Chapter 9

Orzesh

My Uk”lah doubted me. Sleeplessness plagued me that night. Bloodletter snuggled into me and pressed his face to mine, sensing my distress. My mind turned what she had said repeatedly. There was only one thing to do. Prove myself.

I watched the minotaur as he left the cell block, the next morning probably to his own therapy appointment. I got the sense he would keep to himself unless pushed. He would be an excellent test of my strength. I likely wouldn”t be able to bring him down unarmed. But if I could survive a scrap with him, that would be a good show of my toughness. No one could win every fight. But surviving against a bigger opponent was viewed in my tribe as a respectable thing. Surely my Uk”lah would appreciate it too. As I watched, a shimmer of black moved at the edge of my vision. I turned calmly to face the shadow demon who had been here for longer than any of us.

”Yeah?”

”You are planning something.”

”Aye.”

He was always like this. Never getting to the point. Always assessing people. I”d heard he could see the future, but maybe he was just good at reading people and speaking cleverly.

”Wait till tomorrow.”

”Why?”

”Today would be a better day to show your mate some culture. The fight will go better tomorrow.”

”Better for who?”

”Everyone.”

”Vague.”

The shadow demon let out a laugh.

”Okay, then I”ll make a deal with you. Wait until tomorrow and I”ll get your axe to you.”

My heart hammered in my chest. My axe was the one object in all the world that had meaning for me. It wasn”t just a weapon, it was a part of me. Given to me as a boy, I could swing it as easily as I moved my own body. I”d brought my tribe to victory with it, time and time again. Having to give it up when I surrendered to the human authorities had been my darkest time.

”How?”

”Like this.”

The shadow demon disappeared.

”Okay. Impressive,” I said to the thin air around me, not sure if he was actually gone or just invisible. No reply.

”If you can do that, not sure why you”re still in this place.”

Silence. I shrugged. Okay, I”d give it a day for a chance at having my axe back. I”d need it to get me and my Uk”lah out of here.

When the guards came to get me and took me to my session, I observed them. Hyena and the bald one seemed overly pleased with themselves. They were up to something. If I hadn”t agreed to let my Uk”lah kill her own enemies, I”d have downed them on the spot. I had only promised to leave Hyena to her though…

”Zesh!”

Her voice brought me out of my musings. I looked over to where she was pulling books out of a bookshelf in the corner. She was dressed in green today. A deep green like the forests of home. For a moment I felt homesick. I couldn”t wait to take her there and show her everything. To watch the stars at night with her.

Our eyes connected, and it felt like an eternity that we gazed at each other. The blue of hers was like the glimpses of the sky that you get through a canopy of trees. I didn”t even notice when the guards unshackled me and left. She could disarm me and leave me vulnerable in a way that no one else ever had. In the only way I didn”t mind.

”Please, sit.”

”I would like to stand for a moment.”

”Oh?”

The words of the shadow demon rang through my mind. I wanted to prove myself to her. But he was right, she needed more than fighting from me.

”I”d like to teach you an orcish dance.”

She stared at me for a moment, her mouth hanging open.

”It”s a simple one, only a few steps,” I assured her.

”Umm, okay.”

I moved the chairs to the side of the room and then stood in the middle. She put her books down and stood in front of me.

”When I step right, you step left.”

I moved right, a slow step, and she copied my movement but moved to the left. Her hips swayed naturally as she copied me.

”Then back the other way.”

I let my arms raise as we stepped, and hers flowed upwards like this was completely normal to her. More graceful than I could ever be.

”Then we move around each other, but each keep facing the way we were.”

I moved around her in a circle, letting my arms fall again. She caught on to what I was doing immediately. I watched her as long as I could over my shoulder, our eyes locked, until we were back to back. Then continued moving around until we could see each other again. Our eyes latched back onto each other. We did a few more swaying steps, which she copied with ease until I took her hand and spun her around. She laughed and her dress twirled out. My heart felt so full, watching her joy. As we ended face to face, I knew I had never truly known what love was before her. We repeated the steps again a few more times. Her body swayed and swirled in a way that I thought might drive me mad. The tension between us grew until I struggled to resist having her there and then. But I still had to prove myself. I ended the dance with a bow, and she curtsied back.

