The Gardener and The Orc

Chapter 3

[Skip to Chapters 4, 5, 7, 11, 12, and 13 to get straight to the smut]

Lilith felt her breath catch in her throat, heard the sound of her rapidly rising heartbeat thundering in her ears, aware now that she was standing completely still in...fear, shock, utter confusion? A levy of emotions crashing down on her, frozen in place. The frantic sound of her pulse in her ears drowned out the flood of racing thoughts that came to, trying to make sense of it. When no response came from her, the orc took another purposeful step into the clearing whilst his hand casually tucked her unlaundered underthings into the inner-pocket of his open vest. At the sight of his movement, she promptly tried to blink away the disorientation, her head giving a little shake to free her train of thought from its spiraling worst-case-scenarios. She took a steadying breath, determined to assess the situation as logically as possible, and fought to match his languid disposition.

It was like slipping on a mask; her breathing became even, her joints unlocked from their frozen state. Lilith found her arms relaxed at her sides, dagger still pointing down. It had been nigh two years since the last credible kidnapping of a woman by orcs, and she had dealt with several orcs without issue since the treatises for peace passed. It was enough confidence to make her eyes harden, flashing like grey chips of ice on winter water, narrowed and regarding him cooly. She made a point of looking him up and down slowly, sizing him up as if she had any chance in hell at kicking his ass if it came to it. He met her gaze with a cocky grin, his white teeth flashing, fangs in sight.

She had to rapid-fire gauge this unfamiliar orc--was he from the Ka-Esh clan? She was dwarfed by his height, but he was smaller in stature and lithe compared to the hulking brutes that came from the other 4 varieties. His gray skin was smooth and unmarred, save for a few notable long-healed burns on his hands and forearms, and his nose was straight and refined, as were the tapered points of his ears. So...clearly not a brawler like the Skai clan, but she could still make out a carefully crafted scimitar blade sheathed behind him and hanging off a thin leather braided cord that crossed his chest to his back. He had a sharp jaw, thick but well-kept hair, broad shoulders, and hard ridges of muscle visible beneath his open-chested vest.

Lilith felt comfortable enough with her conclusion; she'd have to be wary but firm, and mindful that orcs simply had a tendency to be very...forward. Even the clever, sharp-witted and sharp-tongued orcs of Ka-Esh. "I was generous to allow your impromptu 'trade' sight-unseen at my cellar, so forgive me if I am reluctant to allow a second such slight. I ask this trade, and any further ones, be consented to by both parties prior to exchanging...*goods*" the last word twisted on her full lips, her undergarments in his pocket at the forefront of her mind.

"Consider it exchanging gifts, ach? I ken you enjoy my scent as much as I enjoy yours," the orc said smoothly, jutting his chin to point at the blanket she had in hand. He took several more steps toward her, slow and sinuous, almost prowling and predatory.

His new proximity caused sheer panic to creep back in for just a moment, reflected by her heart pounding once again, but she stifled it before it reached her face. Her gaze darted to the blanket still in her left hand and partially draped across the forest floor, her expression a practiced look of boredom. The delicious scent emanating from it still wafted heavy around her, but the danger at hand kept the allure of it from fully registering. His scent? It had an unexpected effect on her body now that she focused on it, her core tightening uncomfortably, the nipples of her heavy breasts pebbling beneath her tunic. Lilith's demeanor slipped as she breathed it in, her brows furrowing with suspicion as she inspected the scratchy wool, her heart rate picking up even further. Every woman was cautioned orcs could lure you into rutting with their mere scent, but she'd never experienced that in any of her previous encounters.

He let out a bark of laughter, drawing her attention back to his face, which now looked positively conspiratorial as if she was in on this. His nostrils were flared, eyes locked on her chest. Was he smelling her from an arms-length away? Could he hear her heart beat giving away the false sense of calm, or was he simply openly ogling her? "C-can you clarify, please? A gift? Your scent?" Her cheeks were flushed pink by now, and she held out the blanket towards him while questioning, "What exactly *is* this?"

He shrugged as if indifferent, but his eyes began to rove up and down upon her with a clear sense of proprietary entitlement, as if he was looking upon what was already his. "My scent is well-matched to you, no?" he splayed his hand in the general direction of her torso, and in response her core clenched further. His nostrils flared again in answer and he plastered a knowing smile onto his lips, daring another step forward so she was in arms-reach. "I've marked my bed things just as you marked this in your tree, ach?" He ventured a glance into the nearby willow she had been perched in earlier, not a shred of shame on his face.

Lilith nearly took another steadying breath to clear her thoughts, but caught herself before taking in another dose of the intoxicating fragrance. She balked at her near grievous lapse in judgement and in turn made a different mistake, dropping the blanket where she stood and doing her best to not consider if any of it was...stiff when it fell. Several paces back brought her to the tree her belt and vest hung from, thank gods upwind of him and his 'gift.' He glowered at her in offense but did not close the gap.

She finally took a breath, but it was not at all steady, "Is this some form of trickery? I was told you do not take what is not freely given," she tried her best to not sound frantic, but could not bring herself to make eye contact. Busying herself with her belt was the obvious choice of distraction, sheathing her dagger and tightening her leathers so it sat flush with her full hips. But when her thoughts still had not coherently gathered, she threw her emerald green vest over her tunic and began lacing up the front bodice in an attempt to better conceal the peaked evidence of her latent arousal. When she relented to look back up at him, he looked considerably less affronted since he was presently staring at her chest again, apparently appreciating the gathering lift of cleavage that now peaked out the top of her tunic. Her furious blushing worsened, finally snapping, "Answer me!"

He was nonplussed by her reaction, "This is no falsehood. Consider it...fate? Will of the gods?" She practically growled in frustration at his response, and he gave a true rumbling growl in answer, his expression suddenly cold and calculating as he stalked over to where she stood. Lilith found herself backed against the tree, stepping up onto a jutting tangle of roots until she was flush with the trunk just to give herself a few extra inches of space from his looming form. He braced one large hand onto the bark beside her head, the other on the bark beside her waist, his striking face swooping down and drawing a deep breath by her neck to take her scent in. He was meticulous to not touch her, but her waves of brown and sun-bronzed hair tickled her skin when he eventually exhaled. "I do not take what is not freely given," his whisper a warm bath across her now goose-pimpled skin. He chose his next words exactingly, methodically stressing each word to make her shudder, "You. Will. Beg."