by Lily Thomas
“What about those mountain cats?”
“He can take one, maybe even two of those animals. Not to mention the ruckus he’ll cause if he needs my assistance.”
Adorra nodded as she followed after him. Now that she knew the horse would be fine, she was eager to get herself into the cabin and warmed up.
Mathar marched up to the door and knocked his knuckles on the wooden door shaking it on its hinges.
Adorra watched on in anticipation.
The door creaked opened, and an ice giant woman looked out at them in wide-eyed shock, before a smile creased her lips. “Mathar. Pleased to see you again, and your guest.” She turned curious eyes to Adorra.
“Would you mind us spending a night here?” Mathar asked.
“No, of course, I wouldn’t.”
“Is Grewar here?”
“He went hunting, but he’ll be back soon.” She smiled. “Come in and get yourselves out of that cold.” She waved them inside.
Mathar walked right inside, but Adorra hesitantly stepped a foot inside the doorway before pausing to look around the cabin. This would be the first time she’d walked into a giant home, and she wasn’t too sure whether or not it was a good idea. All those stories from her childhood flooded her. One of the favorites that parents told their children was how the giants would eat anyone foolish enough to get lost in their lands.
Adorra swallowed harshly as she walked inside the threshold. It was time she found out how accurate some of the stories she’d been told were.
The ice giant woman closed the door, locking the cold air outside.
Adorra was pulled forward by the warmth of the fire crackling away inside the hearth. She twisted her hands in the skirts of her dress, but no one looked like they were going to jump her and cut her up, so she walked towards the fire as Mathar, and the woman spoke together.
“I hope you don’t mind us dropping by, Lisag.”
Adorra wasn’t one for eavesdropping, but she figured she’d be excused this once. The more she knew, the less likely they could surprise her.
“Not at all.” Lisag rushed to say. “Grewar and I set this cabin up just for moments like this. We’re a pitstop for any traveler who needs a rest or a warm place to stay.” She glanced over at Adorra, and Adorra glanced away not wanting to be caught staring. “Although a human was definitely a surprise.” The woman whispered, but not quite quiet enough.
“Jasmine asked for her.”
“Jasmine?” Lisag asked sounding completely perplexed.
“The human who’s captured Dryden’s heart.”
“Ah, yes. Grewar told me something about that. I thought he was playing a joke at first, and then I realized he wasn’t when more people told me.” She cast another glance over at Adorra.
Adorra pretended like she wasn’t paying attention by pretending like her only interest was the fire in front of her. But any discussion that involved her sister interested her. To continue with the ruse, Adorra stripped the fur-lined boots Mathar had given her and placed them by the fire along with her soaking wet slippers.
Lisag strode over to the cooking fire and stirred a pot that steam rolled off.
“Would you mind if we took some of the hot meal your cooking? It smells delicious.” Mathar asked as he took a seat in a chair near Adorra.
“We have plenty to spare, and once Grewar gets back, we will have some meat to throw in there as well.” Lisag smiled warmly as she finished stirring the soup, and then she grabbed a poker and began to stir up the glowing coals under the pot.
Mathar glanced over at Adorra. “How are you?”
“Much better now that I have a fire warming me back up and no cold air swirling around me.” Adorra shed the fur, not needing it now that she was in a toasty cabin. The only things that had yet to heat up were her toes, which seemed frozen solid.
“I thought this might please you and give you some time out of the cold.”
Adorra glanced over at him, and those dark obsidian eyes that seemed to pull her in. “That was thoughtful of you.”
He shrugged and leaned back in the chair as he kicked out his feet towards the fire. “Just making sure I get you to your sister in tip-top condition. Nothing more.”
“Suuure.” She drew out the word slightly.
Mathar glared at her before turning his gaze back to the fire.
“So, what is this?” Adorra motioned around to the cabin as she watched Lisag disappear from view as ice giant woman went about her business.
“Just a house for weary travelers. Our king pays any couple nice enough to do this handsomely.” He turned his gaze to the wood walls, and for a second she saw a glimmer of hope emerge in those dark depths. He almost looked like he wished for something. “It can be lonely work all the way out here, but it provides a place of shelter for anyone traveling.”
If she wasn’t mistaken, he almost sounded like this was something he would be interested in doing.
Adorra turned her gaze away from him and looked around the cabin. Could someone actually hope for a home like this? She’d admit it was charming but small and from he just said, out of the beaten path. “It sounds like an unfair trade-off. Even if they get paid well, who would want to live all the way out here on their own?”
“Some people enjoy the peace and quiet of the forest.”
She shook her head, her hair swaying around her shoulders, the bun completely gone after all the riding. “It’s peaceful, but wouldn’t you long for the company of another?”
“They live here together, husband and wife. What more do they need?”
“Wouldn’t they ever want more?” Adorra couldn’t imagine what they’d do to fill their time.
“Want more?” Lisag walked around a wall to stand beside them, causing Adorra to nearly jump out of her seat. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you, but I couldn’t help but overhear. We have everything we want here, and when we want, we can always have someone else mind the cabin while we visit the castle. And when we’re old, we will have enough money to buy a home back in the village near the castle.”
