animalistic sounds of grunting and heavy balls slapping against my pussy fill my ears adding to the wanton need to be taken, fucked… used. But this sense of being on edge, the need to release, will overwhelm me soon .

My eyes roll back in my head with a particularly forceful thrust. "Ryko!" A plea. It's all I can manage.

"Not yet," he barks out as a hard palm smacks my ass again. Once, twice… Heaven help me, the sting of his hand on my ass stokes the fire inside me. I crave more of him, more of what he does to me.

He's worked me into such a frenzy that I'm going to explode.

Will you catch me when I fall, my sweet orc?

Always, his deep voice replies.

I'm shocked at the word entering my mind. I must be imagining it. A remnant of the euphoria dancing around the edges of my consciousness taunting me, waiting for me.

"Now, female. Give me your release." He pinches my sensitive clit and shakes it incredibly fast sending wave after wave of intense pleasure through me. He's not relenting. It's too much and I begin to shake, but the orgasm hovers beyond my reach.

He releases my clit only for his hands to spread my ass cheeks. Without warning, a wet finger rims my back hole and pushes in.

The string tethering me to this plane breaks.

"Yeeeessss!" I shout as my body arches and my walls seize his cock. I revel in the sweet release as his cock pulses inside me. The blissful warmth of his cum coats my walls as my body slowly comes down from the high.

I cannot move.

He's broken me.

Just as I've broken him. My not-so-sweet orc gave me what I asked for, showed me all of who he is.

He's mine now. All of him. Not just the sweet and sexy side, but the raw male with needs, the male who will take and conquer, the orc who will now see me as more than a fragile human who will break beneath him… or because of him.

A smile overtakes my face. Equals.

"Vekking perfect," he says with a soft sigh as his body drapes over mine .

"Yes," I agree. "And I didn't break."

"No, you didn't." Another kiss lands on my neck as we remain in that position for several long breaths. His cock pulses inside me as gentle hands stroke my back. I'm waiting for him to get off me, but instead, he lifts me with his cock still inside me and carries me to a boulder where he drapes me over the smooth top. "This position will be easier."

"For what?" I ask dreamily. I'm not sure I have an ounce of energy for a second round with him, though it's nice being off my hands and knees. My feet touch the ground, though Ryko's holding me upright.

"For completion."

I'm not sure what he's talking about, but I want to face him, look into those dark eyes and see the curl of his lips after what we just did.

I move to slide off him, but I can't pull off his cock. "Something's wrong. We're stuck!"

As calm as can be, he pets my hair and whispers, "My cock will release in time."

"Release? What do you mean?"

"My knot locks us together."

"Your cock has knots? I remember the ridges, but no knots."

"My cock knotted to keep my seed from escaping." When I say nothing, he adds, "Does this not happen with human males?"

"No." My voice shakes, and I suddenly feel trapped, until his body bends over mine, enveloping me like a warm blanket. Tender kisses land at the base of my neck, then work their way down my clavicle to my shoulder, calming me until the panic passes.

"How long?" I ask, still nervous about what I don't understand.

"Knotting is a gift from the gods. It means they have accepted our mating. And the knot increases the chance of siring a youngling, a second blessing, if we are fortunate."

"Pregnant? "

His hand curves over my belly. "A youngling is not assured with knotting, but likely."

He's serious. Shock runs through me.

"I can't get pregnant," I stutter. "I mean, I can, but—" But what? I'm not ready to be a mom exactly, but I've always wanted a baby someday. I stare into Ryko's handsome face, at how he's totally fixated on my every word, and how soft his expression is toward me. A baby… The idea is terrifying, and yet rather exciting. But I can't even think about all the good parts about having a baby, not given the problems with our people.

I take a deep breath and force myself to think about what getting pregnant would do. And I shudder with the reality.

"If I get pregnant, my people will know I've been with someone, and then they'll start questioning me."

"No one will touch you. This is a true mating no one can question because we are meant for one another. We will be safe."

"With your people, perhaps. But not with mine. Until your grak gives me permission to enter your colony, I still have to live in New Earth. And we don't know what this treaty will say, or when they'll sign it, if ever. As long as I'm living in New Earth, my people can still auction me off to a man in my colony."

He kisses the back of my neck. "I will talk with my grak tonight."

Even if I'm pregnant, no one will know for a few months, I remind myself. We have time. Plenty of time for Ryko and his grak to work out the details.

What if his grak says no? Or there's some delay and my people find out? Then what? Would the orc king demand my people hand me over? Would they go to war if Council refuses?

No. I'm not worth anything to anyone. Except Ryko.

Ryko's head rests against mine as his hands caress my arms in a soothing rhythm. "Breathe, Lily. All will be well."

His strong arm hooks around my chest, allowing me to rest my head on his forearm, and reminding me I'm no longer alone. I start to calm.

One problem at a time, I repeat the old saying. It's working, until I think of all the risks Ryko has been taking and how his grak could kill him in an instant for disobeying him.

At the thought of losing him, my knees wobble. Ryko catches me and keeps my upper torso from falling forward and cracking my head on the boulder.

"Vekk, I was too hard on you," he swears, the pain in his voice hurting me more than any weapon could.

"You were perfect," I say because I won't have him blaming himself for any part of this situation. "I'm panicking because we didn't think everything through. How do I leave my people without causing a war?" Without getting you killed, my sweet orc?

His lips press against the back of my neck and waits for me to calm, which I start to do immediately. He just has that effect on me.

"You simply leave your people, my mate. The next time they bring you to Pen'Kesh, will be your last day with them. You will meet me on one of your breaks, and I will take you away with me. My grak will decide what is to be done after that. He will avoid a war."

Right. He needs women.

"No matter what happens, my mate, you are mine. Mine to fuck. Mine to mate. Mine to protect."

My mate . I'm his. I'm really his now.

"What if?—"

"Shh, Lily. It is done. We are mated. There is nothing to be done now but enjoy one another while we wait for the knot to release." He plants another kiss, this one along my spine. The male knows not only how to distract me, but how to calm me. I'm like putty in his hands.

"How long does the knot take to release?" I ask as I close my eyes and enjoy how his tongue licks a line up to the ticklish spot behind my ear. I giggle and squeeze my shoulder tight to push him away, but he's relentless, nibbling on my ear.

"I do not know. I've never knotted a female," he finally answers. "We will enjoy one another until then."

He nuzzles the back of my neck again. I must admit, staying locked to him has its benefits, especially as his hands play with my breasts.

I rise off the boulder as far as I can, rubbing my back against the hard planes of his chest. "Just hold me," I say.

"Always." He kisses my neck, as his hands play with my nipples, arousing me all over again.

"Why do I sense you're not done with me?" I ask playfully, arching into his hands.

"Apev a tuni vorith?" a male voice booms from outside the cave.

Ryko's hand immediately covers my mouth, to keep me from gasping.

"Suuda. Bekk cani," a second male says.

I don't know which species, only that they're not human.

"Tagiriv fi besa adenden," a third says. "Rith rith, tok?"

Three males. And it sounds like they're at the entrance. They're going to come inside!

My body begins shaking. Except for one thumb strumming my cheek to keep me calm, Ryko doesn't move. I turn my head to look over my shoulder at him, but he's not looking at me. He's staring at his knives and sword on the ground across the cave… out of his reach.