Page 18 of The Orc's Rage

After her long stretch, Liga made her languid way toward where Lord Kargorr stood standing, watching him from the side of her eye. Oh, it had been too long, he realized, when she stopped a good twenty feet from him. Her affection would need to be repurchased.

Kargorr tossed the meat toward her, and it landed in the snow. She leaned down, her long, furry neck extending as she sniffed it. She hooked one of her immense claws in it and dragged it toward her, spreading blood across the white fur of her paw. Her ears lowered as she examined it, sniffing again.

Then she pushed it away. Kargorr cursed to himself. First Cedar had refused him, and now Liga. All the females in his life were obstinate, and he had little patience for it. But he would have to lure her in, the way he knew he had to lure Cedar in, if he was to earn her obedience.

“Liga,” he murmured, taking a step closer. She raised her head, but didn’t growl. That was a good start. He held up the other piece of meat, and her yellow eyes followed, her lip peeling back at the smell. So she wanted it, but she would teach him a lesson in the process.

“I know that you’re angry with me.” He took another step. “I don’t blame you. I’ve been absent.”

As if she could understand him, Liga pinned her ears back, and her hair stood up. But he wasn’t deterred. He had tamed her as a kitten, when she was only the size of a dog. He knew she hadn’t forgotten him.

“You think I only come to you when I need your help.” And she would be right. He took another step, and her hair rose further, but she didn’t move to attack or to retreat. “But aren’t we friends, too?”

It was different with the mammoths. All thegrrosekhad to do was wave their hands and lash a whip, and the mammoths would go whichever direction they asked. But cats were more complicated creatures, with minds of their own. Kargorr leaned down to pick up the meat she had pushed away.

“Come now, kitten,” he told her, and her tail twitched in warning. “Come back to me.” He held out the meat and then dangled the second piece next to it. The quick dart of her eyes between them gave her away.

At last, she took a step forward, and he tossed the meat to her. Liga caught it mid-air, and it vanished into her mouth in one massive bite. She padded toward the other piece, but he held it away from her.

“You’ll have to follow if you want it,” Lord Kargorr told her, and began making his way back toward camp. Begrudgingly, Liga followed behind him, her eyes riveted on the treat. When they had returned to the livestock pens, Kargorr turned around and offered her the beef. She stopped in front of him, only inches away, where she could take off his face if she so chose. Instead, she lipped the meat from his hand delicately before devouring it.

While she ate, Kargorr stroked her neck, leaving trails of blood along it. Eventually her chill melted, and she leaned into his touch as he scratched behind her ear.

He wondered what sort of meat he could hold in front of Cedar. When she was full with his orcling, he couldn’t have her trying anything foolish. He needed to bind her to him, like Liga was.

It was just a matter of how.

10

Cedar

She waited. And waited.

Once she was awake, there was little else to do. She had examined the orc’s strange armor for some time, discovering the tough leather and steel that had been layered under it to deflect blows. Strings full of teeth and tusks decorated the breastplate, and Cedar was certain that they were taken from his victims.

She wondered how many humans, how many other orcs, even, he had murdered over his life. How old was he, anyway? With as many scars as he had, it was difficult to tell. Not that it seemed to affect his health or stamina either way.

After some indeterminate number of hours had passed, someone came to the door, the shadow of their feet the only sign of them. Cedar watched anxiously, wondering if Lord Kargorr had come back. But then a ceramic bowl was slid under the tent flap, something that smelled incredible.

She went to the door and opened it to see who had left the meal and found a human man retreating.

Another human in the camp. Cedar wondered if he, too, was a captive. He must be some sort of servant if he was bringing her meals.

Had he ever tried to escape?

The food was a simple array of meats and vegetables on top of gruel, but it was delicious, full of flavor and texture. After stuffing herself, Cedar returned to the bed and watched the fire, hypnotized by the flames dancing in the reflections of his blades. An axe, two swords, and a handful of daggers all hung from the wall.

Cedar had only considered sneaking away—but looking at this dagger, another thought occurred to her. Perhaps her path out was different than she imagined. While Lord Kargorr was on top of her, could she fish the dagger out from under the pillow and kill him with it? And as he bled out, she might be able to flee with no one to stop her.

The dagger was small enough that if she wanted, she could probably snatch it and he wouldn’t notice. Once the thought had entered her head, she couldn’t shake it away. That would be a way out of here, certainly, if all else failed.

She scooted toward it, looking from side to side in case this was the moment the orc decided to return. Then she slid the dagger off its hook and pulled aside the pile of furs that made up the bed. Slipping it underneath, she placed them all back down again. It would now lie directly under her head, for the moment she needed it.

It was as if he could sense her traitorous thoughts, because that was when Lord Kargorr stepped into the tent, letting the door fall closed behind him. He was dressed in surprisingly little given how cold it was beyond the fire that burned in the pit, but orcs must have some natural resistance to it. How she envied that. She was perpetually cold.

He stood there motionless, watching her for far too long. Then he crossed the space between them in two immense strides until he was standing over her.

“Now.” He untied the strings that held on his light fur pants. “Satisfy me with your mouth so I don’t ruin your cunt again.”

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