Herbs and Alchemy Ch. 04

"Oh dear friend, It's all my business now." Full fangs again. He wiggled his finger in front of her and tapped her nose. She squinted at him in defiance.

"Okay Tharo. How are you so... Normal?! I mean, Orcs are weird. They have a completely different culture. You're easier to read than anyone I know."

"Normal! I will ignore your highly offensive insult and respond by saying I've been interacting with humans all my life. My father was a liaison with the East border- your West border. He'd bring me along to play with the human kids because it got him more traction with the royals."

"So when were you banished?"

"When I was twelve." His gaze dared her to keep asking questions.

"Why?" She felt bad for asking.

"I killed my older brother." His expression was perfectly blank.

"Was it the right thing to do?"

"Probably."

"Ok. We going back to your place?"

"Sounds like that's now an excellent option."

"DON'T carry me."

"Finish your ale and we'll see."

Jayla managed to get Tharo to finish the last third. She was up and had her cloak on before the orc's mug hit the table. "I don't know if we should be more or less discreet knowing Tara's had eyes on us." Jayla whispered.

"She's had eyes on me since I got to town. Though just because we have her support doesn't mean the townspeople won't have a problem with us. I'll take Commons Road, parallel me in the alleys. They'll think you're one of Tara's."

Jayla enjoyed sneaking around like a street urchin. Tharo strode through the middle of town like he owned it, nodding at random townspeople as he passed.

His house was cold and damp when they got in, Tharo lifted a tile near the pool and climbed down some short stairs. Jayla heard wood being moved around, some orcish and the whoosh of a fire taking off. Tharo climbed out, wiped his hands on his pants and removed his shirt. "It'll be awhile. Care to..."

Jayla was already naked on the bed, laying on her belly reading a book she'd taken from the hallway.

"History of the South Border? Really?"

"It was the first one I saw not in Orcish."

She heard his clothes hit the floor. The bed bowed under him, and half a horse's weight clambered in next to her. He took the forgotten book and put it aside, Jayla's eyes were already taking in the sweeping green hills of his upper torso.

"My eyes are up here."

She pounced. He was flat on his back with his lower lip in her teeth. She growled, and watched his expression go from startled to predatory. He growled back, pinching her nipples playfully.

She jumped to his ear, raking her lips and teeth down his bear trap of a jaw, and back to his mouth, she spoke against his lips in a raspy snarl "What did you do to me, orc? I laugh like you, I walk like you, I carried the bucket from the well with one hand today and I've been eating like a moose. I can hear the kids talking from outside the building. And you... You smell like metal and lakewater and ... lightning. And touching you like this is like a flash flood and I want you to ...drown me." Her voice faded to a plea at the last two words.

"Jayla." He whispered. The way he said it made her heart swell.

His hand was tangled in her hair and he was kissing her, His other hand spanned across her back, his heat seeping into her like summer sunshine. One oak-thick leg caressed her hip. His lips brushed her face as he spoke in the deep, gravelly voice that made her push against him, "The gods... My gods... gave you power. It woke you up. I opened and cleared all the channels one needs to use magic. I didn't know, I thought it would just heal you but you took all of it." She could feel the muscles of his forearm tense along her spine. His body was over her, muscle and sinew tensing in a fascinating, beautiful dance under her touch.

Her hands captured his cock, thumbing liquid around the tip. Swathes of smooth green muscle sheltered her.

"Tharo PLEASE." Jayla's feet slid along the inside of his calves.

The orc was a little concerned at her urgency. "Of course. Of course I will. How do you want it?" His hips rocked above her, half teasing, half desire. A smile in his voice, "Tell me how you want it."

She groaned with frustration. "I want..." She whimpered, her need creating a language barrier.

A tusk brushed her ear, his voice was low and hoarse, "Use your words, teacher." His breath on her face, thigh against hers, the pull on her hair and the ridges of his forearm against her back, a hot palm on her hip. "Tell me."

Her hand continued to work him, though he was already stone hard, stalling for time until she could speak. "In me. Front, just under halfway in, steady at first."

He was still at her ear, "You feel that? That ridge? You want that there?"

She nodded enthusiastically.

"You'll want to turn over then, won't you?"

Another whine. She moved to do just that, he gave her space but kept his hand loosely in her hair. Once she was on her knees he wrapped her dark strands around his hand again, pulling it tight, leaning over her, "Now Jayla. It sounds like you want me to fuck you the way my people do. Is that what you want?" His tip was now unignorably brushing her lower lips ever so gently. He yanked on her hair just a little, the teasing tone of his voice had disappeared, he sounded almost angry "Is it? You want to be fucked like an orc, Jayla?"

Her body's reaction was swift and obvious, her sheath clenched with need, she soaked his tip on its next pass, she tried to back onto him but he moved just out of reach, his grip tightened. "Do You? Say it!"

