Page 30 of Winter's Scorching Kisses
Chapter 8
After a few hours of non-stop traveling, Adorra figured they’d make it to the ice giant castle in no time since Mathar set a mean pace. His stallion didn’t show any signs of tiring despite the constant galloping. The giant horse had a stamina that would rival any horse the king had in his stable. Not only was he carrying her, but the stallion was also carrying all their supplies and a heavily muscled ice giant who had to weigh a lot.
Loosening up, Adorra allowed herself to relax her spine and backed up against Mathar’s chest. She could only leave so much distance, and her back was stiff with sore muscles. It was indecent to be so close to Mathar, but it wasn’t like she had much of a choice in the matter. He had an arm wrapped around her waist, holding her close, so it wasn’t like she could fling herself off the back of the horse. Even then, that wouldn’t get her anywhere. Her hands were still tied behind her back, and she didn’t even want to think what would happen to her delicate body when she hit the ground at the speed they were going.
Remembering her tied hands got her thinking about how uncomfortable her shoulders were getting. There was a lot of tension building up in those muscles, but she didn’t want to show any weakness to Mathar. He struck her as the kind of man who only respected other strong-willed people. She’d grit her teeth and bear the pain.
The mountains gradually grew more rugged. Rocks soon dominated the scenery around them. Green pine trees still surrounded them unconcerned with their passing. The animals, though, fled the moment they raced through the nearby forest.
Heat poured off Mathar’s arm that was wrapped around her waist, bothering her, because as they climbed in elevation, she found herself wishing for more of the delectable heat. The fur that Mathar had wrapped around her helped to defend her from the harsh air, but even that was having trouble as they proceeded onwards and upwards.
And it didn’t get any better when the sun began to sink below the horizon. Hues of orange, yellow and red burst across the sky in a brilliant display. It was awe-inspiring and stole her breath away. Every time they entered a patch of trees, she’d regret the loss of the beautiful sky blooming above them.
As dusk finally dragged the last rays of sun below the horizon, small flakes of white began to drift through the air.
Mathar pulled up on the reins of his stallion. The stallion threw out its legs going from a full out gallop to a stop. Her chest slammed up against his forearm, and she grunted in pain. Her chest would be bruised in the morning. She had no doubt.
The stallion snorted as it threw its head.
“We’ll be stopping here for the night,” Mathar informed her as he got his excited stallion back under control with skilled horsemanship.
Then he latched onto her upper arms and swung her off the saddle before she could utter a word, assuming her lungs would work after the maneuver he just pulled.
The moment her slippered feet hit the ground and his warm hands left her, the cold air swooped in chilling her to the bone. She never thought she’d actually miss an ice giant being wrapped around her, and it caused her stomach to roll in disgust.
As Adorra waited for him to dismount, the fur slowly slid off her shoulders until it plummeted to the ground at her feet.
Her dress covered her from her shoulders to her toes and even all of her arms, but the dress was no match for the chilly air. As the night continued to set in, it just got colder until she could see her breath puffing out in front of her in little white clouds. Her teeth began to clatter against each other as shivers racked her body so badly, she felt as though invisible hands were shaking her.
Mathar finally dismounted and tied his horse to a tree and started to untie the packs from the back of his saddle.
Relief washed through her. Good. Soon he’d have a tent up, and she’d be able to warm herself right back up. She could only imagine how hard this had to be on her sister. No human was meant to live as high up in the mountains as the ice giants did.
She’d be there soon, and she’d get them out. Adorra wasn’t exactly sure how she’d help her sister. It wasn’t like she knew what she was doing when it came to mounting a rescue. She was making this all up as she went along, but she had to believe she could get them back to human civilization.
Maybe she was naïve. Perhaps she should try to escape from Mathar and get assistance.
Adorra bit her bottom lip. Then again, the king wouldn’t have the resources to waste on sending soldiers high into the snowy mountains for one woman. The war with the rock giants was still being waged on the border.
If she wanted her sister saved from the ice giants, then she was the only one who would have the drive to do it. No one else could be spared while the rock giants were hammering away at their border defenses.
Mathar pulled the tent off the back of his saddle and walked away. Adorra glanced down at the fur that had slipped from her shoulders. She wished she could easily pick it up and wrap it back around her shoulders, but with her hands tied she was unable.
Quickly, Adorra rushed after him. She wasn’t stupid. There had to be dangers up here like wild animals. She may not trust the ice giant, but she knew she could trust him more than a hungry animal. At least he had some sort of intelligence.
Mathar glanced up as he dropped the tent supplies on the ground with a clatter of wood stakes and supports.
“Where’s your fur?” He asked concern coating his every word as he strode over to her and began to rub his hands over her arms vigorously.
“Don’t.” She attempted to pull away from his touch.
“Don’t be stupid, Adorra. You’re freezing.”
She relented, because he was right and because his warm hands felt good through the fabric covering her arms.
“Wait here.” Mathar marched over to where her fur had dropped, picked it up, and brought it back over to her. He wrapped it around her shoulders once more.
“It would be easier for me to keep it on my shoulders if you would simply untie my hands.” And so she could finally stretch out her shoulders, which were screaming at her in pain. The slow throb from earlier was now a spine-tingling pain that set the hairs on her head on end.
