“I told you! The air has to cooperate if I am to use fire on the earth!”

  “I have no idea what that means.”

  The mage sighed and tried harder. “The land can be healed. But it’s a great feat that requires powerful magic.”

  “I don’t understand,” Grace said. “Are you trying to use fire to make the land fertile again?”

  “It’s not the kind of fire you think.”

  “Then I’m truly lost.”

  Ulgan touched his singed eyebrow. “It was an accident.”

  “It looks like it,” Grace said. “I’m glad you’re okay but promise me you’ll keep Sasha out of your experiments.”

  “She’s by the river! She’s bringing water!”

  “So, you sent her after water before you tried to use... err... magic fire to heal the land?”

  “If the air won’t cooperate, then maybe the water will!”

  “That makes no sense.”

  The captain’s eyes moved once more from his bride to his mage. Once, twice.

  “You’re starting to sound the same to me.”

  Grace huffed and hit him in the shoulder. “Don’t you dare start calling me Grace the Delirious. I’m just trying to keep up with him, that’s all!”

  Kaius laughed out loud, but Ulgan didn’t seem very amused.

  “I’m busy,” he declared and stood up.

  “Wait.” Kaius stopped him. “Do you really think you can heal the land somehow? So we can start planting again?”

  Ulgan pursed his lips and thought for a second. “I’m trying. No one can say what the wheel of fortune will decide.”

  “So... that’s a maybe?”

  “Maybe.”

  Kaius nodded, declaring himself satisfied. He dismissed Ulgan and called Thrak in.

  “Prepare the krags. The ones who can travel will return to the caves with me. The ones who can’t, will stay here a few more days to recover.”

  “All right, captain.”

  Sasha ran in, her little feet dragging mud all over the old carpet. Not that it mattered, since it was already impossibly dirty. She was just adding new, wet prints to the ancient ones.

  “Mom, I want to stay! Ulgan needs my help. He’s come with this idea that if he uses magic fire that he creates with his bare hands and isn’t actually real fire, he can purify the first layer of soil, and then plants can grow again. Luckily, Goroth destroyed only a few gardens and fields. Ulgan says it can be done.”

  Grace motioned for her to come into her arms. When Sasha did, Grace hugged her tightly.

  “If he isn’t using real fire, then how did he burn his eyebrow and his hair?”

  “That was an accident,” Sasha protested.

  “And where were you when it happened?”

  “A few feet away... I was safe, I promise! See?” She pointed at her eyebrows and flipped her hair. “Hair still perfect.”

  Grace tsked. “You’ll be the death of me...” But there was no anger in her voice.

  Sasha giggled and kissed her mother on the cheek.

  “So, can I stay? I heard Beka and Birma are staying, too. Birma can’t travel, and Beka and I will take care of her.”

  Grace sighed and hesitated for a long minute. She exchanged a glance with Kaius, but Kaius didn’t say anything. This would have to be her choice.

  “All right, you can stay. But promise me you’ll be careful” She tucked a strand of her daughter’s hair behind her ear. “You’re growing up too fast, baby.”

  “I told you,” Sasha rolled her eyes. “Childhood is overrated. Plus, I have to be ready for when my baby brother comes. You’ll need my help.”

  Grace smiled. “You’re right. What would I do without you?”

  They hugged once more, then Sasha moved to Kaius and hugged him too. Then she quickly shuffled out of the room, leaving more muddy prints behind. She waved at them, and they waved back. It struck Grace that Sasha didn’t yet know that Kaius had referred to her as his daughter twice. She figured there would be plenty of time for that in the days to come. For now, too much had happened already, and even though Sasha didn’t show it, she must’ve felt at least a little overwhelmed.

  “Ready?” Kaius asked her.

  “Yes.”

  He helped her up. He touched her stomach briefly and kissed her on the forehead.

  “My love. You’re making me so happy.”

  “Well, you’re making me happy, too. Thank you for calling Sasha your daughter.”

  “She is my daughter. And you’re my mate and the mother of my children.”

