Page 87 of Winter's Scorching Kisses
“Oh!” Adorra gasped. “I think I felt it kick.”
“I’m sure you did.” Jasmine sighed. “This child seems to be anxious about joining the outside world. It won’t stop beating me up from the inside out.”
Adorra pulled back her hand. “I’d been hoping to start my own family as soon as I could but… it wasn’t meant to be.”
“Just because Edmund is dead doesn’t mean you can’t still find love with someone and start a family.” Jasmine looked over at her, hope shining bright in her hazel eyes.
“I haven’t given up on the hope of having a family.” She just needed to find herself a human man before she let herself dare dream of starting a family.
A cry rose up from the crowd, and Adorra glanced over at the arena in surprise. One of the men in this competition had fallen to the ground and wasn’t rising. Men rushed out to the field and carried the man off the arena.
“Do you think he will be alright?” Jasmine asked worriedly.
“I’m sure he will be fine,” Adorra reassured her. “There are plenty of men who get carried off the field and come back to tell the tale. It always gives them something exciting to talk about.” She rolled her eyes. “Sometimes men, whether they are ice giants or humans, can do some fairly stupid things.”
“True.” Jasmine agreed.
“Now, I need to relieve myself before I burst.” Adorra shouldn’t have had that much tea. “I’ll be back before you know it.”
With that, Adorra abandoned her seat and dashed off to find somewhere where there wouldn’t be any prying eyes.
Once done, Adorra wandered through some tents set up near the arena, and just happened to glance into a tent that appeared to be a set up for a doctor when her eyes caught on someone, and she froze mid-step.
Mathar was being treated. Stepping off to the side, she watched on as the ice giant doctor bandaged him up and then left. Once the doctor was gone from eyesight, Adorra walked into the tent closing the tent flap behind her so no one would see her inside with Mathar.
“What happened to you?” She took a look at the bandage that was wrapped around his shoulder.
“What are you doing in here?” His onyx eyes darkened as he glanced up and spotted her walking towards him.
“What happened to you?” She repeated her question hoping he would just answer her rather than question her back.
“An accident. I’m sure you saw.” He waved towards the arena.
“All I’ve been watching was the jousting. Is another event going on somewhere else?” Adorra glanced back at his wound, wondering what exactly had caused it.
“If you’re watching jousting, then you must have seen what happened to me since I was participating in the jousting.” He said as he rotated his shoulder and winced.
“Were you the man who was knocked off his horse and not moving?” She gasped. She had no idea why, but her heart was thundering in her ears. He could’ve died, and she wouldn’t have ever known.
He nodded his head, looking proud that he’d almost killed himself for a stupid game.
“You stupid man!” She hit his good shoulder with an open palm, and he scowled at her. “You could’ve killed yourself.”
“Like you would’ve cared. Stop acting like a concerned wife, Adorra.” Mathar scowled at her from where he sat on a cot. “Now, if you don’t mind I’m going to give myself a quick rest before the next games start.”
“You aren’t going to stop?” Her eyes widened.
“I may have been knocked out of the jousting, but I have no intention to stay out of the next games.”
“Which are?” Adorra folded her arms across her chest wondering what other games he might be trying to get himself killed at.
“Archery.” He shrugged. “There should be no harm in that.”
“Your shoulder is hurt.” She nodded her chin at the bandage. “You’ll only exacerbate the problem.”
“Now you’re a doctor as well as a lady?” Mathar raised a silver eyebrow at her.
“There’s no need to be rude. You know what I’m saying is true.”
