Chapter 24
Malek
I watched Fiona from a distance, standing beside Drak.
He was instructing her on how to use the longbow, carefully correcting her posture, mindful of how he touched her.
Everyone there could smell my scent clinging to her skin, just as hers remained on me.
It was more than enough to ward off any male who might think of getting too close.
Days ago, before our mating, Drak would have flirted with her, as he always did with all the single females in the village. Now, however, there was an invisible line drawn between them, and he knew exactly where not to step.
Fiona loosed the arrow, but it veered off course, vanishing into the forest instead of striking the target.
A frustrated grunt escaped her lips, yet she didn't back down; she adjusted her posture and tried again.
I admired her tenacity. Since she arrived here, she had pushed herself to fit in, no matter the cost.
She still didn't speak Okshakai perfectly, but she could already communicate with the other orcs and understand them better; her skill with the axe and her physical strength had also improved, though she would have to train hard to become an Okshai warrior, if that was indeed the path she wished to follow.
My heart beat faster as I remembered what she had told her brother: she wanted to stay with me.
She was the same princess who had helped me escape the dungeons of Ceilte.
Everything I had done for her since then had been to pay that debt.
I was the Ruk’hai; my decisions had to be for the good of my people, not to satisfy an attraction to a kir’shakur.
But the line between obligation and desire had become far too thin.
She was a perfect paradox: the daughter of my enemy, the female who had saved me… and now, my mate.
When her arrow finally struck the edge of the target, she let out a small, triumphant jump, flashing a bright grin at Drak before her eyes searched for mine. It felt as though the sun had suddenly broken through the clouds.
I had never wanted to mate. No female had ever sparked my interest, not in Oksha nor in any other clan.
Many had tried to win me over, almost always drawn more to the title of krash’uk than to who I truly was.
Yet none had earned more than a single night of pleasure when physical necessity spoke louder than anything else.
Orcs mated for life. Unlike Fiona’s people, we didn’t believe in a destined partner. We chose whom we wished to walk beside, and only after the blessing ritual did our souls intertwine, connected for eternity. It was a choice.
High Fae, on the other hand, bore a connection that transcended choice, reason, even time itself—a bond forged whole and unbreakable, from which there was no escape.
I had no idea if such a person existed for Fiona.
I didn't know if, by choosing to stay with me, she was surrendering that possibility.
I didn't care, either. For the first time in nearly a century and a half of life, I had found someone who made my heart beat faster, and my blood run hot, the kind of feeling I had only ever known with an axe in my hands, standing on a battlefield.
I wanted her like I had never wanted anything in my life.
It should have frightened me; after all, I had always prided myself on hiding every weakness, and Fiona was a massive target for anyone trying to strike at me.
Even so, every time I saw her laugh with the others, train until her arms shook, or persist even when she failed, I felt an instinctive recognition that she belonged to me and I to her.
If she chose to leave one day, I would not stop her.
Orcs didn’t cage what they loved. But as long as she stayed…
As long as her footsteps echoed through Oksha and her scent wove itself into the very air of my home, I would fight for her as fiercely as I fought for anything that truly mattered to me.
A low growl pulled me from my thoughts. When I looked to the side, I found Kalisha watching the scene before us, her brow furrowed.
My cousin had always carried a stern expression, even when we were children.
Her gaze was glued on Fiona and Drak. I had long ago noticed the desire she harbored for my right hand, but Drak, much like myself, had never shown interest in forging a bond with anyone.
Our reasons, however, were very different. Drak enjoyed the company of many females; in fact, I suspected he had already bedded nearly every single female in the clan. Kalisha, for some reason, wasn’t part of that list of conquests.
"What’s it?" I finally asked.
"Nothing," she replied, her voice dry.
I arched an eyebrow, not really believing her, but I waited for her to open up, as I always did.
Kalisha was kuturo. When her parents died in battle, my parents had taken her in, and she came to live with my family.
She was a few years younger than I was, so we hadn't been close as children, but I still saw her as my responsibility.
If something bothered her, I wanted to know so I could try to help her.
The silence stretched for several minutes before she finally spoke.
“She’s beautiful.” Her gaze lingered on Fiona as she kept trying to strike the center of the target under Drak’s guidance. “And strong.” Then, almost like a confession, she continued:
"Did you know she is training me?"
I turned my face to look at her.
"Training you?"
Kalisha nodded slowly.
"Everything she learns from you, she teaches me," she explained. A small, sincere smile appeared on her lips, something so rare to see that my eyes widened slightly. "I didn't ask; she simply offered. She realized that I’m rak’er, but not once did she treat me as if I weren't as capable as she is."
Fiona let out a frustrated snarl, and Drak threw his head back with a loud laugh. I quickly saw why; her arrow had landed in an entirely different target than the one she’d been aiming for. Despite myself, my lips twitched at the sight.
"I didn't know that," I replied, without taking my eyes off the beautiful orc bickering with my friend. Her light hair, so different from the dark locks of the Okshai, shimmered under the sunlight.
"I told her it was forbidden."
I arched an eyebrow in her direction. Kalisha was one of the best warriors in Oksha, trained by my own mother from childhood. So why had she lied?
“I know she’s different, Malek. It’s more than obvious she didn’t come from Oguk.
” She rolled her eyes, impatience flickering across her face at what she considered obvious.
That didn’t surprise me; Kalisha had always been too observant for her own good.
“I wanted to test her, to see if her intentions were true or if she was just another female hoping to conquer the Ruk’hai. ”
"And if she hadn’t passed your test?" I asked, though I already knew the answer.
"Then she wouldn't be here, akrin. I’d have ensured she didn't make it past the first night."
I nodded silently. In the Okshai culture, the survival of the people came before any individual desire.
I imagined for a second a world where Fiona had said the wrong thing to my cousin.
