Chapter 9
GRAT
Icouldn’t get that woman out of my mind.
Even being away from her didn’t help. The farther away I walked from the cabin, the more I wished to just dump the damned meat in the swamp and run back to her.
Not even the desire to win the fucking bet would stop me.
Only the deep-seated sense of duty kept me going forward toward the keep.
I made it there after the sun had already set. After dropping off the load of meat, I didn’t even stop to chat with anyone, heading straight to my house.
It was a big, sturdy house that I built mostly on my own. Coming home used to always fill me with pride. But now, it felt empty when I walked into its great front room.
My blood boiled with lust. Fighting it in Khala’s presence had been torture. Now, I suddenly imagined her here, in my home, sitting on my table with her legs spread and a lascivious smile on her lips, beckoning me to taste her.
I didn’t even make it to the bedroom before I propped my hand on the table by the fireplace.
Fumbling with the laces of my pants, I freed my long-suffering cock.
It was hard as rock, hot, and pulsing with lust. My ring’s gold links expanded to accommodate the increased girth of my cock, but it didn’t feel enough.
I was so hard, I feared the links would break and the ring would snap.
I fisted my cock in a tight grip, imagining Khala’s sweet, slick pussy tightening around it.
Could she even take me?
She was too small, too fragile, too delicate.
I was used to fucking orc women, normally choosing the ones who could last through a long, rough, sweaty night with me and enjoy every moment of it.
I preferred my women to have strong bones that I couldn’t break, thick thighs I could grab onto, and big tits I could fill my huge hands with.
I enjoyed pounding into a woman with abandon until we both gasped for air and screamed in pleasure.
My sweet, gentle Khala had to be handled with a finesse I feared I did not possess.
But as I pumped my cock with my hand, I imagined her taking me all the way to my balls and loving it.
Her belly would bulge out with my giant cock pushing it out from the inside.
And she’d be writhing in pleasure, asking for more.
I’d suck her small, perky tits, each of them would fit neatly between my tusks. I’d tease the tiny buds of her nipples with my teeth until she screamed and milked my cock with her pussy. I’d fill her with my seed, then I’d lap it all from her with my tongue, tasting myself on her.
My cock jerked in my hand. Release rushed me in a wave of sweet shivers, pumping my seed out in thick, green spurts.
“Fuuuck!” I groaned.
My elbow buckled, and I dropped my head on my forearm on the table. My release brought little relief. My cock remained nearly as hard as before, and my heart ached with longing for the woman who wasn’t here.
I’d never pined after a girl before. There was simply no reason to, even as most of the women I’d been with were from other keeps.
We’d meet for a night or two while the folks from other keeps visited ours.
We’d have some ale, eat some grilled food, dance until we’d run out of breath, then fuck until dawn.
Afterwards, they’d go back to their keep, and I’d go on with my life until someone else came along next time.
That was the simple kind of pleasure with no yearning or heartache.
The most ironic thing was that I hadn’t even fucked Khala. There had been no pleasure of that kind with her. Yet I ached for her so much, I couldn’t think of anything or anyone else.
I didn’t even bother with dinner. It was late, but I could’ve possibly found something to eat out by the communal fire pit in the center of the keep.
Instead, I undressed and went to bed. I had to make myself come twice more, each time while daydreaming about Khala’s tiny, barely-there tits and her sweet smile, before my cock finally went down and my mind calmed enough for me to fall asleep.
I dreamed about Khala all night, and woke up with my cock harder than ever. The tent it made out of my blanket was big enough for my wild thing to sleep in if she were here. Oh, I would’ve given anything for her to be here, in my bed with me.
Longing gripped my heart even stronger in the morning. It expanded to take over my heart, my soul, and my whole fucking house.
Unable to stay indoors for another minute, I hastily dressed and got out.
I got breakfast with the orcs who were leaving the keep that morning, some to hunt small game around the keep, others to work in the gardens and fields we planted on dry patches of land in the area.
Yet others were heading out to the only human settlement in the Wetlands.
In the two years since the humans had settled on the edge of our forest, a strong relationship had formed between our two communities.
Some of the orcs heading out to the human settlement today were going to see their sweethearts, as dating between our two species had become a common thing. Orc women found human men “cute,” and male orcs always thought human women simply delectable.