Bloodletter chirped in my sash, and my Uk”lah glanced in his direction. I fished him out and passed him to her. She cooed and lavished kisses on his head and beak. For a moment I was jealous. But also pleased that they had bonded so well.

”Zesh, I”ll look after Bloodletter if you want. Keep him safe. Only if you want.”

My heart sang.

”Thank you. But in my tribe an animal sent from the gods is an important thing. You must protect it and keep it by your side always. He must stay with me.”

”I understand.”

She snuggled the bird with her face again.

”I have been teaching him some fighting tricks to stay safe.”

”Fighting tricks?”

”Watch. Bloodletter, confusion!”

Bloodletter leapt out of Serena”s hands and darted quickly around her head and near her eyes. She blinked, trying to focus and keep up with him.

”Bloodletter, away.”

The bird flew up and away to the furthest, highest corner of the room.

”Oh. That”s impressive.”

”He”s a clever little bird. Very brave too.”

”He seems brave.”

Serena held her hand out to him, and he flew back to her. They seemed like best friends now. She fussed over him, and I watched for a moment. I saw a glimpse of how our lives together would be. Full of love and passion. My body heated again. I wasn”t sure how long I could hold back from claiming her. It wasn”t time yet, but I had to do something.

”Bloodletter, away.”

The bird again flew off to the far corner of the room and began preening himself. My mate watched him go and then turned back to me. I stepped forward and held a hand out to her. She took it, looking wary. I pulled her close, and she let out a breath in surprise. I held her tight against me. She didn”t pull away, and her eyes stayed connected with mine.

”My Uk”lah. May I engage in a new dance with you?”

I let my eyes fall to her lips so she was in no doubt what I meant. Her eyes dropped to mine.

”Y…yes.”

Her consent overwhelmed me, and I dove for her lips like I”d been stuck in the desert for weeks and she was water. She responded just as intensely, and her body seemed to meld even closer to mine. Every part of me wanted to claim her right now. I grew hard, and she gasped as she felt it. I kissed her harder, swallowing up the noise. Our tongues danced their own caressing dance. I felt like I was flying. So much passion coursed through me I could have fought the gods themselves.

My hands wandered down her joyous curves and started pulling her dress up. There was no hesitation or change in the intensity of her kissing, so I pulled it the rest of the way around her waist. My hands wandered back down over her ass and squeezed tightly. She moaned into my mouth.

She was not wearing any underwear. I picked her up and sat down in the chair behind me. It was too small a chair for her to straddle me, so I placed her so she was kneeling on my lap. I reached down and around her backside underneath her. I found her opening and pressed the tip of my finger against it. She was already soaking wet for me, and I grinned. Before I could do anything else, she was pushing herself down on my finger. It slid inside her, and she moaned.

”Gods, Zesh. Even your fingers are huge.”

”Would you like another one?”

”Fuck, yes.”

She lifted, and I positioned another finger. Even these two would stretch my small mate. I pushed them in slowly. She threw her head back and moaned louder, grasping at my biceps. I pulled them out and began pulsing them in and out of her. The more she moaned the harder and faster I got. My cock was throbbing at the sight of her. I lifted my fur covering and let it spring out. Her eyes grew large at the sight of it. I pulled her close so her clit was pressing against it. She began grinding against it as she bounced up and down on my fingers. The feeling was already more pleasure than I”d ever had before. Her moans turned into whimpers and her movements became more desperate. She was close. I held her tight.

”That”s it, Uk”lah. Let yourself go for me.”

She cried out, and her body convulsed. I felt her pulsing around my fingers, and I captured her cries with my mouth. She rode my fingers and ground against me until she became floppy. I pulled my fingers out and let her lean back slightly. I waited until her eyes met mine, and then I licked my fingers clean.

”You taste glorious, Uk”lah.”

She smiled lazily. I pulled her close again, and she curled up on my lap. Within a few minutes her breathing grew heavy. She was asleep. In my arms. My cock was still rock solid and desperate for attention. But now was not the time. I relaxed and listened to her breath, basking in the feel of having given her such pleasure. Bloodletter flew over and perched on her and snuggled down to nap too. It was the most perfectly content moment of my life.