Loving His Fire

by Lily Thomas

  Elizabeth pressed her bare palm against the tent flap and slipped out of the tent. With one glance around, she could tell the fire giants would want to be on the move again. Already things were being packed and organized.

  She needed to talk to the other young women. Not only to see them again, but also to make sure they were holding up all right. She wanted to confirm nothing had happened to them last night.

  It might prove her fire giant wasn’t a brute. After all, he hadn’t pressed her last night. It wasn’t like he needed her permission, if he wanted her. He could take her at any moment and no one would come to her defense.

  Deciding she would save her judgment of him until she saw the other women, she stuck out her chin and walked around the camp. She wasn’t about to cower. As a princess she was used to needing a stonewall expression. Court loved their rumors and they could turn hateful at times.

  It wasn't long until she heard Sarah's voice carrying through the camp. It was hard to miss, when her voice was pitched so high because she wasn't having her way.

  As Elizabeth came around the side of a tent, she saw all the women huddled together. A grin spread across her face, as she walked over.

  “Good morning.”

  “Good morning, Elizabeth.” All the young women repeated back to her.

  “Where did you sleep last night?” Sarah insisted as she rushed over.

  “Good morning to you as well, Sarah.” Elizabeth wasn’t a fan of Sarah’s accusing tone, but she understood she was just concerned. “The leader of the fire giants kept me in his tent.”

  “Did the fire giant… force you?” Sarah asked obviously ready to start a war against such an offense.

  “No! I slept next to him, but not with him.” It would be best not to mention how she had awakened to find the fire giant nude and eager to greet the morning with his hard member. It would not do to have Sarah announcing that Elizabeth was a princess. Elizabeth was starting to think the fire giants didn’t know about her high rank and that might be for the best.

  Sarah puffed up her chest.

  Elizabeth put a hand on her arm and whispered to her. “Sarah nothing transpired last night or this morning. There is nothing to be done about it. We are women among warriors. There is no possible way we can fight them. Do not risk our lives over me sleeping next to a fire giant. It could be much worse. We might not want them to know I am a princess.”

  “Why not? They might ransom you off faster.”

  “I don’t know their intentions, and I don’t want to risk letting the fire giants know.”

  “How can you be so calm?” Sarah stood there just blinking, as if trying to understand Elizabeth but unable to.

  “I have to be optimistic that all of us will get back safely. If I give in to fear, I might miss an opportunity for escape.” She had to be coolheaded, for the rest of the women. They didn’t need everyone losing their wits. Someone had to be the anchor.

  Elizabeth looked away from Sarah and to the other women.

  “I still don't...”

  Raising a hand Elizabeth stopped Sarahfrom continuing to speak. “Sarah?”

  “Yes?” She huffed, not pleased to be cut off.

  “How many women were there in the carriages?”

  Sarahtook a look at the young women, as she thought back to the day before. “I think there were five of us in the carriages.” Sarah eventually said.

  A gasp escaped Elizabeth. “We have one missing.”

  “Who?” Sarah looked back at the group of young women.

  “Esme is the one missing. Did anyone happen to see her last night?” Elizabeth asked hoping someone had. She was sure these woods were dangerous for a lone woman. She didn't like knowing one of them was out there by themselves.

  All of the women shook their heads.

  “Perhaps she escaped when the fire giants attacked us.” A grin spread over Sarah's face, as her brown eyes gleamed with joy. “She will get us the help we need. I knew this wouldn’t be the end for us.”

  Elizabeth raised her eyebrow in puzzlement. As she remembered it, Sarah had been the one despairing over their situation.

  “I don't know.” Elizabeth whispered to Sarah. “This might not be such a blessing in disguise. How do we know she will be able to survive out there? It might not be in her best interest for us to keep silent. Esme is so young.”

  “What are you suggesting?” Sarah crossed her arms in front of her.

  “I'm thinking we should tell the fire giants. Esme probably won't survive out there, assuming she is still alive.”

  “You should give her the benefit of the doubt. I'm sure she can make it back to our land. She knows we have been attacked and captured. I believe in her, and you should as well.”

  Shaking her head Elizabeth felt her stomach turn. She didn't know if she would be able to refrain from speaking out. If she did get back and she learned that Esme had never returned, then she would know she was somewhat responsible for her death.

  “Believe in her, Elizabeth.” Sarah implored.

  The crunching of leaves behind them caused the fine hairs on her neck to rise. Turning around she found her fire giant staring at them with those dark crimson eyes of his. She wondered if he had heard anything they had been discussing. He clearly was able to understand her. He had spared the women, after she had asked.

  The fire giant motioned her forward.

  “We will talk some more later.” Elizabeth told Sarah before she left with the fire giant.

  After finding his tent empty, Stryme immediately went out to search for his human female. He spotted her among the other females.

  Relief soared through him. He knew she would be the human to throw him surprises. He would be sure to keep an eye on her as much as possible. After finding his tent empty, he had wondered if he might find she had attempted an escape.