Like Khala…
Shit. Thoughts of her wouldn’t leave me. She wasn’t even a human, she was a wild thing, but every human woman I looked at reminded me of her.
After the orcs left the communal area by the giant fire pit in the center of the keep, the place got depressingly empty. I couldn’t think of anything better to do than head down to the tavern.
The tavern was empty too, of course. It was way too early for drinking. The folks usually liked to put in a day of hard work first before coming here for ale. But Olga, the sister of the tavern’s owner Burul, was already standing behind the counter.
“Hey handsome,” she greeted me, wiping a clay stein with a clean dish towel.
Ever since Burul had opened a tavern in the human settlement, he spent a lot of time there looking after it. His sister was often left in charge of the tavern in our keep in his absence.
“Where have you been, my love?” Olga teased. “I haven’t seen you in ages.”
Olga was the biggest flirt in the keep. And normally, I would gladly join her. We never actually fucked, but flirting was a fun game we both enjoyed.
Now, my heart just wasn’t into it.
“Missed me?” I barked, taking a seat at the counter.
“Aw, I’ve been crying myself to sleep every night, sweetie,” Olga cooed, pressing the stein to her heaving bosom in pretend longing.
A very real kind of longing had been gripping my heart ever since I left my hunting cabin and the woman in it.
Fuck, I missed my wild thing so much, it hurt.
“Can I have a pint of ale?” I ordered gruffly.
Olga raised her eyebrow. “Isn’t it a bit too early for ale?”
“If you won’t give me ale, woman, I’ll order something stronger.”
The flirty smile slipped from Olga’s round face. She pressed her lips together between her tusks while giving me a long, penetrating look.
“Ale it is then, smart ass,” she conceded.
A minute later, Olga set a stein of ale in front of me.
“Thanks,” I muttered.
“Have you at least had some breakfast yet?” she asked. “We don’t serve breakfast as you know, but I could fry you a dozen eggs or something. Drinking on an empty stomach won’t do you good.”
“Thanks. I already ate. Got some roasted muskrat and beets at the communal fire a little while ago.” I made an effort to soften my voice. It wasn’t Olga’s fault that I’d rather have Khala here than her.
The tavern’s door slammed open and closed.
“There you are!” a familiar deep voice boomed. Agor slammed his heavy hand on my shoulder in greeting. “I looked for you by the bonfires last night. They say your hunting has been good. You’re well on track to win the bet. Well done, brother.”
Agor and I weren’t related by blood. But we grew up together and were closer than some blood siblings were. He didn’t call me “brother” often, though. The High Chief must be feeling exceptionally sentimental today.
“Aw, I missed you too, sweetie pie,” I teased, turning on my stool to face him.
He snorted a laugh, then gave me a huge, bone-crushing hug.
Becca, Agor’s wife, stood next to her husband as she always did. If the two got literally joined at the hip one day, they probably wouldn’t even notice it because nothing would change in their lives. They did absolutely everything together.
“Good to have you back, Grat.” Becca smiled.
“Morning, Becca,” I said, giving her a close look.
Becca was a human. Tall and strong, with a fire-red braid and with hard, ropy muscles in her arms and thighs from her daily weapon training, she looked very different from my bird-like, raven-haired Khala.
Yet smart, brave Becca seemed to have far more in common with Khala than any animal out there, including the apemen.
Had I been a willfully ignorant idiot by thinking that a woman like Khala was merely an animal?
Agor elbowed me playfully. “Stop staring at my woman and get your own instead.”
Becca laughed. “Grat is too happy being single to settle down, Agor. As his best friend, you should know he prefers many women to one.”
“Right,” I sighed. “That I do.”
Or more accurately, I did. Before a certain little sweet thing came along and stole my sausage, my sleep, and my peace.
“Hey, is something wrong?” Agor placed a hand on my shoulder, far more carefully this time. “You’re not looking so good, my friend. Did you have breakfast yet?”
Why was everyone so dead set on feeding me this morning?
“I’m fine.” I rubbed the back of my head. “Just…”
Just what?
Pining after a woman who came out of nowhere and never told me anything about herself? A woman, whom I’d known barely for over a week, but who had become so much a part of my life that I already struggled to go on without her .
“We’re on our way to sparring,” Agor said. “Want to come?”
Becca smiled. “Let’s see how long you can last against me this time. I’ll even let you choose the weapon.”