by Lily Thomas
She had seen those creatures up close, and just like the stories she’d heard as a child, they were terrifying. Swallowing audibly, she imagined one of those large razor sharp toothy mouths clamped firmly around her neck.
Sleeping with the giant sounded a lot better than a possible gruesome death out in the cold. Way better than being out there with those mountain cats she had seen just a few hours ago. Then at least she would be alive, and she preferred breathing.
She also had to think about her sister. To save Adorra, Jasmine would have to remain alive, which meant she couldn’t risk sleeping in the cold with dangerous predators roaming around.
The ice giant spoke. “If I could have you put in another tent, I would, but we don’t haul around extra tents.”
Jasmine’s face burned as she realized he was implying he wasn’t keen on sleeping next to her, either. Apparently, his body was just reacting to being physically close to a woman. She was both bothered and angry with that, but also glad to hear him say it out loud. It meant he wouldn't want anything more from her tonight, assuming he was telling her the truth.
Reluctantly, Jasmine approached the furs and slipped back under the covers. She kept her distance from him, though.
“You might be warmer if you scooted closer to me. I have plenty of heat to share.”
“I am warm enough where I am. Thank you.”
Even with her apprehension about sleeping next to Dryden, her tired body drifted off into dreams with ease.
Dryden was pleased Jasmine had no trouble falling asleep. He only wished he could fall asleep as easily. Unfortunately, he was too tense. It was hard having her this close to him.
He hadn't mentioned this to her because he didn't want to start another argument, but he could have always shared a tent with one of his warriors. Now he was regretting not having done that exact thing.
She was so close. Her smell drifted over to him. She had a delicately floral scent, and it made him want to nuzzle into her neck and breath in deeply. There was no way the human was about to let him do that, nor did he know why he felt so compelled to lean in.
A growl formed on his lips, but he smothered it. No need to wake her because he couldn't rein in his erratic emotions and thoughts. He’d never allowed his desires to drive him before, and he wasn’t about to let them override his better judgment now.
Dryden rolled over to lie on his back and stare up at the fur tent overhead.
He was glad he had saved her, but he knew this would be a trying process. To keep her alive, he would have to integrate her into their world. He had an inkling that it may not be the most straightforward process with her since she seemed set in her ways.
He could also tell that she would up and run away if given a chance. She might not get far, but she would attempt it. He got the feeling failure wasn’t an option for her. There was a determined glint in her beautiful eyes.
Dryden rolled onto his side and tried to get some sleep, but his thoughts wouldn’t leave him be.
He would have to deal with his people. They would accept her after some time, but could they understand his obligation to help her?
He simply hadn’t been able to leave her lying there in the snow. Although it made sense to him, he could tell from his warriors’ reactions that his people would think him completely insane. He was a good king, and his people loved him, which would help with integrating the human, but only if he convinced them that it was worthwhile to keep her.
If she attempted too many escapes, they might think it better just to be rid of her so that they wouldn't fear retaliation by any humans she told of her captivity. The humans would surely want to make a ruckus if they discovered that one of their women had been held by the ice giants.
He felt like groaning but restrained himself. It would do him no good to mope and complain at this stage in the game. He had made his decision, and now he would have to play it through. There was no option.
Dryden closed his eyes and fell into a restless sleep.
Chapter 7
So warm. So nice and toasty warm. Jasmine woke slowly as she allowed herself to bask in the warmth of the furs. These mountains had been so cold, and now she was so very warm. She was reluctant to leave the warmth, or in any way disturb it.
With a stretch and a yawn, she cleared her foggy mind enough to take a look around her. At that moment, everything came rushing back to her, and the memories of the last few days, and the awareness of where she currently was.
Something moved against her stomach, and she froze. Not even her eyes moved, as she lay there waiting to see what might happen.
When nothing happened, she looked down and spied the bulge of the ice giant’s arm draped over her oh-so-very casually under the covers. Alarm spread through her as she stared down at the fur that covered the offending hand on her stomach.
Her bare back was pressed fully against his naked front. Jasmine sucked in a harsh breath so fast and hard that she whistled lightly into the air. To think nothing could get worse was an understatement.
Jasmine sat up, turned, and shoved the ice giant away. Dryden rolled out from under the covers onto the cold, hard ground.
“What the…?” He leaped to his feet as his skin met the freezing air.
Jasmine smirked. “Serves you right.”
His brows came down in a frown. “Excuse me?”
“Your arm was wrapped around me!” Jasmine clutched the fur covers to her chest. “Don’t act so innocent.”
“That depends on what you are accusing me of.” Dryden folded his arms in front of his chest, and Jasmine got distracted for a moment by his incredible muscles. All she wanted to do was run her hands up and down his torso, feeling the firmness beneath his smooth skin.
Woah! What was she thinking? Jasmine regrouped.
“How about the fact that you had me pressed right up against you?” Jasmine demanded. “I could feel...everything!” Jasmine glanced down to where his shaft was proudly sticking up in the air. Her eyes became glued to the sight.
“Like what you see?”