  “Green-skinned or not...”

  “All the next ones better be green-skinned,” he said jokingly.

  “Oh, they will be. I’m too lazy to come down the mountain to look for adventure. Maybe for a supermarket...”

  “Again with the supermarket.”

  “And the furniture store! Don’t think I forgot! And you, mister, you had such a nice sleep in a proper bed with a proper mattress.”

  Kaius frowned. “A bit lumpy.”

  “Because it’s old! And probably rotten in places.”

  He took her hand and kissed it before he pulled her out of the living room, and then the mansion. Thrak was waiting for them on the main alley with two krags.

  “If you want a mattress, you shall have a mattress. And if you want a bed, you shall have a bed, too. I can get used to sleeping in a bed.”

  “Ha! Because you already slept in one and loved it!”

  “Lumpy...”

  “I will choose a mattress that is not lumpy especially for you.”

  They mounted and rode through the gates, where a dozen more orcs joined them. They started the journey back home.

  Chapter Twenty-Nine

  Though only two days had passed, it felt like months. They were alone in the intimacy of their room. The sun had set, and everyone had retired into the caves, eager for a good night’s rest before they had to wake up again at the crack of dawn and return to the many chores that would slowly rebuild the peace and comfort from before. Grace stopped in the middle of the gallery and looked around. She smiled at the cozy familiarity of it all. The shelves filled with books, the notebook she had yet to see Kaius write in, the buildup of candle wax that was beginning to need a scrub... Some of the candles had died, and Kaius took out new ones and lit them. Their bed was unmade, just like they’d left it.

  “I should clean up a bit tomorrow,” she said.

  “You need to rest. Let Beka and Birma do it.”

  “Birma can’t...”

  “She won’t be bed ridden forever.”

  Grace sighed. “You know, I can still work. I can still be useful.”

  He stepped closer to her and embraced her from behind. He placed his head on her shoulder and breathed in her intoxicating scent. His hands came around her waist to rest on her stomach. She wasn’t showing yet. Maybe a bit...

  “Your only duty now is to rest, play, do things that you enjoy, and eat for two.”

  She frowned. “I already eat for two.”

  “These past few days have taken such a toll on you. You have to take care of our baby. Make sure he grows strong and beautiful in your belly. I’m sorry there wasn’t fresh food to eat this evening. I will send out a hunting party first thing tomorrow. I should’ve thought about it and ordered Thrak to start preparing everything tonight.”

  “No, please don’t... The food was delicious.” They’d eaten leftovers of dried meat and vegetables. “And your orcs need to rest just as much as I do. I’m fine, I promise.”

  “If you promise...” He smiled against her neck as he kissed her softly.

  “In fact...” She wiggled out of his tight embrace and turned to face him. She cupped his cheeks with her hands and slowly ran a thumb down one of his sharp tusks. “I will show you how fine I am.” She lifted herself on her tiptoes and pressed her mouth to his.

  He grunted and opened his mouth invitingly. He was hard in seconds, her soft, curvy body rubbing against him and turning him mad with lust. He hadn’t had her in a while, and he craved her like an addict craved his next fix. Yes, orcs had drugs in their home world, though Kaius had never tried any. But he could imagine their effects, especially when Grace did the things she did with her tongue. He encircled her waist with his strong arms, and when he lifted her slightly, she took the opportunity to wrap her legs around him.

  The ease he held her with... The feel of his bulky arms and all the tout muscles in his body press against all the soft spots of her body... They were so different, and yet they were made for each other. Grace couldn’t imagine herself being with another man. Kaius had even scrubbed all the other men she’d been with before from her mind. She couldn’t remember them... Her orc mate was her whole world now, and she felt like the luckiest girl alive for the simple fact that he’d chosen her, and then kept her despite everything. She felt like he’d saved her many times over, and he might save her again in the future.

  “Grace...”

  He walked to their nest on the hard floor, but he hesitated before putting her down.

  She dropped her feet to the ground, broke the kiss, and looked into his dark eyes.

