Page 32 of Agor the Merciless (Orc Mates #10)

Six months passed. The orc garage changed under Zoe’s leadership, and now tools hung on wall pegs, parts sat in labeled bins, and vehicles lined up in neat rows. The space hummed with organized activity. She’d never liked the chaos and was relieved when Grol and Tarn embraced her ideas.

As usual, Zoe was leaning over an open car hood, her hands and clothes smudged with grease.

The difference was that her work shirt stretched across her rounded belly, the fabric pulled tight, and she was breathing more heavily, moving more slowly, and had to take breaks often.

Still, she didn’t want to give up working every day.

Tarn stood next to her, passing tools when she needed them. He looked at her hands and copied her movements when she showed him how to adjust the timing belt. They didn’t talk much as they worked, but they didn’t need to.

Zoe tightened the last bolt and nodded to Tarn.

“Try it now.”

He reached through the window and turned the key. The engine started right away, running smooth and strong, and the rough coughing sound it had made before was gone.

Zoe straightened up and put her hand on her lower back, supporting the weight of her pregnant belly.

The baby kicked, making her smile. It wouldn’t be long now, and she and Agor would meet their first born.

They didn’t know if it was a boy or a girl, though Lyra the Mage had told them she could divine the gender if they wanted to.

She had her ways. Zoe, wary of magic when it wasn’t absolutely necessary, had refused.

She didn’t care if it was a boy or a girl, all she wanted was for the baby to be healthy.

She looked around the garage that had become her domain.

This place felt right to her now, with the smell of oil and the sound of orc car engines.

Her hands stayed busy fixing things that the orcs brought to her, and they respected her skill.

The old life she’d left behind didn’t matter anymore.

The people who’d wanted her to be something she wasn’t, who’d made her hide her real interests and talents…

they seemed far away now. Because they were.

She still had her phone with her, though the battery was dead.

But two weeks ago, she’d visited the nearest town with Pira and Durnak, and she’d taken the phone with her.

She charged it at a gas station enough to check her messages and missed calls.

Nothing from her ex-boyfriend, Mark, and only a message from her brother who asked where she’d disappeared to.

That was all. She hadn’t bothered to reply.

Zoe felt safe in a way she never had before. Not just because Agor protected her, though he did. She felt safe because she had found her place. She made her own decisions, and no one questioned her.

The baby moved again, and she rubbed her belly to soothe it. This child would be born into a home where both parents could be themselves. No one would tell her son or daughter to be something they weren’t. This thought made her feel like all was right in the world.

***

Candles burned in Zoe and Agor’s room. She leaned back against the wall, legs stretched out on the furs as she watched her orc mate.

Agor opened the chest that was against the wall and reached inside.

Her anticipation mounted. He turned around with a rope and a leather belt in his hands, which he then placed beside her on the bed.

He knelt on the floor and lowered himself until they were face to face.

He was so tall, that at least one of them had to make a bit of an effort if they wanted to look into each other’s eyes.

“Do you want this?” Agor asked.

Zoe saw how eagerly he was waiting for her answer. She glanced at the rope and the belt, then back to his face. Her breathing quickened.

“Yes,” she said.

She remembered their talk months ago, when he’d told her about Urka the Bone-Mender and what had happened to him in her cave.

He’d explained why he needed to use the rope sometimes, why tying someone else helped with the memories that still bothered him.

How being in control freed him from the past. She understood it now better than before.

The rope and belt belonged to both of them.

They weren’t just for him to control her.

She could say no. She could stop anytime.

Knowing that made her want to say yes. Zoe picked up the rope and felt the rough texture against her fingers.

She handed it to him because she wanted to.

She would let him tie her while her mind stayed free.

Agor reached for her. His hands cupped her face with care, thumbs brushing along her cheekbones.

He moved his touch down to her throat, feeling her pulse under his fingers, then to her shoulders, where tension melted at the contact.

When his hands found the curve of her belly, he paused, taking in the miracle of their child growing inside her.

Zoe leaned into his touch. Her eyes closed as his fingers traced patterns on her skin. She made a soft sound that encouraged him to continue. There was no magic pushing her toward him now, no curse making her need this. She wanted him because she chose to.

“You’re beautiful,” he whispered.

The warmth of her skin radiated through his palms. The round swell of her belly filled him with pride and wonder.

This was their future taking shape. His need for her burned steady and deep, but it was different now.

The desperate fear that she might break away, that their ritual might fail…

all that was gone. He didn’t crave her to complete what was missing in him, because he didn’t feel like he was only half of what he used to be anymore.

And when he looked at her, he saw a whole person.

Strong. Brave. The woman who stood beside him when he faced his horde.

The woman who saw his darkness and still chose him.

His past with Urka, the pain and shame, didn’t haunt this moment.

He didn’t need to test her loyalty or her desire.

He only wanted to cherish what they were building together.

“I need you to tell me if it hurts,” he said.

“I will,” she promised.

Agor secured her wrists to the iron bolt above the bed, but he did so loosely. If she wanted to, she could easily free herself. He checked that she could move enough to stay comfortable, especially with her big belly.

“Is this good?”

“Yes,” she said, testing the bonds with a gentle tug.

