Kaius the Fierce by Cara Wylde

Chapter Five

The twins had been right, there was deer for dinner. The hunters Kaius had sent out in the morning had brought plenty of wild rabbits for the stew, but had also brought two deer, which they expertly skinned, cleaned, and set to roast on the fire.

The horde ate outside, in the clearing, a few feet away from the mouth of the cave. The outdoor kitchen was close enough, and Birma and Beka, helped by two more grunts, brought clean bowls and mugs, clean spoons, forks, and knives, and then the whole cauldron filled with hot stew. It was placed in the middle, close to the fire, and each orc filled their bowl to the brim. There was freshly baked bread, too, and that came as a surprise to Grace. What didn’t come as a surprise was that the food and the bread weren’t salted or spiced at all. Kaius had been kind enough to fill her bowl with stew, and now she regretted letting him. She wasn’t sure she could eat it all, so she resorted to the oldest trick in the book – she ignored the bread and ate most of the stew without. She needed to get used to less bread anyway, she told herself. Even if her orc captain wanted a curvy mate, she wasn’t necessarily happy with the rolls around her stomach, which had multiplied during her stay at the institute.

When everyone was done with the stew and looking longingly at the roasted deer, Kaius cleared his throat to get their attention.

“This is Grace Adams, my bride.”

She noticed how he hadn’t said mate.

“She’s part of the horde now, so I expect you to welcome her and make her feel like home. If she needs anything, I expect you to help her and treat her wishes like orders coming directly from me.”

A few murmurs rose from the crowd, but Grace couldn’t tell what the orcs were saying because they were speaking in their weird language. She’d never been great with foreign languages. She’d tried to learn a bit of Spanish in school and failed miserably. So, she highly doubted she’d be able to learn her captain’s language now.

“I suppose they have an issue with the ‘wishes be orders’ thing,”she thought to herself. “Maybe they think Kaius is putting too much trust in me on my first day here.”

She was probably right, too, because Kaius raised one hand to silence his orcs.

“There’s nothing for you to worry about,” he said. “I know you’ve heard stories from other hordes, but Grace wants to be here.” He turned to look at her, his eyes boring into hers. “Isn’t that right, Grace?”

“Y-yes,” she cleared her throat and tried not to sound so shy and helpless. “Yes, of course. I want to be here. It’s my choice.”

“Good.” He turned back to his orcs, fixing the ones he probably thought might cause trouble with his dark, intense gaze. “She is my bride, she shares my bed, and I will not have you treat her as less than she is.”

A subtle tremble rattled Grace. It traveled up her spine, sank down into her heart, and settled in her core. Kaius spoke as if it had already happened. As if she’d already shared his bed and was going to do it for the rest of her life. She shot him a confused glance, but he didn’t look at her. She felt the urge to reach out and touch his arm to get his attention, so he could reassure her that she still had a say when it came to sharing his bed. Was it possible that he expected her to sleep with him tonight? They’d only known each other for a few hours, and he hadn’t even spent much time with her, having dumped her on the two female orcs the first time he got the chance. But then again... It wasn’t like Grace hadn’t slept with a guy on the first date before. She wasn’t innocent by any standards. With that in mind, she blushed and cast her eyes down, at the empty bowl of stew.

With a nod, Kaius signaled that they were free to attack the two roasted deer, which the orcs gladly did, not before they washed their hands in the bigger bowls Birma and Beka had brought and filled with water. They also had towels, and Grace watched in amazement, not quite believing that the orcs were such clean, particular creatures. This she’d certainly not expected.

Kaius startled her by holding one of the water bowls for her to wash her hands in. She stared at it for a second, then shyly dipped her hands in the water. He watched her intently, and she blushed harder, feeling like this moment was more intimate than it should’ve been. He gave her a towel, and she dried her hands, then gave it back. As he took a clean plate and started cutting bits of juicy meat for her, Kaius didn’t change his demeanor. He didn’t even smile at her, looked upon her with a gentle gaze, or touched her more than it was necessary. His face was straight and emotionless as he cut thin slices with expert precision. When he handed her the full plate, Grace bit the inside of her lip, unsure of how to react. Maybe she should’ve thanked him, but she didn’t want to sound silly.

She felt like everything she did was silly. She felt out of place. It didn’t help that the orcs seemed to murmur between themselves while shooting her curious glances. They kept talking in their language, and she wondered if she might’ve made a mistake. Kaius seemed to want her here, and Birma and Beka had been nice enough. But the other ones were cold towards her, looking at her like she was an intruder. Or maybe it was all in her head. She hoped it was all in her head. Today had been a long day, and she was exhausted. She couldn’t think straight anymore. It was entirely possible that if one of the orcs approached her kindly now, she would’ve interpreted it differently and freaked out.

She nibbled at the slices of roast meat, already full of stew. They were juicy and delicious, though, so she forced herself to eat half of the portion Kaius had offered her. At the very least, she didn’t want to offend him. Though, maybe that was all in her head too, since Kaius barely spared her a glance as he ate and talked to his raiders, Thrak the Butcher and Dharg the Giant.