Jasmine snapped back to reality and drew her eyes back up to his face. “Not at all.”
“Now who is acting innocent?”
She scoffed. “I’m a lady, not a whore.”
“Could have fooled me,” he growled. “You’ve been grinding your pert little ass against me all night long!”
Jasmine felt like screaming her head off. It sounded like such a good idea, as though it would alleviate all her problems. Not to mention it would let out all her emotions, which needed an escape, but unfortunately, she didn't want to wake the whole encampment of ice giants.
Damn him, she thought to herself. He was proving to be more and more of an irritation. Could he be a little less attractive, and perhaps a little less warm? Maybe then she would have a fighting chance.
Jasmine slowly let out a breath. “Perhaps I jumped to conclusions,” she admitted grudgingly.
“You think?”
“Then again, you can’t blame me for reacting this way. I woke up naked and pressed against a stranger. I was scared for my safety.”
“Have I actually done anything to you?”
Jasmine glared at him, but said, “No, you have not.”
“May I rejoin you then?”
She gave a small huff but nodded her head. Dryden slipped back under the covers, his body heat warming the furs back up almost immediately.
There was something about lying next to him. She felt almost... safe. She never expected herself to say that about an ice giant, but it was true. She felt safe with him.
He seemed to be the kind of man who would do anything to help a woman. He had indeed saved her from the river when he didn’t have any obligation to her.
“I’m sorry I overreacted.”
Dryden grunted as his eyes closed once more.
The cold slowly crept back into the furs. Without him right next to her, it was several degrees cooler.
“Perhaps you might… consi
der… cuddling back up to me?” She couldn’t believe she’d said it, but there it was.
Dryden chuckled, but wrapped an arm around her and brought her in close to his chest.
Warmth immediately enveloped her, but Jasmine was distracted by that long hard shaft pressing into her backside. It sent thrills of all sorts racing through her.
Dryden might insist that he had no interest, but his member would say otherwise. Was she ready for something like that? She wasn't sure, but she did know being intimate with him would be a bad idea for everyone involved.
What was she even thinking snuggling up to him? He was an ice giant!
Suddenly, Dryden stretched and used his arm to press more fully against her backside. A blush burned up her cheeks. If she hadn’t been using him for warmth, she’d be halfway across the tent by now.
Jasmine didn’t think she’d be able to fall asleep; she was so stiff. In some ways, she wished she could just relax, but she felt the need to be on her toes around him.
He groaned and stretched against her again. His cock pressed up against the crease of her buttocks.
Jasmine squeezed her eyes closed and slowed her breathing, as the hardness behind her became more pronounced against her back. It was tough to calm her speeding heart, but with a few steady breaths she slowed it to a regular beat. Still, she was incredibly wound up being so close to him. There was no way she was going to fall asleep now.
Dryden woke to find himself still snuggled up with Jasmine. Her butt firmly pressed against his cock, and it appealed to him like no other. He stifled a groan.
It would explain the dreams he had throughout the night. Visions of her naked body under him, wet for him, and her thighs wrapped around his waist.
Just thinking back on those dreams had him wishing he could flip her over and pleasure her senseless, but he knew she would rebuff any of his advances. Though he wished she would accept him. Call him crazy, but he wanted her, needed her more like, or at least his cock thought he needed her.
If he ever convinced her to share pleasure with him, he hoped he’d finally get her out of his system. She was an addictive woman who drew him in, but he wondered if it was just because she was human. Was it the curiosity of those hypnotizing hazel eyes that drew him in?
Dryden smiled to himself as he let his mind return to the dreams he had been having, her sweet body naked and below him.
A small groan escaped from between his lips. It had been quite some time since he enjoyed a female in his bed. Maybe he wouldn't be lusting after this poor human female if he wasn’t so randy. But now that he met her, he wasn't keen on the idea of taking any other female. He was lusting for her and only for her.
Dryden started to move his arm off of her and reposition himself, but as he moved, he felt Jasmine suck in a deep breath.
Was she awake?
Dryden got up on his elbow and leaned over to look down at her face.
He sucked in a hard breath. She was gorgeous, even after a night’s rest and her hair going in every which direction. She had a beauty that was almost unbelievable. Her brown lashes lay sweetly above her high cheekbones while hair curled and framed her face, and the furs had slipped, so he got an excellent view of her pert breasts. Those breasts were meant to be handled by a man. A possessiveness consumed him as he continued to stare down at her, taking in her beauty.
There was a slight movement under her eyelids, as her eyes moved. He let out a small breath that touched her face, and her cheek twitched.
He smirked. So, she wanted to pretend as though she was asleep?
Fine, he would allow her this deception.
He would let her think she had outwitted him. With his member pressing into her back, he could understand her not wanting to face him. At least she wasn’t pushing him out of the furs.
He couldn't contain a slight chuckle, though, as he pulled his arm away from around her waist and pushed himself into a sitting position next to her.
The things humans found taboo amazed him, but he was willing to let her get comfortable with him in her own time. Giants were open to having bed partners before finding the one person they wanted to spend their life with.
