CLAIMED BOOK 3
Gurth and Budd are now sealed in marriage.
Nature – or perhaps an Orcish god – has intervened. The human threat from the west has been quelled – for now.
Gurth’s bonded brother Kuroth was injured in battle and lingers at the brink of death. This does not diminish the passion Gurth and Budd feel for one another now that their bond has been sealed in the ritual of Gul’Darak. They cannot keep their hands off of one another, taking their relationship to new depths. They hope that their passion will awaken Kuroth to health.
Though not brothers by blood, Gurth and Kuroth’s fraternity overshadows anything Budd experienced in the realms of humans. Budd fears that Gurth and Kuroth will not fulfill their pact to survive battle long enough to enter Budd’s rear entrance simultaneously. Budd does not wish for his mate to live with this regret.
As a last ditch effort, the tribal shamans are called to feed Kuroth the venom of a sacred rattlesnake to restore his vitality. If an orc does not die in glorious battle, the second best option is to return to the site of his greatest battle to die. There, he will join the souls of his fallen comrades in eternal hedonistic ecstasy.
There, at the end of the scablands, the ghosts of fallen Orcish warriors “bless” Budd in his sleep and grant him the sigil of death to summon in battle. Jirrak, Gurth’s loyal worg shapeshifter, attains a fearsome new form that will prove useful in the battles ahead. Kuroth attains the power of shamanic foresight. He sees war on the horizon and Budd faces a difficult choice: is his love and physical passion for Gurth enough to overcome his desire for peace? Is it enough to overcome his desire to live his old life of peaceful hunting, drinking, and revelry? He wishes nothing more than to live that life with Gurth in it, but he does not desire violence. Will Kuroth survive long enough to fulfill his pact?
The secretive human cultists from the eastern nation of Cordalian appear once more from the shadows. They have not been seen since they destroyed and burnt Gurth and his brethren’s home during the orcs’ youth. Do they seek vengeance for the many that were slain at the hands of Gurth and his brothers? Ships from Budd’s homeland in the verdant west have been seen braving the treacherous shipwreck coast, seemingly hoping to forge an unholy alliance with the eastern nations.
Lastly, and even more importantly, Kuroth sees two diverging paths: will Budd start a family with Gurth? Budd learns why he has never seen a female orc. Will he be the first human to participate in the Orcish fertility rite and bear a child, or will he cut his losses and brave the mountains alone?
The chieftain is aging, and soon, the measuring will be called. Will Gurth’s length and girth stand up to his tribesmen? Will he claim his place at the head of the tribe? With war on the horizon, the tribe must be united, and a decision must be made quickly.