He picked up the leather belt, running it through his fingers. He applied it with restraint, just enough to warm her skin. She gasped at the contact, her back arching slightly.

“Still good?” he asked.

“Don’t stop,” she told him.

He set the belt aside and used his mouth and hands to soothe every place the leather had touched.

He paid attention to her breathing, to the small movements of her body that told him what she liked.

This wasn’t about his control or his needs alone.

It was about finding a rhythm that pleased them both.

“Good, little mate?” he murmured against her skin.

“More,” she whispered. “I need more of you.”

“I want to make sure you’re comfortable,” he said, his hand resting on her belly. “Tell me what feels right.”

“I feel safe with you,” she said. “I trust you. Please don’t make me wait.”

The sensations rushed through Zoe’s body, sharp and sweet.

Her mind stayed clear and present. There was no trace of the curse that once drove her toward him with blind hunger.

This was real. Her desire was honest and belonged to her alone.

The rope around her wrists, the warmth left by the belt…

these things had once frightened her. They had been tools of control when she had no choice.

Now she embraced them willingly. They became something new: symbols of the trust between them.

She felt powerful even while bound. Her surrender was her choice, given freely, not taken.

Agor kissed every place the belt had reddened, his mouth gentle on her heated skin.

He watched her face, tracking each response, and when he was sure she was fine, he buried his face between her legs, from behind.

She felt his tusks – one sharp, the other broken – against her most sensitive parts.

He teased her clit with the tip of his tongue, building her need until she trembled and moaned, and cursed when he pushed her close to the edge only to stop at the last moment.

He chuckled at her frustration and shifted on the bed, moving to a new position.

The furs rustled under him as he settled before her. He looked at her and touched her cheek.

“May I?” he asked.

“Please,” she said.

He guided her with his hand at the back of her neck, supporting her head.

His other hand gripped the base of his massive cock, and he pushed the dripping tip to her lips.

She opened her mouth eagerly, and he slowly pushed in, inch by inch, until he felt like she couldn’t fit more in.

He pulled out, thrust back in, and he watched her close her eyes and focus on her breathing as she moved her tongue up and down, and around his cock as best as she could.

It was sloppy and hot, and even though she could barely take half of his length, the sight of her tiny mouth blowing him could send him over the edge.

He held back. This was just to tease himself.

“You’re perfect,” he said.

She couldn’t talk but made a sound that made him take a quick breath. His hand tightened in her hair, then loosened again, careful not to hurt her. Her wrists pulled at the rope as she tried to reach for him.

“Enough,” he said. “I need to be inside you.”

When he pulled away, Zoe took a deep breath. He kissed her, tasting himself on her lips, then moved behind her. His hands supported her belly as he made sure she was comfortable.

“Good?”

“Yes,” she said, turning to look at him over her shoulder. “I’m ready.”

He pushed into her slowly, then stopped and waited for her body to adjust. They knew how to fit together now, but he still moved carefully until he was all the way in. No matter how many times he entered her, she was still so tight, her pussy gripping him like a vise.

“Too much?” he asked.

“Never,” she answered, her breath catching as he shifted slightly. “I need all of you. I love you, Agor.”

“And I love you,” he said against her ear, his chest pressed to her back. “Tell me if we need to stop. Your comfort matters most.”

“I will,” she promised, pushing back against him. “But right now, this is exactly what I want.”

They started slow, then moved faster together.

She held on to the rope – the only thing that kept her upright aside from his firm palm cupping her belly and his other hand at her hip.

She was flushed all over, panting, screaming when he plunged deep inside her and rubbed the most delicious spot that pushed her closer and closer to a powerful orgasm.

She always came with him and always craved more.

The hand he had on her hip reached around to touch her where they joined, finding her clit and massaging it with firm strokes. His fingers moved with his thrusts, making her tighten around his cock. She threw her head back.

“I’m close,” she breathed. “Don’t you dare stop…” She wanted to add a threat, but he complied so well, fucking her harder and faster, that she didn’t feel it was necessary. Also, she couldn’t think anymore.

“Together,” he said.

She knew that if she orgasmed, he would follow immediately.

With a sharp cry, she tensed up and came hard, soaking his cock in her juices.

She heard him let out a grunt, and then he stilled, pumping her full of his seed.

He didn’t let go of her until he was certain he’d released all of it into her pussy.

When he pulled out, she dripped right onto the pelts.

Agor didn’t waste any time untying her. She was shaking as he pulled her against his chest and held her.

He massaged the faint marks around her wrists to get the blood flowing.

Zoe had made him promise to never use any sort of ointment on her, not even if he went overboard sometimes and actually hurt her a little.

She’d rather deal with the pain than risk getting addicted to orc magic again.

And she didn’t care that Lyra the Mage swore she had recipes that were completely safe, recipes she’d developed herself, not taken from Grak the Bitter’s book.

Zoe nestled in the orc captain’s arms, feeling complete and at peace. She placed her hand over his where it rested on her belly. Their child moved under their joined hands.

“Are you happy?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said. “Are you?”

“More than I knew was possible.”

They stayed like that until sleep claimed them, wrapped in each other’s arms, safe in the knowledge that what they built together was stronger than anything that had tried – or would ever try – to break them apart.

THE END