Page 23 of Finding Her Luck
He fed her a fruit. The skin hard and sour, she had trouble biting through it. He took it from her, bit the small nut-sized thing in half and pushed it against her lips. The interior was soft, sweet, juicy, and pulpy.
The thing had been in his mouth and now he wanted her to eat it. She should spit in his face.
"Corrin is Urku-ri peace," he said.
She couldn't compare the flavor to anything she had tasted before and let him push the fruit into her mouth. His fingers touched her teeth. Her tongue. "No worthless."
More fruit pressed against her lips, spreading the juice back and forth.
"Yes, value. Yes, rights." He pushed the fruit in. "Corrin is all Urku-ri eye wants. Forever." His hand tugged at her braid, pulling the cord off the end and combing it out. "Corrin is Urku-ri reward."
"I'm no one's reward." She caught at the hand in her hair, pushing him away. He was a liar. His eyes on her, his face as sincere as any she had ever seen. He was a moon's damned bastard-cursed liar.
She was an average female, as pretty as her mother sometimes said, but her mother was dead, and her father ran back to his home in the steel cities a week after she'd been born. She was dirty, mannish, clumsy, and disagreeable. She knew this male was lying. He might look alien, inhuman, different from the village people, but she knew he was not. He had a cock, and it was hard under his fresh apron thing, tenting the leather. It was so hungry for a woman.
She would not be that foolish woman.
Shoving the rest of the meal at him, Corrin stood up, secured her blanket, and started walking. Corrin was not going to sit there and listen to his lies. Horrid words that reached down inside of her, caressing secret places with their false, monstrous promises.
"Corrin." His call. Laced with disapproving warning. That's what he wanted. He wanted to tell her what to do, make her obey, rob her of herself. That is exactly what he wanted.
She wouldn't do it. She walked around the circle, noticing offhandedly that there were five Orki around the fire pit, and the blonde human woman with her shining, unmistakable hair, dressed, Corrin saw, in a blanket. Buxom, smiling, drinking from the end of a red bladder, two Orki sat on each side of her, offering her food.
That one was allowed to talk to the others. She'd probably been introduced, knew their names. Corrin stalked toward the exit, irritated, angry, beyond finished. She didn't know where she was going. There was no place safe except with Urku-ri. No place warm. No place comfortable.
But she was damn well going.
He called her again, and she ran toward the dark spot that was the exit. Just as several of the war beasts came rushing in. Searnon came right to her. All the animals looked alike, but she'd gotten to know the scars on this beast's muzzle, her snow coloring rather than yellowed cream, her thicker, sharper neck ruff, and how she came right to Corrin, blocking her way, panting in her face before licking her in a sloppy, claiming kiss.
Her hands small on the war beast's muzzle, her fingers close to the sharp teeth, Corrin pushed Searnon's head back.
"Get out of my way. I need some air. I need to get away."
Her push more of a nudge against the great wolfen animal, Searnon didn't move. She growled, lips moving over teeth, sounds rolling through her throat. "I don't know what you are saying. Are you telling me no, too?"
"Corrin," Urku-ri said from behind her, a big hand covered her shoulder. "You will come back to the nest."
"No. You don't get to tell me what to do. I am a landowner. You can't boss me." She heard the ridiculous words coming out of her mouth, saw in her mind's eye the silly way she tossed her head, faking haughtiness, and wondered what, by the moons, did she think she was doing besides acting crazy. But she had to. She had to fight. She had to.
"Corrin," he said her name. His arms came around her. He was going to pick her up and make her.
With a wild battle cry, she hit him. Hit the arms enclosing her body, kicked back at the legs behind her. Jerked and twisted wildly. She had to fight. She had to stop this.
Madness had taken over. Emotions rolling, she screamed. Physically and mentally, she fought the monster who had kidnapped her and stolen her from her life. He let her hit and kick him. His body like rock beneath her. Did he even feel her exertions? Lifting her, Urku-ri carried her back to the nest. Searnon already curled there. Watching with interest, making her animal vocalizations in her throat that the Orki holding Corrin answered.
"What is she saying?" Corrin demanded. "I know she is talking to you. What is she saying?"
"Corrin will no like."
That ,inexplicably, made her angrier. "Let me go. Just let me go. I don't want to be here. I don't want you. I don't want this. I don't feel good. This is all making me sick. Let me go." She punched her fists against what she could reach, but it was useless. No effect. He didn't even grunt from the impact. It was all to no effect, and she knew it.
Pinning her arms in an x over her chest, her body tight against his own, Urku-ri sat down with Corrin effectively chained in his lap. He let her kick a minute, Searnon gruffing at him, before throwing a dark gray tree-trunk leg over hers, stopping her movements.
She fought. It was worse than being tied up. No give in his strength, in the heat of his body, feel of his skin, or his amazing smell. "Corrin does not know Orki ways." He spoke from above her head. She felt him all along her back, the curve of the big pads of chest muscles behind her. A big, stupid, chair.
"Female life-giver. All female succor. Corrin chosen by Searnon, Urku-ri redress. Relief. Hope. All honor. Onlyni-orkiror-esssee his redress female. All others unworthy, not welcome."
"Who isni-orki-ror-ess?" she asked, her pronunciation a clumsy gurgle.
