Winter's Scorching Kisses

by Lily Thomas

  “Jasmine better be alright,” Adorra warned Mathar.

  She felt him lean closer, his warmth wrapping around her, and a small flush built up in her cheeks. “How many times do I have to tell you that your sister is doing well and happy?”

  “Can you blame me for being concerned about my sister? She’s the last of my family that’s alive.” Possibly alive.

  “She is doing fine.” His tone took on a softer note as he tried to reassure her.

  Adorra would be the judge of that. He kept reassuring her, but after all that had happened in her life, she worried that nothing would ever go right for her. She felt like life was out to get her and rip away any happiness she was able to build.

  “You’ll have to excuse me if I find it hard to believe you.” She turned slightly to give him a glare over her shoulder. “After everything giants have done in the recent past, I find it hard to trust you.”

  “Yet here you are in front of me.”

  “Because I can’t return home without knowing if you truly have my sister. It’s not like I can just turn my back on her.” Until Adorra knew, either way, she had a duty to keep going. There was no doubt in her mind that Jasmine would do the same for her.

  They fell back into a comfortable silence. The only noise was from the stallion as he snorted in exertion, continuing to plow through the growing snowfall.

  Mathar’s brawny arm was still wrapped around her waist, and to her amazement she felt comfortable there, riding in front of him. She should fear the towering ice giant behind her, but as of right now he hadn’t done anything to warrant any fear. He’d kidnapped her, but supposedly it was because her sister wanted her at her impending wedding.

  Adorra was still shocked by that. Jasmine was obviously being forced to marry because there was no way her sister would agree to wed an ice giant. There was no way any sane human woman would consent to a marriage with a giant. Their people were too different and had seen too much violence to find common ground.

  Not only that but supposedly her sister was pregnant. In some ways, Adorra hoped they had the wrong human woman back at their castle. She didn’t even want to think about how Jasmine wound up being impregnated by an ice giant.

  A shiver spread over her as images of her sister being forced by one of these brutes afflicted her.

  Adorra let her eyelids slide closed as she calmed her racing thoughts with some steady breathing. The more she thought about her sister, the more wound up she’d get. She just hoped there wasn’t too much more time left in their journey.

  Mathar pulled up on the reins, and the stallion jolted to a stop. Her eyelids snapped open.

  “What are we doing?” She glanced around her, but there was nothing but snow and trees around them. They weren’t at the castle yet.

  “We’re stopping to stretch our legs and have a quick bite to eat. This will be the only stop I allow until night falls, so if there’s anything you need to do, now is the time.” Mathar warned her, his voice stone cold.

  She believed him. He was a military man through and through, she could sense that, and he had a mission to get them to the ice giant castle as soon as he could.

  Mathar dismounted from behind her and landed in the powdery snow, sending it flying with the sudden movement of his legs. Then he reached up and wrapped his hands around her waist, and drew her off the back of the horse. As she slid off the horse, she rushed to place her hands on his chest to keep distance between their bodies.

  His warm skin felt good under his fur shirt, and she wished she could cuddle up to the warmth like she had this morning. It was so darn cold up here that she wanted to cuddle an ice giant! It was both laughable and alarming.

  Once her slippered feet landed in the soft snow, she pushed her hands against his chest, breaking their contact. Reaching up, she wrapped the fur around her shoulders nice and tight.

  “Thank you.”

  “Do whatever you need but don’t go far,” Mathar warned her, seeming unaffected by their touch while her heart was thundering away under her ribcage.

  Adorra nodded before rushing off through the deep snow. Her feet were freezing in her soft slippers, which weren’t meant for this environment. She wanted to get back to the horse as soon as she possibly could.

  Mathar called out behind her, “Not too far!”

  She rolled her eyes as she scowled at the area around her. He was such a pain. As she rounded a thick-trunked tree, her foot caught on something under the snow. She let out a small squeak as she saw the snow rising up to meet her face.

  Closing her eyes, she braced herself for the cold embrace of snow, but nothing could prepare her for the shock of her life. She landed, “Oomph!”

  It was freezing cold!

  Pushing herself up on her arms, Adorra looked around and found she was out of sight of Mathar. Good. She was fairly certain he would’ve laughed at her, and she really didn’t need that embarrassment.

  Throwing herself back onto her feet, she brushed off the snow quickly. First, she didn’t need the snow melting on her clothing and chilling her, and second, she didn’t want evidence of her fall on her when she returned to Mathar.

  Once she was finished brushing the flakes of white fluff off her dress, she took a moment to gaze around at the snowy terrain. It was like nothing she’d seen before. It was beautiful, and the fresh snow was pristine. She loved the contrast between the green pine trees and the snowy crystals that clung to the branches. It made her long for the holidays, a time for family, friends, and a lot of good food.

  If only she had family. Mathar had given her some hope, but until she saw Jasmine alive with her own eyes, she was going to be careful how excited her heart got.