  “Are you okay? Oh my God, you’re probably still in pain.”

  He gave her a forced smile. “I’m better than ever.”

  “And that’s a lie, mister.” She sighed and ran her hands over his long dreadlocks. Her fingers played with the feathers and rings caught in them. She loved his hair so much. She loved his tattoos, how tall he was, how strong he was, his dark green skin... She loved everything about him, even his scars. After a moment’s thought, she looked up at him from behind her long lashes and gave him a mischievous grin. “I’ll be gentle, then. All you have to do is lie back and enjoy yourself.”

  “I can’t exactly lie back,” he said in a whisper, ashamed to admit that the long, deep scar on his back throbbed painfully even now. It would be a while before it healed completely. He wasn’t going to complain until then, but right now, as much as he wanted to push his human mate onto the pelts and ravish her, he felt rather slow and weak. He’d die before he told her the entire truth, though. That not only his back hurt, but everything. Every single muscle and bone in his body seemed to be alight with sharp, unforgiving pain.

  “You’re right, I’m sorry.” She bit her lower lip. “Then just sit...” She pushed him towards the pelts and furs. “Sit down, can you do that?”

  “Yes.” He lowered himself to the ground, careful not to wince and reveal just how uncomfortable he was. But when he sank into the soft furs, he let out a sigh. It was much better, and he hadn’t even realized much of his pain had come from being on his feet all day.

  She took a step back and slowly removed her clothes. The first thing she’d done when they got back to the caves had been to take a bath in the underground lake. Her pants first, pooling at her ankles, then her shirt. She was left in her lingerie, which she proceeded to remove languidly, her eyes fixed on her mate. He was watching her every move. Her round, heavy breasts bounced free, and she bent gently to roll her panties down her legs. She stepped away from her discarded clothes and fell on her hands and knees. Slowly, she advanced towards him, like a cat stalking her prey.

  Kaius bit the inside of his cheek. His cock was hard in his leather pants, and his heart was beating wildly in his chest. So focused on her and so eager for what was to come, he didn’t even feel in pain anymore. It was there, but he could easily ignore it. His eyes followed the curve of Grace’s back as she walked on all fours, her hips swaying lazily. He wanted to reach out for her, but at the same time, he was curious to see what she’d do. Until now, he’d been the one to take charge. He was open to experiencing the reversal of their roles.

  Grace moved between his legs. With nimble fingers, she unlaced his leather trousers and pulled out his cock. The piece of flesh was long, thick, and the dark-green mushroom head was slick with precum. She took her time running her hands up and down the length, marveling at how the engorged veins pulsed under her soft fingertips. She wasn’t even interested in looking up at him anymore. The expression on his face must’ve been delicious, but the cock before her was even more delicious, and she just loved looking at it from all angles, touching it, rubbing it, making it leak more sweet juices. She leaned in and took the large head between her lips. Her jaw ached already, and she knew there was no way she could give her orc mate a proper blowjob. The most she could suck was the head, and she closed her eyes and enjoyed the taste of him on her tongue. She swallowed greedily, wanting more.

  Kaius moaned and placed a hand on the nape of her neck. Not to hold her in place or guide her, but to make sure he could pull her away from him when he felt like he couldn’t take it anymore. He didn’t want to shoot his seed down her throat. He wanted to sink himself inside her body, ravish her, then fill her to the brim, even though she already carried his baby. He moaned and grunted and didn’t take his eyes off her. She looked so sinful with her flushed, plump lips wrapped around the head of his massive cock, and with her tongue darting out to lick his length up and down and trying to cover as much of it as she could. His fingers sank into her hair, curling around the soft red locks.

  Grace moaned as she sucked on the head once more, milking a few more drops of precum. She tried to move lower and take more of him in, but her jaw was stretched to the limit, and she’d barely pulled a quarter of his cock into her mouth. She moaned again, letting her vocal cords send vibrations she knew he would feel.

