Captured by the Centaur (Filthy Monster Erotica Book 3) Read online

  Erica’s eyes lit up as a large figure approached, pushing his way through the rowdy crowd. He was an orc as far as she could tell. Tall and green, his skin was adorned with golden hooks and piercings, particularly through his nipples and across his upper chest and collarbones. He wore nothing but a leather loincloth and a dagger on his hips, giving her the best display of his attractive, muscular body.

  Eyeing the last few women in the cage, he noticed Erica’s obvious interest. “Do you like what you see, little human?” he purred.

  Erica nodded, licking her lips. Of course she liked what she saw, he wasn’t bad looking at all. In fact, for an orc he was rather handsome, especially since he looked a lot like a human male, which was more than ideal. Eager to be chosen, she scooted closer to the bars where he could touch her if he wanted, and gave him her best sultry look. If he wasn’t entirely on board, she hoped her enthusiasm would seal the deal.

  Her heart skipped several beats when he returned her heated gaze, eye fucking her like she was candy. He reached out to grope her breast. His touch was light and gentle as he caressed her and tweaked Erica’s nipple through her thin shirt. It was brazen of him, especially when he had yet to pay Narvis, but it was so much more than what she could have wished for. She was hoping for contact of some kind and here he was showing that he would possibly be a decent lover as well.

  “How much for this one?” he asked, finally calling to Narvis over the mob that had carried away almost all of the other women.

  Heavens, Erica even found his gravelly voice appealing, which turned her faint hope into real excitement.

  “Who?” Narvis replied, trying to see over the big males in his way.

  The handsome orc turned, pressing closer until the only thing separating them was the bars of her cell as he pointed her out.

  It took everything she had to hold back a happy squeal. She had been waiting for someone to select her for so long, it was beginning to feel like a dream. If she hadn’t been able to feel the heat of the orc’s body from where he stood against the side of the cage, she might have even pinched herself in disbelief.

  Shivering from the cold, she basked in his warmth and risked putting a soft hand on his shoulder. Amused, the orc grinned at her audacity.

  This can’t be real, she told herself as he winked at her. It just can’t be. No one wants anything to do with me, not once they get a good look at my ugly stumpy leg. She shook her head, trying to dislodge the self-pitying thoughts. Erica closed her eyes, silently whispering thankful prayers to whatever gods existed in the strange world.

  “That one? You want that one?” Narvis asked skeptically when he came around back and approached his customer, clutching his bag of coins. He shook his head, his only eye staring directly at Erica. “No, trust me, you don’t want that bitch. She’s foul-tempered, ugly and mutilated. Just look at her.”

  Erica let out a mortified squeak when Narvis shoved his arm through the bars and hiked up her skirt, revealing her injury. The orc’s gaze swung between her swollen, red stump to her face and back again. The sudden shock in his expression turned to disgust at the sight of her missing leg. Heart sinking, Erica forced back the tears that threatened to spill from her eyes. She hated this. She hated being alone even more than she hated being a whore.

  It was already bad enough she had such a hard time getting around, but it was downright horrifying how these creatures treated her once they knew of her imperfection. Like they were all that perfect and beautiful themselves, fucking hypocritical monsters.

  It shouldn’t have been a big deal. The only thing a whore needed was a fucking pussy and she sure as hell had one. She wasn’t useless and she wasn’t worthless, different maybe, but she still deserved love and affection as anyone else. Erica told herself this over and over, but it didn’t change the fact that for some reason her value disappeared the moment she’d lost half her leg.

  It was ridiculous.

  “No! Please pick me. I can still warm your bed!” she begged, mortified that her desperation had come to this despite how the orc proved to be just like all the others who came before him. Unkind, uncaring and completely unreasonable. She deserved better than this, better than him, but somewhere deep inside a dark voice whispered, you have to take what you can get and fight for what you want.

  Narvis let out a grunt of mean laughter and shook his head a second time. Then he leaned down and whispered so quietly that Erica was certain she was the only one to hear his voice and smell his putrid breath.

