Agatha didn’t even mind the fact that she could feel eyes on her as she peeled off her coat, gloves, and hat. She wanted to remove her dress as well, but despite the heat radiating from the hearth, the rest of the throne room was too cool to go around naked, even if she was inclined to let her ass hang out in front of Aquilo.
God or not, she wasn’t inclined to parade around naked.
Instead, she satisfied herself as much as she could standing at the edge of the hearth, hands extended out toward it. In the distance, she could hear a hissing snarl from the griffin as it met the others and tussled away a bone of whatever beast the creatures were devouring. The scraping sounds of the griffin’s beaks on their bones filled the room once more, sending a chill up her spine despite the warmth coming from the hearth. She kept her attention focused entirely there, where it seemed the safest. She didn’t even bother to seek out the god at all until she felt the weight of his stare as he filled the empty space beside her. He watched her closely, eyes running over her hair and down her body, his expression contemplative. It was several minutes before he met her eyes and his lips curved subtly.
“Human… so you are,” he murmured. His had reached toward her and skimmed down the length of her arm without touching, but he trembled and hissed between his teeth. “The glorious living heat!” he said fervently. Dropping his hand, he inclined his head in a polite bow. “Clearly, human or spirit, the gods have sent you for a reason, and I will not forsake that gift. Since you are cold, I will see that you are taken to a room and all provisions for your warmth seen to. Only once you are comfortable and wrapped in the warmest of furs will I request your company.”
She didn’t understand how she got there or why the matches were given to her. Part of her wanted to demand to be returned to her street corner, where everything was familiar. But then she thought of the bitter cold and the whipping snow. She shivered. She had no interest in going back to freeze in the snow as she sold her matches. In contrast to that, the promise of warmth and furs was too great.
“Yes, thank you. That would be wonderful.”
He nodded and turned to bellow, his voice echoing through the throne room. The door opened, and the largest creature she had ever seen stepped through. His wide gray body barely seemed to fit in the doorway, but by some miracle, it seemed to squeeze through and make its way toward them. The creature wore a simple, long tunic that hung well below its knees, and it lumbered toward her with slow, unhurried steps. Its nostrils flared, and it turned its head toward her, almost scraping the ceiling with its curved black horns. Pale yellow eyes blinked down at her, and the black claws on its right hand twitched. If that wasn’t bad enough, its lip curled in a silent snarl, baring some impressively long fangs.
“Opis, see to it that our guest is taken to her room,” Aquilo commanded.
The creature nodded and turned toward her, taking one large footstep after another in her direction. Agatha was certain that her heart was beating so hard that it was about to leap right out of her chest. A shuddering breath left her, and her head spun as he neared until finally the world tilted around her and she was distantly aware of the fact that she was falling. She seemed to feel little, though, and even the darker atmosphere of her surroundings faded to black as she heard Aquilo curse and the faint rumble of the creature as its massive hands closed around her before all lingering awareness faded away completely.
Chapter 4
Aquilo stared down at his human guest, uncertain of what to make of her. She seemed brave at times and uncertain at others. She had definitely been afraid of Opis, but that was just a sign of an intelligent mind. Only a foolish human would not be terrified of a strange ogre they have never met before. At least that demonstrated that she had some sense. And by the gods was she warm!
He dared to stroke a finger down the back of her hand and nearly shuddered. It was more than just a simple human warmth. He had been around humans before. He didn’t recall any of them feeling like this. He had sworn that she nearly glowed with golden warmth where she stood, for a moment brightening the room. He hungered to experience it again. He spent eons in an existence so cold and bleak that he wanted to touch her, to curl his body around her, to take pleasure in and protect that precious golden source of heat.
He believed that even Veli had been affected by it on the mountain. The griffin had not been exhibiting hunting behavior when he had brought Agatha down. He had reacted with pure pleasure to the human rather than immediately killing her. Aquilo had little doubt that it had been painful and frightening. Veli was an adult and not among the smallest of his kind. Uncertain of what had caught the creature’s attention, Aquilo had hurried to see what exactly the griffin was amorously attempting to love to death.
