Page 46 of The Orc's Rage

Cedar’s mouth opened and closed, but no sound came out. Something had happened, she thought, but not something that would send Kargorr running at first light without saying goodbye.

Though she supposed he’d never said goodbye before. Why would she expect it now? Because they’d had amazing sex last night, like always?

The warm brightness that had surrounded her when she awoke fully dissipated. Rathka observed her face as Cedar cycled through one possibility after another. He must have changed his mind abruptly in the night about which day to leave, probably because of the weather. He didn’t want to disturb her, so he left quietly.

Still, she couldn’t help wondering if she’d done something wrong but was utterly oblivious to it.

“Nothing happened,” Cedar finally answered after sifting through her options. “I expected him to go.” It had only been a matter of time after the delegation returned. He’d let her in on his plan—she had to remember that. Kargorr had probably assumed she would understand what was demanded of him next.

She wished he’d told her how long he would be gone. Now she couldn’t possibly ask Rathka, or the old orc would figure out the perfect way to drive the needle into Cedar’s belly.

But Rathka almost seemed to pity her. She didn’t object when they went on a long walk with Kiya, or stopped to play with the orclings near the leatherworker’s tent, or even when Cedar ventured out of the camp to let Kiya run.

“You’re going to get cold,” Rathka grumped, sliding Cedar’s hood back on over her head.

Perhaps the orc woman was making up for what she’d done. Perhaps this was her deference, the one that Cedar had demanded yesterday.

She didn’t mind it.

That night, though, Cedar found she’d grown so accustomed to Lord Kargorr’s presence that she felt awkward eating her dinner alone. Then she made the cat get on the bed with her, though he was no longer interested in snuggling.

Cedar ran her hands over her belly, hoping she hadn’t misunderstood everything.

Kargorr

He’d awoken early, before the sun rose, his blood alight.

He had taken hisyapira. He had pleasured her and filled her with hissarga. He had a new energy he’d never sensed before, as if he could lift a mountain himself.

After a life-mating, almost always thegrrosekremained holed up for days on end, wild with their newfound bond, fucking again and again until an orcling was made—or the need was sated and the demand fulfilled.

But Kargorr did not intend to claim Cedar, not yet. He would certainly not go into a wild rut and delay his trip. He could not be perceived as attached while he was still courting the otherparog. Not only was a matelessgrroseknaturally more aggressive, more driven to explore and take and ruin, but sometimes mate bonds that crossed aparogcould bring them together. Otherkazekneeded to think Kargorr was an option for their own unmated warriors.

And so, instead of curling himself around Cedar and pleasing hissargawith her once again when he awoke to the sunrise, instead of giving in to the urges of the bond and staying for days to fuck her into the bed, he’d risen and demanded his warriors rise, too.

He wanted to destroy.

Most everything had already been prepared for their journey. They were traveling light on the assumption they would find goods and supplies in conquest. They brought only what they needed for the next few days, slung over their cats in leather bags, and ran away into the morning.

Orgha had not asked Lord Kargorr his reasons for the schedule change, and the dour look on Kargorr’s face led his right hand to remain silent.

It didn’t please him to be leaving right now, when all he wanted in the world was to curl up in Cedar’s nest with her and fuck her until she knew she was his—but this was the right thing to do if he wanted to succeed.

They rode long and hard that day, pitching their camp in the dark. Kargorr was glad for it because hissargaached, almost worse than before he had used them on Cedar, and he was forced to ejaculate two times before they were finally, though temporarily, sated. He tried to argue to them that hisyapirawas already carrying his orcling, and so there was no need for them to desire her, but in this matter they were unconvinced.

Another day of riding later, and Orgha suggested stopping early for the night so their mounts would have time to eat and rest. They were making good time, and Kargorr wanted to keep beating the sunlight, but he knew his right hand was correct. He needed his warriors fresh.

When they reached the first outpost his scout had discovered, they rode in without preamble. Lord Kargorr swung his axe from Liga’s back, so filled with his lust that he wanted to move fast, to demolish his enemies quickly so he might return to theparog. To Cedar.

But he had other things to do first.

Cedar

When less than a week had passed, Cedar’s pride finally eroded enough that she asked Rathka, “How long will they be gone?” She thought surely Kargorr would have returned by now, or at least soon.

But the knowing smugness she had expected didn’t appear on the orc woman’s face. Instead, Rathka frowned, like the question worried her.

“You don’t know?” She sighed deeply as they sat on some high rocks above the camp, watching Kiya playing with one of his siblings. “It is at least four days’ march to their first destination. Orgha was not sure how many destinations they had. ‘As long as our strength holds out,’ he told me.”

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