14. Chapter Fourteen

Chapter Fourteen

Calliope

The smell of the sizzling bacon took away the sick feeling in my tummy. When I saw the raw meat I just about threw up in the basket. With my strong determination to show Valpar I was a good mate for him and that I wasn't weak and helpless, I got the bacon sizzling in no time.

When I woke up this morning, I found myself on top of his body. I left a little pool of drool on his chest, but I was in too much shock to wipe it away.

Did I climb up on top of him in my sleep?

I needed to rein in the eagerness here. He's gonna think I'm one of those fairy hoes.

I slid off his body, and the urge was strong to look under the blankets to check out what was going on beneath them. He didn't have morning wood, as I have often heard Mom call Dad's thing through the thin walls of our tree house.

Does that mean he didn't find me attractive?

Or maybe it wasn't morning at all? Do male appendages have a timer in them, to know when it is morning?

I quietly slid off the bed and ran to the doorway I left ajar for Simon. The light was streaming brighter down there than the moonlight.

Hmm, it was morning.

So, he wasn't so attracted to me, then.

He might be my babysitter, not my mate. I couldn't be for sure, yet.

To show my gratitude and to prove to him I could be a fit mate, I got the great idea to make breakfast. All men like food, Aunt Melina has once told me. Especially species that do a lot of manual labor, such as shifters. Valpar wasn't a shifter, but he looked like he did a lot of manual labor.

The muscles.

I wonder what he would look like chopping down a tree?

He would look like a hot lumber snack.

I snorted when I flipped the bacon over, and the hot grease flung back and hit me in the eye.

"Eeeek!" I covered my eye, and Simon wailed at my sudden movement.

Simon fell to the ground with a thud. Valpar jumped from the bed with a roar and ran to shield me. What from, I wasn't really sure.

"What happened? Who touched you?!" his voice was loud and echoed into the cave walls, making it sound louder than it really was.

"No one touched me!" I slapped his arm and pointed to the frying pan over the hearth. "I just got some bacon grease in my eye. It popped out of the pan and got me. It was an accident."

Valpar looked at me and back to the frying pan several times.

"Where did you get pig fat? Why are you cooking?" Valpar gazed around the room for the first time, seeing the torches lit along the walls and the big basket of food sitting on the table for two.

"Where, where did you get this food?" He waved his hand at the table. "Did you leave the cave? I sealed it off, female!" he growled and pulled me to him, smashing my face against his man boobs.

"I didn't leave, Simon brought it back," I mumbled into his chest.

Valpar pulled me back. "How did he get out?"

Simon yelled and stumbled when he tried to get up from fainting. He shook out his fur and stood up proudly.

"Simon and I always go to the market in the mornings. The market fills up a basket and I always let him carry it. Makes him feel important," I whispered. "I didn't go with him today. When I woke up it was already sitting on the table. I sent him through the cave passage down that way last night." I pointed to the other side of the cave, with the door. "You were taking too long last night, uh, pooping—" I blushed. "So, I had to let him out to go somewhere. I didn't know he could actually get out of the cave."

Valpar's face turned a deeper shade of green, and his hand ran down his face. "Bassza, I—" he groaned, pulled out the chair and sat down in it. It moaned under his weight, while I went back to the hearth, to take the rest of the bacon from the pan and plate it up for him.

I had a lot of bacon cooked and planned on giving it all to Valpar, so I took it and placed it in front of him. "Here, I made you breakfast!"

He stared down at it and his brow furrowed.

"Female, we need to talk," his voice was raspy, and instantly my shoulders dropped. When someone said they need to talk, it meant they were unhappy.

I lowered my head in shame and Valpar leaned over in his chair to wrap his hand around my waist, pulling me between his legs. He tilted my chin up with one finger and his eyes buried into my soul.

"You do not have to burden yourself to feed me a meal. I am a grown orc, I feed myself."

"But I wanted to," I argued back. "I wanted to show…"

"It is my duty as your male to feed you while I court you. I have failed you, again. I am to feed and provide. You are a good female trying to fill my belly, but let me do this."

I tilted my head to the side. "Oh." My face flushed. "So, orcs are supposed to feed their women first?"

Valpar grunted and picked up a piece of bacon. "I will need to be quicker on my feet with you, Calliope. You are faster than any female I thought I would receive. You are testing my abilities."

My shoulders slumped again. I was making things hard for him. Like I do for everyone else.

"I like it," Valpar added quickly. "I like you to test me, but you will not like it when I prevent you from besting me." He tapped my nose.

I thought about that for a moment. How would he keep me from besting him? Then, I remembered how Uncle Osirus kept Aunt Melina under control when she got too rowdy. It's a game for them, maybe it's a game for Valpar, too.

"So, to keep me from besting you, are you going to punish me?" I placed my hands on his chest. "Does this mean you are gonna spank me?"

Valpar's eyebrows rose high on his head, and my excitement soared. "Are you going to put me over your sturdy legs, and lift my dress and spank my bare bottom?"

Oh, I liked the sound of someone spanking me, and that someone being Valpar. He looked like he would follow through on his punishments.