She yanked her head forward, pulling back, she snarled with frustration "YES! Yes by the fucking Goddess above, Like a big fucking stupid Orc right off the battlefield, take me like your body wants you to. Use that magic goddamn cock to fucking RUIN ME ALREADY!" Her fist punched the bed and she raked his thigh with her nails.

Tharo's strength came in to play and her head was pulled back as far as it would go. His grip on her hair was uncompromising, his voice had a sneer in it. "That's all you had to say, Goodnok Oag."

A moment of release, half a breath as he positioned himself, just enough time for fear to spike in her chest and he hit her like a landslide. He plunged into her and was hilted, snarling, every possible inch of him crashing down. Jayla wailed as her world exploded.

He knocked her hands out from under her and her shoulders were forced into the bed. His hands braced on her back and all his weight was on her, locking her in place as his hips and cock found a cadence in her desperate core.

Hard, rough, every vein and ridge of him grated against her inside and out, the skin over his entire body seemed to change texture to that of millstone. One of his hands covered her mouth. "Fucking scream, Oag." His weight on her back, punishing her needy core, her nerves lit up and pain was indistinguishable from falling, flying exploding ecstasy. She did as ordered, knowing she would have anyway.

His tongue and tusks traced a path up her spine, he took a deep breath, "Yesss. Jag U Zuuk, Jayla!" His voice was a rockslide in her ear. He reached under her and dug his nails into her chest, breaking skin and raking them across her.

The pain was immediately channeled into anger and she bit the hand still over her mouth.

A loud grunt and his tusks and fangs had impaled deep into the meat at her shoulder, causing her to freeze and locking the two of them into place as his hips continued their punishing tempo.

She was soaked inside and out, air cooled her ribs and the few places he wasn't in contact, but her core was a crucible of molten iron, his brutality and friction almost unbearable until... Another wave from inside her and nothing could keep the tremors at bay, Tusks nor claws, nor an entire beast. She rocked and shuddered, drooling around his fingers.

His teeth still in her, he could only snarl. Suddenly his body was no longer in his control, his back locked up and he was releasing into her, ramming and flooding her inner depths. His crown snapped open like a trap and he froze on top of her while she continued to arch and sway, whimpering around his hand; liquid, most of it hers, seeping out of her sheath.

Tharo gave a low whine, his grip loosened and the weight pinning her lifted. He gently disengaged from her shoulder, immediately licking the wounds and muttering his summoning words. She felt the distinctive heat of orcish magic on her shoulder and chest. He disengaged and caressed the length of her back.

His voice was a toneless whisper, "Anything for you, Jayla. Anything." His tusks brushed the dimple next to her hip. He petted her again, then sat back.

Once she was sure it was safe to move she rolled onto her back and gazed at Tharo with new eyes. She'd been beginning to see him as just another person. He was not. There was very little human in what had just happened.

He was kneeling on the bed next to her, his yellow-eyed gaze level, skin pearled with sweat. He was not unscathed; scratches ran down one massive thigh and his shoulders. His chest rose with a breath and with tender caution he slid his hands under her and lifted her to him, nuzzling her hair as he carried her to the pool, placing her in the wonderfully warm water gently and moving to sit against the far side, his arms stretching across the edge.

She submerged, feeling the crackle of magic and water on the outside of her this time, she drank carefully and surfaced, then stood facing him, the water lapping at her belly.

He appeared confident, curious, and unapologetic. "NOW you have questions."

She sat on one of his knees, facing him, giving in to the urge to put her palms on his chest.

"Can you control the beast that just fucked me?"

"I can keep it from happening, once it starts I don't know."

"What is Goodnok Oag?"

He smiled wickedly, "Battleaxe." He brushed her cheek affectionately.

"And Jag U Zuuk?" She struggled with the accent.

"Those are not the words you need to be learning. 'Take my spear'."

She grinned. "So tell me the words I should be learning." She put one hand on his scratched thigh and one where she'd rent his shoulder.

"Huak Luthia. I call the goddess." He paused and waited for her to nod, "Shah Tuaka. Bring your power." Again waiting for affirmation. "Gaij Okaig Zain Zutaig. To close all wounds." He gestured for her to repeat it.

"Now Jaig Nain Huarg, Use my life's water, Ach Nadul. And the power of the stars. Jaig Nark Okag. And I am yours."

She stood, concentrated and they went over it twice more, she closed her eyes and repeated the entire incantation back, pushing energy out her hands to his shoulders.

Nothing happened.

His hands covered hers. "Call to the sky and the water, TALK to the Goddess, not me. You have to feel it coming in through your head and feet first, then out your hands. Once more."

"Don't help me."

"I'm not."

Again, this time she imagined light flooding in through her crown and up through her feet and the water as she said the words.

