Page 28 of The Orc's Rage

If Lord Kargorr caught her, what would be her punishment? It would be public. Certainly it would involve the whip. Were her chances of escaping successfully high enough to take the risk?

She stood there for a long time, weighing it in her mind. She ate better among the orcs than she ever had with Lissa, who only spared Cedar what she needed for the barest survival. Here Cedar slept in a bed of lush furs, and she was warm every night. Bread Pudding was being fed and cared for, much to her surprise.

Why had he done it, when he could have spared himself the trouble of moving the pig and had the sow butchered like the other livestock? Cedar had puzzled over this for their whole journey, but now she wondered if the answer was simple.

Perhaps he wanted her towantto stay. And that meant he thought she could run.

Cedar’s head was whirling when she heard Kargorr’s snarl. He appeared around the corner of the tent and quickly stormed over to her, and she considered running back into the tent at the look on his face.

But she had some demands to make.

Cedar kept her chin high as the massive orc dwarfed her in his shadow. He grabbed her by the elbow and leaned down close.

“Where do you think you’re going?” he asked in a dangerous tone.

All she’d done was step outside, and here he was, behaving like a cretin.

“I’m getting fresh air!” She yanked her elbow away, and his eyebrows lowered even further. “You can’t keep me cooped up in there all the time. I’m going out of my mind.”

His frown was deep and dark with disapproval, but she knew now that somewhere in there, he wanted her to be happy enough that she wouldn’t try to escape. She could leverage that.

“You can’t leave without my permission.” He glowered at her, trying to cow her, but Cedar stood firm.

“Then give me permission!” She was ready to stomp her foot to get what she wanted. “I have to stretch out my legs. I need to breathe fresh air. It’s always smoky in there, and?—”

This time he was firm when he grabbed her arm and pulled her into the tent. Once inside, though, he released her, and she crossed her arms over her chest to fully express her displeasure.

“You want freedom?” Lord Kargorr asked, turning his back to her while he began to undress.

“Just enough to go outside and go on the occasional walk. I need to see the sky sometimes.”

He grunted to let her know he heard her, but that he was still thinking over the answer. When he had stripped down to only the sling that kept his cock in place, he swiveled back toward her.

“Fine.” He advanced a step closer, and all it took was seeing his huge, naked body, with those bulbous pectorals and the powerful belly, to ignite a spark inside her. He was already growing thick against his sling. “But you will not go alone. I will assign you a caretaker who will watch over you when you are not in my tent.”

For a moment, Cedar thought he might sayourtent, but that was expecting too much. Still, Cedar accepted the small victory for what it was.

“Thank you,” she said, and found the laces of her tunic on her own. The faintest smirk appeared on Kargorr’s face as she took it off, letting her breasts fall free.

“If this is how gifts are appreciated,” he said in a low voice, crowding her against the bed, “I may have to give you more of them.”

Kargorr

He had been remiss in not posting a guard while he worked today, he knew that now. But perhaps she was telling the truth in simply needing to be outside, and he had been treating her like a piece of livestock that would be happy living in a pen.

That night, after Kargorr had rutted Cedar until she screamed—not once, but twice, because his cock was angry it had been left to fend for itself all day—he left to find Orgha.

His right hand was bent over the great stew pot, giving the cook his personal feedback. Lord Kargorr shoved him out of the way to get two bowls of soup for himself and Cedar.

“As soon as you get on the other side of the table and cook the stew yourself, you can talk,” Kargorr said. “Until then, keep your mouth shut.”

Orgha laughed a belly laugh as they both walked away from the serving tent. He glanced down at the two bowls.

“When are you going to let your concubine show her face?”

At least Kargorr didn’t have to open the door himself. All he had to do was ask for the key to what he needed.

“When I feel it’s safe for her,” he said.

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