Finding a small woman beneath the griffin had been entirely unexpected. He probably should have sent her back to her world the moment he pulled her free from the snow, but when he held her against his body, her warmth flowing over him despite how wet and cold she was, it was impossible to part with her.
He could not bring himself to. Not yet.
“My lord, what do you intend to do with the human?” Opis asked, his voice heavy with disapproval.
Aquilo lifted an eyebrow at the ogre. “You object to the presence of a being as small and inoffensive as a human woman? Why? Are you worried that she might cause some sort of harm in my fortress? And do not call her ‘the human.’ Her name is Agatha.”
Opis grunted and then silently contemplated his question.
“I object to her presence because she doesn’t belong here. That’s enough of a reason,” he grumbled.
Normally, Aquilo might have agreed. The one time he found a human woman on his mountain, he had been willing to be her protector for however long it would take to remove her from his mountain and nothing more. His sole interest had been to remove her from his territory as soon as possible.
He definitely did not feel that way about Agatha. The pull to her was instant and strong.
“You’re not keeping her, are you?”
He gave Opis a chilling look, and the male groaned.
“You are. What will you even do with her? She is tiny and weak. She can’t survive on the mountain like the other beings that dwell here.”
“It will not be so difficult as you are making out,” Aquilo replied tersely. “You will go fetch the warm wool clothing and furs that I already instructed you to obtain, and we will keep the fire in her quarters burning high so that she can be comfortable in here and the rest of my home will at least be bearable when she ventures out.”
Opis grunted again. “I suppose you’ll be expecting me to follow after her to make sure she doesn’t get hurt.”
“Only when I cannot be with her,” he assured his longtime friend and servant.
The ogre curled his lip and snorted. “I hope that won’t be often. She’s so small… I’m afraid I might accidentally step on her if she moves too quick. Ogres don’t do well with little humans. They get hurt easy, and they scare easy. She won’t be happy here.”
Aquilo grimaced sympathetically, but his attention was pulled away by the soft sound coming from the bedding on which he had set Agatha. The human’s nose wrinkled, and she mumbled under her breath in a fragmented, nonsensical way that was common to beings upon waking. Her blonde eyelashes fluttered until they lifted, revealing soft grey eyes. They were slightly fogged with confusion until they landed on him. Recognition filled their soft depths, and he felt a strange warmth very briefly stir deep within him. The sensation was so wondrous and unfamiliar that he froze, breath catching in his throat and wings snapping open.
The sudden movement of his wings made Agatha jump and let out an alarmed squeak that made the ogre chuckle behind him. Aquilo turned to glare at the male, noting the smug expression on the ogre’s face. Turning away from him, Aquilo gave his attention back to Agatha and leaned forward over her cautiously.
“Are you feeling better?” he asked in a low voice.
Her small
pink tongue darted out from between her lips, intriguing him as it stroked over her full bottom lip.
“I think I’m okay. I don’t think I’ve ever fainted before.”
He gave her a sympathetic look. “Ogres can be frightening for those who are not accustomed to seeing them.”
He purposely ignored the derisive snort that came from behind him and the muttered, “As if you would know.”
Aquilo bit back his retort, admitting to himself that Opis was correct. As one who had little to no direct exposure to humans and spent all his immortal life among the denizens of the mountains, Aquilo would not know much from experience. Although he had witnessed the way that young lupi often reacted with fear around the ogre when they came near the fortress, so that gave him at least some point of reference.
He leaned back as Agatha sat up, her gaze darting over to the ogre. Her lips thinned in a thoughtful expression, though there was a considerable amount of wariness in her eyes.
“Don’t ogres eat people? Like, fi, fie, fo, fum, going to grind your bones and bake my bread type stuff?”