With a shake of his head, Dryden rose from the furs, stretched in the brisk cold air, and strode over to his clothing.
Within a few short minutes, he was fully dressed. Then with a couple more short minutes, he had his armor fastened over his body and his swords strapped to his waist. With one last glance at the beauty on his furs, he left the tent.
Jasmine heard the rustle and flutter of the tent flap as Dryden made his way outside. With a sigh, she cracked her eyes open just a slit to make sure he really had left.
A breath of relief gushed out of her, as she saw the tent was truly empty. She rubbed the sleep from her eyes and stretched all over the pallet of furs. It felt so good to be so warm. She finally felt fully recovered from falling into the frigid river water.
There was no feeling of having a permanent icicle within her anymore. A smile spread across her face. Now that she was feeling worlds better she might be able to escape the ice giants’ clutches. It was essential to Jasmine to get back to her sister. Dryden might be the sweetest giant in the world, but she couldn’t stay and find out.
Slowly and very carefully, Jasmine sat up with the furs clutched tightly to her chest. In the back of her mind, she noted that she liked the thick warm furs against her bare skin. She wondered why her people didn’t use furs in the winter. It would be so much more practical than wearing multiple layers of cloth.
The sounds of giants and horses from outside the tent reached her ears. She sat there silently listening to it all. All those growls, grumbles, and snorts. Jasmine wasn't sure which came from the giant horses, and which came from the ice giants themselves.
Her stomach growled up at her, forcing her to curl over. She was starving! But should she attempt to go outside of the tent? She wasn’t a timid person, but she didn’t know these people. Plus, it was hard to go exploring when you weren’t dressed. Holding a blanket of furs around herself just didn’t have the same feeling.
Jasmine bit her lip as she considered her options. Mathar and Dryden didn't seem like they wanted to do her any harm, but what about all the other ice giants in the camp? How did she know they wouldn't want her head on a pike as soon as she left the tent? Humans and giants had been enemies for all her life. They could hate her just for being a human.
So many generations and too much time had passed since their people had become enemies. Both sides now only knew to despise the other.
A random thought occurred to her. Perhaps ice giants told their children scary stories about humans to make their children behave, just like humans told their children scary stories about ice giants. She could only imagine all those ice giant children hearing terrifying stories about her people.
Did it matter to her?
Jasmine shook her head. These were thoughts for diplomats and philosophers. She needed to focus on her situation and break free of these ice giants. She needed to get back to her sister in time to save her.
Getting her hands on one of those ice giant horses would increase her chances of successfully returning to her sister in time.
She again turned her attention to the ice giants and the noise they were causing outside the tent. She thought it had been early morning, but the noise level suggested that it was more like the early afternoon with all the hustle and bustle.
Nervously, she bit her bottom lip between her teeth.
Her stomach growled up at her again.
“Be quiet, you,” Jasmine whispered harshly. Soon she would feed it, just not until Dryden came back since he was the only ice giant she trusted.
That was a thought that stopped her. She trusted him. Yes, indeed, she really did trust him. The disbelief shocked her to the core. He might have onyx eyes, but there was kindness in them when they gazed at her.
Looking around the tent, Jasmine was delighted to spot her clothing lying
in one corner. She stood. The cold air kissed her skin, and she wanted to dive back under the nice warm fuzzy pallet of furs, but she gritted her teeth and sprinted over to her clothes instead. Shivering, she bent down to grab the clothing with a hand and smiled when she realized that the dress was completely dry.
Dryden must have dried it for her. He may not know how to put it back on her, but he’d kept it for her, which said a lot. Jasmine felt another surge of kindness toward him. Now she could wear her clothing instead of running around naked under a fur blanket.
Changing into her clothing would make her more comfortable and give her confidence among so many intimidating ice giants.
Jasmine slipped into her dress and tied the laces up the front. She was thankful she’d been wearing a dress that tied up in the front, or she would never have been able to change back into her clothing without help from another person.
Taking a deep breath, Jasmine made her way towards the tent flap.
Once she reached the tent flap, she paused to take another deep breath as she braced herself for what she might see when she peeked out. Gathering enough courage to lift the flap of the tent, she popped her head out.
Her eyes took in the number of tents around her. Were there really that many tents yesterday? There were so many, and there were so many ice giants wandering around between them. From her position, Jasmine realized she saw basically all of the camp.
The giants roaming around the camp were all tall, large, and showing a lot of bare skin. Jasmine was amazed they weren't freezing to death, walking around the camp shirtless in the cold air. Their tolerance to the cold must be another reason for their name.
Even though she had seen Dryden’s impressive physique up close and personal last night, her jaw still dropped as she took in the bulging arm muscles, rigid abs, and amazingly toned chests that all the ice giants seemed to have. She’d never seen so much muscle in her entire life, nor had she ever seen so many half-naked men in her life.
Her eyes zeroed in on the steel swords the ice giants wore easily on their bodies. Every warrior had at least two swords, and some had up to four, not to mention all the daggers.
