I swallow a sigh and turn back to face him. Some color creeps up my neck. I don’t want to look weak, but maybe I am. I guess I have no choice but to tell him. Then he can judge my weakness or dismiss me.
“It wasn’t anything bad, really. Just pointing. Laughing. A few jokes…” I sigh, feeling foolish for bothering a king with something so small. “I just got overwhelmed, like I said.”
“Wait here,” he orders, walking past me.
I whine a protest but there’s no way for me to stop him. He walks out of the throne room, and I hear his voice booming in the hallway. I can’t make out what he’s saying. Eventually, the booming stops. A few seconds later he comes back into histhrone room and there’s anger in his eyes, but it softens when he sees me.
“They won’t bother you again,” speaking almost gently.
“I didn’t mean to cause trouble,” I answer him quietly.
“You didn’t. They just needed to be put in their place. Now they have been,” he says, stopping behind me and smacking my asshard.
“Hey!” I shriek, spinning around, immediately regretting my impertinent reaction. If he wants to smack my ass, he can smack my ass. What can I do about it?
“I’ll put you in your place tonight after dinner,” he warns, continuing past me. “Don’t lie to me again, little human girl. That’s almost as foolish as running away.”
He says it like the lie matters more than the tears.
He walks into his office and the door closes. Not completely. It seems to be broken or just stuck open. I watch him through it for a few seconds, then turn around.
I guess I’m getting another spanking tonight. Not for showing weakness, but for not being honest about it. He said after dinner, too. That means we’re going straight to his bedchamber again.
When I walk out into the hallway, none of the orc women make eye contact. They divert their gaze, look away, and a few whisper apologies as I pass. One of the younger housekeepers is crying silently while she dusts a painting. Another is on her knees scrubbing the floor by hand, her green face pale.
The hallway is quieter than it’s been all morning. They got scolded by a king who lives in isolation and doesn’t even let themclean his throne room. I guess that was even more shocking than seeing me.
Maybe I do have a place here.
I just have to figure out where it is.
CHAPTER 20
Lix’tuk
Maybe allowing Clover to touch me isn’t asdefilingas I wanted to believe.
Her scent clings stronger than blackroot coffee and grog. I know because I’ve had both, and she still lingers on my breath and in my beard. Salt baked into her essence by blistering summers in a barren landscape I created two hundred years ago. Sweetness that doesn’t taste sour at all.
“Fuck,” I mutter, rubbing a hand over my mouth.
I’ve been alone in this old fortress for too long. My sharp edges have been dulled. Maybe it’s just sinking in that these really are my final days. I’ve got a legacy any orc would be proud of, but now I’m thinking about what happens after I’m gone. I believed things would remain peaceful and orcs wouldn’t go to war over something as foolish as a throne.
I could just let it happen. Sit idly by until my final days become final hours. Listen to the drums of war while I’m taking my lastfew breaths. But that’s not what I want. I don’t want Uzrirgard to descend into chaos because orcs can’t differentiate prophecy from reality.
I don’t know how I’m going to deal with this problem, but I will. I just need to let it fester for a while. Let it ferment in the back of my mind until I find a solution. Luckily, I’ve got something to distract me from worrying about my kingdom. A little human girl named Clover. And it won’t be long until I get to taste her again.
I’ve ruled this kingdom long enough to deserve an indulgence, even if it’s one I never thought I would enjoy. I’ve always preferred to keep all humans a whip’s length away from me unless they’re under my axe or my boot.
But this one is different. As much as I hate to admit it, it’s because this one ismine.
The humans discarded her after they got what they wanted. Gold coins. That’s the only thing they see value in. Fine. If they don’t want her, I’ll keep her. I won’t send her away. I won’t lock her in my dungeon. I won’t even shove her in a wing where I don’t have to look at her. I’ll keep her with me.
If she needs to feel useful, I’ll ensure she does. She’ll have my cock in her hand every night. Right after I’ve feasted on her juicy pussy. It’s not an arrangement I asked for, but it’s one I can live with in my final days.
After the cleaners are gone, I step out into the hallway. They were here most of the day, invading my fortress with buckets, feathers, and the kind of chatter that makes me consider outlawing voices. Usually, I just ignore them. Today, I had to remind them of their place.
I missed lunch, so I’m hungry. As I walk down the hallway, I smell dinner. I didn’t even have to tell her it was time.
