Chapter 13

Chapter Thirteen

ZURA

OrO must have felt my fatigue because he unwraps my legs from around him then rearranges me in front of his chest. His massive arms holding my very substantial weight effortlessly. DaR and XuL are talking to some of the guards while SCOUT , with his intimidating stare, watches all the other Orcs around us.

" OrO ?"

" Yes ?"

" Did your father just make me … Queen ?"

" I believe so."

" Frack . I have no more to give right now and my … our people need us."

DaR must hear me because he turns back towards us. " Zura , you need to see a healer and rest. With your permission, XuL and I will oversee the immediate issues with sitting up shelters and getting the sustenance that your people will require for the next few risings. Your Healers are exhausted, but I would rather not send out for others as the Sacred Waters still need to be kept as silent as possible. While I may not have seen eye to eye with your mother, she was correct on that particular point."

" DaR , your help is greatly appreciated and you don't require my permission. I agree wholly that the blessed waters should be used by the ones protecting it, and I always have. This was the one argument Mother and I could never find common ground on. However , the rest of the galaxies can never know of its healing properties, and we must keep this secret at all cost.

" My people have already lost everything. Their homes, livelihoods, and worse … possibly loved ones. I hate to admit to my own weaknesses, but I am barely holding on right now. I have pushed myself too far as it is and I can feel my body shutting down. OrO … maybe you should stay and help. Our people would be comforted by a familiar face."

Growling down at me, he pulls me closer, if that's even possible. " Absolutely not, where you go, I go. I have been separated from you long enough." The emotions in his voice shock me.

A light touch on my arm has me turning my head back to DaR . " Go on you two. OrO , I'm not going anywhere for several risings, so we will have time to discuss things further when Zura is feeling better. Take care of your mate and just so you two know, I couldn't be happier with your mate status. I hope it brings you half as much joy as my own has."

" Thank you, DaR , this has all happened so fast. I can barely wrap my mind around it. Ohhh , since OrO won't stay, yell out for Radyr , Azog , and Lagduf . Those three Orcs will help with anything you need."

OrO turns away when SCOUT steps in front of him. " Pardon me, but I would like to ask for permission to do some reconnaissance in the area. Mount Caldera's eruption has paused, possibly temporarily, but I would like to look into it further to log the destruction caused."

" Do you really need my permission, SCOUT ?"

" No , but SAGE is trying to make me … what is her term … friendlier. I have already run a series of small scans and now I need to see some things firsthand."

" Do your thing, SCOUT ." OrO steps around SCOUT'S massive frame and practically sprints up the fortress stairs. " Do you know where you're going? Not that I am complaining, I could get used to this type of transportation."

" Yes , I know where I am going. I have always known where your lodging was. I am headed to your … our rooms on the third floor. And as far as I am concerned, there is no reason for you not to be in my arms at all times from now on."

I have so many questions, but no strength to ask them. Sinking against him, I lay my head against his chest and close my eyes. Things become dreamlike afterward; there are voices, and little hands patting my face. Then the feeling of water streaming down my body while large hands caress my body gently all over. My mind quiets when I curl up under a familiar blanket and a warm body lays down close behind me.

I don't know how long I slept, but when my eyes open. I finally feel like myself again. An unfamiliar weight lying across my stomach has me looking down and my heart thumps hard when I see OrO's massive arm draped across me. The warmth I had been feeling this entire time has been him spooned in behind me. In all my risings, I never dreamed I would awaken this way with him. Even though it was all I ever truly wanted.

Slowly , I turn onto my back, trying my best not to wake him, so that I can see him better. His face is relaxed, making him appear younger. I have never witnessed this side of OrO and if I thought he was beautiful with that constant snarl, then he is stunning now.

The longer I look upon him. The more I believe the gods crafted him by hand, as all his features are sharp all the way up to his pointed ears. You can see the strength of his character in his jawline, and the readiness to battle in the contours of his body. Only because I have come to know DaR better, do I now see his features in OrO .

Many times, other male Orcs have approached me, wanting more than friendship. Even though I craved the intimacy of another, I simply could never see myself having this moment with another. My heart jumps in my chest as I trace his features with my eyes. I have loved this male laying here with me for so long, and now that he is here. I am terrified as to why. Is it only because of the Kismet marks? Does he feel forced? OrO has never shown me an ounce of affection that was not purely friendship before? What if this … me … is not what he wants? Is my mind simply making up reasons not to believe my prayers have come true?

These troubled thoughts have me wiggling out of his arms. Pulling the covers off, I am grateful that someone thought to dress me in a simple gown. Walking over toward the room's opening. I stare out at the devastation all around me.