Mom and Dad would never spank me when I did something wrong. In fact, they never punished me at all. They would scold me, then ignore me. Mom would just start blabbing, then go off and cook something, or tell Dad about it. He suggested taking something away from me like my coloring or writing journals. She said she could never do that. That I have been through enough.

Whatever that meant.

Hmm, maybe I was a bit of an attention seeker.

My butt tingled at the thought of Valpar spanking me. He wanted to take care of me, to make sure I was safe, and it was sweet. But playful spankings would be fun and sexy, too.

When I edged even closer, I tried to feel if his thing was there. I wiggled around and still didn't understand. Where was this thing? Before I could look down, he cupped my face and made me stare at his.

"Miresa, what are you doing to me?"

My eyes darted from side to side. I'm not sure what I was doing to him, I barely knew what I was doing half the time.

"I…don't know? I was just asking if spanking was a good enough punishment?"

Valpar groaned and scooted the chair back. "And is this supposed to be for punishment or pleasure, because your scent says pleasure?"

I trailed my tongue over my lips. "It can be both. One for keeping a mate safe and reminded of the rules, and one for playful smacks. At least, that is what Aunt Melina said."

Valpar studied me. "I think you would like both far too much. Being raised by fae has put funny things in your head. Did you spend a lot of time at the palace watching this sort of thing?"

I bit down on my cheek and nodded. "Well, I wasn't welcome to watch. They did it behind closed doors, but sometimes those doors were cracked." I held up my thumb and pointer finger to show how wide the door would be. "I stopped watching when they started getting naked, though." I wrinkled my nose.

Valpar's mouth dropped open and his two big teeth looked even larger on the inside. "Wow, Mr. Orc, what big teeth you have!" I tapped them both with my fingers and he grabbed my wrists.

Valpar chuckled and held my hands in front of him. "We do need rules. You are silent and sneaky, and I need to protect you. No one will take my miresa, and you will not be sneaking and watching other mated couples during their—private moments." He wrinkled his face." Do you understand?"

"Yay, rules to break." I playfully shoved his shoulder, but he didn't laugh, instead he pulled me closer.

"How about I get a switch instead of my hand? How does that sound?" He raised an eyebrow in warning.

I covered my butt and shook my head. I wanted his hand to touch my butt, not a switch.

Nope, that didn't sound fun at all. It made my pussy dry, and even my lower lips sucked right up in my vagina.

Satisfied with himself, Valpar sat back in his chair. He wasn't wearing the dress pants he was last night. Today, it was a long loincloth that left little for the imagination. Well, actually it left a lot, because I still couldn't see the little orc . Which didn't look like a little orc because it was on the inside of his leg, covered by a loose leather cloth, and the outline was enormous and rather bumpy.

I hoped it wasn't sick.

Valpar caught me staring, cleared his throat and stood. "Tell me where this door is that Simon got through. We need to close it so your scent doesn't attract anyone."

Darn, those cloths must be magnetic to cover it because his thighs were on display, but his thing and his bootylicious butt and crack were covered just so.

So disappointing.

Once I led him to the door, he shut it, using the lights that covered the cave walls, as he took a large timber of wood to close it.

"What if you're pooping again, and Simon needs to go potty?" I asked. I didn't want to call him out for taking care of himself in the bathroom, yet. I think that was a little premature to do that.

Valpar froze and let out a breath. "I wasn't—ah, wait. Why does Simon need to use the bathroom?" He stared at Simon, who decided at that moment to walk into the bathroom. He kicked the door shut, and we heard little farts come from inside.

"To go potty, duh? He's potty trained. He's super smart. Me being his person, it's my job." I puffed out my chest.

The toilet flushed, and out came Simon, who let out a loud yell and walked past Valpar. Simon didn't take his eyes off my mate; he wasn't too trusting of anyone, and after Valpar said he was going to eat him, I didn't blame him.

Valpar on the other hand, looked utterly confused, and I wasn't sure why. Has he not seen a goat that could go to the bathroom? I've never been to the Monktona Wood before, but surely, they have some pretty cool animals where he's from.

"Do you have a pet?" I asked walking back toward the kitchen area. I pulled out some muffins and fruit, and began munching on them while I leaned on the table.

Valpar strode over, rubbing his temples with one hand. "I have a companion who I share a bond and understanding with."

"So, a pet," I said, between bites.

"No, he isn't a pet. He doesn't sleep in my bed, eat my food or use the toi-let ."

I wagged my finger at him. "Simon isn't my pet. I am his person, his emotional support person. If he didn't have me, he would be falling over all the time. Now, he only does it some of the time."

Valpar didn't look convinced. Instead, he sighed, picked me away from the table and set me on his lap, taking away the muffin I was eating. "Hey! That's mi—"

He put it up to my lips and I took a bite.

"I will feed you from now on. Do you understand? This is rule one."

I frowned while I swallowed. "What if you aren't around and I'm starving? My stomach is eating itself alive. Can I eat on my own?"

Valpar frowned deeply. "No, because you will never be alone. You will always be with me."

"I don't see how that will be possible." I folded my arms to match his.

Valpar chuckled mischievously and, for the first time, gave me a big smile. "No, because you will be tied to me, with a long rope like a tiny orcling. You will never be out of my sight again."