Opis guffawed loudly, the laughter echoing around the room. Agatha, to her credit, only jumped slightly, the tiniest, hesitant smile tugging at the corner of her lips. The ogre plodded closer, his large head shaking with amusement as he eyed the much smaller human.
“Maybe some ogres find humans to be tasty. Most only eat those who enter our caves and might try to kill us. Sometimes, it’s just an accident,” he said with a shrug of his enormous shoulders. He beamed, showing every one of his jagged teeth in a broad smile that even Aquilo could see was not the least bit comforting. “But don’t worry, little human, I won’t eat you.”
“Reassuring,” she said slowly. The words sounded doubtful but if he was not mistaken, he swore that he saw her smile grow.
Opis shuffled back a bit with a pleased look. “I’ll go fetch things to keep you warm. Humans get sickly in drafty halls, and the fortress is colder than most other places.”
Aquilo nodded his thanks as he drew up a blanket from the bed and wrapped it around her. Agatha murmured her thanks as she pulled it higher. Her eyes roved around the room with interest. Unlike much of the fortress, the bedroom was filled with things of comfort for the rare occasions that he entertained guests.
Although he had other rooms, none were as comfortably prepared as this one. It was filled with silver furs from his hunts, numerous pillows, heavy blue and silver blankets, and fine lamps that provided plenty of illumination. It was nearly a perfect imitation of his own chambers, except that his bed was larger and boasted even more comforts. Although there was little joy to be had in his home, his chamber where he sought his rest was at least as comfortable as he could manage.
“Where am I?”
“A guest room,” he answered. “It is yours for as long as you require it.”
Her eyes widened. “As in stay here? Oh, I don’t know, your home is a bit terrifying and, well, bleak as fuck—although this is a really nice room,” she said with an unmistakable note of longing.
His mouth tightened in agreement. Bleak was an apt description.
“What if I gave you permission to change anything you do not like?” he asked slowly. It was not in his nature to cede complete control in such a way, but he did not see what harm she could do. As long as she did not interfere with the duties of the lupi, he doubted that anyone would bother her. “I just ask that you do not disturb my guard or those dwelling here,” he amended.
Her eyebrows flew up. “Your guard? The scary werewolf guys? Would that be them?” At his nod, she let out a peal of laughter. “Yeah, okay. Those guys are legitimately terrifying. I can assure you that disturbing them is the last thing on a long list of things I have no interest in doing.”
Aquilo glanced at her with confusion. Were they truly that frightening? Despite fainting, she had ultimately dealt with an ogre well, and he could do far more damage than a single lupi.
“They will not harm you,” he assured her. “I gave their tribe sanctuary here in my lands due to dangerous encroachment into their territories. They are descendants from the Neuri people who used to live among humans, north of the lands claimed by the Scythians, until humans began to hunt them. You will see them tending to duties around the fortress, but they will not bother you.”
“And rearranging their environment isn’t going to be a problem for them?” she asked skeptically.
The corners of his lips rose in an infrequently used expression of amusement. “They are not animals, Agatha. They will adjust.”
A pretty flush crept up her cheeks, and he was oddly charmed by it. He was equally captivated by the way she licked her lips, betraying her nervousness. Watching her pink tongue wet her lip… A bolt of hot desire shot through him so unexpectedly that a growl of need escaped him. Eyes widening, Agatha froze as if confronted with a predator. His wings fanned out in an instinctual sheltering motion, but he otherwise had a very similar reaction. His muscles tightened, locking him in place, as he stared back at her in astonishment.
How… surprising.
Aquilo drew back slowly, putting distance between them even though he wished to crawl closer and explore the new feelings she roused in him. He would be patient in this new discovery. As much as he wanted to chain her to the bed so that she could not escape him, he knew that would be unwise.
