Page 30 of Grounded By Love
Her heart spiked a bit, but when they entered the tent he let go of her arm and stripped his armor and clothing off.
Claira’s eyes were glued to his chest, as he threw his armor and clothing into one of the tent’s corners. The sight before her made her tingle with excitement.
“Will you stare at me, or take a look at my infected wound?” Kaeldar’s voice broke into her thoughts.
Shaking her head, she felt a blush creep up her neck and face. He’d caught her staring! Claira rushed to grab some new cloth for a bandage.
After wrapping his wound with a new piece of cloth with fresh leaf paste, they both settled in for the evening. Claira made sure there was some space between them, as they slept. She didn't want to touch him, after how intimate the previous night had felt to her, and after he caught her eyeing his chest again.
Chapter 11
Claira’s eyes popped open, and she laid still, while trying to figure out why she had woken up in the middle of night. Was she never to get any sleep?
Turning over she checked on the rock giant. It was hard to see in the pitch-black dark, but her ears were able to pick up on his shallow breathing. Fear spiked through her, almost instantly.
She reached out a gentle hand to touch his forehead. His skin was slick with sweat and burning to the touch. Her heart rate spiked, as she felt her healing instinct kick into gear.
She ran out of the tent to collect some cool river water and returned to give it to him to drink. He sputtered, but she was insistent. She didn't want him to sweat so much that he became dehydrated.
Claira kept a watchful eye on him, until the early morning. When the fever still persisted, she went to grab more water to wash his skin. She would try anything to cool him down.
As the morning light spread through the forest, she whispered down to him. “I’ll be right back, but I need to find some herbs now that the sun has come up. I promise to be back as soon as possible.”
With that said she strode out to search the surrounding forest. She was looking for something to reduce his fever. Maybe even a plant to help numb any pain he might still be feeling.
Her luck was good. She soon found two of the three herbs she’d been searching for. But now she had to decide whether or not to search for the allusive third herb.
Claira decided it would be worth it, if she could find the last one. She made her way over the terrain of the forest. Head down as she searched the area.
Suddenly, a snort sounded through the brisk air. Claira’s head shot up, as she looked around with wide eyes. There in the distance were riders. She froze like a rabbit that spotted a hunter. It took her a few seconds to move her muscles again.
In a flash, she ducked behind a thick tree trunk. Her breathing shallow, she prayed with all her heart that her moment of freezing hadn't given them time to see her.
The sound of hooves approached, but they weren't galloping towards her so she hoped that meant they hadn't seen her.
Her heart beat against her rib cage. From the glance she’d caught of the riders, she knew they were rock giants. She feared the rock giants would be able to hear the beating of her heart. How could they not? It seemed so very loud to her own ears and her blood was pumping through her so quickly.
Claira peeked around the trunk, and then ducked back behind it. They were almost on top of her. Maybe they had seen her, and they were just toying with her.
Different scenarios played through her head, and she looked around frantically. She wanted to see if there was anything she could use to defend herself. She wasn't about to go down without a fight, even if it might be a losing battle.
She’d survived a burning, after all! Claira had a lot to live for.
But there was nothing around. There were no large branches she could use as a weapon. Instead, she was only able to stand there and wait as she listened to the rock giants approach.
On second thought, perhaps she shouldn't have gone looking for the third herb. She was now in a situation where she doubted Kaeldar would be able to help her, since he was currently laid up in their tent.
Maybe if she tried to explain about Kaeldar, maybe then she might be spared. Kaeldar told her most of the rock giants spoke the human language.
Then Claira rethought about that and decided she highly doubted any of them would care for her like Kaeldar had. They would just kill her and take Kaeldar back to their people. It wasn’t like Kaeldar was conscious anyways.
It was then that she realized she’d been so absorbed in her thoughts she hadn't been paying attention to where the rock giants were. Her spine went rigid, as she listened for them.
There was nothing. Only the birds and the insects could be heard. It was unfair how cheerful they sounded, while she was having a heart attack. Had the rock giants moved on and, if they had, in which direction had they gone?
Claira took a deep breath and peaked out from behind her tree. She saw nothing, except the forest around her. Yet she was still nervous to fully come out from behind the tree just in case the rock giant riders were lurking around somewhere.
Knowing there was nothing else for her to do, Claira stepped out from behind the tree and tensed. When no sounds of alarm rose up, she let out her breath. The rock giants had gone, but she had no idea where they’d disappeared. At least, she now knew they had definitely entered rock giant territory, and she’d be more careful about what she did, while Kaeldar wasn’t around.
