by Lily Thomas
A general, he knew personally, stood up from a campfire, and Daerrin pulled up on the reins of his horse.
“Good day, Daerrin.” Frieg strolled up beside his horse and cast him a smile before throwing a puzzled look at Roxanne.
“Good day,” Daerrin responded in kind.
“I’m glad the scout caught up to you. There is another camp a day away that needs assistance.” Frieg pointed off in the direction. “We’ve already sent some men, but we have orders to head elsewhere on the border and can’t make the detour.”
Daerrin glanced down at Roxanne. “What am I going to do with the human I have? Take her to a battle? I’m not sure I could trust her not to do something completely harebrained.”
The general shook his head, as he noticed Daerrin glancing down at Roxanne. “If you want this female to stay alive, then take her with you. I won’t be able to assure you of her safety among my men.” He waved a hand at the large encampment. “We’ve all lost too much.”
Daerrin glared over at him, but Frieg raised his hands.
“I’m not casting the threats. I just don’t want to be responsible for her safety.” A slight grin creased his lips. “Elizabeth would have my head for letting a human woman come to harm. She’s your responsibility. Although, I’m curious why you have her.”
“She’s my revenge.”
Frieg’s eyebrows rose in surprise.
“Then I will have to take her with me.” Daerrin wasn’t keen on showing Roxanne the effects of war, but perhaps it might be good for her to get a first-hand sighting. It could change her view on who was in the right and who was in the wrong.
The fire giants were just trying to keep the border towns safe and keep humans away from their lands. The moment the humans left them alone, the fire giants would do the same. War wasn’t something they’d sought out, but the humans were making it difficult to just ignore them.
Not that it was solely their fault. The rock giants had gone to war with them due to the humans encroaching on land that wasn’t theirs, but instead of talking it over with the humans, the rock giants had declared war on a decision that should’ve taken more than a second to dwell on.
“Will you stay a little while?” Frieg motioned to the camp. “We have plenty to share after your long journey.”
“No. We are packed and ready to move on, so I don’t see any reason to delay.”
Frieg nodded. “Be careful with the human. Stryme has eyes and ears everywhere. One tiny scratch will be reported back to Elizabeth, and then you’ll have hell to pay.”
Daerrin nodded, before setting his horse on a path out of the camp. Why was everyone feeling it necessary to tell him that? His teeth gritted. Like he couldn’t manage a human female.
Even one as slippery as Roxanne.
Roxanne looked around in puzzlement as they left the encampment of fire giant warriors behind. Were they not needed here?
“Where are we going?” She expected him to give her the cold shoulder as usual, but instead, she was pleasantly surprised when he spoke to her.
“We will be heading to a fire giant village that needs protecting. A human army will be marching against it. Now we just have to get there before the humans.” His voice sounded tense to her ears, and she wondered if he was reliving his experience when his family was taken from him.
Roxanne’s breath caught in her chest, as her heart went out to him.
She wasn’t looking forward to seeing a battle first hand, and her heart went out to him for whatever he was feeling, but this would be an excellent opportunity for an escape. There’d be a human army not too far away. She almost felt a bit giddy with her excitement.
“Will you be joining the fight then?”
“Of course.”
“So… I will be on my own?” She tried her best not to sound too eager as she asked the question.
“Don’t be getting ideas.” He told her sternly. “I will post a guard to watch over you, while I’m directing my men in battle. I know I can’t trust you.”
So she might not be able to escape, and she would be running the risk of Daerrin dying in the upcoming battle. Shivers spread out over her skin. She didn’t want to be left alone with all these warriors while Daerrin laid dead on the ground.
If he died, she would have to make sure she escaped and that it was a success, because none of these other men needed her alive for some misguided revenge.
“Don’t die on the battlefield.” It was both a warning and a curse. Roxanne didn’t want to see his lifeless body, but she wanted to escape as well. She wasn’t used to being this divided, and she was having a hard time figuring out exactly what she wanted the outcome to be, which bothered her even more. There was no reason she should want her captor to live.
“Worried about my safety?” Daerrin asked.
Was that a little hope in his voice?
“Worried about mine.” Roxanne returned bluntly.
He chuckled from behind her.
Roxanne’s brows drew down in a frown. “It’s not a laughing matter. If you die, my life will be in jeopardy.”
“I know.” He whispered.
He probably hadn’t meant for her to hear it, but now it confirmed her fears. If he died, she might be on the chopping block with some of these fire giants. She wasn’t keen on the idea of losing her pretty little neck.
Turning to look up at him her jade eyes bored into his crimson ones. “Don’t die.”
It was decided. She’d rather he stayed alive then died. Then at least her life wouldn’t be in peril, and she could always devise another way to escape. The most important thing for her was just staying alive.
A smile cracked across his lips. “I have no intention of dying, Roxanne. Perhaps I should feel insulted you don’t believe in my prowess on the battlefield.”
Roxanne rolled her eyes. “Oh, I believe in your ability to do battle. I can easily see you slicing peoples’ heads off with no problem. Just don’t do anything stupid on the battlefield.” She pointed a finger in his face.
