The Troll Bride

by S. J. Sanders

  My landlord barely tolerates the fact I have an active child in my apartment. He’s definitely not going to let me bring home the eight-week-old Great Dane pup that Boukie clung to with big tear-filled eyes. It took a solemn oath, extracted with a pinky swear, that we would get a puppy when we had a bigger place to live for Boukie to finally part from the wiggling mass of dogs.

  All it took was two messages from Jake as I was leaving PetSmart with Boukie to make me go from nervous to full-on scared. One to say that he’d been researching the matter and things were worse than I’d thought, and the second to verify that I’m coming over tonight.

  Is this it? My best friend is going to have to leave. Who knows if I’ll ever see her again? And then there’s Cavek. There’s a certain finality about things when I think of him that leaves a sinking feeling in my stomach. I miss Sammi already, but I’m having a hard time even imagining that I’ll never have the chance to see Cavek again. Even if by some miracle I manage to stay in touch with Sammi, she lives in the orc village, not among the trolls.

  What I have tonight will likely be all I will ever have with him.

  I’m not stupid. I know that our relationship has no future. It’s lust born of natural curiosity and not much else. Truthfully, we haven’t even had the opportunity to begin a relationship, really. Now everything is coming to a swift end. It makes no sense that I even care. Even Boukie seems to be subdued with some innate understanding that things weren’t quite right.

  To my mortification, I can barely keep my tears in check when I gracelessly shove the tiny kitten into my best friend’s hands. She looks at it for a long moment and then Sammi also has to try not to cry. Luke’s assurances that he’ll help us exchange letters every month is the only thing that finally allows us to pull ourselves together. This cross-dimensional shit isn’t really going to separate us much. It’ll just be like the old days when people had to wait weeks for mail carriers.

  The good old days, when people traveled by covered wagons... Fuck.

  Despite the serious nature of the occasion, everyone is doing their best to keep their spirits high. The boys are roughhousing in the yard, and everyone is loud and boisterous. Despite all the noise, Boukie is already passed out in Orgath’s arms, and I find myself searching for and meeting the eyes of Cavek.

  Everything in me screams to be bold and daring... and then completely fails. Since when am I timid around men? Apparently, since now. I wipe my sweaty hands on the sides of my jeans and step back into the safety of the house.

  I crack open one of Lucy’s fruity wine coolers and lean against the kitchen counter, watching as Sammi sits beside her hulking mate and leans forward to whisper something into his ear that makes the male grin.

  I smile at the sight. Sammi deserves a good guy.

  “They look happy,” a familiar deep voice says behind me.

  I resist the urge to turn around and look at Cavek. The male doesn’t give up, though, and he reaches forward to set his hand upon mine. I look down at the long green finger tipped with curved black claws and feel a flutter in my belly at the contrast of his larger hand over my much smaller one. His other hand settles on the counter, on the other side of me, and I can feel his breath hot on my neck as if he’s drawing in my scent. My mouth goes dry but somehow, I manage to turn and face him in the cage of his arms.

  I pointedly glance down at his arms and raise my eyebrows at him. Cavek leans back slightly, a wicked smile curving his dark lips and showing a hint of his fangs, but he doesn’t release me.

  I take a long sip from my drink, allowing the tart flavors to flow over my tongue as study the features and colors of his intriguing face. He pulls off purple and green better than Jack Nicholson in Batman, and that was an intriguing combination.

  “They do,” I say in agreement. “I don’t know Orgath very well, but I know Sammi deserves every bit of the happiness she’s found with him.”

  Cavek tilts his head and eyes me with curiosity.

  “Even though he’s not human?”

  I shrug. “Perhaps human is overrated.”

  His laughter is almost like a purr, and his amethyst eyes sparkle at me in the dim lighting.

  “And what do you deserve, Kate?” he drawls.

  “At this point in my life, I can’t be worried about what I want or deserve. I had that chance, but now I have Boukie. What I need is to find what’s best for her.”