  “Not every male cares if a cunt has both legs, you know. I’ve turned away dozens of offers for you. You stupid human, I only keep you around so the others will see your punishment and misery. If you had learned your place sooner and not tried to escape, you could be enjoying yourself right now. Instead, I let you suffer and starve to keep the other cunts in line. The healer could have saved your leg and they all know it. They won’t ever try to escape now because they know I’ll do the same or worse to them.”

  “Fuck you Narvis and fuck you, you ugly green shit!” Erica spat vehemently, filled with so much rage and hatred, her body trembled as she glared at them. That voice in the shadows of her mind was right. If she wanted her life back, she needed to fight for it. She wanted was more than slavery, more than a pity fuck, and more than what she had been willing to settle for.

  “Don’t mind her, she’s just a jealous bitch,” Narvis replied, dismissing her in so few words. Then, he moved to the back of the wagon and opened the locks.

  “Clearly,” the orc muttered. “I find I would prefer a more docile female tonight.”

  “Neela, come,” Narvis barked, snapping his fingers. “This one is quite pleasant and docile. I’ve had her myself on many occasions.”

  “A discount for the insult from your troublesome whore?”

  “Of course good sir,” Narvis replied in a weaselly tone, glaring at Erica as he took the orc’s money.

  “You will regret that,” he uttered quietly.

  Neela didn’t even look Erica’s way as she was let out and carried off, into the cozy fucking inn no doubt, but she was no longer upset about being rejected or the fact that Narvis was pissed now. In fact, she actually felt kinda bad for Neela, who was a second choice and maybe wouldn’t be treated as well by the orc who claimed he enjoyed docile women.

  It was in that moment, when Erica was left all alone and unwanted as the horde of males surrounding her dissipated, that she decided this was not going to be her fate any longer. She was a person with feelings and needs, who deserved more than to be used as a plaything for some or a warning to others. One way or another, one leg or not, Erica was going to escape Narvis and his band of goblin guards. Even if it killed her, she was going to find a way.

  Chapter Two

  Erica

  In time, Erica fell asleep. Her body hurt from the cold and hunger she felt, but even those discomforts couldn’t keep her awake. Curling in on herself, she slept fitfully, only becoming vaguely aware of the comings and goings of the other women. After midnight, Narvis would lock the door for the last time and the women would finally be alone except for the guards. Maybe then they could all curl up together for warmth and get some real rest.

  Sometime in the middle of the night, Erica woke to the sound of excited whispers. Stiff as a board as she sat up, then stretched her arms over her shoulders and yawned—exhaustion and starvation still in the forefront of her mind. A gust of icy-cold air blasted into her, startling her awake with a small yelp and a full body shiver. When her eyes popped open, she was surprised at how dark it still was.

  "Shhh, you’ll wake them! You must be quiet!" Adriel scolded someone quietly.

  "Wake who?" Erica asked warily, now realizing how many of the others had returned, which was odd. She had been expecting to spend most of the night alone.

  Her stomach growled loudly, interrupting the silence. After throwing insults at Narvis, the ogre had refused to feed her. Figured he would be that mean-spirited. When no one res
ponded, Erica peered through the darkness around her, eyes widening in shock at the sight of three of the Fae, Neela, Uulula and Adriel, kneeling at the back of the wagon. Faint, sparkling magic seeped from their conjoined hands and merged into a lightly glowing haze that hovered in the air between them.

  “What are you doing?!” she whispered, quickly covering her mouth to muffle the rising pitch of her voice.

  “We’re breaking out!” Neela replied in a soft hiss, not shattering from the connection or her concentration as she spoke.

  Huddled next to the opening of their cage, they focused on the bulky old lock. They were trying to cast a spell to break it open. What Erica should have asked was how they were doing magic when it was constantly being drained out of them, bottled up and stored until Narvis could sell it to other beings to make talismans or potions.

