6. Gromnyr

CHAPTER 6

GROMNYR

T his human woman is a pleasant surprise.

There is a depth to her, a hidden strength that I have not seen in humans before. Usually they cower before me, begging for their lives. It's always a pathetic sight that offends me.

She's different. As was her family: Not many human males have dared to threaten me, and none have walked away with their lives. If Claire wasn't in the room I would have sliced off her father's head with my axe before he had the chance to move even a single finger.

But Claire was in the room.

A single glance told me all I needed to know. Strong hips, perfect for baring orc children. Full breasts, well-suited for nurturing young. A perfect breeder.

But that wasn't all that caught my eye.

I sensed something else. Something more. Something I cannot put into words, and that troubles me. It's as if there was a spark in my gut, a sudden flutter that told me to keep this one close.

When I first saw her, arms crossed and eyes wide, I wanted to protect her more than anything. What kind of father uses his daughter as a bargaining chip? Claire is much safer on this vessel than on her father's freighter, that much is clear to me.

She will see that, in time. For now, she hates my guts, even though her body is ready for mating. I smelled her wetness and it made my cock grow hard and throb with desire. I could have claimed her, but I do not only wish to conquer her body.

I want her mind .

And so I will take my time with the needy little human. I will savor the tension. I will let it build and build until she throws herself at me, literally and figuratively, and begs for my seed.

And then, and only then, will I claim what's rightfully mine.