  He turns his head to look at Boukie, his long lavender hair brushing my cheek as he does so. I inhale the complex scent of him as the hairs tickle my nose. Cavek nods his head as he considers my words.

  “I can understand that. Trolls value children above all other things. We are notorious for making off with abandoned babes we find at the borders of our woods and raising them among our own young. The needs of children must always be a priority.”

  He glances down at me, his expression earnest. “But that doesn’t mean that they replace our needs as individual beings. That we neglect our own happiness.”

  I have no idea what to say to counter that, so instead I ask, “What do you deserve then, Cavek? What will make you happy?”

  “Something and someone to call my own,” he replies so seriously I know he’s not just shamelessly flirting or being his usual cavalier self. “I am the youngest of many children and most everything and everyone in my life I have had to share with siblings. I want my own home. My own family. A mate,” he clarifies slowly.

  A grin spreads on his face, breaking the solemnity of the moment. “And if that gets my mother off my back, all the better.”

  I laugh in relief.

  “Ah, yes, matchmaking mothers. I take it this is a problem among trolls too then?”

  Cavek shudders.

  “Troll mothers are the worst of all species on Ov’Gorg. They want all their children to be mated and producing trollbies to fill their arms. The bigger the family, the happier the troll.”

  “So all the mating and making babies are to please your mothers?” I giggle, finishing the wine cooler with a gulp.

  His smile widens. “I wouldn’t quite say that. What I feel for you right at this moment certainly has nothing to do with my mother.”

  “Oh... Well, I’m relieved to hear it,” I say in a breathy voice, excitement stirring in my breast. I lick my lips. I have no idea how long Boukie is going to stay asleep, but this feels like a now or never moment.

  Everything within me is on board. He’s sweet, funny... and I can’t forget deadly. He’s the epitome of the bad boy who every nineties teen lusted over—the one who a good number of grown women still lust over, if they’re being honest with themselves.

  My eyelashes drift down as I peer at him, my pussy clamoring for attention.

  “Seeing how we’re both on the same page... it wouldn’t hurt to indulge ourselves,” I say.

  “A most excellent idea,” he leans in and whispers. My skin tingles with excitement from the brush of his breath on my ear seconds before his tongue sweeps out to trace the rounded edge, so different from the long and narrow taper of his own ears.

  I feel his arms wrap around me and he lifts me off my feet as his hot lips plaster to my neck. Without ceremony, he carries me into the guest room and gently deposits me on several thick blankets stretched out over the floor.

  I have the feeling that this is where he sleeps. The blankets smell of him, wondrously so. I wonder if Lucy would notice if I snuck one of them out after he leaves. My heart lurches at the thought of him leaving.

  Before I can dwell on it, my mind drifts along with the onslaught of passion he raises within me with every kiss and nip he delivers upon my skin.

  My hands seem to belong to a wild, unreasonable creature as I pull the lacings of his shirt free and, with his eager assistance, yank it off Cavek’s muscular torso. My fingers trail down his perfectly defined abs, exploring with wonder until I arrive at the laces holding his pants shut. I unlace these as well and am barely patient enough for him to shuck them before I take the
length of him in my greedy hands.

  The breath empties out of my lungs as I gaze upon his sex. It’s two shades darker in hue and studded all up the length with tiny, knobby bumps. The head is thick and only slightly tapered, making it appear even bigger. But that’s not what makes my mouth drop open. The tip of it is pierced in a reversed prince albert. I’ve never seen one in the flesh before, much less been with a man who had his dick pierced. My mouth goes dry and my pussy dampens further, imagining the feel of it sliding within me.

  Cavek’s deep chuckle is my only warning before I’m swept against him once more, his head lowering so he can consume my mouth with his as we rub belly-to-belly, pelvis-to-pelvis.

  I know instinctively that his passion is running as high as mine. There will be no foreplay, no clever touches designed to drive each other out of our minds. There’s only the mindless frenzy of need. I relish, welcome, and anticipate the wild rush of our coming together.

