Her Orc King: A Monster Fantasy Romance (Black Bear Clan Book 1) by Zoe Ashwood

Author:Zoe Ashwood [Ashwood, Zoe]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2022-09-02T04:00:00+00:00

Chapter

Eleven

I work with Mara through the next several days. The orc settlement is large and requires careful management to keep everything running smoothly, and the king’s cousin oversees it all with an eagle eye for detail. We visit every part of the underground village, and Mara stops to introduce me to everyone we meet. The orcs are kind but wary, which is understandable—but not one of them treats me with disrespect or judgment.

I try to imagine what would happen if Mara came to live in my old human village, and cringe. Humans would be much less welcoming to an orc than orcs are of me, and I’m more and more ashamed of my earlier prejudice about their race.

She explains that her role—that of the steward—would generally fall to me, as the queen, but I assure her that I have no intention of taking it from her unless she wants to do something else. We agree that she would be my teacher for as long as necessary, which is a relief. I am in no way equipped for running an operation of this magnitude yet.

I don’t often see the king during the day. His duties center around protecting the Hill from outsiders, both orcs and humans, who might covet what he has built here for his people. He also takes care of trading with the neighboring towns, such as Ultrup, where I’d been bought at auction, and hunting to provide for the many hungry mouths that live here. In the kitchens, Mara explains how they are already preparing food for the long winter months, storing casks of salted meat and preserved produce in cold cellars to last through the infertile part of the year.

Everyone in the anthill-like village has a role, and though orcs love to celebrate and enjoy themselves in the evenings, they’re hard workers. I do my best to follow their example, and I drag myself back to our room every night, exhausted but happy.

Yet I’m never too tired for Gorvor. We find each other in the dark, joining in slow, languid strokes or quickly, with mingling breaths, until we shatter in mutual pleasure.

One night, after our lovemaking and a bath that led to more petting and stroking, I lie naked on top of Gorvor’s chest, idly drawing patterns on his still-damp skin. His eyes are closed, his breaths even and deep, and this might not be the best time to start an uncomfortable conversation, but I can no longer hold back my questions.

“Gorvor?” I poke him lightly in his rock-hard chest.

“Hmm?” He cracks one eye open and peers at me.

I shuffle off him and draw my legs in, looking down at his face. “Listen, I’ve been meaning to ask you something, but there’s never been a good opportunity.”

He lifts himself on his elbows. “Anything you want, you can ask.”

My heart warms at the words. He means it. He really does. So why am I so nervous talking about this?

“I wanted to ask you about the four orcs who wear the boar emblem,” I say.

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