Kelraz the Vicious: A Paranormal Monster Romance (Orc Mates), page 1
KELRAZ THE VICIOUS
ORC MATES SERIES
- paranormal monster romance -
Copyright © 2022 by Cara Wylde
Cover by Nomad Raccoon
Edited by Laura Keysor
All rights are reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher, except for the use of brief quotations in book reviews.
This book is a work of fiction. The names, characters, places, and incidents are fictitious or have been used fictitiously, and are not to be construed as real in any way. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events, locales, or organizations is entirely coincidental.
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TABLE OF CONTENTS
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Epilogue
About the Author
CHAPTER ONE
The institute was close to what Silvie had expected. An old building had been repurposed, but the funds hadn’t been enough to cover all the renovations, so only the east wing was open. The paint was peeling off the outside walls, but inside, the place was roomy and cozy enough. The dormitories were upstairs, each hosting four beds, and the girls had all chosen to share one, so they wouldn’t put too much of a burden on the manager, Ms. Garcia, a lovely woman in her forties who was doing her best with little money. The toilets and showers were communal, but the girls didn’t mind. Even though they’d only known each other for a few days, they were like sisters already. On the ground floor, there was the cafeteria, the common room, a few smaller rooms that served as classrooms, and another one that served as the library. Actually, to call it the library was a bit of a stretch. The shelves that were supposed to host books and scientific papers about the orcs and the world they came from were mostly empty, and there were only two computers, one of which worked when Mercury wasn’t retrograde.
But it was a start. The government had provided the institute with some funds, but so many had opened across North America so fast, that a lot of them had to rely on private funding and donations. Not many people were willing to donate. It would take humans some time to get used to the idea that the war with the green-skinned beasts had ended and now there was peace, and both parties had to compromise for said peace to last. It was a hard pill to swallow, and more so for the humans than for the orcs. The otherworldly monsters were here to stay.
The girls were gathered in the cafeteria for breakfast. One of the best things about the institutes for orc tributes was that they provided great food. The women were encouraged to eat healthily and put some meat on them, seeing how the orcs were big and preferred their females curvy, voluptuous, strong and capable to give birth to orc babies.
“Do you think if the orcs had more females in their hordes and didn’t need us, they would’ve still agreed to make peace?” Lila asked.
Silvie shrugged. “I don’t know. What else do we have to offer?”
“Well, lands?”
“They can just take those. And they have. Mrs. Vane said they like to live in the mountains and woods, and a lot of small towns were abandoned and now belong to the orcs.”
Dina and Wanda nodded thoughtfully. Lila wasn’t convinced, and she looked like she was trying to think of ways humans would’ve made peace necessary for the green monsters if female tributes hadn’t been involved.
Silvie sighed. “It is what it is. What’s the point in thinking ‘what if’? Personally, I’m glad the war is over, and we can start rebuilding instead of destroying.”
“They destroyed more than we did,” Dina mumbled.
“It was our fault in the first place,” Silvie said. She liked to be impartial when it came to these matters. She didn’t take sides, even though everyone around her thought that she should. It was one of the reasons Silvie had lost touch with her family. They didn’t agree with her perspective on the war and the peace treaty, so they’d cut her off. They hadn’t even agreed with her working as a nurse on the front, either, but at least that was something they could brag about to their friends. When she announced she’d be volunteering to become an orc bride, that was where they drew the line. Not something they could brag about. It still pained Silvie to think about it. She had never been their favorite anyway. The second born, the younger child who’d always been rebellious and had a mind of her own. They liked her older sister, Penny, better. “We opened the portals between their dimension and ours.”
“Not we,” Wanda said. “A handful of scientists. And then the same people made the mistake of destroying the machine and the plans for it. The war was all their fault, and now the orcs are trapped here, and we’re stuck with them. We all have to suffer because of a few idiots who thought they could play with inter-dimensional travel. And what happened to them? Nothing.”
“They’re working on rebuilding the machine and reopening the portals,” Dina said. “They’ll get theirs when it’s time. For now, they can’t be locked up, seeing how they’re the only ones who can undo the disaster.”
“The orcs want to return to their home world just as much as we want them to leave ours,” Silvie said.
“How can you be so calm about it?” There was curiosity in Lila’s voice.
“There’s nothing we can do about these things. All we can do is contribute to keeping the peace.”
“Were you this calm on the front, too?”
“As a nurse, I had to be.”
“How was it?”
Silvie shuddered and shook her head. Her shoulders slumped, and she made herself small as she poked at the food on her plate. “Blood, torn limbs, infected wounds... The orcs don’t have firearms, but their weapons, as medieval as they look, are laced with magic. Their mages enchant them, and when they strike, the magic seeps into their enemy’s blood and poisons it. In this case, we were the enemy. Well, our troops.”