  Kaius cursed in orc language under his breath. He pulled at her hair slowly, urging her to release his cock, lest he’d blow his seed all over her face and breasts. Which didn’t sound like a bad idea necessarily, but he wanted so much to be inside her and feel her wet pussy envelop him.

  “Come here,” he grunted.

  “Oh, I’m coming...”

  She climbed onto his lap and gently lowered herself. He grabbed the base of his cock with his hand, keeping the other on her waist. He guided her, but before she could impale herself onto him, he stopped her, held her in place, and pushed the head of his cock against her clit. She closed her eyes and moaned. He grinned in satisfaction. He kept rubbing her clit with the round, engorged head, letting his precum mix with the juices flowing out of her, getting her soaked and delirious with lust and desire. She braced herself with her hands on his strong, wide shoulders, and opened her eyes.

  “Do you want me to stop?” he challenged her as he ceased rubbing her clit for a second.

  “No, please don’t. Don’t stop,” she breathed. She fixed him with her intense brown eyes. “I’m so close...”

  “I know, love.” He started guiding his cock up and down her parted folds, then pressed the head hard against her clit. “If you don’t want me to stop, tell me how much you like it.”

  “Mmm... Please... Why are you being so mean to me?” He shoved the head of his cock against her entrance, and she giggled. “All right, I love it! Oh my God, I love it when you rub your cock on my clit. It’s almost better than your tongue.”

  “Good...”

  He drew circles as best as he could from that position, until he could see on Grace’s face that she was about to see stars. She was moaning and bouncing slightly, rolling her hips to get friction where she needed it most. Soon, she was coming apart in his arms. The orgasm made her tremble and sink her fingernails into his flesh. She moaned loudly, smiling as her pussy dripped all over his cock. She didn’t wait to come down from it to impale herself onto her mate’s gorgeous length. She took him by surprise when she slammed her hips down, taking half of his cock inside her pussy at once. She screamed in both pleasure and pain. She’d missed him so much that she didn’t have the patience to allow herself to get used to his ridiculous girth. They’d always taken things slowly in the past, with Kaius penetrating her inch by inch, but now that she was in charge, she wasn’t as careful as he was.

  “Grace,” he grunted. “Slow down... I don’t want to hurt you...”

  “You can never hurt me.”

  She leaned over him, keeping her back as straight as she could. Her breasts came inches from his face. Even when she was on top, she wasn’t tall enough to dominate him. To take one nipple into his mouth, he had to slouch and slide a bit lower onto the furs. He placed one hand onto the floor to keep himself upright and keep his scar from touching anything, then closed his eyes and focused on her beautiful breasts, sucking the nipples one at a time until they were hard pebbles, and she moaned every time he brushed them with the tip of his tongue. She was wetter now, her juices dripping down his length. She bounced on top of him until her pussy took in his whole cock, and his heavy balls met her round ass when she slammed down onto him.

  She started moving faster and faster. The little pain she’d felt before had turned into sizzling pleasure. Her body was on fire, and her breasts were so tender that everything Kaius did to them, she felt twice as intense. Using his shoulders for leverage, she picked up the pace, chasing her next orgasm like her life depended on it. Her forehead was covered in a thin sheen of sweat, and she soon felt beads of sweat run down her spine. She was wet, and slick, and she felt like she was melting beautifully and sinfully, coming apart so her orc mate could put her back together with his kisses and soft touches. She knew he was going to comfort her, as he always did, and make sure that she wasn’t hurt. The care he showed her right after they had sex was sometimes even better than an orgasm.

  “Oh my God, Kaius... Oh God... so close! So close, baby...”

  “You’re gorgeous,” he breathed. He was close, too, and he was waiting for her to get there so they could come at the same time. “I love you so much, my beautiful bride, my goddess...”

  “Oh, tell me how much you want me.”

  “I want you like I’ve never wanted anyone before. Don’t leave me, Grace. Don’t you ever leave me.”

  She bent down to run her tongue right over his mouth and sharp fangs.

  “I’ll never leave you,” she moaned. “Don’t leave me, Kaius.”