Chapter Seven
Audrey listened to Morgath’s footsteps fade down the street.
The door had barely closed behind him before she started moving, her nervous energy finally finding an outlet.
She’d been obsessed with this orc for far too long, assembling fragments of information like a puzzle with missing pieces, and now she was alone in his house with the chance to learn everything she could.
The living room was dominated by a massive stone fireplace that took up most of one wall.
The furniture was exactly what she expected from orcs – heavy wooden pieces built to last, sturdy enough to hold their enormous weight, but not particularly comfortable looking.
A thick couch sat facing the fireplace, flanked by two armchairs that could’ve doubled as thrones.
Shelves lined one wall, crammed with books whose spines were covered in the harsh, angular script of the orc language.
A low coffee table sat in front of the couch, and a plush rug covered the wooden floor.
What caught her attention were the candles.
They were everywhere – on the mantelpiece, on the coffee table, in wall sconces, their flames burning bright.
She knew they were enchanted, charmed to burn endlessly without starting an accidental fire or melting down to nothing.
The warm light cast dancing shadows across the room and made the space feel almost cozy despite its utilitarian furniture.
The mantelpiece held a collection of crystals and stones, each one different in size and color.
Some were raw and jagged, others polished smooth.
She approached them and reached out to touch one, a deep purple crystal that caught the candlelight, but pulled her hand back at the last second.
She had no idea what they were for, so it was probably safe to keep her hands to herself.
She moved into the kitchen next and found it spacious but completely empty.
Inside the cupboards, the shelves were bare.
No food, no dishes, no pots or pans, nothing at all.
It was as if no one had ever used this room for its intended purpose.
She opened drawer after drawer and found them all empty except for dust. The orcs clearly didn’t cook or eat in their homes, which made sense given the communal feast she’d just sat through.
Her bedroom was next. She pushed open the door and found her duffel bag sitting on the bed.
She unzipped it and checked the contents, her fingers moving quickly through the layers of clothing.
The knives were still wrapped in the shirt at the bottom, the handgun still tucked into the folded jeans, and the radio was exactly as she’d packed it.
She zipped the bag back up and left it where it was, turning her attention to Morgath’s bedroom. The door was closed but not locked. It swung open when she pressed the handle.
His room was larger than hers, dominated by an enormous bed, specially built to accommodate his size. The blankets were dark and heavy, and the pillows huge.
A dresser stood against one wall, and she went through it methodically, pulling open each drawer and rifling through the contents.
Clothes. Nothing but clothes. Tunics, pants, all in dark colors and all enormous. She pushed them aside, checking for hidden compartments or anything unusual, but found nothing. Her frustration mounted as she closed the last drawer and turned to survey the rest of the room.
That was when she spotted the chest.
It sat against the far wall, secured with a thick iron lock.
She crossed to it and knelt, examining the lock.
It didn’t take her long to conclude she’d never be able to pick it.
Whatever was inside, Morgath wanted it protected.
She’d have to find the key somehow, which meant she’d have to be patient and observant.
Audrey stood up and left his room, closing the door carefully behind her.
The stairs to the second floor creaked under her weight as she climbed them.
The upstairs hallway was dark except for the faint glow of moonlight coming through the windows.
She found two more bedrooms and two bathrooms, all neat and clean, but completely unused.
No furniture, no personal items, nothing to indicate anyone had ever spent time up here.
She made her way back downstairs and went into her own bedroom, closing and locking the door. She needed to check in with the Tusk Hunters while Morgath was still gone. She locked herself in the bathroom for extra security, then pulled out her phone.
Owen was the one who answered.
“You okay?”
“I’m fine,” she said. “I’m here, everything is okay.”
“What’s it like?”
“The town is an old logging community in a valley. There are about a hundred orcs, most of them male grunts. They’re all armed to the teeth at all times.” She paused and took a breath. “I looked around the table at dinner but didn’t see him.”
“You sure?”
“I’d recognize him if I saw him,” she said firmly. “But there were too many orcs, and I was distracted. Tomorrow, I’ll walk around town and try to meet everyone properly. Maybe I just missed him tonight.”
“Stay safe,” Owen said, and she could hear the concern in his voice. “Are you worried about tonight?”
She knew what he was asking.
“Morgath won’t touch me. He told me he never wanted a bride and it’s all for show.”
Owen let out a breath of relief.
“That’s good. That’s really good.”
“Yeah,” Audrey said, but even she could hear how unconvinced she sounded. She shook her head and pushed the thought away. “I have to go. I just heard him come back.”
She ended the call and slipped the phone into her pocket, then unlocked the bathroom door and stepped out into her bedroom. She could hear Morgath moving around in the living room, and she took a deep breath before opening her bedroom door and walking out to face him.
He was pulling off his massive boots by the front door.
His sword leaned against the wall beside him, the blade glowing faintly with enchanted light.
She stared at it for a moment, fascinated by the way the magic pulsed through the metal like a heartbeat.
It was enormous, the kind of weapon that would normally require two hands to wield, but she had seen Morgath carry it with one hand as if it weighed nothing.
The design was simple and brutal, all function and no decoration, and she knew she’d never be able to steal it even if she wanted to.
She’d barely be able to lift it, let alone use it.
