Guarded By the Orc (The Kingverse Orcs #3)

CHAPTER 1

Zara

Six months earlier

I ran as fast as I could, my breath gusting out of me, a stitch in my side and a sharp pain in my foot where I was certain I was bleeding.

Something’s chasing me.

The panic inside of my chest told me that it was close enough that I couldn’t look back. I had to keep going forward or I’d be snatched back into the prison that had held me.

When the males who’d worked for the grand warlock had come out of the portal to abduct me, I’d been too gobsmacked to do anything but fall on my ass. I didn’t know then who these males were, who the grand warlock was, or that they were my enemies. But I’d soon found out .

I’d yelped as they’d grabbed me and hauled me to my feet. My control over my powers was faulty at best—and shoddy at worst; which was why when I’d tried to zap them with magick, it hadn’t worked. I wasn’t experienced enough to focus when my adrenalin was high. I needed quiet so I could concentrate—which I was also not good at.

They’d dragged me through the portal and into a room that had been pulled right out of my nightmares. Cold stone surrounded me along with metal shackles and cages.

I’d frozen in my tracks, not moving forward any further and they’d pulled me toward the center of the room. The man who stood there could have been the evil villain in any fantasy movie ever seen.

This is what mama warned me about.

I’d been a fool to not listen to her. When she’d warned me that I should be careful not to wield my powers without a protection shield, this was why.

A cold smile had spread across the face of the blond male in front of me. Power sparked from his fingers as he’d crooked his finger at his men to drag me closer. His gaze had swept up and down my body and his scowl told me everything I needed to know.

I guess he doesn’t like curvy girls.

“Well if it isn’t Zara,” he’d purred in a voice dripping with ice. “I’ve been looking for you. How fortuitous that you decided to use your powers on the very night we were scrying for you.”

I’d gritted my teeth, yanking my arms hard, trying to get them out of the grip of the males who were holding me on either side, but it was impossible. I’d quicker yank my shoulders out of their sockets than escape their iron grips—that would definitely be leaving marks.

“I heard that you’re even more powerful than your mother,” he’d added, moving closer to me and I’d increased my struggles. His smile had widened and I’d wondered if he enjoyed that I was hurting myself trying to get away from him.

Nix that. Of course he does. Evil fucker.

“And all that power,” he’d murmured, leaning down from his towering height to meet my gaze, “is just waiting to be tapped.”

He’d looked at the males holding me. “Take her to her new lodgings and make sure she is secure.”

I don’t know how many weeks or months later, he’d had me dragged out of that cage and brought in front of him again. I’d scowled, angry with myself and with him that I’d been trapped here with him for so long. He was waiting for the perfect alignment of the stars before he planned on impregnating me—because, apparently, rape was how these warlocks liked to get down.

I’d been kept in a cage with chains up until now. But as the day had neared, he’d decided to move me to his tower. In case he needed to try a few times. I’d gagged at the thought, struggling not to be physically sick.

I would die before I let this monster touch me.

He’d flicked his eyes over to the male holding my right arm. The male had stiffened, his hold on me loosening just a little, but I’d figured it would be the only escape I might get. “Get her settled in and then—”

I’d yanked my right arm free and lunged forward, lifting my right leg until I’d slammed my knee into the crotch of the asshole in front of me. A wheezing gasp was the only sound I’d heard as the male to my left loosened his grip in shock. I’d pulled my arm free of him as well, my power fizzling for a moment before a low-grade blast pummeled them both in the face.

Damn it, powers, get your shit together!

I’d pivoted and run to the door, faced with the third male. I’d lifted my hand again and instead of stopping me, he’d whimpered, crouching down and covering his head. Rolling my eyes, I’d run past him, yanking the wooden door open.

Thank the Goddess Mother it wasn’t locked!

The pitch blackness that met me was jarring at first, but I’d known better than to hesitate. I couldn’t take the chance that the asshole behind me would recover. I already heard his minions starting to chase me.

I’d dashed out the door and run into the darkness. Now I was far enough away from the building that I wondered if I would be able to get away. The shouts from behind me told me that the answer was a big fat no.

“Shit, shit,” I gasped, spinning in a circle, not sure where to go—or what to do.

A small sound from nearby caught my attention and I froze, my eyes struggling to focus. I could barely see, but I knew better than to run toward something that could capture me—or eat me. Holding my breath, I watched in shock as an orc moved from behind a building.

Instead of feeling threatened, the instincts that my mother had taught me to trust—my precognition as she’d called it—told me to run toward him. I did, hurrying up to him.

When I saw just how big he was, I hesitated, slowing.

Oh, my.

Almost seven feet of green male stood in front of me, muscles bulging on his muscles. But as I got even closer, it was the quiet curiosity in his gaze that calmed me.

You can trust him.

The voice inside of me, that I was only beginning to recognize, hadn’t been wrong yet. And it was about time I started heeding my mother’s lessons. My inability to do so in the past had led me to this current predicament.

One of many.

