Chapter 4
CHAPTER FOUR
Isadora
I told myself ‘twas exhaustion which made it easier to accept what this male had told me. I had traveled through the stones with him and was now in his world. The orcs’ world.
This cottage was comfortable and surprisingly familiar, but everything was scaled differently than I was used to; made for creatures larger and heavier than humans.
Torvolk .
My new master’s name was Torvolk.
I eyed him warily as he washed our dishes. The muscles across his back stretched in interesting ways. I’d never noticed a man’s muscles—I did my best to avoid noticing men, so they’d avoid noticing me—but ‘twas impossible to deny Torvolk’s were…
Intriguing ?
Mayhap I only felt that way because I knew what he expected of me. I’d seen the outline of that huge cock, known he was aroused. I swallowed.
Today had been horrible. Traumatic.
So why was I noticing a male’s cock at all? Why was I intrigued by the thought of his body?
Because he was kind to me?
Mayhap ‘twould be easier to just lie back and spread your legs, to get it over with. But when he discovers the truth of your innocence—or lack thereof—will he be angry?
My shaking fingers finished lacing my bodice and I was able to pull it closed with a relieved sigh. My chest was warmer now, and not just because I’d caught him watching me. He’d admired my breasts, the way those brutes at the tavern had.
Why did his gaze make me feel differently?
Because you belong to him .
I closed my eyes on a shudder.
Torvolk, Ranger of the Bloodfire Clan.
My new master.
Well, if naught else, he is kinder than Mistress Smith, aye ?
How did I know that? Just because he’d warmed me and fed me and ripped his own clothing to clothe me? Aye, that was more than Mistress Smith ever did… But what did he expect in return?
You are his slave. He can do aught he desires with you .
I swallowed again, hating the way my stomach clenched at the thought. Fear? Nay, something else. I thought of that cock, thought of those large hands with the claws…
I should be afraid of him. I was afraid of him, wasn’t I?
“Why did you buy me?”
‘Twas not until I saw him stiffen that I realized I’d asked the question out loud. He froze for a moment then continued drying the bowl and placed it with the other.
I had to know. “Why did you buy me?” I repeated. “In the tavern. They did not expect you to be there.” All of them—except mayhap Alred—had been as shocked as I’d been to see an orc.
Slowly he turned, crossing his arms in front of his chest and propping his shoulder against the mantel. His dark gaze swept from the top of my shorn head, down my face—lingering on my lips—and to my bosom. Slowly, I untangled my feet from beneath me and placed them on the floor, his gaze making me feel… warm .
My insides tingled and I told myself ‘twas just nerves. Aye?
“Why were ye there?” he finally asked, not answering my question. “Who are yer people, lass? Are they waiting for ye back home?”
Home . I shook her head dully. “I have no…” A deep breath, and I lifted my chin. “I was orphaned young. The village blacksmith offered me a place in exchange for labor, but his wife…”
Torvolk made a noise of understanding. “A difficult woman?”
I huffed. Difficult didn’t begin to explain Mistress Smith. I pushed myself to my feet.
“When I was a child, she beat me daily to teach me humility.” The admission caused me to shift my weight, remembering the blows.
His brow twitched, even as his gaze turned stormy.
“Did it work?”
Did I learn humility? There likely wasn’t much that was farther from the truth. I planted my hands on my hips and raised my chin.
“Nay.”
Torvolk turned to look at the fire in the hearth, but I thought I saw his lips curl before he hid his face from me. My new master was a stern man.
“Alred argued with the man who brought ye to the tavern. He said he’d bought ye.”
“He did.” The words caught in my throat, and I stepped forward, suddenly anxious to be moving. However, I’d forgotten about my ankle, the one I’d twisted earlier in my foolish rebellion, and putting weight on it caused me to gasp and stumble.
I don’t think I would’ve fallen—I am not so clumsy—but he caught me nevertheless. One moment he was standing by the hearth, imperious and menacing, and the next he was at my side, his hands on my shoulders, stopping my fall.
“Sit down, lass,” he ordered gruffly, pushing me backward to the bed.
I had a moment of awareness, that this was what ‘twould feel like when he decided to take me for the first time, and I sucked in another sudden breath at the way such a thing would make me feel. I saw his nostrils flare and his dark gaze slammed into mine as he lowered me to the mattress.
But his eyes…they weren’t as dark as they’d been. Now, a tiny spark of green nestled in the center of each one.
Torvolk ducked his head, going down to one knee beside me, his hands on my right leg. “Can I touch yer ankle?”
He was…asking? I tried to nod, but my thoughts were distracted by the way his hand felt—warm, soft—on me. I imagined him spreading my legs, plunging into me right then and there, and I might have whimpered softly.
“Easy, lass,” he grunted, running his hands past my knee, then lifting to rest my ankle across his knee. “I’m no’ in the mood.”
In the… mood ? Had he somehow guessed my thoughts?
But then he grasped my ankle, bending and twisting it, and I gasped at the sudden twinge of pain.