Morgath walked to the fireplace and knelt in front of it, beginning to stack logs. She watched him work, her eyes tracking the movement of his hands as he arranged the wood and struck flint to start the flames. Within minutes, the fire was crackling and spreading warmth through the room.
“I thought orcs don’t get cold,” she said.
He glanced at her over his shoulder, the skull catching the firelight and making the empty eye sockets seem even darker.
“It’s not for me. It’s for you.”
She rolled her eyes and walked over to the couch, dropping onto it with less grace than she intended.
“How considerate.”
He didn’t respond. He just stood up and stretched his arms over his head, then reached down and pulled his shirt off in one smooth motion.
Audrey’s breath caught in her throat.
His back was a canvas of tattoos, the intricate patterns spreading across his shoulders and down his spine. But it was the scars that really caught her attention. They were everywhere, crisscrossing his skin. Some were thin, others were thick and jagged.
His muscles moved under his skin like something out of an anatomy textbook, every line and curve perfectly defined.
She couldn’t look away. He was the strongest, most physically perfect male specimen she’d ever seen, and her body was reacting to that fact whether she wanted it to or not.
She forced herself to swallow and look away before he could catch her staring.
He walked toward his bedroom without another word.
She found her voice just as he reached the door.
“You’re just going to leave me here like this?”
He paused and looked back at her, his hand on the doorframe.
“What do you want from me? It’s late. Good night.”
The door slammed shut behind him, and Audrey was left alone in the living room with nothing but the crackling fire for company.
She sighed and pulled her legs up onto the couch, wrapping her arms around her knees.
The fire was nice, and she found herself staring into the flames and losing track of time.
She could hear Morgath moving around in his room. The sound of water running told her he was showering, and she tried not to think about what he looked like under the water. Then the water stopped, and she heard the creak of his bed as he collapsed into it.
Audrey made a mental note to be careful when she contacted her team. If she could hear him this clearly, he could definitely hear her. She couldn’t risk him overhearing something that would blow her cover.
An hour passed. The fire burned low, and she thought about adding more wood, but her body felt heavy and tired. She finally pushed herself off the couch and walked to her bedroom. She changed into an old T-shirt and a pair of soft pants, then climbed into bed and pulled the blankets up to her chin.
The room was dark. With no electricity, there was no light from the street outside.
She could hear the wind rustling through the pine trees, and the distant sound of an owl calling.
She closed her eyes and tried to sleep, but her mind was still racing.
She tossed and turned, unable to find a comfortable position, unable to stop replaying the day in her head.
She was just starting to doze off when she heard it.
A grunt, low and deep, followed by a moan that made her eyes snap open.
She lay perfectly still, her heart hammering in her chest, and listened.
There it was again, muffled but unmistakable.
She threw back the blankets and got out of bed, crossing to the wall that separated her room from his.
She pressed her ear against the wood and held her breath.
Morgath was grunting and moaning, the sounds coming through the wall with near perfect clarity.
Her face burned hot as she realized what was happening, but she couldn’t make herself pull away.
She stood there with her ear pressed to the wall, listening to every sound he made.
Her own body responded in ways that made her want to scream with frustration.
She bit her lip hard enough to hurt and forced herself to step back from the wall. This was insane. But even as she thought it, her feet were carrying her to the door. She eased it open and tiptoed to his door.
She knelt and pressed her eye to the keyhole.
A candle burned on his bedside table, casting a warm glow across the room.
She could see his bed, and him lying in it with his fist wrapped around his massive cock.
The skull was gone, sitting on the floor beside the bed, but his face was hidden in shadow.
She could make out the outline of his jaw and the way his dark hair fell forward across his forehead, but nothing more.
Her breath came fast and shallow as she watched him stroke himself.
His movements were quick and rough, almost violent, and his cock was the most obscene thing she’d ever seen.
It was huge, as thick as her forearm, and just as long, with veins running along the shaft, and a broad head that was flushed with blood.
He arched up into his own hand, his muscles flexing and releasing
Audrey felt wetness pool between her legs.
Morgath came with a muffled grunt. She watched as thick ropes of seed spilled across his stomach and chest. It seemed to go on forever, coating his skin in white. When it finally stopped and he sat up, his cock was still hard and heavy. His seed dripped onto the floor as he stood.
She felt her own body clench with need.
Audrey ran back to her room before he discovered her spying through the keyhole. She closed the door as quietly as she could and leaned against it. Her panties were soaked through, ruined. That was the hottest thing she’d ever witnessed.
Was he thinking about her? Probably not. He didn’t even like her. He’d made that perfectly clear.
But her body didn’t seem to care about that fact. Her fingers inched toward the waistband of her pants, trembling with the need to touch herself, to relieve the ache that was building between her legs.
She stopped herself with a groan and pressed her hands flat against the door instead. She would not touch herself thinking about him. She refused. This was just a physical reaction, nothing more.
She hadn’t had any action in months because she’d been too focused on planning this mission, and her body was simply responding to the presence of the strongest, hottest male she’d ever seen. That was all. It didn’t mean anything.
Audrey pushed away from the door and climbed into bed, pulling the blankets up over her head, as if that would somehow block out the images burned into her brain. She lay staring at the ceiling and knew that sleep would not come easily tonight.