It didn’t sound like too bad of a deal now that she knew more. Especially if people actually enjoyed living this far away from a bustling castle city.
“I’m back!” The door to the cabin busted open as a burly ice giant plowed in with his kills strung over his back. He paused mid-step as his eyes fell on everyone sitting by the hearth fire. “We have company.” His eyes flickered over her briefly before he looked over at Mathar. “Nice to see you again.”
“Likewise,” Mathar said. “You want help with those?”
The man raised his eyebrows in question.
“The rabbits you have slung over your shoulder.” Mathar pointed a finger at the animals the man had brought inside.
“No,” Lisag rushed to say, “we will prepare them for dinner. Don’t you worry yourselves. Just stay by the fire and warm up while we finish up the soup.”
Adorra smiled. “Thank you.”
“Of course.” Lisag sent her a warm smile in return, and then went over to her husband.
“A human?” Grewar asked his wife as she guided him away.
“Something to do with Jasmine, that human you spoke of not too long ago.”
“Ah,” he cast one more glance over his shoulder at Adorra, before he carried on with the rabbits he’d killed.
Adorra smirked as she turned back to the fireplace. Those two reminded her of a couple she knew back at court. It was interesting for her to be finding similarities between their two people. And so far no one had lopped off her head.
“Good?”
Adorra glanced up to find Mathar watching her as she plowed through her bowl of hot soup. “It’s so warm,” she said over a mouthful of soup, and the weight of the food in her belly felt so good. She hadn’t gone this long without a hot meal before.
“Let me get you some more.” Lisag snatched her bowl before she could say anything and strode over to the cooking fireplace and ladled some
of the hot soup into her bowl. Then she brought it back over to the table and sat it down in front of Adorra on the table.
“Thank you.”
“It’s good to fill yourself up after all that traveling through the cold weather.” Lisag glanced over at Mathar. “Sometimes soldiers forget about the niceties and how delicate some women can be.”
“She can handle herself.” Mathar motioned over at her.
“He’s right.” Adorra took his side on the matter because she was a strong woman. “I may be a lady, but I can survive anything if it means I see my sister again.” And saved her sister.
Lisag sent her an encouraging smile. “Well, I don’t know about you two younger people, but I need to get some rest. Unfortunately, all we have to offer the two of you is the space in front of the hearth.” She smiled at them. “But we have plenty of furs for the both of you.”
“We will take anything you can offer. Just sleeping in this cabin with full stomachs is more than enough.” Mathar smiled back over at Lisag.
“Grewar will get the furs for you.” She looked over at her husband.
“I guess that means my dinner is over,” Grewar said with a chuckle as he stood up from the table and left the room.
Lisag rolled her eyes. “Men. You can keep house for them, and all they can do is gripe and moan when you ask them to do one simple task. That’s marriage for you.” She gave Adorra a pointed look, but there was a twinkle in her eyes that said she wouldn’t have it any other way.
Rising, Lisag collected the dishes and placed them over near the cooking fire, and then she disappeared upstairs.
It didn’t take long for Grewar to come down the stairs his arms laden with furs. They nearly dwarfed him with how many he had.
“Need help?” Mathar asked.
“Nope.” Grewar dumped them on the ground near the fireplace. They landed with a whoosh. “I’ll leave you two to sort out your sleeping arrangements. See you two in the morning.” With that, he disappeared up the cabin stairs with a one-handed wave, and she heard a door shut up there.
Adorra continued to eat her soup as silence reigned over them. All that could be heard was her slurping up the hot broth with eager sips.
Mathar just sat across from her gazing at the fire, appearing to be lost in his thoughts.
“Anything you’re thinking about?” Adorra asked trying to strike up a bit of conversation.
Mathar stirred as he glanced over at her. “Nothing much. It’s been a while since I allowed myself to dream about owning one of these.”
“One of these?” Adorra’s nose crinkled a bit.
“I knew I should have kept my mouth shut.” His lips drew into a flat line.
“No,” Adorra threw out a hand that landed on Mathar’s forearm. Quickly, she yanked back her hand as shock spread through her, tingling all the way to her spine. “I didn’t mean to sound like I was judging your decision to have a cabin. I was only trying to see why one of these would appeal to you so much.”
“The solitude more than anything.” Another gleam of wishfulness entered his dark eyes. “I grew up in the village that surrounds our castle, and everyone knows everything and everyone else.”
“Trying to get away from someone?” She asked. She got the feeling he wanted to run away from something in his past. There was a certain haunt to his eyes that she couldn’t shake, but it reminded her of the haunt that she saw every time she looked in a mirror. After witnessing Edmund’s death, her eyes had never been the bright, cheery orbs she remembered.
Mathar shrugged his wide shoulders. “We should get ourselves to bed so we can wake nice and early in the morning and get back on our way.” He rose from his seat and began sifting through all the furs that’d been deposited on the floor.
“Can I help you?”
“You can help me spread out the furs before the fire.”
She nodded and jumped up from where she was sitting. She was eager to cuddle up in those furs right next to the fire and get some well-deserved rest.