Catching movement out of the corner of my eye, I turn slightly only to find OrO leaning back against the headboard with his hands behind his head. My eyes roam his chest and massive biceps. I can't help but grin when he flexes slightly. His long white hair is lying haphazardly on his shoulders and I swear I will remember this moment in my mind always. He doesn't say anything, just stares back at me, and for some reason, this makes me angry.

Forcing myself to look away, I glance back out of the opening. " Do you know how many risings I've stood in this very spot watching you from afar? How , secretly, I dreamed you would leave your post and crawl upon the turret and take me in your arms? Then there were other times I cursed your very existence because nothing I did made you notice me. I felt like I could have paraded around you stark naked and you would have ignored me completely."

" I've always known you were there, Zura . I could feel your gaze upon me. You were probably the only one who didn't notice how my eyes always sought you out. And I am thankful you didn't appear before me naked, as I would have had to kill every male within sight."

" Are you only here now because of the Kismet , OrO ? I must know."

" It's more complicated than that."

" Well , make it uncomplicated."

" I've been fighting this attraction to you longer than you realize. I've had these marks from the moment I touched you as a youngling, Zura ."

" OrO … no, you haven't! These marks are not exactly something you can hide, and why would you want to?"

" I have dyed my skin my entire existence to keep them a secret from you and everyone else."

" Why … would you do that?"

" I believed my runes were only one-sided, as no one, including you, had the matching marks. Mother believed I should keep them hidden, and she drilled that into me until it became second nature to do so."

" But … I have seen you with other females."

" Your eyes have misled you, Zura . At no point have I ever been with another. Unlike you, who stately and very openly, spoke about how many males you have seen naked."

I bite my lip, trying to hide the smile that forms on my face as he snarls those last words out. " OrO , I might have lied slightly about that. I mean, I have seen many males in different stages of undress, due to combat, but nothing intimate like you thought. And quit trying to change the subject. How did all of this come to pass, I feel like I am missing a huge part of the puzzle."

" When you got hurt in the forest, I took us to a cave we use regularly when scouting the outer sector. Even though I tried everything I knew to heal you, I was literally watching your life force leave your body. At the time, I wasn't in much better shape. As long as I have breath in my body, I will never forget this moment in time. I was doing my very best to clean you up with practically rags when your necklace fell off. Even in your weakened state, your runes appeared, and I could have wept. Frack , if I think back on it, I believe I did cry like a youngling.

" All my life I dreamed your runes would appear because I knew in my heart from the first touch that you were mine. I was still holding the necklace in my hand when I noticed my own runes completely disappeared. That's when I realized what had been done to you … us. I just didn't know who or how they had managed to mask your runes all this time."

" OrO you just wait just a Frackin minute. Before you say another word, you're telling me that before you put me in that water. You knew I was your Kismet , and you did it anyway, knowing by doing so you were going to die."

" You were dying, Zura , and that was unacceptable to me. I prayed for a sign, and the Lord of Light gave it to me. Once I saw that you were healing, I put the necklace back on you. So that when I was gone from this world, the runes would fade and you would have known no different."

" How dare you take that choice from ME ?" I yell at him. He is lucky I have nothing close enough to throw at his thick head.

OrO stands in front of me before I can say another word, his massive hands circling my arms as he growls down at me. " Listen here little female, before you get yourself all worked up. You need to come to an understanding that there are things I will never discuss or negotiate with you. Your safety and happiness is one of many that what I say goes. I had a way to save you and I took it. Consequences be damned, as you put it."

He shakes me gently. " Never will there be any other choice, Zura . I have suffered in silence training beside you. Watched on the sidelines as you laughed with others. Do you know how many times I wanted to tear many a male's arms off because they hugged or brushed against you? How many times have I sought out my own pleasure with your name on my lips?

" Zura , I will always put you first, whether you like it or not. Since the day you fell into my arms as younglings, I have loved you. I don't know how to do anything else and it has absolutely nothing to do with these marks that now mar our skin."

" Then why have you always pushed me away? With or without them, I loved you."

" Your mother would never approve of me, I didn't want to be the one who tore you two apart. I can never hug my mother again, Zura , but you still had that option. You heard her words. First of all, she would have found a way to kill me or sent me away. If I held my tongue, I could at least be here with you."

" You could have confided in me."

" No , I couldn't, because then there would have been no hiding my feelings once they were spoken aloud."

I beat my fist against his chest and lean forward. " So many wasted tears and risings. I will never forgive her for what she has done. I am so angry with her, … YOU … for everyone making my decisions for me."

" Zura , there was no other course of action, and we can't go back, only forward. I'm here now. I am standing right in front of you, and I am not going anywhere."

A lone tear flows down his cheek, and I reach up, wiping it away only to realize that I was not the only one who suffered. Was it worse to know and not act? Or not know and dream? My fingers trace his face only to settle on his lips.