  The humans grew mysteriously quite, when they heard his approach. He felt certain they were discussing something private, like an escape. His human female had a fire burning in the back of her eyes, and he could see her determination.

  He took her arm to lead her to the fire. Once there, he tossed a bag of salted meat to her.

  After opening the bag, her face betrayed her disappointed.

  He cracked a smile. What had she expected? They were warriors in a camp not nobles in a castle. It wasn't as if he was about to hand her a bag filled with sugar treats.

  She shrugged and dug into the salted meat. Clearly, her stomach wasn't as picky as her mind.

  Elizabeth chewed on her breakfast slowly, as she concentrated on her thoughts. She couldn't decide whether or not to tell the fire giant about the missing woman. She wanted the kingdoms to know they had been captured, but she also worried about the safety of the young woman. She couldn't imagine the loneliness Esme might be feeling at this moment. None of them knew how to survive in a forest, and Elizabeth knew the walk would be too far.

  Sarah wanted her to look on the bright side, but Elizabeth couldn’t see any bright side. She doubted Esme would make it.

  After finishing her breakfast, she ran a hand down her face. It was a tough decision she faced. Sarah wouldn't understand, because she held too much hope Esme would be their savor. Elizabeth held too much doubt Esme would be able to survive on her own.

  It was her job to keep them out of harm’s way. Elizabeth couldn’t let Esme die out there in the forest. She couldn’t allow her to die in vain. Their hopes wouldn’t get Esme back to Arcaern.

  Trying not to let Sarah's words influence her Elizabeth attempted to be confident in making her decision. Every time she thought she had come to a decision, she found herself hesitating. She also wanted to believe Esme could do it, but sense told her it would be impossible.

  If she was going to be a queen, she needed to make a decision and stick with it. After all, she was going to have to make more strenuous decisions as queen of a kingdom. She could do this.

  Peeking over at her fire giant she watched as he talked with his m
en.

  The women hadn’t slept with any of the fire giants or she would have heard the horror stories. Had he spared the women because of her plea or had it just been a coincidence? Maybe he had understood her and had only spared them to ensure his own bedmate? Then why hadn't he asked anything of her last night? All of these questions were starting to build up and she had no answers.

  Perhaps, she could trust him enough to care about retrieving a lost human woman.

  Knowing Sarah would chew her out for this, Elizabeth decided she would tell the fire giant. He would either ignore her request or he would go out to find the missing woman.

  If he didn’t go to find her, she would have to take the earliest opportunity to escape. She couldn’t have any more blood on her hands. All of these men and women had been out here because of her.

  The fire giant made his way back, after he finished the conversation with his warriors. Grabbing the bag of dried meat from her he proceeded to dig in. She hadn't been the only hungry one.

  Elizabeth wet her lips. “I want to inform you about something.”

  When he didn't even turn, she straightened her back. She was royalty, and she would be heard.

  Sticking out her chin she attempted to draw his attention to her. “I was talking to the other women when I noticed one was missing from our party.”

  The giant rewarded her with a glance in her direction.

  She leaned back a little in satisfaction, now she had his attention. He either knew her language or he was annoyed with her persistent chatter while he tried to sate his hunger.

  “I thought you should know, because I am concerned for her life. None of us,” she waved her hand about, “have ever left our castle for more than a few hours. She will not know how to survive on her own.”

  He just stared at her, while chewing on a piece of meat like a cow would a piece of cud.

  Her eyes cast daggers at him. He was acting like he was bored! But she knew it was more likely he didn't understand a word she was saying. Her heart was in the right place, but she was getting nowhere.

  “I don't know if telling you this is right, but I can't live with myself if she dies out there.” Grimacing, she continued. “No matter how much I might regret this I think she would have a better chance in your custody.”

  Still he munched on the dried meat. Elizabeth had to resist the urge to slap the bag of meat out of his hands. She resisted the urge, but only just. She could reign in her temper. She had so many reasons to despise him, but there was no need to piss him off. She still didn’t know how he would react, if she annoyed him.

  Elizabeth smiled as she thought of another tactic. “Perhaps she will surprise us all and make it back to help. Then what will you do? Once the people know you have attacked a caravan, they will want satisfaction.”

  Again the fire giant just eyed her, but she could see the wheels turning in his head. A caravan was one thing, but a war was another. So far the fire giants and the ice giants hadn’t been drawn into the war the rock giants had started.

  Peering over her shoulder Elizabeth saw Sarah glowering at her from where she stood with the other women.

  Sarah knew she was telling the fire giant about Esme. What had she expected of Elizabeth? A woman's life could be in jeopardy.

  The human female stomped off in a huff leaving him to stew over what she had confided in him.

  If what she said was true then there was a human female trekking through the forest on her own. If the human did have the good fortune of making it back to her people, he might have a problem on his hands. The humans could come into the mountains, and he couldn't have that.

  The humans would find out sooner or later what had happened to their carriages. Stryme had left dead soldiers strewn all around the carriages. To be honest he had acted irrationally, and now he had several problems on his hands. If he caught the missing human, the human kingdom would have to guess whether or not it was the fire giants who had attacked the caravan.

