Page 18 of Winter's Scorching Kisses
For a whole day, he sat there at the edge of the forest watching the comings and goings of the manor. He didn’t want to stay on the border for too long, but he also wanted to make sure he did proper reconnaissance.
His eyes flickered over the windows of the grey stone manor until they landed on the window that he’d snuck through the last time he was here. Night was coming, and still, there were no candles being lit inside the room… which meant Adorra wasn’t staying in the same room as last time. Because of him. He must have tainted that room for her. He could understand that. After his mother passed, he hadn’t been able to set foot back in his childhood home.
He just had to remember what Dryden had told him before he’d left when Jasmine wasn’t around to hear. Once he had his hands on Adorra, he couldn’t let her escape back to her people. If she told them the ice giants were taking human women, the humans might attempt to march an army into the mountains. Right now, the ice giants were hoping to remain out of sight and out of mind. So, Dryden had given him permission to tie her up and gag her if necessary.
Dryden hadn’t permitted him to kill Adorra, but if she threatened Mathar’s people, he wouldn’t shy away from ending her life and facing Dryden’s wrath. As long as their people didn’t have to deal with the cruelties of the human people, it was well worth risking Dryden’s anger.
He shook his head as he continued to watch the human manor. He wasn’t entirely sure he knew what he’d signed up for. Jasmine hadn’t been a complete pain in the ass when they’d wandered across her in their mountains, but that didn’t mean her sister would be the same.
A few more nights went past before Mathar finally felt like it was the right time to make his move. He now knew which room she was staying in and how the manor breathed day in and day out when it came to guard and servant movements. If everything went to plan, he could get in and out without anyone, except Adorra, being the wiser.
With one last look at a guard who was in the middle of switching out with another, he loped across the field between the forest and the manor. The moment he reached the manor, he pressed his back firmly against the cool outside stone wall. Then he scooted down the wall until he reached his destination, a window.
Watching from outside her window, which was conveniently located on the bottom floor of the manor, he watched as a servant girl brought in a cup of tea. The woman placed it on Adorra’s bedside table before leaving the room and closing the door after her.
This was his moment.
Placing his hands on the window sill, he pushed open the window panes and then heaved himself up and over. He landed on his feet on the other side with barely a noise. He was good at being a ghost. Quickly, he surveyed the room making sure he truly was alone.
Nothing in the room moved or made a sound.
Once Mathar knew there was no one else there with him, he inched his way into the room. It most definitely had to be the lady of the manor’s room. Fine jewelry boxes sat on a vanity, and the sheets on the bed were made of some fine soft fabrics. He might be nothing more than a simple warrior, but he could recognize refinery when he saw it.
One of Mathar’s hands dipped to his waist, grabbing the small leather bag that hung there. Undoing the drawstrings, he opened it to reveal a few berries. Gingerly, he caught them between his gloved fingers to make sure he didn’t accidentally juice them prematurely.
He raised his hand over the blue floral teacup and squeezed the berries until a clear liquid began to drip out of them and into her tea. He didn’t add too much. He didn’t want to put Adorra to sleep forever, but he didn’t want her waking up as he was kidnapping her either.
He’d planned to squeeze the berry juice into her mouth while she slept, but the servant had just given him an easier way to administer the berry juice. Now he just had to hope she drank her evening tea.
It wouldn’t do for her to alert any guards to what he was up to with screaming and yelling. She had to be unconscious when he took her away.
Mathar made his way back to the open window. He leaped out and closed the window after him. He didn’t need her suspecting something might be wrong by not covering his tracks properly. Now all he had to do was wait for her.