“It always baffled me how we couldn’t defeat them even though we had the numbers and the advanced weapons.”
“There’s no weapon like magic.” Silvie closed her eyes for a moment, trying to stop the images that flashed through her mind at top speed. She sighed. She really didn’t want to think about her days tending to the young and old wounded soldiers, holding their hands when she couldn’t do anything for them. She opened her eyes, and a single tear ran down her cheek. She wiped it quickly. “If the poison started in a limb that could be removed, then there was a chance of survival. That rarely happened.”
Lila reached across the table and took Silvie’s hand in hers. Dina and Wanda were silent. No one was eating.
“I’m so sorry. I shouldn’t have asked.”
“It’s okay.”
“I can’t believe you volunteered as tribute after all you saw,” Dina said. “Don’t get me wrong, I’m here too, and I’m willing to do my part and take one for the team.” She chuckled. It wasn’t that simple. “But you? You’ve been through enough.”
Silvie shrugged. “I just want to help. The situation is volatile, and if we are to convince the orcs that peace is advantageous to them, we need to give them brides. I don’t have anything else going on for me, anyway. And I’ve seen them on the battlefield. They’re dangerous, fierce, born to be warriors and conquerors. But they have a code when it comes to war. They fight with honor. It’s almost like a form of art for them.”
“It sounds like you admire them...”
“I don’t know. I try to see them for what they are. The hordes were pulled into our universe against their wish. They woke up in a world completely different from theirs, with no way of going back. Some say they attacked first, but I don’t know what to believe. Maybe they did, maybe they didn’t. We humans aren’t exactly known for accepting those who’re different from us. I think both species are guilty for what happened, and both have the responsibility to make this work. Because we can’t have another war.”
“I’m just saying... You could’ve gotten a pass.”
Silvie smiled. “I don’t have anything else going on for me. It’s okay. I want to help make a difference. You know that saying... be the change you want to see in the world.”
“There won’t be any change if the number of tributes doesn’t rise. There are few volunteers, and a lot of institutes. Ms. Garcia is working on presentation fliers, but I don’t know how much good that will do.” Wanda finished her toast and drank her orange juice. “See you guys in class?”
They all nodded, and Silvie resumed poking at her food. She forced herself to finish the last bites. Both the manager and the cook insisted that the girls should eat as much as they wanted and have as many snacks as they could during the day. Silvie had never been thin, but she’d lost some pounds in the past two years. Too much stress, too little sleep, guilt that there was only so much she could do. Death all around her. Who could have an appetite in these conditions? Now she had to work on filling her old clothes, but her appetite would never be what it had been before the war, before the portals, the orcs, before i
She swallowed hurriedly, barely chewing, and joined the girls in the one classroom they used. As things were, with so few brides, maybe there was no need for Ms. Garcia to renovate and open the west wing at all.
Mrs. Vane was a woman in her fifties. She taught history and anthropology in the city, and stopped by three times a week to teach the girls the little that was known about the orcs, their culture, traditions, politics, and the way their home world worked. Studies were being conducted and scientific articles published every week, not to mention the Internet was full of theories, some more outrageous than others. The orcs were on the news, on every single channel, but since not one of them wanted to talk to humans and volunteer the information they needed, the news mostly covered sightings and speculations – news hosts talking with scientists and self-declared experts in circles, day and night. It was all noise.
“We don’t know a lot about orcs at the moment, so we have to do our best,” Mrs. Vane was saying to Wanda when Silvie, Lila, and Dina entered the classroom. She gave them a smile and waited for them to take their seats. “We also have to exercise discernment when it comes to what we see on the news and everywhere online, use our wisdom, think for ourselves. We know very little about the orcs’ culture, and nothing about their spiritual beliefs. If they have any, that is. You’re the first brides, and you’re at a disadvantage. You will be chosen by orcs, and you will join their hordes. While we know they are ruthless on the battlefield, we have no idea how they are with their families and friends.”
“It’s weird to think of orcs as having family and friends,” Dina commented.
“We must assume they do. After all, they live in communities, and communities are all essentially the same, no matter if we talk about humans or aliens. But we don’t know exactly what their values and traditions are. They accept females as equals and warriors, but still, the hordes don’t have many females, which leads us to the assumption that most of their females tend to the home and the caring of children. Compared to orc females, you are very different. In size, physical strength, in what you can do and what you can’t. So, it’s natural to assume that once you join a horde, you will be expected to be submissive and follow orders rather than give them.” Murmurs rose at that, and Mrs. Vane pursed her lips and sighed. “I know, I know... Maybe I’m wrong, but I don’t think I am, so at the very least, proceed with caution. Orcs need human brides to give them offspring, so they can settle in this world and build families when theirs are outside their reach. It’s something that we want, too. If they have brides and children, they’ll be less inclined to start another war.”