" Kiss me."

He doesn't let me say another word before his mouth crashes down on mine. A tremor of excitement sweeps over me, but nothing compares to the electrical current humming through my entire body when our tongues finally meet. His large hands circle my waist as he pulls me closer.

Linking my arms around his neck, I press myself as close as I can. His hands move lower, cupping my ass as he presses his hard length against my stomach. A moan leaves my mouth as his lips explore mine. My mind becomes nothing but a fog of desire as his large hands wander all over my body.

I gasp for breath when his mouth leaves mine, trailing little bites and kisses down my neck. OrO growls right before his large hands grasp the top of my gown, rendering it in half, its pieces fall to the floor around my feet. His hot breath against my skin has my legs buckling, and he picks me straight up in the air in front of him, bringing my shorter frame high above his. My hands land on his shoulders, as I am helpless to do anything but watch and feel at this point.

His long tongue twirls around my nipple before biting it gently. My head falls back as he lavishes one then the other, my whole body quivering as he holds me unfaltering in front of him as I dangle helplessly in his big hands.

Turning , he throws me on the bed and I can't help but laugh when I bounce several times. Looking up, I sober quickly as his eyes devour my naked form. I can feel his eyes burning my skin as he gazes down at me. His enormous shaft pulses as the runes dance all over it and the rest of his skin. The thick veins on his neck show the restraint he is willing his body to have, as he takes his shaft in hand. Pumping it slowly as he walks towards the edge of the bed.

Blinking , I find myself pulled to the edge, his massive hands grabbing my ankle. Pulling one leg up, he kisses the bottom of my foot, nipping his way down towards my inner thigh. As he goes, OrO slowly lowers himself to the floor in front of me, parting my legs fully draping them over his shoulders as he continues to explore me.

His large finger traces my slick folds, learning what I like quickly. Sliding a single finger inside of me, his thumb rubs my pleasure button. His eyes never leave mine even when my legs start to quiver as I can feel my release nearing. Inserting a second finger, he starts pumping them in and out. Biting my lip, I close my eyes, only to whimper when he stops suddenly.

" Zura , don't take your eyes off me. I want to watch you fall apart on my fingers."

He lifts my butt up and before I realize what he is planning on doing, his mouth is on me, and when he pushes a third finger into me. I explode, screaming out his name as I try to squirm away from the intensity of all these feelings. I have pleasured myself many times, but never has it felt like this. With one last lick, he crawls up my body and I eagerly pull him towards me. My lips crash into his as his massive weight settles slightly on top of me. Spreading my legs, I take a deep breath, anticipating finally feeling his shaft inside of me. He pulls slightly away from me, teasing my wet folds with his shaft.

Running my fingers through his hair, I say, " You know, for someone who has never done this before, you seem well educated with the female body."

" I have done this a million times to you in my dreams. I know your body better than my own, but dreams could never compare to the feeling or taste of you on my lips, my Zura ."

My hips move, trying to pull him inside of me as I feel the tip of his shaft against my folds. Only for him to bend down and capture one of my breasts in his mouth. His wandering hands pull my hips up once more before he pushes himself in slightly. " Relax for me, baby. You're so tight I am not going to last long." Already I can feel him stretching me.

Biting my breast gently, he thrusts his hips all the way in and I gasp out as he spreads my walls right to the edge of pain. Pulling back, he thrusts in again and I let my body relax as his hands cup my breast. Grunts and words of love leave his lips as I watch him fight back the bliss, we both seek in each other's arms. His calloused thumb reaches between us, rubbing my pleasure button aggressively, and I cry out as the world fades away. The release of all the pent-up tensions flows from my system like a bad dream.

Under my fingertips, I can feel his body tensing up right before he bellows out his own release. It is so guttural and animalistic that another climax hits me unaware as I become linked to him fully. Tears leave my eyes when I realize I am not only feeling my emotions, but his also. OrO's love shines brightly in my mind and for the first time in my life, my heart is no longer seeking acceptance, it's full of his love.

He collapses on top of me and I wrap my legs around him, holding him close as I can while tears flow down my cheeks. NEVER could I have dreamed of this. I curse my mother's existence for what she has done to us. The risings she held us apart. OrO slips his hands under me and flips us over so that I am lying on his chest.

His chest is damp from sweat and my tears, but neither of us says a word. We don't have to, because we can feel what the other does. I trace the letters of each word written on his massive chest as I feel him relax beneath me. His mind calms as he drifts off to sleep. Pulling a sheet up over us, I listen to his even breathing and the sound of his heart. Then thank the Lord of Light for the events that had to be fulfilled in order for me to be right here this rising.