“I promise I won’t. I have something to protect.” His arm tightened around her waist with his words. He gazed into her eyes, and she felt her heart jump until he spoke again. “I need you safe so my revenge against your father can keep going.”
Her lips turned down into a frown. She had just thought he cared about her safety because he might be interested in her, and it had briefly filled her with a pleasantly warm feeling.
Then he just had to come out and say those last hateful words. Thankfully, he had reminded her of her father and her duty to get back to where she belonged. Daerrin was making it easy for her to continue to despise him.
At least she could rely on Daerrin to prevent her from wanting anything from him. She didn’t need to lose her mind about a fire giant warrior, even if he was drool-worthy and excellent in bed.
She tried to prevent flashbacks of their night together, but she couldn’t help herself. His cock had been so long and hard, and Daerrin had drawn the best orgasm from her body. He’d been a good lover, but he would never make a good husband.
As the day shifted into night, Roxanne found herself trying to get comfortable on the back of the horse, but it was nearly impossible.
“How am I expected to get any rest?” She asked as she shifted her bottom on the saddle. “This is the very reason that I prefer carriages to horseback riding.”
Daerrin stayed silent.
“Are we stopping for the night?” She was ready to sleep. Already her eyelids were closing with her drowsiness, but the jarring motions of the horse kept her wide awake despite her exhaustion.
“We won’t be stopping tonight. We need to make it to the village before that human army does.”
She huffed. “How am I to fall asleep on the back of a horse?”
“You will just have to figure it out.”
“Why don’t you just drop me off and let me rest while you fight.” Roxanne half-jokingly said.
“I would love to, but I
can’t trust you not to wander away. I’d have to tie you to a tree, and I doubt you’d find that any more comfortable than a horse.”
“You wouldn’t tie me to a tree.”
“Wouldn’t I?”
When she was certain Daerrin was serious, she attempted to settle down on the horse, because he was right, it beat being tied to a tree where the bark would dig into her skin.
Even when she found a semi-comfortable spot, her mind wouldn’t stop racing. There was no telling how long the battle would last. Or what she might see. She’d been living on the border for a while now, but she’d yet to really experience much until Daerrin had come rampaging into her life.
Daerrin appeared to be a great general, and she feared he might save the village and force the human army back. He might even destroy the army. She wished she could give a warning to her people, but she was stuck and would have to hope for the best.
Chapter 11
Roxanne woke to Daerrin’s tense growl.
Her head snapped up, and immediately she let out a groan. Her neck was now sore from being in the same position all night long. Raising a hand, she rubbed the complaining muscle, while looking around.
Smoke billowed high into the sky, and Roxanne’s eyes widened at the knowledge of what was happening. The village they were traveling towards had to be under attack with that much smoke. Daerrin’s forces were too late, but she might be on time for a rescue if the human army was still here.
Daerrin said some harsh words, as he pushed his stallion into a gallop.
Roxanne clung to his arm, which was still around her waist, with both hands as the horse ate up the ground with its massive hooves.
As they crested a hill that overlooked the fire giant village, the destruction was clear as day.
Roxanne gasped at the carnage below. Even from a distance, she could tell it was going to be horrible, but the battle wasn’t over. There was still fighting going on in the fire giant village between the two sides.
Her mouth hung open, and she was glad she wasn’t close enough to see what exactly was going on down there. There were bound to be bodies strewn about, and she was unsure whether she could handle such a sight.
Most of the houses were either on fire or just smoking rubble.
Her heart went out to the village of fire giants. Their homes had just been destroyed… by her people. Roxanne wasn’t sure how she felt about it all. On the one hand, they were fire giants, but on the other, they were just a village minding their own business, not warriors seeking out blood.
“Stay,” Daerrin growled out, as he plopped her on the ground, being careful of her injured ankle, and then led a charge into the village with the other fire giant warriors following quickly on his heels.
Roxanne wrapped her arms around her body, as she watched Daerrin and the other fire giant warriors enter the smoking village. He looked like a reaper riding a stallion. It was both terrifying and magnificent.
The scent of charred wood and other material drifted up to her on the hill. She felt like her throat would close up at any moment. It was sickening. The smoke blended with the scent of spilled blood, churned her stomach.
As she watched men fight below her, she felt utterly useless standing up on the hill, but there was nothing she could do. She wasn’t a fighter, and she wasn’t a healer. She was just a lady from court who hadn’t bothered to learn much of anything it seemed.
And even if she were a fighter, which side would she choose?
Daerrin had kept her alive and safe, so it wasn’t like she could slit his throat. Especially not after the night they’d shared together.
Thankfully, it wasn’t a decision she would have to make since she had no fighting skill what so ever. It just shocked her how divided she could be on the subject. A few days ago she wouldn’t have hesitated in making a choice and siding with her people, but now she was confused.
Her eyes scanned the village. Where had Daerrin disappeared?
Unable to find him, her eyes took in the sight of men dying and bodies lying strewn about on the ground.
