Page 26 of Winter's Scorching Kisses
Chapter 7
Mathar closed his eyes and sucked in the warm air around them. It was strange for him not to be high in the mountains with the cold surrounding him, caressing him, comforting him. He opened his eyes and looked at the ground, which was covered in emerald green grass. It covered the ground as far as the eye could see, and it was a rare sight where he hailed.
It was most definitely time he moved to the lower valleys where the farmers worked and built a cabin where he could experience more than one season in a year. It was an appealing idea he was toying with. All he had to do was get his hands on a plot of land.
He strode over to his horse.
Adorra didn’t look convinced that what he was saying was true. He wished Jasmine would’ve been able to come with him, but of course, she’d be pregnant when she demanded he find her sister and bring her to the castle. Humans never made things easy. If they did, then Jasmine wouldn’t require her sister’s presence. She’d just marry Dryden in her silly ceremony and let her sister be.
But that was for Jasmine and Adorra to work out.
Mathar didn’t see this being a happy family reunion. He got the feeling Adorra wanted to see her sister, but wouldn’t have wanted to be kidnapped by ice giants. And he definitely didn’t think Adorra would believe her sister was living with ice giants willingly.
Jasmine had once told him that getting pregnant was taboo among her people when it happened out of wedlock. Even when Dryden had jumped in and insisted they were married, she kept arguing they weren’t married in her culture though. She just had to be married before the babe was born.
He rolled his eyes.
He wasn’t sure if he didn’t follow her logic because she was human or because she was female. It wasn’t like he’d dealt with too many females unless it involved a little rough play in the sheets.
And that was how they all ended up here. Because Jasmine needed her sister by her side when she got married.
He rolled his eyes again. At least he wasn’t alone in thinking it was ridiculous, because Adorra was most definitely on his side in this matter. She couldn’t even fathom her sister getting married to an ice giant. It was that absurd.
And then there was Lord Gothar.
Mathar could see this all going downhill once Adorra found out it had been her own sister who’d ordered the death of her husband. That piece of information was on Dryden and Jasmine. He wasn’t going to utter a single word about his involvement.
Just as they left him out of all the drama. That was all he cared about. He didn’t need drama in his life. Otherwise, he would spend more time in the castle with all the gossipers. He just hoped Jasmine would be able to convince her sister she was actually happy. Otherwise, this blissful union wouldn’t be so blissful.
When the ice giant burst back into the tent, Adorra didn’t make a peep despite the fact that his sudden re-appearance caused her heart to flutter away in fright. Now that the shock of her kidnapping was over, she was able to admit she hadn’t reacted well when she’d first seen him. She was calmer now, and she didn’t feel the need to scream her head off like a complete lunatic.
Instead, Adorra watched him silently as he strode toward her, his long legs eating up the ground between them. His tan leather pants were something different, but he did look good in them. Although she would’ve expected his clothing to be a bit thicker since he hailed from the deep mountains.
He stopped in front of her, and she craned her neck back to gaze up at him. She would have gotten to her feet to take away his height advantage, but she couldn’t manage it with her hands tied behind her back. She was useless without her hands unless she wanted to roll around.
Reaching down, he wrapped his strong fingers around her arm and yanked her to her feet. Her mouth popped open in a startled gasp at the sudden movement. His grip was a bit tight, but she gritted her teeth and ignored it.
“A little rough, but thank you.” It felt good to be back up on her slippered feet. It made her feel a little less powerless around him.
He leaned towards her face until they were nose to nose. “Go stand outside and do not run off. You won’t get far, and you’ll piss me off. I’m only under orders to bring you back. They said nothing about what condition you should be in when we arrive.”
Adorra gazed into his bottomless obsidian eyes, wondering if he was telling the truth about causing her harm. Of course, he was! How could she even wonder? He was a ruthless killer, a giant. If she gave him a reason to torture her, she was confident he would take it and relish every single scream of pain.
Her head bobbed up and down, as she gave him a firm nod.
“Good. Now get out.” He turned away from her, as he gathered up the covers inside the tent.
Adorra didn’t want to take orders from him, but she wasn’t in a position to refuse. Even if her hands weren’t still tied behind her back, she couldn’t imagine being able to refuse anything that he demand she do.
She stomped towards the tent flaps and pushed them aside with a shoulder as she walked outside. Then she took a moment to glance around the area.
He’d already begun to take her high into the mountains. Towering pine trees surrounded them, almost looking bushy with their pine needle laden branches. Large boulders dotted the grassy terrain. She had to be about a days ride from the manor.
A horse snorted nearby, but she ignored its temptation. It wouldn’t do her any good with her hands tied… and the ice giant had her interest.
Damn him.
If what he’d told her was true and the ice giants did have her sister, Jasmine, then she had to go with him and find out if it was the truth. It wasn’t like she could turn her back on her sister. He may not have hard proof, but even the smallest promise had to be explored.