  Slowly, her feet began to shuffle her way through the snow-covered forest. She was sure she wasn’t going too far, but she wanted a look around. Wrapping the fur tight around her body, she continued. This was the first time in her life that’d she’d been up in the mountains. Her whole life had been spent all the way down on the plains. This was so new and fascinating.

  The distant sound of a trickling stream pulled Adorra even further into the winter wonderland that surrounded her. She followed the sound until she broke out of the trees to find a small stream. Thin ice had formed around the banks of the stream, and she took it all in. After everything that had happened, it was a bit of peacefulness that she was thankful for now that her life had been turned on its head. It made life seem not so bad and slightly more magical.

  She heaved a sigh and felt a little tenseness ease off her shoulders.

  A hand wrapped around her mouth and pulled her back, stifling the scream that tried to rip out of her throat.

  “What did I tell you about going too far?” A familiar voice growled in her ear in a harsh whisper.

  Adorra quickly relaxed her body even though her heart was racing for its life. It wasn’t a stranger. It was just Mathar scaring her witless.

  She wanted to answer him, but he kept his hand firmly clamped down around her mouth, careful not to block her nose. She looked over at him from the corner of her eyes and cast him a couple of raised eyebrows. She wanted to ask him why he wasn’t letting go of her mouth, but his hand was preventing her from using her words.

  Raising a hand, Mathar pointed a finger across the stream in a silent gesture.

  Adorra turned her head to face forward. Her eyes scanned the area around, but she didn’t see what he was looking at. She shrugged her shoulders.

  Mathar’s hand moved directly in front of her face, and she followed his finger until her eyes bulged at the sight across the small stream.

  A large furry animal stood in the forest, effortlessly blending in with the environment around them, and she had to wonder how long it’d been there. And how she hadn’t noticed it!

  It was huge. It was just as massive as the stallion Mathar rode. She felt herself tremble, and if Mathar’s hand hadn’t been on her mouth, she would’ve let out a whimper. The creature was like nothing she’d ever seen
before. It was clearly at the top of the food chain up here.

  Her heart thundered away under her chest.

  It looked like a cat, but it was huge. She felt her heart putter in her chest as the beast turned its golden irises towards both of them. It blinked. And then just stared at them like it was processing what they were. A long tail twitched behind it as it continued to eye them in return.

  Adorra just prayed it didn’t think they were prey. Or if it did decide they were prey that Mathar would save her.

  Its pink tongue flicked out to moisten its nose. And she had to wonder if it was hungry and looking for an easy meal because she was as easy as they came up here in the mountains.

  The cat yawned exposing giant yellow canines, that stood out against the pink of its intimidating mouth. She felt her legs tremble, and even the cold of the day was quickly forgotten as she got a good glimpse of the cat’s mouth. It closed its mouth and then gave them one more glance before turning around and lumbering out of the area. It slowly disappeared into the forest, blending in easily with the snow around it because of its fluffy white fur.

  Only then did Mathar let go of her mouth.

  Adorra spun around. “What was that?”

  “Here I thought I told you not to go too far.” He chastised her.

  “I lost myself. This place,” she waved a hand around her at the forest, “is stunning.” She stuck her chin out, daring him to argue with her, knowing he couldn’t deny the beauty around them. Each branch looked like it’d been draped in fine sparkling jewels.

  “Stunning as it might be,” he pointed a finger in her face, “you could have ended up being that mountain cat’s lunch.”

  “I’ve never seen one before. It was so… large.”

  “It’s a mountain cat and something that could easily kill you, which is why I warned you about straying too far.” His brows drew down over his obsidian eyes as he scowled at her. “Try not to get yourself killed, will you? My mission is to bring you alive, not half chewed and mangled.”

  “You’re right.” Adorra sent him a wobbly smile because he was right. She had strayed, and she couldn’t deny it. “Next time though, just tell me why I shouldn’t wander off on my own.”

  The scowl never left his face. “Or you could just obey my orders the first time around.” Then he spun around and headed back towards his horse.

  Adorra was quick to follow after him. She didn’t want to be left behind when there was a massive mountain cat wandering around the forest. She wasn’t fond of the idea of becoming a snack.

  She placed her feet in the wide footsteps he left behind him, hoping to get as little snow in her slippers as possible. Now that the threat of the mountain cat was over, she felt her toes freezing in her shoes. If she weren’t careful, she wouldn’t have any toes at all when they arrived at the ice giant castle!

  As they came up beside the horse, she felt the need to explain her actions even further, “I just heard the sound of the stream, and when I saw it, I thought it was beautiful.”

  “It could’ve been the last beautiful thing you saw.” Mathar scolded her as he bent next to his horse, lifting the hooves and checking them before they continued through the forest.

  Adorra glared at his backside. “I was apologizing for my actions, the least you can do is take it.” She wasn’t accustomed to apologizing to many people, least of all an ice giant. He should take what he was getting from her and be happy.

  He snorted. “I don’t have to do anything other than get you back to the castle alive.”

  Adorra rolled her eyes. Fine then. Whatever made him happy.