“Good,” he muttered. “Now ye move it yerself.”
Biting my tongue to keep from voicing the discomfort, I followed his command, inordinately pleased by his murmured praises for each movement. I kept still, then, for him to wrap my ankle with another strip torn from his plaid. If this continued, he’d be nude.
Something inside me perked up and I squashed the sensation.
I didn’t want that, right?
Right. Aye. No nudity. Definitely no nudity.
I almost believed it.
“’Tisnae broken,” he declared in his gruff way as he lowered my foot to the floor and stood. This put his crotch in line with my face once more, and I couldn’t help but stare at the way his cock strained against the woolen cloth. Close enough to . . ..
He made a growl which sounded a bit like frustration and spun to stomp toward the door.
I stared after him, my mind whirling in confusion at his response. If he didn’t buy me to tup, why did he spend the gold?
Torvolk returned with a chunk of ice and another male orc. This one was even larger than Torvolk, wider at the shoulder, and suddenly the room was much too small for the three of us. He sent me a gentle smile as I shrank away from him. Surely, Torvolk wasn’t planning to do something as human as share me?
‘Twas not until he turned toward the hearth that I realized the other male only had one arm, the stump of the other hidden beneath his cloak. For some reason, this calmed me.
I startled again when Torvolk dropped to one knee beside me and reached for the back of my head. Instinctively, I pushed against him, not liking the feeling of restraint, but he merely frowned and pressed the ice to my lip.
His hands were warm, and I stared, our noses close enough I could feel his breath on my cheeks. He was…caring for me?
When had a male done that? Most had demanded and hurt me when I didn’t give into their demands.
You need to tell him the truth. Tell him now, so ‘twill be less painful. He has not hurt you yet.
“I am not a virgin,” I whispered against the ice. Against his fingers.
Something flared in his green-flecked eyes, something which looked like anger, and I hurried to explain.
“I wanted to tell you, in case you wanted to…” To return me. To beat me. “You paid gold for me. My virginity. You will not get what you paid for.” I felt tears forming in the corner of my eyes, and I curled my lips together. “I am…sorry,” I whispered.
Torvolk’s expression had hardened once more, and his gaze was locked on my lips, on the swelling the blow had caused.
“Ye think I would take ye back to that tavern and accuse that bastard of lying?”
I didn’t know what to think. For not getting what they paid for, men of my world would be angry, seek retribution – kill.
His gaze flicked to mine, then back to my mouth. “We couldnae return until the next full moon, even if I wanted to.”
Even if I wanted to. As if…he didn’t wish it? He hadn’t bought me for my virginity? I couldn’t make sense of his words.
We sat in silence for another dozen heartbeats, and I realized I was breathing deeper than normal, trying to capture a scent I couldn’t identify, something about him so very different than any other male I’d met. Behind him, the other male, the one he hadn’t introduced, placed his own bowl on the mantel to eat with his one hand.
The ice was beginning to melt down my chin, but I couldn’t force myself to move, to wipe it away.
Finally, without looking up, Torvolk asked me in a low voice, “This man who had ye. Did ye enjoy it?”
My heart began to pound wildly.
Did I enjoy it? It had been hurried and exciting, a sort of rebellion against Mistress Smith. But enjoy it? I managed a slight shrug.
“At the beginning, mayhap. I wanted to experience…it.” The orc’s gaze met mine and held it. “A village lad,” I continued my confession in a whisper, “who married the baker’s daughter a few months later.”
He’d only wanted some fun with me, and I hadn’t thought of him again.
Torvolk blinked, then nodded sternly and pulled the ice away from my lip. He didn’t, however, drop his hand from my head. Instead, I felt the pads of his fingertips dig into my scalp, the touch a strangely pleasant sort of massage.
“Expected,” he murmured, his gaze caressing my face. “Human males ken naught about their females’ pleasure.”
With that, he abruptly stood.
As if he hadn’t just touched me so gently. As if he hadn’t just made such a nonchalant comment about sexual pleasure .
I knew men found pleasure from sex—of course they did. But none of the women in my life had ever mentioned their pleasure.
“Dawn is still a few hours off,” murmured the other male to Torvolk, who nodded.
“There’s enough of a moon to travel.” He glanced over his shoulder to me, as he tossed the chunk of ice into the hearth. “But we’ll wait til dawn to leave.”
Leave? Where were we going?
“The Torvolk I ken wouldnae allow aught to disrupt his schedule,” the other male murmured teasingly. But as Torvolk scowled a warning, the one-armed man changed his tone and continued, “Do ye have supplies? Warm clothes?” He nodded toward me.
Torvolk shook his head with a grunt. “She’ll wear my cloak, we’ll be fine.”
I was still sitting upon it and my fingers brushed over the fine fur. I couldn’t keep it from him, he didn’t deserve to be cold just because?—
Do not be foolish. He is offering you warmth in the middle of the winter. Accept it!
He’d also offered me kindnesses and comfort in that gruff way of his.