It was all too much for her. Stumbling down the hill, she found a tree that was out of sight of the village. She couldn’t see any more of it. It was all too horrible.
It was one thing to support the fighting from a court and another to witness it first-hand. It had been one thing for her to imagine such a thing, but a whole new thing to see it in person.
She wanted to escape, but she didn’t, no, she couldn’t make herself walk into such a ravaged village. For all, she knew the chaos would create confusion, and her people could kill her by accident. A battle was not the place nor the time to be running around.
Or a fire giant could kill her. She was definitely going to stay far away from all the fighting.
Stumbling over to a tree she reached out a hand, and then slid down the rough surface of the trunk.
Yet the sounds and smells kept bombarding her senses. There were screams from female voices and cries from injured men. It was an ungodly amount of noise, and the smoke and smell of blood seemed to penetrate the whole area.
She wanted to run into the forest and never look back, but she didn’t want to leave the area, assuming her ankle would even let her get far. Daerrin would finish with the battle, and then he would come and find her. If she left, she’d only get lost and irritate Daerrin some more.
With what she’d seen, Daerrin and his fire warriors would be triumphant. There was no doubt in her mind. They were a fierce people and wouldn’t give up on a fight until they were all dead or they had defeated their enemy.
Roxanne sat there staring at her feet for what felt like hours but was probably only minutes.
The sound of hooves pounding on the ground had her raising her head. What would she see cresting the hill? Would it be a human soldier or a fire giant warrior?
Her heart caught in her chest until she saw Daerrin crest over the hill. He was in his full armor with his helmet covering his face.
Her eyes seemed glued to his image. He was terrifying, yet he was such a passionate and gentle lover. Her heart rolled over in her chest, as relief poured through her at the sight of him. He was still alive. Her heart fluttered into her throat.
Despise him as she may, she was glad he hadn’t been killed.
Standing Roxanne waved a hand above her head to direct him to her location.
She couldn’t see his eyes, but she could feel the sizzle over her skin as his gaze locked onto where she was. He kicked his stallion into a gallop, and she felt her heart hitch in her chest once again.
Terrifying. Magnificent. And her captor.
The stallion held it’s chin close to its chest, muscles rippled underneath the black skin, and she had to admire the image Daerrin presented. She’d tremble in fear if she didn’t know he meant her no physical harm.
Her heart pinched. He could be her dream if he were only a human soldier. Fantastic in bed and pleasant on the eyes. She could gaze at him forever. The only problem was his attitude about getting revenge against her father.
As he neared, Roxanne’s eyes zeroed in on the blood that covered his armor. Was it his or the people he’d cut down? And why was she panicking that it could be his blood? This captivity was playing with her mind!
In on swift motion, he jumped off his horse and landed on the ground right in front of her. Taking off his helmet he let it drop to the ground as he took her into his arms before she could protest.
Any thought of blood left her mind, as his head swept low and kissed her deeply on the lips. Her soft body molded into his armor-plated one, as his kiss deepened. She reached a hand up to caress his hair. It was so thick and made her want to play with it some more.
When he broke away, Roxanne felt disappointment soar through her, but she did her best to shove it away. She was only ensuring her protection until she was able to get back to her people.
Even as she told herself that, she knew she was lying to herself. There was a part of her heart that h
ad been captured. A small part, but it was there, and it was tainting other sections of her heart. Damn it all.
He grabbed the hem of her dress and pulled it up and over her head.
“What are you doing?”
“I need you.”
“The battle?”
“It’s over.” One of his hands landed on one of her breasts. He pinched her nipple between his thumb and forefinger.
Her mouth popped open. “Now? Here?”
“I need you.”
She could hear what he meant. He needed her to distract him from whatever pain he was experiencing in his heart. Whatever he had seen had thrown him into chaos.
Roxanne moaned as she felt desire build between her thighs. “I love what you do to my body and mind.”
Daerrin undid the ties at his groin and out sprang his long thick member. Her eyes took in every inch of him with greed.
Suddenly, he pushed her up against a tree. His hands traveled down to her buttocks, and his strong fingers gripped her tender flesh as he lifted her legs up and around his waist.
Her legs circled him. His cock brushed up against her eager clit, and she sucked in a harsh breath.
“Oh yes.”
“You want me?”
“Yes.”
Daerrin moved her hips, brushing his cock against her wet center.
“Don’t tease me.” Roxanne pleaded with him.
He grinned, but in one swift movement, he penetrated her. His cock slid in to the hilt. He pumped into her with force, driving the demons from his memory. And she took it with eagerness. His cock hit all the right spots, the pressure building inside of her.
Her hips bucked eagerly against his every forceful thrust into her core. Her muscles started to clamp down around his length.
“Yes, Roxanne. Come around me. Draw me into your depths.” He coaxed her on.
Daerrin let out a growl as she came around his cock, pulling his essence from him in just a few jerks.
He placed his forehead on hers, while he caught his breath and then he pulled out and let her feet touch the ground.