Kalisha wouldn't have hesitated to protect the clan, even if it meant facing my fury.
I didn't blame her for that; she had grown up knowing that, should I meet my end on a battlefield, she would be the next Ruk'hai.
The people would always be her priority.
That had also been my absolute priority until I tasted Fiona and felt the foundations of everything I had built crumble around me.
"And what was the verdict?" I questioned, watching Fiona finally drive the arrow into the center of the target and let out a shout of victory while Drak clapped happily.
"She could have had better," she replied, mocking. "But for some reason, she chose you."
The words struck something in my chest because it was true. Fiona had chosen me. Even with all the adversities, she had said she wanted me and would stay with me.
"Yes. She chose me."
Kalisha said nothing more. She only nodded and turned to walk back to the village. Before she could take more than two steps, I called her, and she turned her head toward me.
"Someone will also choose you, akrinum."
Her shoulders tensed for a moment before they slumped. She shot a glance toward Drak, and a flicker of sadness appeared in her eyes.
"I highly doubt it, akrin."
She left without another word. I turned my attention back to Fiona, who was approaching me with a broad smile, her blue eyes shining.
"I did it!" she exclaimed. "Did you see?"
"Yes, krash’uk," I said, pulling her to me and kissing the top of her head. "You’re very good."
Drak stepped closer, a crooked smile on his lips. His gaze slid for an instant toward the space where Kalisha had been standing, but the gesture was too quick to carry any real meaning.
"She is as stubborn as a shruk," he remarked.
"I am," Fiona shot back, crossing her arms. "And I won't rest until I hit the bullseye more often."
A low laugh escaped me. It was that indomitable fire she carried that had enchanted me from the very first time. Fiona reminded me of the sea—merciless and fearless, beautiful even when it threatened to swallow everything around it.
She advanced, retreated, learned, failed, and insisted. She didn't ask permission to exist; she simply occupied the space she decided was hers.
I couldn't contain myself much longer. Totally ignoring Drak’s presence, I brought her closer enough for our chests to touch. Her skin was warm, carrying a delicious scent of wild flowers mixed with my scent.
I raised my hand to her face, my thumb lightly brushing her lower lip.
The memory of those lips moaning my name, pleading for more pleasure, sent a shiver through my body and made my blood run hot.
She parted her lips slightly, and her pink tongue licked the tip of my thumb in a way that was anything but innocent.
"Krash’uk," I growled, pulling her to me with my other hand so she could feel the effect she had on me.
"That's my cue. Goodbye, lovebirds."
Neither of us spared Drak a glance. The training field lay empty at that late hour, and I seized the moment, guiding Fiona back until her spine met the rough bark of a tree.
"I missed you," I whispered against her ear.
She shuddered, her body leaning into mine almost by instinct.
"Already?" she asked with a half-smile. "We were only apart for a few hours."
"Too long."
Her blue eyes, intense and brimming with desire, stared back at me with a ferocity that mirrored my own.
"And what do you plan to do about it?" she asked in a whisper.
The scent of her desire hit me, making all my instincts scream for me to take her right there, in the middle of the training meadow.
My mouth found hers in a deep and urgent kiss, stealing her breath away.
There was none of the slowness of the night before, only the brutal necessity that consumed us.
My hands gripped her hips, lifting her and pressing her against the tree. She moaned into my mouth, her legs wrapping around my waist, pulling me closer; the friction of our bodies ignited a wild spark that consumed any remaining shred of hesitation.
"Malek," she gasped, breaking the kiss in search of air.
"You drive me wild, krash’uk," I murmured against her skin, kissing my way to her neck, finding the junction of her shoulder. My fangs grazed the sensitive skin, and she moaned again—the sweetest sound.
"I can't take it anymore either," she answered before kissing me again, forcing me to tilt my head to accept her dominance.
The desire I felt for her was unlike anything I had ever experienced. It was the need to possess her that both frightened and satisfied me. I wanted to make her mine, and I didn't care if the whole world knew to whom the Ruk'hai of Oksha belonged.
Her mouth was fire against mine, hungry, answering my desire with the same intensity.
I wanted her, and I wanted her now. I slid my mouth to the fabric of her top, pulling it aside with my teeth until my lips found the soft skin of her breast. I suckled the hardened nipple, licking it with the tip of my tongue.
Fiona moaned, her hands clutching my hair.
I pulled back just enough to turn her, pressing her front against the tree and positioning myself behind her. The friction of our bodies was a delicious torture. I reached down, sliding Fiona’s loincloth aside, finding her wet, evidence that she was every bit as ready as I was.
I entered her slowly, the sensation of being surrounded by her hitting me like a lightning.
She let out a loud gasp, her ragged breathing setting our rhythm.
The fit was perfect, so tight it made my vision swim with pleasure.
I drove into her with powerful thrusts, pushing us both toward the edge of the abyss.
Fiona moaned loudly, her head thrown back, her body arching under my command.
"Malek!" she screamed, heedless of who might hear us.
I drove into her even faster, feeling the pressure build rapidly. I flicked her swollen clit with my thumb while my base pulsed against her. She cried out as she hit the peak, and a moment later, I exploded with a roar, feeling the knot lock inside her as I filled her with my seed.
I leaned forward, resting my head on her shoulder while our hearts beat in unison.
"Mine," I murmured, my voice thick with a possessiveness I had never felt before.
Fiona squeezed my arms against her, her face radiant. We stayed like that until the knot finally released. I straightened her clothes carefully and turned her to me, kissing her reddened lips with a tenderness that only she ever knew.
"I need to tell Drak about the plan."
She nodded, but the disappointment in her blue eyes almost made me forget about my duty. I kissed her one last time, tasting her on my lips.
"I’ll see you at dinner, krash'uk."