And I touched my lower lip, the swelling already receding, wondering how I knew what kind of way he had, considering I’d only just learned his name.
“Last I heard, Vartok had his hands full in the village.”
Torvolk’s lips twitched as he crossed his arms. “Myra is still giving him trouble?”
“Aye, and there’s word from the Bladesedge clan in the south.”
I watched Torvolk glower and pretend to spit. “Fook them and their chief. I ken they had something to do with Kragorn’s disappearance.”
“Aye likely.” The other male calmly finished his meal, dropped the spoon in the bowl, then turned to speak directly to me. “I have further duties for the rest of the night, patrols and searches. Ye’re welcome to make good use of my home until Torvolk is ready to take ye to Bloodfire Village.”
Bloodfire Village . That is where we were going? My gaze darted to my master, then back to the one-armed brute who would have scared me had I met him first, but who had spoken gently to me. I managed to nod in acknowledgement, my fingers curling into the furs I sat upon.
“Lass.” My gaze jerked to Torvolk at his call. He tipped his head to the other male. “Forgive my rudeness. This is the Keeper, our host.”
I nodded again, mind whirling, wondering if I would be allowed to ask questions. “Thank you, Keeper, for your hospitality,” I murmured, lowering my gaze modestly.
The other man paused in the middle of pulling his cloak back on. “Prettily said.” His tone was teasing as he shot Torvolk an amused look. “Mayhap you should stay here with someone who appreciates politeness, instead of this grumpy arsehole.”
My eyes widened and my breath caught as Torvolk scowled at the other male.
“I paid twenty gold for her at auction,” he finally said. “Can ye?”
“Nay!” I gasped, thrusting to my feet, my hands fisting in my skirts to keep from reaching—for what I didn’t know. I didn’t know why I wanted to deny the chance to stay in this cozy home with this polite male, or why leaving with Lord Grumpiness was the more appealing choice. “I…”
Torvolk had twisted his neck to look at me, his expression impassive, as I shook my head frantically.
“The village!” I whispered. Aye, that was a good excuse. I wanted to go to the village, didn’t I? The fact Torvolk would be there was… I was his. ‘Twas my duty to follow him. Right?
The Keeper, meanwhile, had paled, as much as I could tell with his green skin. But his eyes were round and dismayed. “I was no’ being serious, Torvolk. I would no’ honestly try to woo yer Mate away from ye?—”
“She’s no’ my Mate,” Torvolk snarled. “I bought her with Bloodfire gold.”
I didn’t know what that meant, and I didn’t understand the Keeper’s reaction when he tipped his head to one side to study my master.
“Have ye looked at yer reflection?” He shook his head before giving Torvolk a chance to answer. “Besides, a female would be lonely here, too isolated. Best take her to the village, where she’ll be with other females and ye can be near her.”
Torvolk’s brow was now stormy. “Aye, she’s mine, and she’ll come with me.”
“Ye’d no’ let her stay, even if I wanted her.”
“And I’d no’ let her stay, especially if ye wanted her,” Torvolk snapped.
The Keeper smiled ruefully. “Because she’s yers. But no’ yer Mate.”
“Ye talk too much,” my master muttered, turning away. “Ye’ve been too long away from our people. Polite society.”
The other male had reached for the door. “As have ye, Ranger . My duty is here?—”
“Yer time here was only for a handful of years,” Torvolk interrupted. He held up five fingers. “Ye have completed yer service to the clan. Allow another male this responsibility.”
The Keeper’s brows rose. “And force a young, whole male to give up his happiness?” Shaking his head, he moved the stump of his arm beneath his cloak. “Besides, we were speaking of ye and yer auctioned female.”
She’s mine .
Did I hear the words or imagine them?
The door closed behind the other male, and Torvolk glanced at me. I stood there beside the bed, clutching my skirts, my heart hammering in my chest.
I was no longer terrified of belonging to him. I was no longer horrified at the thought of him touching me, stroking me…taking me. Using me.
All I could think of was that I didn’t want him to leave me behind.
His nostrils flared and he made a noise that sounded as if it came from deep in his chest.
“Am I going with you, Torvolk?” I asked, daring to hold his gaze. Daring to question my master. “To the village?”
He didn’t respond for a long moment, then dropped his chin with a jerk. “Aye,” he grunted, not looking at me as he twisted for the door. “In a few hours. Rest. I’ll help the Keeper.”
“Wait!” I blurted, stopping him as he laid his hand on the door handle.
He froze, his back to me, his gaze on the wood under his fingertips. I scooped up the cloak from the bed and hobbled as fast as I could toward him. I slowed as I approached.
“Here, Master,” I whispered. “You should not be cold if I could help it.”
He didn’t move as I stretched up to drape the fur around first one shoulder then the other, ignoring the twinge in my ankle as I did so. But his free hand grasped the front, pulling it closed…his gaze somewhere over my left shoulder.
Then, without a word, he pulled open the door and stepped out into the night.