The Orc Who Came Inside Part 1: The Gay Orc in the Alley

Part 1 of a new stand-alone story set in the Claimed universe.

Cal, a broke student scraping by in the rainy streets of Seaside City, never expected his quiet life to be upended by a bleeding, near-naked orc warrior stumbling through a mysterious portal and collapsing at his feet.

Brok, a half-orc warrior from another place, crashes into Cal’s life in every sense of the word—towering, muscled, and dripping with blood and mystery. Nursing the half-orc back to health in his cramped apartment, Cal tries to ignore the magnetic pull of Brok’s primal intensity and impossibly endowed physique. But close quarters and mutual curiosity spark a connection neither of them can resist.

Told in dual perspectives, The Orc Who Came Inside weaves a slow-burn romance fueled by stolen glances and hesitant touches, where simmering tensions build to an ecstatic awakening that will test the limits of Cal’s desires and Brok’s restraint.

With Brok’s homeland calling him back and Cal’s life weighed down by unrelenting struggles, an unexpected ice storm pauses Cal’s world. Will the fiery bond they’ve forged withstand winter’s bluster, or will it burn out before it can become something more? When the city shuts down and isolates them indoors, they are forced to find out. Regardless of what happens between them, when fire meets ice, there will be steam.

A stand-alone new story set in Richard Bateman’s Claimed universe, The Orc Who Came Inside crescendos into a sensual, explosive climax of feral lust, passion, and maybe, just maybe love.

Brok comes inside in more ways than one—first into Cal’s home, then into his heart.