  Erica’s mind imagined all the horrible things their master would do to punish them should he discover what the Fae were up to. The only other woman Erica knew of who had attempted to escape had met a terrible fate, far worse than her own. Just because he could, Narvis had sold Viola to a rotten, putrid swamp monster who looked more likely to eat the poor girl than fuck her. The creature’s smell alone was almost worse than Viola’s terrified shrieks as the beast carried her off into the distance. They never saw her again.This was bad, oh so bad.

  “Why are you doing this? He’ll kill us all if he catches you!” Erica warned them, as if they didn’t already know. Of course they knew the ramifications of their actions, they were the ones to comfort her when she had returned, injured and sick. They kept her sane after the healer took her infected leg, leaving her scarred and in pain.

  “He’s not going to!” Adriel replied in a hard, calculated tone.

  “And how do you figure that? Someone could come out at any moment and see what we’re up to. It’s not worth it. You know it’s not worth it! Narvis did this on purpose!” Erica pulled her skirt up and exposed her leg for dramatic effect, but the women were too busy to pay attention. “The damned guard will be here soon. You’re gonna get caught. I don’t want to see any of you get hurt.”

  “The guards are gone. They all went inside the tavern and got drunk after Narvis went to bed. Apparently they’re giving out free drinks. Don’t know why, but who the hell cares! It’s gotten them out of our way for a while. Adriel’s client was a little rough on her and he actually cracked her bracelet! Between the little bit of magic we all still have and the extra leaking from her, we have enough. This is our only shot. You of all people should understand we can’t keep living like this!” Uulula shot her a look over her shoulder.

  Erica couldn’t understand how the woman could be so calm and collected when their lives were at stake. The risk they were taking was tremendous and if Narvis came back before they escaped, it wasn’t just their lives that would be in jeopardy. Everyone would be blamed and punished.

  With worries and doubts clamoring through her, Erica ultimately decided she couldn’t allow them to get caught. They were all she had and after everything they had been through, they needed to stick together. If that meant supporting them in their suicidal attempt to escape, then so be it. Count her in.

  “You’re right. We need to get out of this hell hole,” Erica said, her vigilant eyes roaming in every direction, scrutinizing each shadow. “I’ll keep watch, just make it quick before anyone can notice what’s happening.”

  “That’s the plan.”

  Erica vaguely heard the reply, she was too focused on the open street now to think about who was talking. All she cared about was making sure everything was quiet, and if it didn’t stay that way, she could alert the others. As with any town and settlement they visited, there were always taverns with drunkards stumbling about all hours of the day and night. It was no problem, so long as they kept to themselves and didn’t come in the direction of the caravan.

  The street briefly lit up in front of the tavern as someone made their exit.

  “Someone’s coming!” Erica urgently whispered, her eyes narrowing on the shadowy figure coming their way. Light shone on his face as he passed by a window. It was the orc from earlier, drunkenly wobbling down the street. Was he coming back for a second round with Neela?

  “Just don’t let them see us! We’re almost done, any moment now!” Adriel assured her.

  “Just make it quick, I can’t stop him if he comes this way!” Erica whispered as quietly as she could, worried that the orc would see them and sound an alarm. She breathed a small, relieved sigh when the orc turned toward an alley, his hands fumbling at his loincloth as he went. He must be going for a piss, Erica realized.

  “Done!” Adriel exclaimed. The lock cracked, the sound loud in the night as it clanked against the bars and then thudded to the ground.

  The orc’s eyes shot up at the noise and he spotted her leaning against the bars of the cage and staring at him. Suspicious, he stepped toward them. If he came any closer, he might see the broken lock on the ground.

  Erica did the only thing she could think of. She pulled herself up to stand and yanked up her skirt, flashing her legs for him. “Come on honey, I knew you’d come back! You know you want a taste of the crippled human!”