  His cock rubs against my folds twice before he delves deep into me, my pussy clenching against the thick intrusion of him. He gives me space to adjust, but the moment I squirm with rebuilding passion he thrusts into me, grinding deeply at each pass. My breath comes in pants as he builds our tempo, our hips colliding against each other in nature’s unbridled affirmation of life.

  Each thrust is so deep I feel it all through me as if he’s determined to become a part of me. Gods help me, I want that too. I want to keep him inside me and never let him go.

  He pulls my legs up to give him better leverage and thrusts deeper and faster into me. I can barely keep up with him as I rock my hips in time with his rhythm. Sweat pours off us, mingling in the places we touch. Cavek growls over me, the volume increasing as his pace does, until I hear a loud rumble echoing in the room as he lifts me flush against him and pounds at an inhuman speed into me.

  I throw my head back, prepared to scream as my orgasm rips through me, but my cries are swallowed as Cavek descends upon my mouth again, thrusting his long tongue into my mouth. To my surprise, this takes my orgasm even further and I tremble with its intensity before we crash back down to Earth again, our bodies sliding off each other as we fall onto the blankets.

  “Wow...” I breathe.

  “Indeed,” he murmurs as he turns ever so slightly to kiss the top of my head.

  Chapter 5

  Cavek

  She’s not coming. The realization dawns as we mount and prepare to leave in the early hours with the light barely cresting over the mountains. As everyone loads onto their mounts, I glance down the road every so often, hoping to catch sight of Kate’s small red transport. I do not even realize that I am being obvious until I meet the sympathetic gaze of Bodi from where he sits on his massive delfass.

  I stare morosely down at the thick fur of my mount as my heart sinks into the pit of my stomach. I know she is my bloodbond, but I have to wonder if she feels so little of it that it’s easy for her to dismiss me from her life. We shared amazing passion, and my entire being yearns for her. Maybe she doesn’t feel anything.

  The whole thing leaves a sour taste in my mouth.

  I’m a troll; I’m a warrior and a prince. I am powerful. I am not used to feeling uncertain and vulnerable. I don’t like it. I resolve to harden my heart and take what is mine, but then my heart leaps pathetically in my chest like that of an eager youth when I see her vehicle pull up.

  My entire world narrows down to my female as she runs to me, Boukie in her arms. I can hear the scoffing sounds coming from Erra. She’d been the only one I had confided my anxiety to as we were preparing to leave. She’d assured me then that Kate would come, though I didn’t hide my doubt over her conviction.

  She has every reason to scoff at me now that she is proven right, and I will not hold it against her that she enjoys her victory.

  I slide off my borrowed delfass and enclose my arms around them, breathing in the sweet smells of my females, my mate, and my daughter. Kate’s soft body clings to me and tears dampen my cheek where it is pressed against hers. Boukie’s arms slide around my neck, anchoring me to her. Determination solidifies within me.

  This is my family. I have to leave for now with Orgath as promised, but I will return for them.

  Kate pulls back, her eyes red and swimming with tears as she sets a hand on my arm. “I’m going to miss you,” she whispers, her lips curving into a bittersweet smile. “Promise me I’ll see you again someday.”

  I can’t help but smile. My sweet Kate doesn’t realize just how soon and forever that will be. I nod my head once and gently unwind Boukie from around me, her cries dying down into pitiful whimpers as she stares at me from her mother’s arms.

  Kate takes her from me before reaching up one hand to grab a thick lock of hair, pulling my head down to her as she stands on her toes so that her lips may capture mine. The kiss is sweet, a promise of things to come the next time we meet.

  With a final shaky smile, Kate squeezes Boukie to her and walks back to her car. As she leans against the car, Kate still watches me, as I watch her. I mount the delfass once again, never breaking my focus from her. In the final moments of this gray morning neither of us wish to take our eyes off the other. This moment will have to last until I am able to return, so I do not wish to waste even a second of it.