“Hi,” I gasped, stopping right in front of him. “Can you help me get out of here?”

He tilted his head at me, his strong brow furrowed before his lips parted and he said words in a language I didn’t understand.

Of course he doesn’t speak Common, ninny . You need a translation spell.

I lifted my hands to start the spell—one of the few that I’d memorized—when I heard a shout behind me. Panic engulfed me and I spun toward the sound, trying to peer into the darkness. I couldn’t see anything.

Fuck, if only I had my spellbook.

I was sure there’d been an incantation that would allow me to see in the darkness. I took a tentative step backward and almost plowed right into the orc male. I pivoted again, facing him, and his expression was contemplative before he looked at me and then up toward where the noise had come from.

With a small grunt, he turned in the opposite direction from the sound and started marching off. I froze for a long moment, not sure what to do, but when the sound of voices came from behind me, I charged after the orc.

Something tells me it’s safer with him than these assholes.

Running—and limping a little—I peeked behind me only to slam into the orc, who was ahead of me. I stumbled backward, almost falling on my ass, but a strong hand steadied me before releasing me. His solemn stare was in front of me again when he pointed to the wall we were now standing in front of.

I looked between it and him and then held my hands up in the universal sign of “ What the fuck do you expect me to do about it? ”

He sighed, lowering himself to hold his cupped palms in front of him and realization hit me like a sledgehammer.

He’s helping me get out of here.

Relief swamped me, and I lifted my foot as high as I could go—which really wasn’t all that far—while reminding myself that I needed to practice yoga more. I held in the yelp of panic that almost left me when I realized that the male was not giving me a stepping board. He was literally lifting me , like he was some kind of orc-elevator.

Orcalator. Elevorc. Stop it, Zara!

I scrambled over the other side, landing with a loud thump on my ass. A sharp sting of pain sizzled up my back, but I didn’t have time to figure out if it was life-threatening. The orc had already propelled himself over the wall. I scuttled backward, out of his landing zone—because the Goddess Mother knew that he would crush me like a bug and my butt injury wouldn’t matter at that point.

He landed in a crouch, eyeing me where I’d fallen, a small huff leaving him before he stood. He held his hand out to me and I took it, but when he hauled me to my feet, he bent over and moved forward, his shoulder hitting me in my stomach.

With an oof , I was lifted off my feet as if I didn’t weigh much at all—which I knew was a lie, because I had the sweet tooth to rival all sweet teeth and very little self-control.

It’s best to know your flaws, after all, even if you can’t do anything about them.

He hurried off toward the forest, and my eyes widened as I heard shouts coming from behind the wall. All of the core strength that I had—which was pretty much nonexistent if I was being honest—died within three seconds of me holding my head up, so I was left to smack my face against his very hard back. I cushioned it with my hand so that my head slapped against my palm instead.

Taking a deep breath, I began murmuring the words of the translation spell. My adrenalin was finally slowing now that I was no longer running for my life. Once it was done, I decided to test it out.

“Hey, where are you taking me, big guy?” I asked, and the orc slowed.

“You can speak my language?” he asked, his voice deep and curious. “You couldn’t understand me earlier.”

“I’m a witch,” I explained, mumbling a bit every time I smacked my face against my palm as he walked. “I’m Zara, by the way.”

“I’m Savla,” he told me, and I felt his head and shoulders dip in a small bow. I grinned at the formality.

“I’ll have to figure out how to go home,” I told him, heaving a deep breath, my mind already struggling to remember the spell that I’d learned for opening an interdimensional portal.

If only I’d paid more attention to what mama was saying instead of trying to sneak chips under the table…

“I’m taking you to meet my brothers,” he told me, his voice conversational. “Because you might belong to them.”

My head whipped in his direction, but then I face-planted against his back once more. “Belong to who ?”

“A fated mate,” he explained, his voice a low rumble of longing that sent a pang of sadness through my chest. “Our other half.”

“Like a wife?” I asked, patting his back to comfort him.

“More than that,” he scoffed. “It’s our perfect match. She would fill all the missing spaces inside.”

I have missing spaces too.

“And you might be that for one of my brothers,” he explained, and continued walking like he hadn’t just shared life-changing information.

“Listen, bub, I don’t know who’s in charge of that stuff, but I can assure you, I’m not anyone’s fated mate,” I told him.

“Only one way to tell,” he responded with a shrug, continuing on his way.

“And I’m not yours , right?” I asked, cringing, and wondering how in the hell I was going to escape from his clutches if I was.

“No,” he assured me in a placating voice. “I would have known right away. But you can still belong to my brothers.”

“I don’t belong to anyone but myself,” I harrumphed, trying to scramble away from him but only ending up smashing my nose against his back. I grabbed it, my voice nasal as I continued, “And even if I did, trust me, they wouldn’t want me for a mate anyway.”

He grunted as he continued walking and as the blood pooled in my head—making me wonder if it could explode if it got too full—I prayed that I wasn’t walking into another trap.