  Bleary recognition lit up his face and he grumbled something so low she couldn’t hear it. He still looked disgusted at the sight of her bad leg, but didn’t tear his eyes away. Long, tense moments passed where she was uncertain what he was going to do. He wavered, looking unsure as if he was going to take her up on her offer. Worry shot through her. There was no way she would enjoy being with someone who’d been such a dick to her already. Not to mention if he really wanted her, he’d have to find Narvis and then their jig would be up.

  Eventually, his lip curled up in distaste and he turned away. Erica exhaled a deep sigh of relief as she watched the orc shaking his head while he departed. Whirling around, she faced Adriel, who was now pushing the door open and jumping out. Following her, Neela and Uulula jumped out as well, then the other two Fae climbed down. Erica’s eyes popped out. They did it! They honestly did it!

  Adriel held out her hand and urged Erica to follow. “Come on, let’s go!”

  “Go without me! I’ll only hold you back!” Erica shook her head. Water welled in her eyes. No matter how much she wanted out, going with her friends would ruin their chance of escape. She couldn’t run and they couldn’t carry her for long.

  “Nonsense, we’re in this together!” Neela said, her eyes begging Erica to follow.

  “What about the others?” Erica asked, looking back over her shoulders to the inn behind her. If they left now, they wouldn’t be able to save them.

  “We all agreed long ago, that if anyone had the opportunity to escape, to do it. We can’t wait for them, we’ll lose our only chance. They’ll understand,” Adriel stated, keeping her arm extended.

  “The others will understand, you have to believe me. They would. They may find a way out too, and if they don’t, we can come back with help and save them, but we can’t do that if we get caught. So, are you coming with us or do you want to be treated like shit by Narvis for the rest of your life?!” Uulula said, arguing her point with conviction.

  Erica knew what she’d said was true. Narvis would never let her live it down if she stayed. She’d forever be the one to blame for losing some of his best whores. Nodding, she crawled toward the Fae, clasped on to Neela and Adriel’s hands and climbed out with their assistance.

  With no time to lose, Uulula and the other females ran up ahead, using what little of their magic they had left to cloak their escape. Adriel and Neela kindly wrapped their arms around Erica’s waist, bearing the brunt of her weight as they made their way out of the village as fast as Erica could go. Waiting for them at the treeline, the others wasted no time crafting torches to light their way. They weren’t anything spectacular, but some light was better than none.

  As she hobbled into the dark woods, Erica peered over her shoulder one final time. The wretched wagon she’d liv
ed in for so long came into view and she said a silent prayer of hope for the others. She wasn’t sure if they’d ever make it back to help them, but she hoped so. They deserved their freedom too. All of them did.

  After hobbling through the forest for a while, Neela suddenly ran off. The beautiful Fae woman returned moments later with a thick branch nearly as long as she was tall. Together, she and Adriel snapped it in half and then cast another weak spell to reshape the wood into a set of primitive crutches. With a kind smile, they held them out to her. Squealing with delight, Erica lunged for the three of them, nearly falling over before she wrapped her arms around them and hugged them tight.

  “You have no idea how much this means to me,” she said, teary eyed.

  “We can’t grow your leg back, but we can do this for you,” Neela said, hugging her back.

  Sniffling now, Erica rubbed her eyes and wiped her nose with the back of her hand. A thought popped into her mind and she suddenly asked, “Even with Adriel’s broken shackle, how did you even manage to do it? I thought Narvis syphoned all your magic?”

  “That’s what we wanted him to believe.” Uulula held up a small charm for her to see. “But what he didn’t know was, I stole one of his trinkets after he had me in his bed one night and while he was draining our magic, we used it to store up what he couldn’t take. It’s not much, but it’s enough to keep us alive until we can get these stupid bracelets off completely and our magic is released. For that, we’ll need to find more Fae. Only with their power can we be fully restored.”

  “Then let’s go!” Erica said.

  She was willing to do whatever it took to help her friends and if that meant traveling to the ends of this strange world, she would gladly join them in a heartbeat. Without them, she wouldn’t have had her freedom back or crutches to help her walk. She might have even died from the infection in her leg without them as well. But most important of all, without them and their support, she’d be all alone.