“Breeding mares,” Wanda said.
“Not an elegant expression...”
“I don’t think what we’re doing here is supposed to be elegant.”
The girls started arguing, and after a few minutes, Mrs. Vane clapped her hands to get their attention.
“Okay, ladies, let’s focus now.”
They opened their notebooks and prepared to take notes when they heard a loud bang coming from the front yard. The teacher looked out the window. Heavy footsteps could be heard outside the door to the classroom, shouting, and more banging and clanging noises. The manager burst into the room followed close behind by the cook, and young woman in a pink apron.
“What’s going on?”
Ms. Garcia was breathing heavily. Her hair was disheveled, and a bruise was forming on her plump arm.
“We’re being attacked.”
“What?”
The girls jumped to their feet, hearts racing.
“The orcs are here,” Wanda whispered.
“No, that doesn’t make sense,” Silvie said.
“We have to get out of here,” the manager said. “Mrs. Vane, call the police! But we have to... we have to run.”
They all followed her out of the classroom and down the corridor. The noise was coming from the common room, where the attackers were destroying the furniture. They couldn’t go that way, so they ran in the opposite direction, and the only room where they could hide turned out to be the library. They ran inside and barricaded the door. Mrs. Vane was on the phone with the police.
“This can’t be happening,” Silvie mumbled. “This is an institute for orc tributes. We’re untouchable.”
“I can’t...” Lila started crying. “I can’t be a tribute anymore... If this is how they treat us...”
“It’s not the orcs,” Ms. Garcia whispered.
“What do you mean? I thought a horde...”
“It’s not an orc horde, it’s... men.” She stared at the bruise on her forearm in a daze. It was turning purple and tender. “Dressed in military uniform... They knocked down the front door and just barged in, dragged me out of my office, shouted at me... I don’t know what they want. I don’t know how I escaped...”
“Men? Our people, our military?” Silvie hugged Lila, trying to calm her down. “That makes even less sense.”
CHAPTER TWO
“Half an hour?”
“What?!”
“The police are coming in half an hour,” Mrs. Vane said, shaking like a leaf.
The institute was quite isolated, outside of the city area.
“We’ll be dead by then!”
“I don’t understand,” Lila cried. “Why would they do this?”
“Shh...” Silvie comforted her. She’d seen the worst that humans and orcs could do, and she knew that trying to use logic rarely yielded results. “We’ll talk to them. We’ll find out.”
“Don’t you think I tried that?” the manager said. “They didn’t listen!”
“Maybe they don’t know...”
“They know this is an institute for orc tributes. That’s why they’re here.”
Shouting came from behind the door. Someone tried to push it open, but the women had blocked it with the heavy wood desk. They all took a few steps backwards, staring at each other in terror. Silvie still thought this was all a misunderstanding, and if everyone just took a breath and communicated, they could diffuse the situation.
“Come out, ladies,” a man called out while the others laughed and banged on the door. “Come out, or we’ll make you! Whores!”
“Orc whores,” another man shouted, and then they all chanted the two words as they banged and banged on the door.
It went like that for a few minutes, and Silvie knew they were playing a cruel game, trying to get them as scared a possible. She focused on breathing calmly while Lila sobbed harder on her shoulder.
“We’ve come to liberate you,” they shouted. “Unless you don’t want to?” They laughed.
The window behind the women broke into a thousand shards that spilled onto the floor. They screamed and huddled together as two men in military gear jumped over the windowsill, eyes leering and grins showing full sets of white teeth.
“There you are, little orc whores. Did you think you could hide from us? We’ve come to free you.”
“Free us from what?” Silvie asked, willing her voice to be steady and firm. She wasn’t going to show them how scared she was.
One of the men spread out his arms mockingly. “From the terrible fate you’ve chosen.”
“You’re young and you don’t know what you’re doing,” the other one said.
“So young...”
They ignored the manager, the cook, and the teacher. Their eyes were on the four women, vulnerable like a herd of deer. The men from behind the door managed to break it open and push the desk aside. They were surrounded. When the soldiers lunged at them, they dispersed, each trying to escape, each thinking of herself.
Lila was snatched from Silvie’s arms, and two soldiers separated the staff from the tributes. Silvie tried to run, but one of the men grabbed her by the waist and pulled her back. She kicked her legs, then remembered the self-defense moves she’d learned years ago, at a free workshop her sister had dragged her to. She pushed back into him, thread one leg between his, and tripped him just enough to be able to turn and smack him in the nose with the heel of her hand. The guy shrieked and let go of her, and she ran out of the library and straight to the common room. She didn’t look back. The most important thing right now was to find help. She couldn’t help the others on her own. Even though the men were armed, they hadn’t opened fire, and hadn’t even threatened them with their guns. At the very least, their intention wasn’t to kill them.