His wings ruffled restlessly as he stepped away. To his disappointment, the heat diminished with the distance until it winked out, leaving him feeling colder once more. It was nearly unbearable, and he resisted the urge to snatch her to him. Despite the freezing cold that settled into him, he was relieved to see the tension slowly drain from Agatha. She gave him a cautious smile and cleared her throat.
“A little intense, aren’t you?”
“My apologies. It was unintentional,” he answered honestly, his voice as calm and unmoved as usual now that the heat had deserted him. “You are the first human I have entertained in my fortress. I ask that you be patient as I adjust, but please do not fear me. You have nothing to fear.”
Her eyebrows raised, but she slipped off the bed and stood facing him. She folded her arms over her chest, hugging herself as she considered him.
“I’m going to be honest here: I find you as strange and vaguely frightening as this fortress of yours.” She caught her bottom lip between her teeth and worried it for a moment before releasing it. “But I’m cold, tired, and hungry. I suppose I can handle a bit of weird shit if it means getting enough to eat and sleeping in this bed.”
He blinked slowly, pity stirring within him, putting another small crack in the ice surrounding his heart. She was very matter-of-fact about her almost mercantile attitude. She was frightened and uncomfortable but was willing to set it aside for basic comforts.
For the first time, he took a close look at her and thinned his lips. He barely refrained from grimacing as he touched his tongue to the back of his teeth thoughtfully. Her tattered dress was drying in terrible wrinkles, the thread that patched it stark against the material and badly knotted. He was immediately grateful that he had commanded Opis to fetch warm clothing even before he had been completely aware of the state of her apparel, but it occurred to him that he had made no mention of it to his guest.
“Are you very attached to your clothing?”
She blinked at him. “Not specifically, but I am attached to being clothed. As charming as this room is, I don’t think I would feel like walking around naked in it.”
He stared at her blankly for a moment until he realized how she had interpreted his words. Something twitched within him as he entertained an image in his mind of Agatha reclined nude on the bed. For one bright, shining moment, he felt the curl of heat return, but it was muted and snuffed out again.
“Of course. Opis is bringing you some warm clothing, if you would oblige me to wear it while you are here. It will be more comfortable and far warmer than what you wear. Opis spoke the truth about the chill in this fortress. Sometime
s, even I find it unbearable.”
But no cold was quite as terrible as the one that penetrated deep into him that he was incapable of warming.
Agatha gave a throaty laugh and ran a hand down her face. “Oh, yes. Please. Don’t worry. I have no attachment to these clothes whatsoever. Throw them in the hearth if you like, if you are willing to replace them with something better. At this point, they would serve better as fuel.”
His lips twitched again, and he bowed his head. Eyeing the wild curls that hung around her face in a halo of tangles and the smear of dirt that streaked across her right cheekbone, his words slipped out before he could give them careful consideration.
“And perhaps a bath?”
Her eyebrows winged up high on her forehead, and her smile slipped. He was concerned that he might have offended her when a low moan slipped from her that had his balls tightening eagerly.
“A bath would be heavenly.”
He inclined his head again and backed away, his wings flapping out as he struggled to regain control of his body.
“Very well. I will have it brought up to you. Once you are bathed and dressed, please make your way down to the throne room. Take the main staircase from this floor. It will take you to me directly,” he explained.
A smile bloomed across her face that made his pulse leap.
“Thank you,” she said, her voice caressing his senses.
His throat bobbed, and he jerked his head as he spun away, wings fanning behind him as he took his leave and left Agatha to her privacy.
Chapter 5
Agatha swallowed back her urge to squeal with delight. A bath, and new warm clothes! It was embarrassing how vain and self-serving in felt to be excited over material comforts, but weeks of hasty, awkward “baths” using a tepid bowl of water had left her feeling disgustingly grimy. Her hair needed a thorough washing. She hoped that Opis would think to bring her a comb. She could feel several areas that were so tangled that she half-suspected there were a few mats that would require vigorous effort to fight loose.
Matchsticks: A Dark Spirits Fairytale Page 3