  “Your mind seems to be several valleys away.” Keylz strolled by snatching the bag of meat from Stryme's hands.

  Stryme kicked out his long legs. “My little female has told me some troubling information about the group of females.”

  Keylz waited, as he munched away on the dried meat.

  “She has informed me that one of the human females is unaccounted for.”

  Keylz shrugged his shoulders. “What about that troubles you? An escaped human is no cause for alarm. She will probably perish in the forest, before she can get to a human village.”

  He was right, of course. Stryme shouldn't care if a human female died. No other giant would give it a second thought, but he hadn't attacked the human carriages expecting there to be females. It had been a complete surprise. He also didn’t know if he wanted to take the risk of the female making it back to her people.

  “I can't let her get back to her people. I don’t need them deciding to come into the mountains to search for their females.”

  “Are you sure that is the only reason you want to save the missing human? I doubt they will care about a few females, you know how humans can be. They don’t even bother treating them with respect in the first place.”

  “What are you getting at?” Stryme asked bristling to his tone.

  “I think you want to please your human so you can have an eager bedmate.”

  Stryme shrugged, as he scoffed. “It would only be an added benefit.”

  If it did get him a bedmate, he wouldn’t argue. After waking to find his member achingly hard, he was starting to contemplate bedding her. It wasn’t as revolting a thought as he thought it would be.

  “Don't forget this could be a deception. She might be trying to escape by distracting you with something else.” Keylz advised.

  It had crossed Stryme's mind, but the concern he had seen in her sapphire eyes seemed to be authentic.

  He knew she was trying to take care of the other human females. She had even offered her body to him the other night. He believed her, when she said there was a human female still wondering around out there.

  He wouldn’t know for certain until he looked though.

  “I can't believe you told him!” Sarah vented, as she crossed her arms in front of her chest.

  “Stop, Sarah. It was my decision to make and I made it. I wouldn't take it back, even if I could.” Elizabeth loved her friend, but this hadn’t been her choice to make.

  “What made you think it was your decision?”

  “I'm your princess. My birth dictated whether or not I could make these decisions.” Elizabeth said with exasperation.

  She was growing irritated with Sarah. She didn’t want anything to come between them, but the situation was starting to weigh down on both of them. There was a high possibility they wouldn’t see their families again.

  Elizabeth continued, unable to shake the frown from her face. “What gives you the right to sacrifice that poor woman’s life? I have no doubt we can find another way to get out of this tangled mess. We don't need to leave Esme out there alone.”

  “I hope you’re right, because what’s done is done.” Sarah muttered still not pleased.

  At least, Sarah was calming down, even if she was still a bit steamy.

  Looking over Elizabeth's shoulder Sarah's lip curled in disgust. “Here comes your giant, and he looks none too pleased either.”

  Risking a glance over her shoulder Elizabeth agreed. It looked like a black cloud was following above him. She braced herself for whatever might happen next.

  Before she was able to react, he wrapped his long fingers around her wrist. Dragging her forward he put his face directly in front of hers. She watched, as his nostrils flared wide. “If you are lying to me about the human female, you will suffer for your deception.” He snarled down at her.

  A trickle of terror flowed through her. He may have taken pity on the women, but she had to remember he was still a fire giant warrior. If they didn’t find Esme, she was sure he would think
she had been trying to deceive him.

  She wished she could retreat and cower behind something, but she kept herself steady. He might intimidate her, but she wasn’t about to let it show. If his eyes were a normal color, she might not fear him, but those eyes made him seem otherworldly.

  As her sapphire eyes met his crimson ones, she spoke with all the confidence of royalty. “I am speaking the truth. The female even has a name, Esme.”

  Watching his eyes she saw the moment they softened as he began to believe her. She let her eyes close shut with relief. He was going to find Esme.

  She dearly hoped the young woman wouldn't be hard to find, for both their sakes.

  “Good.”

  The giant let go of her wrist. As he walked away, she blinked in confusion.

  Tilting her head to the side she called after him. “Where are you going?”

  “To search for the missing female. Unless you have something to tell me.” He said slowly, obviously still having some doubts about whether she was telling the truth or not.

  “Aren't you forgetting something?”

  “Am I?”

  “Bringing me along would be wise.” She placed her hands on her hips. “The woman who is missing would probably respond better to me then to that...” She waved her hand vaguely in his direction. Esme wasn’t going to respond well if this hulky warrior whisked her away.

  “You doubt my ability to capture a human female?” He looked her over, and then said, “You weren't hard to catch.”

  Elizabeth's mouth dropped open. If he was trying to pick a fight with her, she wasn't about to indulge him. She was above being goaded. “Having a kicking and screaming woman isn't as appealing as having me around to quell the panic.”

  Stryme eyed her for a few seconds then nodded. “If you interfere in any way, there will not only be consequences for you, but for all the females.”

  Elizabeth shook her head. Today there would be no funny business. She wanted to get Esme. Then she would think about how to save them all.