Brenna's POV

I shook my head, trying to clear the thoughts coursing through my mind. I turn toward the door and charge. As I am about to crash through the door, my foot catches on my dress, causing me to trip. My body flails through the door only to smack into something rock hard.

All I can hear at this point is the whooshing of my blood in my ears and the poker I was wielding clattering to the floor. In all the chaos, I barely noticed the two burly arms enveloping me, keeping me upright. For a moment, I freeze again to take in my current situation.

His arms hug me against the largest, bare chest I have ever seen. My blood ran cold. I slowly lift my eyes to meet his. My lips parted. His eyes lacked feeling or remorse. They were an odd array of dark brown, green, and burnt umber. The heat of his body burrowed through me like a furnace, melting my bones. What would he do to me?

I stood frozen, staring into his eyes in a trance for a few moments. He was a different Orc than the one who had escorted me to the room. This Orc that now had me in his grip was larger than the other, at least by a few inches. I quickly took in his face. He and the other Orc didn't look anything close to the illustrations shown in my kingdom. He didn't look much different from a human male.

His complexion was cool in comparison. He wasn't necessarily pale, but he had a grayness about him. The patterns in his irises were different somehow; they were less uniform and chaotic. His brow bone was a bit more prominent and masculine. I had seen some men with this bone structure too. I thought it made them appear to be more brute.

There were only two major differences between his face and a human's face. The first difference was the two prominent teeth on his lower jaw. They reminded me of boar tusks, but they only protruded from his mouth by maybe a centimeter, no more than at least half an inch. His lips otherwise looked normal. They looked soft and had a strong cupid's bow.

The other indication was his ears. They looked pointed, like wolf ears, and were the same color as his skin. I imagine they would look similar to the Elves since Orcs originated from their race. I also noticed a few ornate metal rings pierced through the cartilage. Suddenly, I realized his expression had changed.

"Oh gods, How long had I stared at him," I wondered. One of his thick eyebrows raised, expressing concern as he looked back into my eyes. The corner of his lip curled slightly, causing his expression to soften. I soon realized I had my hands on his bare broad chest. I wasn't the shortest of women, but the top of my head was level with his nipples.

I jumped back slightly due to embarrassment because my hands were on his bare body. I could feel my cheeks flush. I noticed one last thing about him before he opened his mouth to speak. His right shoulder was clearly injured. I wasn't sure how he was injured; because there were blood-soaked gauze wrapped around it and his upper chest.

"Are you alright, woman?" His voice rumbled, but it was clear that he attempted to speak gently to me.

"His voice was so deep," I thought to myself.

"You don't need to be afraid of me or the others. You are not a prisoner here."

I tried to speak, but my mouth was so dry that my voice cracked. "Then why was I taken from my home and brought here?" I said shakily

He paused like he was deciding on what he would say. "I only wished to protect you. It's not the time to discuss why. It is very late, and I don't want to upset you more than you already are." He said admittedly.

"Why should I believe him? He seemed so sincere that it was difficult not to." I thought to myself.He looked more gently at me this time before speaking. "I just came to check on you to see how you were fairing and if there was anything I could do to make you more comfortable." He said pleading

"I would be more comfortable at home," I said, arguing back.

He huffed in frustration. "That is not something I can and am willing to give you right now. I can't allow you to leave, not yet at least."

I could feel the anger surge inside me. I was angry at my father for allowing these Orruk to take me. I didn't understand what had occurred for him to be in a position to feel this was his only choice. I felt angry from the confusion and fear storming through my mind.

"Then there is nothing else you can do to accommodate me," I said boldly before trying to slam the door on him.

Before the door could shut, his large boot jutted out, stopping the door.

"Who does he think he is," I thought to myself.

He leaned over and picked up the poker from the floor. He entered the room and walked over to the fireplace. He kneeled to light it with the poker still in his grip. He studied me for a moment like he wanted to say something but chuckled and turned back to the flames in front of him.

He then placed the poker into the flames and held it there until it glowed red. He stood up with it in his hand and walked toward me. The hair on my body stood on end.

"Remove my bandages, will you?" He ordered. I hesitated, but he caught my eyes with his commanding gaze. I gently unwrapped the gauze revealing a large puncture that barely missed his shoulder blade and went through to the other side.

"May I ask why you laughed," I said.

He paused, "I just recalled seeing you dash out the door wielding this thing. Were you planning on taking out the entire horde with nothing put a poker?" He grinned. "You are quite the little warrior. I took it as cute. You must have bigger balls than your father."

Before I could protest, he looked over at the hole on his chest and lifted the poker to it. He pressed the red hot tip onto it, instantly cauterizing it. The stench of burnt flesh stung my nose. He reached above his head and somehow managed to do his back. I stared in horror. The only sign of pain he showed was scrunching the bridge of his nose.

There was a light knock at the door before it opened. "Here is your meal, my lady." A sugary voice announced.

I halted with my mouth gaping open. He turned to me and placed the poker in my hands before heading out the door.

"Goodnight, princess." then he was gone.