Total pages in book: 34
Estimated words: 32156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32156 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 161(@200wpm)___ 129(@250wpm)___ 107(@300wpm)
Veikleiki ku bileku.
Bileko ku dauoith.
Translated is, weakness is failure and failure is death.
Our clan motto is tattooed on my chest as it is with every other Hzarka orc, reminding me that no matter my achievements, my victories of the past, they will not carry me if I fail.
I narrow my focus on the source of the arrow as I rip it from the flesh of my leg.
When I see the human holding the bow, it is as if the world turns silent.
She stands at the end of a narrow circle of light, pulling another arrow from a supply secured on her back, lowering the black compound bow to her feet as she reloads.
I throw myself forward, the sound of Argoth ordering me to kill the female sending blood rushing through my ears. My muscles twitch and jerk as I kick the bow from her hands, knowing how easily I could pull her head from her small body. Killing females is not common, but in a normal battle, I would not hesitate.
But, something here is not normal.
My pulse speeds, the usual numbness in my limbs and fingertips is replaced by fire, hazing my vision in red as the wild fair hair of the human draws my attention, her scent like bullets into my brain—and into my cock.
“Get the fuck back!” she screams, her eyes darting as she sidesteps, drawing what would be considered a large knife for a human, but to an orc, a mere scrap of metal better used to dislodge a splinter than to cause any damage in a battle.
She cartwheels over a desk, spilling papers and a drinking cup onto the floor. The noise of the alarms and the other chaos of our raid dampen as my superior auditory skills allow me to focus on her breathing and the thump, thump of her pulse. I draw a breath, the first strike of her scent making me dizzy.
“Gathred!” It’s Ragned’s voice from behind that distracts me for the split second necessary for Argoth to push by, heading for her with his sword drawn. “It’s his child. Kill her!”
Argoth’s sword arcs into the air in slow motion as the young female dressed in dark pants and a gray shirt destroys me with the look of desperation in her striking blue eyes.
She raises an arm, a defensive move. The knife in her other hand flashes and drops to the floor at her feet as she crouches on a defiant scream.
I toss my gun aside and launch myself between Argoth’s sword and the fair, fierce human, taking a long, deep slash across my chest. Warm blood drips from the gash as she curses in long, angry screams and I reach forward, gripping the sides of my uncle’s head and spinning it around on instinct. The crack and snap of his bones are audible above all the other noise. Then I lift his lifeless body, swinging it through the only window in the room. Glass shatters, exploding onto the floor and out into the air, falling along with my uncle’s body.
“Gathred!” It’s Ragned calling my name again. If he’s not careful he is next, because I’m sick of hearing my name bellowed, but my only focus is her. “You killed Argoth! You—”
He doesn’t finish. I dart my gaze to where he stands, ax raised, tusks bared as he lunges at me.
It’s enough of a distraction to give her opportunity. There’s the crunch of the glass under her boots and the sound of her breathing as she hops into the open window, glass shards like crystal arrows framing her body, then one glance back, catching my eyes, before she jumps.
I do not think, I follow.
She smells good. So good. Better than the meat smoking over the coals in the cooking huts. Better than the mead and sour wine I use to numb the pain in my head at night as I lie awake, the flatness of my world heavy against my chest.
This pleasantness of her scent is something I’ve never felt before, a sweetness, a desire that blinds me to everything else, including Ragned’s death threats from behind.
I lean toward the window as she lands on top of Argoth’s lifeless corpse with a scream, throwing me a look, then pushes to her feet, limping but gaining speed as she runs toward the open gate our semi destroyed as it entered.
Fuck. She’s perfect. She’s my mate. I already know this by the pounding in my cock and the arrival of ten heavy stone of seed in my balls.
Yes, she’s human. What do I care? I have no feeling for anyone else besides what was a loyalty to my clan. That is forfeit now.
This small human is smart, strong, agile, effective. Beautiful and mine. She’s everything.
“…kill you!” Ragned’s voice breaks my trance, and I turn to see him swinging his orc ax at my head.