Page 3 of The Orc King's Bride

Until it suddenly becomes clear.

She isMINE.

The revelation stuns me. I turn away from her and stride toward the door.

She rushes toward me and grabs my arm, her touch as hot as a branding iron. “You’re not leaving, are you?”

I am momentarily outraged that she would dare touch me, the king. “Yes.” I pull away from her grasp with more force than necessary. “I have a kingdom to run.”

“You can’t just leave me here with nothing to do. Shouldn’t we, you know, talk about what happened…and discuss my punishment?”

“I will return during the evening meal. In the meantime, I suggest you make yourself more presentable.”

She looks down at her blood-stained clothing: too-large trousers held up by a section of rope tied around her waist and a thin undergarment that leaves all of her arms and much of her chest completely bare.

“You got a problem with a tank-top and, uh, borrowed khakis?” she asks.

Assuming my most regal posture, I rake my eyes up and down her body. “I have a problem with dirty females dressed like common beggars. There are robes in the wardrobe. I expect you to be wearing one when I return.”

As I turn my back on Sloane and take my exit, her whispered insult almost makes me smile.

“What an asshole.”

I retreat to my private quarters where I demand not to be disturbed. I need time to process what has happened and speak to my newly mated ally, King Renowlf.

When there is no answer to my vid call to him, I end the connection on my communicator and send a text message instead.

Renowlf: I have found one of the human females from Earth. Call me, Dexari.

A recent missive from Renowlf’s royal page alerted me and the other orc kings that slave traders had brought universal breeders onto the planet. The females were reportedly abducted from Earth, a primitive, faraway world that has not yet mastered space travel.

Intrigued, I had Vagan, the palace healer, research the validity of Renowlf’s claim, and he quickly confirmed it. Evidently, humanfemales are prized throughout space for their ability to conceive and carry offspring from nearly any species.

While I find slavery abhorrent, I cannot deny my need for a child. I am the last ruler in my bloodline. The only way to maintain control of the Kingdom of Ari is to find my queen and beget an heir.

There is just one problem: my cockspikes have not emerged for any of the orc females in this or any of the other kingdoms.

Cockspikes carry reproductive seed and lie dormant within an orc male until he meets his perfect genetic match. Only then will they rise to the surface of his shaft and vibrate in anticipation of mating and conception. Unfortunately, genetic matches are rare in our world.

When my communicator alerts me to an incoming video call, I tap a button, and King Renowlf's face fills the small screen. “Renowlf,” I say in greeting. “I take it you received my message.”

“I did. And my queen will be happy to hear the news.” Renowlf’s relaxed demeanor exudes a lightness I have never seen in him before.

“Who are you talking to?” a soft voice in the background asks, a voice that presumably belongs to his queen.

Renowlf diverts his attention away from me. “King Dexari. He found one of the humans.”

A beautiful female face peers into the screen beside him, and I chuckle, though it is forced. “It appears you are busy, Renowlf. Would you like to call me back when you are not otherwise…occupied?”

The female answers before he can. “No, it’s okay. He can talk now. What’s the woman’s name and when can we come get her?”

I frown, my amusement fading. “Her name is Sloane, Majesty, and she is not available to travel at this time.”

“Why not?” the queen presses.

“She is currently under house arrest,” I say. “She killed one of my guards and severely wounded my second.”

“A human female did this?” Renowlf asks, incredulous. “She must be much larger than my mate.”

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