When she’d first set eyes on the Giant, Grace had tried not to stare. He was as tall as a mountain, taller than all the other orcs in the horde. Taller than his captain, even, which had really thrown Grace off. His limbs were long and heavy, his neck was thick, and his head was big, round, and bald. He was the only orc in the horde who didn’t have a single hair on his head. His skin was of a dark green color, almost muddy, and his neck, wrists, and ankles were covered in tattoos – a sign of his rank. Grace knew he had tattoos all around his middle, too, but he was wearing a long, large tunic that covered him down to the backs of his knees. He was barefoot, and she found that odd, seeing how the other orcs seemed to love their leather clothes and rough leather boots.

It was really hard for her not to stare. Dharg the Giant was quite a sight. But the last thing she wanted was for the captain to think she was more interested in his raider than in him. Today had been a strange day, and Grace couldn’t wait for it to be over, so she could rest and recharge. But what might await her in the gallery she shared with Kaius made adrenaline rush through her body at a sickening pace. There would be a while before she could relax.

When Kaius washed his hands and stood up, Grace had a feeling she was expected to do the same. Dinner was over. She followed him to the mouth of the cave, then inside, down the long, winding tunnels. He carried a torch that lit the way, sending dancing shadows over the walls. Grace swallowed heavily and tried to will her heartbeat to slow down. Why was she so apprehensive all of a sudden? Again, she had to remind herself – it wasn’t like she hadn’t slept with a guy on a first date before.

But Kaius the Fierce wasn’t just some guy. She was stuck with him. In the morning, she wouldn’t be able to slip out unnoticed, then pray he wouldn’t call her because the sex had been rather disappointing. Or, even worse, in the morning, he wouldn’t lie to her that he’d call and then disappear, leaving her wondering what she did wrong, why she wasn’t good enough for a second date. So confusing... Her life until now had been so confusing. No, this time, she was stuck with this man. With this green-skinned orc. If he claimed her tonight, there would be nowhere to hide in the morning.

What was she even thinking?! She wanted this. She was here of her own accord. And if she wanted to succeed in what she’d proposed to herself, she shouldn’t be scared of what was to come. On the contrary. She should be focused on making him want her. On seducing him. On making him... fall in love with her. If that was possible at all. If orcs did fall in love...

Her train of thought came to a halt when they entered the gallery that was now their bedroom. Kaius left the torch outside, at a good distance from their curtain, then proceeded to remove his clothes one by one. Grace’s breath hitched. Her eyes were glued to his wide, tattooed back. His shirt came off first, and now he was working on his boots and pants. She noticed that he wasn’t wearing anything underneath, no underwear to prolong the moment. He turned to face her, and her hands went straight to her heart.

He was huge, and she couldn’t look away. She was mildly aware that she must’ve looked like an idiot, but her eyes refused to move from his glorious cock. He wasn’t fully hard, which made her wonder... If in a state of semi-erection, she wasn’t sure she could even wrap her hand around the impressive girth, then what was she supposed to do once he got fully erect? His heavy sack was covered in black, coarse hair, and his cock was darker in color than the rest of his body.

“I will wait,” he said in a low, calculated voice. It was as if he knew his English wasn’t perfect, and he wanted her to understand him, so he spoke the words slowly and clearly. “I will not rush you.”

She gulped and finally found the strength to look into his eyes. “I...”

“I asked Birma and Beka to prepare two separate beds.”

“Oh.” She stole a glance behind him, and she saw that, indeed, instead of the one nest she’d seen when she got here a few hours ago, there were now two. More than that, they were against opposite walls, the entirety of the gallery separating them.

“They are the only ones who know.”

“Err... know what?” It was hard for her to think when he was standing before her like that, in all his naked glory. Oh, the expanse of his scarred chest and hard abs was dizzying...

“That we will not share a bed until you’re ready. My other orcs need not know. They expect their captain to take what he wants, not wait to be offered.”

Her eyes widened. “Now I understand why you said that!”

He cocked an eyebrow. “Said what?”

She smiled and waved him off. “It doesn’t matter. I... I appreciate it. I won’t make you wait, I promise. I...” What was she doing? “I’m just tired tonight.”

He merely grunted and went to slip under the covers of his nest. He wasn’t interested in her explanations, so Grace shut her mouth and tried to figure out a way to change into her pajamas without making a show of it. He might be comfortable being naked around her, but she wasn’t there yet. When he turned his back to her, she let out a sigh of relief and got undressed quickly. Even with the hot, enchanted stones giving off heat, it was chilly in the room, and she put on her warm, winter pajamas and socks.

“Not sexy at all,”she thought. She was sure it wasn’t just the low temperature, but also the exhaustion that made her feel so cold and fragile. “I’ll do better,” she promised herself. “Tomorrow.” She burrowed into the soft pillows. “I’ll give myself to him, I’ll get pregnant fast, I’ll make sure he keeps me. I’ll make sure he never lets me go.” She looked at his back, her eyes tracing the dreadlocks that spread onto his nape and shoulders. “This isn’t a bad place to be. Fresh air, good food... This really isn’t a bad place to be. I have to secure it.”

She drifted off to sleep.