Page 3 of Agor the Merciless (Orc Mates #10)
Zoe hadn’t expected things to happen so fast. She’d been at the institute for orc tributes for only two weeks, and then an orc captain came, pointed at her, and said he wanted her.
But that wasn’t what worried Zoe, no. It wasn’t what made her shake like a leaf as she followed the green-skinned beast and left her entire world behind.
What scared her was that the orc captain had brought back another tribute, and then claimed her.
Once a human tribute was chosen by an orc to become his bride, that was it.
There was no escape, no turning back. Orcs were proud, and they rarely let their women go.
Only in special and very specific circumstances, Zoe believed.
So, what could’ve determined this orc captain to return his former bride?
Was he going to return her, too? The young woman didn’t seem to be hurt, only a bit sad.
Still, it was hard for Zoe to stop herself from coming up with all kinds of terrible scenarios in her head.
What had she gotten herself into?
She didn’t even know his name. And he didn’t know hers, because he hadn’t asked. He was quiet and morose, and she didn’t dare utter a word as they traveled to where his horde lived, deep in the mountains. She rode on the back of his krag, a mighty creature that was almost as big as an elephant.
When they got there, Zoe saw the orcs lived in caves.
He placed his big, rough hand on the small of her back and pushed her inside, down long, dark tunnels, until they reached a wide gallery with a tall ceiling.
It was illuminated by torches and candles scattered on the ground.
Against a wall, there was a makeshift bed – a mere pile of pelts and furs on the stone floor.
“This is where you’ll sleep,” he said to her, and her heart beat faster at the sound of his deep, low voice. “This is where you’ll give yourself to me.”
She turned to him, fearful and vulnerable, and looked up into his eyes. She was so small compared to him that her head barely reached his chest. She had to crane her neck, and when he returned her gaze, she had to stop herself from flinching.
“Why did you choose me?” her voice was barely a whisper.
He reached out and touched her hair. He wrapped a long, brown lock around his thick finger, and his mouth curved into the ghost of a smile. Zoe noticed one of his sharp tusks was broken. A scar ran across his crooked nose. His black hair was longer than hers, and he wore it in a braid.
“You look like someone who won’t break.”
She didn’t know what to say to that. She did, in fact, break recently, and now this mountain of an orc was going to test her again?
After a moment, he continued, “My name is Agor the Merciless. Do you know why they call me that?”
When an orc was born, he was given only one name at birth. The second one, he earned in battle. This Zoe had learned at the institute.
“I can guess...” Zoe swallowed heavily. “Because you show no mercy to your enemies.”
“I show no mercy in bed, either.”
She opened her mouth, but nothing came out. She closed it and gulped once more.
What had she gotten herself into?
“I am rough. I am demanding. I will give you pleasure, but I will give you pain, too. I will not stop until you scream my name, until I fill you with my seed, and you beg for more. More pleasure, more pain.”
Zoe blushed. She felt her core throb at his words and her panties become wet. She felt ashamed. He’d just told her straight to her face that he was going to make her hurt, and she shouldn’t have felt turned on.
He released the lock of hair he’d been holding, and his hand turned into a fist as he stepped back. He looked at her with an expression that seemed almost pained.
“This is what will happen. You will wait for me here. Always. You will not leave this room. I will come to you and take what I want. I will give you more in return.”
She surprised herself by nodding.
“But what... what makes you think I won’t break?” she dared to ask.
“Your body... so strong and enticing. Your curves... so full, so soft... You’re just what I need.”
“What about the woman you returned to the institute?”
He shook his head. “I was wrong about her. Just like I was wrong about the one before her. They were in tears before I even got to touch them. But you’re not in tears.”
“I...” Oh, God! It was hard to form coherent sentences! “I’m not.”
“What is your name?”
“Zoe.”
“Zoe.” It sounded weird in his grave, highly accented voice. A good kind of weird. The kind that made her pussy gush even more. “Zoe. I will take you soon. Make you mine.”
“And you’ll be rough.”
“Yes.”
She nodded again. And she realized she didn’t only accept her fate but welcomed it. Craved it.
He nodded too, and then turned on his heel and walked away.
She found herself alone in the wide gallery, and she stared at the candles for a few long minutes. She didn’t know what to do with herself. She sat down amongst the pelts and furs, and hoped Agor the Merciless was right.
Zoe hoped she wouldn’t break.