Page 42 of The Orc's Rage

“Why?” she finally asked, curious where he was leading her.

“What I’m doing now, it’s the beginning.” He tightened his arms around her, rubbing his thumb across her belly. “The beginning of something great. Something...” He searched for the right word, cursing under his breath in his own tongue. “Ah. Magnificent.”

She wondered if he meant his successful delegation, or the creature growing in her belly. Perhaps both.

“Something that will allow me to shape the world, to take everything for thegrrosek,” Kargorr said, his voice turning low and dangerous. “I will lead all of us, in one unified front, into the south.”

Into the human lands. So that’s what he was doing—gathering the other clans to his side so he could expand his territory even further.

“And you will be king?” Cedar asked, rather boldly. But Kargorr simply laughed.

“Kings are petty rulers,” he said with a snort. “It is a title passed down with nothing to deserve it. No, I will be chosen. I will lead us to victory, and when we have driven the humans out and ground them to bits under our heels... we will become one greatparog.” His eyes narrowed. “And they will ask me to lead them.”

He sounded so certain that Cedar didn’t doubt him for a moment.

Kargorr

He would have to be careful with his next move.

Now the eyes of the otherparogwere watching. He needed to prove his worth, show the might of his own warriors, and take one of the larger human settlements. Then, perhaps, he could call on his new ally and march even farther southward.

With the heat of victory in his veins, he looked harder at his future here in his ownparog. Perhaps in the next raid, he would find his future concubine, another soft human to warm his bed and carry more orclings for him, as his first one had taken to him so well.

The thought of putting his cock inside a different woman, though, made his guts twist. How did he know she would feel as good, as soft and wet as Cedar? How did he know she would wrap her legs around him and cling to him like she was caught in a storm, and he was her only salvation? It had taken some time to earn Cedar’s obedience, and more recently, her affection, and he loathed the idea of teaching another stubborn human woman how to live alongside thegrrosek.

Perhaps, in a larger human town, he would find the right match. Perhaps he would find a woman who triggered his desire the way Cedar had, and his instinct would guide him. Then, in some years’ time, he would have his own orclings to join him in battle. He would create an army that was loyal to him.

Though he did not like the uneasy shudder that ran down his spine.

Now that Orgha had returned, the planning began in earnest. Kargorr had gathered reports from all of his scouts, and together he and Orgha began assembling a map of the surrounding area. There were a few larger settlements within a few days’ ride. They needed to choose the best target based on the force they could bring, but it was difficult to estimate from just reports.

“East is better,” Orgha argued. “Closer to farmland. From there, we can cut off their supplies.”

But Lord Kargorr didn’t want to anger the powers that be too soon and earn their attention. Picking off small villages was one form of aggression, but taking out a large settlement was a much bigger threat that might demand action.

“We isolate them first.” Kargorr narrowed his eyes at the map. “Begin by knocking down the smaller outposts.”

It would be a longer campaign, but it would yield much greater results. He could control the spread of information, and reports would be much harder to follow back to theparog’s location. Above all, he needed to keep his people—and his concubine—safe from attack.

Orgha nodded, having heard and understood the command.

“We will leave in two days,” Kargorr said. “Plan to be gone for at least two weeks.” He frowned. “And make sure to take care with youryapira. She carries a dark cloud around with her that I don’t want near my orcling.”

His right hand opened his mouth as if to speak but then stopped himself. Instead, he nodded in understanding.

“I will ensure she takes care with your concubine,” Orgha said, but something about the way he saidconcubinemade Kargorr’s hair prickle.

“Do you mean something by that?” Kargorr asked, crossing his hands behind him in a way that Orgha would certainly perceive as a threat.

The other orc took a step back. “No,kazek.” He tapped his fist to his chest. “It’s just that you treat her as less of a concubine and more of a...” Orgha trailed off.

“A what?” Kargorr prompted, not enjoying the direction this was taking.

“Ayapira.”

A frigid wind blew into the command tent then, whipping back the flap that hadn’t been tied. At first, Kargorr wanted to tear into his right hand and show him the folly of talking back.

But perhaps he was right, too. Lord Kargorr found himself thinking of Cedar more and more often, not just of her body, but of her comfort. Her care. He brought choice cuts of meat for Kiya, as he had unfortunately given in to calling the kitten, because it pleased her.

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