Page 45 of Plucked By the Orc

“It is a possible consequence of marriage and intimacy. Or so we are taught.”

“Most unfortunate and certainly a means of keeping women captive in their homes. Orcan women breastfeed for at least the first six months of a child’s life. An Orcan woman would never dream of handing her baby to a wet nurse. This practice helps prevent an immediate pregnancy, though it is far from foolproof.”

“Do the women ever wish to prevent pregnancy before they have a child?” Iris asked.

“They do. In the Hidden Realm, a woman would never consider a vow to spend a lifetime with a man without confirming that they are well-matched in carnal relations. For centuries, they have used womb casings.”

“Womb casings!” Iris exclaimed.

“It sounds ill to the human ear because it describes precisely what it is.”

“How do they work?”

Duncan leaned forward, knowledgeable about this intimate subject. Orcan men were well versed on the provisions needed to prevent a woman from becoming with child before she was ready. Their mothers insisted on it.

“The device is made of oil, wool, and herbs harmful to our seed. Effective when used properly. It has been chronicled for years.”

“And has it been chronicled if Orcan men can … or human men can …” Iris struggled to articulate her thought. “… with a lady who ain’t from the same place.”

“Can an orc impregnate a human woman? I don’t know.”

Duncan immediately regretted the flippancy of his reply. For all that Iris reminded him of an Orcan woman, he had to remember that she was human. And no doubt unaccustomed to such a blunt conversation. Not to mention one that could apply to the two of them.

But how could he possibly respond? It wouldn’t do to be presumptuous. Even if Iris was a sensible woman, likely asking these questions for sensible reasons.

“Someone should study that as well, I suppose,” he said.

“You won’t include our relations in your book, will you?”

“No, no. Merely thinking aloud. But we should be careful.” He took her hand in his. “Fortunately, there are many ways of giving each other pleasure which do not risk conception.”

Iris nodded. “Even so, I might acquire one of those devices.” She lifted the towel over the bowl. “Go on then. You’ve earned it.”

“Oh!” Duncan said as soon as he spotted his surprise. In the bowl were a half dozen pieces of Orcan candy, similar to what the English would call black licorice, but liberally salted so that a panoply of flavors ran over one’s tongue when consumed. It had been one of Duncan’s favorite treats as a boy, along with sugared bilberries, and years since he’d partaken. It seemed excessive to order them for himself alone. “But how …?”

“Cheffie mentioned this here,” Iris said proudly. “And it seems you neglect to order these for yourself.”

“That would be wasteful and it is impossible to replicate the ingredients in London.”

“La! The licorice is from Bavaria, but sold in shops along Pall Mall. And the salt is from right here at home. Give it a try?”

Duncan did so and closed his eyes, transported back to the Hidden Realm and early days with his parents and Albion, without a care in the world. The taste might not have been a perfect duplication, but it was close. He could have polished off the entire bowl, but that wouldn’t do. He opened his eyes again to see Iris’s beaming face.

“You like it then?”

“Will you try one, Miss Gabbert?” He picked up the largest morsel and held it between his thumb and index finger. Her gaze flicked over the skin between, noting the retracted claws, no doubt, and finally landed on the candy. She wrinkled her nose in her adorable manner.

“Can’t say I have a taste for it. Stick to chocolates, I will.”

“You might be pleasantly surprised.”

She closed her eyes, opened her mouth, and nodded. Duncan cradled the candy on her delightful pink tongue. She chewed, reluctantly at first, but then with greater enthusiasm.

“Not at all what I expected,” she said. “I could do with another.”

This time, after Duncan fed her the candy, his hand lingered on her face and then moved to the sensitive area behind her ears. And as he kissed her, he soon thought of nothing else but the powerful sensations coursing through his body.

She had the heart of an Orcan woman. He’d known it all along.

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