Page 32 of His Stubborn Mate

I needed to reach the village—where I’d only agreed to stay until the spring—and understand how orc society worked, before I decided how our future would look. Mine, and Ewan…and the babe who shouldn’t exist.

The afternoon of our second day of travel continued more of the same, except Ewan didn’t nap against Maardok’s shoulder. Instead, the lad was alert and intrigued by all of the stories the male told us of his world. I was grateful for the descriptions, because it made the journey less scary. Less unknown.

Of course, not all of the questions were completely helpful.

Were there dragons? No. Had there ever been? No, though Maardok's grandfather had claimed otherwise after ale.

Did orcs have horses? Aye, but poor ones, being an island.

Could Ewan have one? That was a question for his mother.

Did the kitlings go to lessons? Aye, in a manner.

Did orcs get sick? Aye. Did they die? Aye. Did Maardok ever get sick? Once, after eating oysters left in the sun too long, and if Ewan repeated that to anyone in Battleborn Village he would find himself scrubbing the byre until he was grown.

“Why is your skin green?” Ewan asked, and I hid the way my eyes rolled.

Maardok, bless him, merely shrugged.

“Why is yers pink?”

My son snorted, as if ‘twas a silly question. “Because it just is.”

“Aye,” Maardok agreed. “There ye are.”

It went on for the better part of two hours, and not once did he tell my son to hush or answer him with something untrue to be rid of him, or use that tone men use with a boy who is being tiresome. He simply answered, and I found myself amazed by his patience.

For Ewan, and for me.

Today, I was careful to climb down from the horse—or rather, have Maardok lift me down—more frequently to walk, so I ached less. Well, my ankles were swollen and I thought my legs might fall off, but my back and shoulders weren’t as sore, and my arse and thighs didn’t ache.

Actually, ‘tis possible they ached for an altogether different reason.

I told myself ‘twas not appropriate to be thinking of arousal at a time like this, but more than once during the afternoon, when Maardok wrapped his hands around my waist to lift, or when he bent over and his kilt swung out of the way enough that I caught glimpses of his powerful thighs, or when the tip of his wide, ridged tongue darted out to brush against his tusk, I…

Well, let us just say that there was a reason I had to walk so frequently. And when I did so, I could feel the slickness of my core with each step.

I should not be aroused in such a circumstance, but I was.

Mainly by the memory of Maardok’s grin, covered in my release, as he lifted his mouth from my cunny. Or the way he’d lapped the milk from my breasts and groaned as if it were something for him. Or the way⁠—

Stop it.

My breasts ached, the nipples hard and dripping because I couldn’t keep my focus on the theoretically dire situation we currently found ourselves in.

And more than once, I saw Maardok’s nostrils flare when he glanced at me, his gaze going green and smoldering at once, and I knew he knew.

It made for an awkward journey, and by the time we finally stopped for the night, my body positively hummed with need. Interestingly, the babe had bothered me less today; it seemed to have settled lower, judging by how often I had to stop to relieve myself.

I worried he or she would be arriving sooner rather than later.

Mercifully, Ewan had finally exhausted himself and mostly sat beside me against the fallen log I’d found as Maardok set up our camp. I knew I ought to stand and help, but my son leaned against me, and the log was, while not exactly comfortable, at least not miserable. ‘Twas all I could do to follow the male with my eyes and offer him a tired smile when he glanced my way.

Tonight’s fire was smaller than last night’s.

“Humans are far more populous than orcs,” Maardok explained as he prepared our simple meal. “In my world, this area is mostly overgrown forest, but yer kind has cleared most of the land and there are crofts everywhere. Still, we made good time.”

Ewan eagerly took the piece of meat and began to gnaw at it.