  Not even when Orgath gives the command do I take my eyes from my mate. I squeeze my legs around my mount’s thick torso and he obediently follows behind the other delfass mounted by the orcs. In time, she becomes a blurry outline, and there is a strange moisture in my eyes that I scrub out impatiently. Then finally all I can see is the bright red outline of her car before that too is swallowed into the distance.

  KATE

  My heart beats painfully as I watch the giant felines disappear from sight carrying away my best friend and the one guy who was able to completely turn my world upside down. I bite my lip.

  I never should have slept with him. Now that I have, I can’t bear the thought of any other man touching me. Not only do I doubt anyone could ever measure up, everything within me is repulsed by the idea. Cavek will go on with his life and find a troll princess or something to settle down with. This inspires foreign feelings of hostility. Instead of my usual post-fling apathy, the very idea of Cavek finding a nice troll lady to settle down with makes me grind my teeth together.

  I’m not the type to get jealous over other women, especially not over such a brief encounter. I’ve never seen the sense in women fighting over men, nor have I cried over a cheating scumbag. It’s always been so easy to cut men out of my life, so why is it this hard to say goodbye to Cavek?

  “Don’t worry, Mommy. Cavek is gonna come back for us,” Boukie says softly.

  I look over at her and furrow my brow.

  “What do you mean, baby?”

  “He says he’s coming back,” she says into my shoulder, half-asleep. “He says Imma gonna be a troll princess for reals.” She finishes on a yawn just before she falls back to sleep.

  I sigh and remain silent. Later, we can have the talk about how grown-ups sometimes say things that aren’t true to make parting easier and to bring a little bit of happiness. But that won’t be today.

  Today, she watched Cavek leave us.

  Today, she can enjoy her dream that someday he’ll return for us and she’ll get to be a troll princess.

  Chapter 6

  Cavek

  Days have gone by since I have seen my bloodbond and instead of initiating my plan to abscond with her, I am once again trying not to sigh as my father frowns at me from his throne. His heavy brow is furrowed with obvious displeasure, all because I said I didn’t have time to go with my older brother Serus and fight the northern werewolf tribe bordering our territory.

  I really don’t see what the problem is. Serus is more than capable, as he likes to remind me, and I have more important things that require my attention. Like my mate, for instance. It’s not like I didn’t turn him down politely.

  My mother sighs on her gnarled wooden t
hrone at his side, giving voice to my feelings at this moment but for an entirely different reason. She doesn’t like it when my father’s plans for me conflict with hers. Her schemes have never been pleasant, so I’m not particularly eager for either option.

  I just want to get this over with so I can return to my female.

  Mother taps her fingers impatiently on the arm of her throne. The dress she wears is the most hideous pink masterpiece I believe I’ve ever seen created by the local pixie hive. I don’t blame the pixies. Their textiles are the best in all of the Middling Way Kingdom. No, it’s my mother’s sense of taste and doubtless colorblindness at fault.

  An emerald green troll in such a brilliant shade of pink is... unsettling.

  Unfortunately, it’s her favorite color and she insists everything for her be made in some variation of the hue. Her lavender hair hangs loose over her shoulders and down her back. Only a troll going into battle will bind their hair, and Mother prides herself on having the wildest locks.

  Father rubs his brow as he scowls. I am always the disappointment for our father. I learned to fight—and learned it well—to make him proud. Truthfully, I enjoy a good brawl for the fun of it like most trolls. However, when it comes to actual problems, I am not so quick to think that brute force is the only way to deal with it.

  I have been trying for months to get Father to agree to seek peace talks with the werewolf tribes who border our kingdom to no avail. He only sees my suggestions as a sign of weakness. Trolls don’t back down from fights. If another being wants a fight, trolls gladly oblige and make them regret it.

  “Cavek, enough!” he growls. “Enough of this gallivanting around already. You have duties at home that you have yet to tend to. I know you enjoy playing envoy when the opportunity arises, but it is time to take your responsibilities seriously. Appease your mother, take a mate, and defend our territories. It is not a difficult thing we ask, Cavek.”