A heartbeat, then her body seemed to ignite throughout like a freshly lit torch. She pushed it all through her hands.

Tharo's voice was strained "Control! Control the flow! Don't push it!" His breath whistled through his tusks. He panted, "Like pouring water out of a vase. Steady, slow." The heat in the pool spiked. Her eyes snapped open in fear, she withdrew her hands, his skin glowing orange where her hands had been and she heard crackling around her.

His next words were rushed, urgent, "Say it and mean it: Goddess I am finished, take your power back. Der Jaig Huak Luthia Nadul. " He waited for her to say the words, "Now deep breath." His hand covered the top of her head and pushed her firmly under the water, holding her down long enough she began to panic.

She came up, gasping. Staggered a little and stood facing him, slack jawed with her eyes out of focus. She felt like every vein in her body had just had an entire river roar through it.

Tharo held his hands on either side of her, ready to catch her. Eventually she moved on her own and he gathered her into his lap. "That could have gone a lot worse for a first time. For both of us." He rumbled. "You should have the hang of it a lot faster than I did. Let it fade, we can talk more about it after it's dissipated. How are you?"

She swallowed, took a handful of water and sipped it. "OK, I think. There... You could have warned me."

A rueful smirk, "It's probably different for everyone, but yes, I should have."

"So I belong to the Goddess now?"

"Well, since it worked to begin with I think you already did."

Jayla relaxed against him, noticing his scratches were gone, but there were handprints of lighter skin where she'd been touching him. She felt the ring at his navel, she reached down to touch it. "So your jewelry... to keep you from getting anyone pregnant?"

"The one on my ear is to remind me who I am. Stonehammer. It's not as much a family name like Thorntrail, it's... a group with certain abilities. Water wizards, able to borrow power from the Gods. The ring marks me as a magic user, but only another magic user can tell it's a Stonehammer ring."

"The one here..." his hand covered his middle. "You've heard how orcs are savage, filled with rage, lust, primitive, stupid, they live to fight and love to fight and they find joy in killing for no reason. You've heard that."

"Yes."

"It's true for a lot of us. If you ever see me without this, you need to run, and get anyone undeserving of violence as far away from me as possible."

"Do you take it out when you're at war?"

"I've never taken it out. It was given to me by the shaman at my father's request when I was banished."

Jayla filled in the blanks, "You killed your brother because you lost your temper."

"Partially... Mostly. He... There was a human boy I was playing with. Ozah threatened to kill him, again. He was always threatening to kill the humans. I didn't even really like the kid but this time Ozah had an axe. I stabbed a stick through his eye. Deep. My father only said two words to me after that. Right before I crossed the border and the last time I saw him, Tas Ghanti... I know gratitude."

"So you weren't banished for killing your brother, you were banished for killing an orc to defend a human."

"...Yes."

"So any civilized orc needs one of those rings to be civilized?"

"It helps. Most learn to control themselves the hard way. I never had to, so I do not know how difficult it would be to suppress my nature."

"Were you always small?"

"Always small for an orc, yes."

"So when you're in rut... does the ring stop working, or you were able to give in to your nature?"

"I purposely initiated it after you consented. If I didn't have the ring I might launch into that every time I saw your ass bent over your work table." Jayla looked hopeful and wiggled her butt against his thigh. His eyes narrowed, "WHICH is hard on clothing and would fully traumatize everyone in the apothecary."

"Oooh fair enough." She groused.

They washed up and were about to go to bed when Tharo put his hand up, "Shh." He listened for a moment, grabbed a cloth off the bench and stalked toward the front door, Jayla did the same and stayed behind him. He motioned her to stay back and opened the front door, he spoke to someone she couldn't see. "Captain Weston asked you to guard this door?" A murmur "All right. I'm going to bed, maybe watch from across the street, I can hear you banging around out here." Another murmur, Tharo laughed "I suppose you were trying to sleep?... This door bolts solid, so watch the upper windows and the corsera grate when the fire goes out. Thank you." Tharo closed the door and dropped the bar instead of just sliding the small lock.

"Tara send guards to keep an eye on us?"

The orc nodded, "There are rumors of assassins coming in to clear the way for the armies. I would guess targets here in town would be the Captain, her second and third in command, the Mayor, then any and all magic users and the schoolmaster, whom I assume can use magic. Weston is clever though, She's probably on a roof somewhere. The town will think I'm in trouble." He flashed a smirk.

"Not if Corish and Gillard have guards as well. They do, don't they?" Tharo shrugged

"I'm going to sleep great tonight." Jayla said sarcastically.

"Safer than the apothecary. Windows are too narrow to crawl through and the whole place is stone, they can't burn us out." Tharo petted her back reassuringly.

They got to bed, Jayla stretched full against him with one hand on his belly, his green hide warming her, she rested her head on his bicep feeling strangely secure, she was asleep in five breaths.