Once they had the furs all spread out, she looked up at him. The fire was dying down to just red-hot coals, but she still had enough light to see him in the dark.
“Thank you for this.”
“For what?” Mathar got under the covers, leaving her plenty of room right next to the fire.
“You didn’t have to make a pitstop here. I’m sure you could have ridden right past this place, and I wouldn’t have even known, but you didn’t force me to sleep out in the cold again.”
He snorted. “You’re overthinking this. I like a warm place and a good bowl of soup like any other person. It wasn’t just for you.”
Chapter 12
Mathar turned away from her, uncomfortable with her constantly thanking him. It wasn’t like he was doing anything more than seeing to his own comfort, because he did enjoy a warm place to sleep. He might be able to tolerate the cold, but that didn’t mean he wanted to be sleeping out in a fur tent every single night of his life.
He felt her get under the fur covers.
“It’s so nice.” She murmured.
He sighed. The conversation wasn’t over yet. He rolled over and immediately regretted the decision. Her brunette hair was draped lazily around her head and reflected the light of the glowing coals. When she turned her head towards him, he couldn’t help but be sucked in by her hazel eyes.
Before he knew it, he reached out, grabbed the back of her head, and planted a solid kiss against her lips. She melted against him and tasted so sweet and delicate. It pulled him in.
Then Mathar stopped himself and pulled away. “Sorry.”
Adorra stared at him, her eyes wide, and he silently cursed at himself for outreaching himself. She wasn’t just some random woman. She was his queen’s sister. She found him repulsive. He was only a brutish giant in her eyes. How could she see him any differently?
“No.” She uttered before she jumped him, planting her lips right over his.
Once his astonishment passed, he returned her kiss, excited about her gusto. Pushing back against her chest, he laid her back down, their lips never separating. He had no idea why she’d decided to kiss him back, but he wasn’t about to second guess his luck.
Mathar pressed his body down against hers, loving the feel of her molding to him. He could feel her breasts up under her dress, smashed between them. Mathar knew he should push away and stop this in its tracks, but he couldn’t just walk away. Now that he’d had a taste, he couldn’t resist having more.
It’d been so long since he let himself relax like this.
His hands worked into her long hair loving how the silky strands flowed over his fingers. Despite their harsh riding, he was still able to sift through her hair with ease. He grabbed a fist full of her brunette hair and yanked her head back a little, and then he began to trace kisses from her lips over her jawline and then down to her neck. Once to her neck, he sucked lightly on her flesh, before continuing.
Once he reached the collar of her dress, he began working on the front laces. He made short work of the strings that held it together. He might not know anything about these human dresses, but there was something provocative about them. Undressing her so slowly was beyond erotic, and his cock was hard by the time he was done.
Once he was through the strings, he loosened it enough to release her breasts to his greedy view.
Mathar sucked in a breath. He felt his cock strain in his pants at the sight before him. Her pert rose nipples rose above her alabaster breasts and seemed to beckon him with every breath she inhaled. His head descended, and he wrapped his lips around a tight bud sucking it deep into his mouth before swirling the tip of his tongue around it.
Adorra let out a gasp, and he glanced up to see her cheeks heating with her desire.
He was pleased she liked her breasts being played with because that was something he enjoyed in a woman. And her breasts… he’d need forever to get over the sight of them. They were perfectly shaped.
One of his
hands came up and cupped the other, while he made sure his mouth worked magic on the first. His fingers found her other nipple, and he lightly pinched it, until he had her back arching for more. Her body was begging him for more, but he hadn’t yet got her to ask for more.
Mathar noticed her hands ball into fists at her side, as she shook with the desire pumping through her system.
He abandoned her nipple with one last suck and nip. Mathar found the hem of her dress and whipped it up around her waist with a rustle of fabric. As he met her hazel eyes, he saw the glint of passion reflected back at him. She was enjoying what he did, and he was surprised she hadn’t begged him to stop and leave her delicate lady senses intact. He should stop it, but he couldn’t resist her pull.
Mathar turned his gaze back to her long legs. Working a hand between her thighs, he coaxed them wide.
“Mathar.” Her voice had him gazing back up at her eyes.
She needed reassurance. He wasn’t the type of man who knew how to romance, but he’d give it a try.
Reaching up, he stroked the side of her face and pushed a stray lock of hair back behind her ear. “You tell me what you want.”
She nodded. “I want you.”
That was all he needed to hear because he needed her as well. His cock ached to feel her wrapped around him, but before he sank into her hot flesh, he was going to see to her pleasure as well.
With one last look at her lust-addled gaze and plump parted lips, he turned his attention back to pleasing her. He wanted her soaking wet when he penetrated her with his shaft.
Adorra didn’t know what she was doing. She should be yelling at him to leave her alone, but instead, desire bubbled up inside her, pushing her for more. This was something she’d never done, and who better than an ice giant to teach her about lovemaking? When they were done with each other, there’d be no attachment. Neither of them would seek anything more from the other.
Mathar backed away from her, and for a brief moment she thought he was going to put an end to this, but then he ripped off his shirt, exposing his massive chest. Her eyes took in the sight like a starving woman.