  Once he was done checking the dinner-plate sized hooves of his stallion, he mounted up on the saddle. “We need to get moving again.”

  He offered her a hand. She stared at it for a second before slipping hers into his. Warmth encompassed her hand, and she basked in the joy. Then she slipped her other hand into his, and he swung her up on the saddle before him in a rustle of skirts.

  “How are your feet doing?” Mathar asked, and when she glanced behind her, she found a trickle of worry in those dark depths.

  “Freezing.” She said honestly.

  “Here,” he reached behind him and drew out a couple of extra boots, “they won’t fit you, but they should keep your feet warmer than they are.”

  “Thank you.”

  He grunted in response.

  Quickly, Adorra snatched the boots from him and slipped them over her slippered feet. They had to be a pair of his boots with the way her feet swam in them, but they were fur lined and a lot better at protecting her feet.

  “Ready?”

  She barely had time to nod, before he sent them flying through the forest with a flick of his reins.

  Chapter 11

  Mathar glanced down at the top of Adorra’s head. He wished he could put some distance between their bodies but to get this mission done quickly he had opted for just one horse. Yet, now, they were pressed close, and he felt something growing between them.

  It was a small something, but it was still there infecting his heart. An ache that he hadn’t felt in years.

  He loved having his arm wrapped around her dainty waist, and the spark of anger in her eyes when he challenged her was something he would never be able to get over. For some reason, he didn’t understand, he enjoyed poking her.

  He even liked her floral feminine scent. It was sweet and drew him in like some unsuspecting prey. Yet there was also a hint of spiciness that he could pick up on. He wasn’t sure if it was her natural scent or if he was picking up on some kind of perfume she may have used before he kidnapped her.

  This was no good.

  He growled, and Adorra jumped in front of him as she gasped.

  She turned and eyed him with wide eyes.

  “Just thinking.” Mathar supplied.

  “Okay?” Adorra faced forwards again, but he felt the tension pulsing through her body. She was worried about his outburst.

  She wasn’t his to be lusting after. Not only was she a human woman who wouldn’t want the attention of a giant, but she was the sister of Jasmine who was about to marry his king, which would make Jasmine his queen, and bring Adorra out of reach. He was nothing more than a soldier and a hired assassin for his king.

  He would have nothing to offer her. Absolutely nothing to offer a lady of her position, whether or not she was a human.

  Adorra wasn’t like her sister. She was quieter when she wasn’t trying to break his eardrums, she was stronger. So far, there was no screaming in fear, she’d only used her ear breaking screams to get him and his wandering hands to behave. She was remarkably calm for the situation she was in. He could appreciate a woman who was able to handle a tough situation with a strong backbone and no breaking down. There’d been no tears. Not a single one.

  When he’d wandered after her to see what was taking so long and saw the mountain cat standing across the stream, his heart had nearly stopped in his chest. When the creature had decided to amble off rather than attempt to eat them, relief had hit him hard, nearly knocking him off his feet.

  As the sister to his soon-to-be queen, he would’ve had to save her. There would’ve been a lot of questions from Dryden if he hadn’t found Adorra in time, and she’d become a mountain cat snack.

  This little trip couldn’t be over soon enough. He was anxious to get Adorra back to the castle and have the whole mission behind him. The things this human was doing to his body… he was ready to abandon her, but he still had his king’s orders to follow through on.

  Mathar closed his eyes. This small human was twisting him into all sorts of confused knots.

  Her butt was pressed firmly against his crotch, and Mathar couldn’t help the boner that was pressing into her soft flesh. Despite his best intentions, he found himself lusting after her, and it was beyond irritating.

  One thing was for sure. He was going to do his damnedest to keep his hands to himself. Which hopefully would be easy since he assumed she wanted no
thing to do with him as well. At least he had that going for him.

  A few long hours later, the night closed in on them, and they still hadn’t reached the cottage he knew of in the area. Adorra was used to the finer things in life, and he knew of an ice giant cottage that would provide them some warm shelter until the morning. It would also help to heat her back up for the rest of their journey.

  And he was sure it would be a welcome surprise for her.

  In no time, he found his way through the dark forest as the scent of wood burning from a hearth drifted past him. They were getting close. He glanced down at the top of Adorra’s brunette head. She hadn’t noticed the scent of warmth and comfort yet.

  “Are we stopping for the night?” Adorra asked as the last rays of sunlight glinted through the snow-covered pine trees.

  “Here.” Mathar raised a hand and pointed through the forest as a wood cabin came into view.

  He felt her perk up immediately as her spine straightened and her eyes looked on eagerly. He’d caught her interest, and he felt her vibrate with anticipation.

  “Nothing better than resting at a cabin for the night.”

  “Nothing.” She agreed eagerly with him, and he felt his heart warm a little.

  Adorra couldn’t believe her eyes. Right there in the forest was a two-story cabin. Grey smoke trickled out of the chimney, and there were flickering candles lit right inside the windows, inviting and warm.

  Mathar pulled his horse up, dismounted from behind her in one fluid motion, and then wrapped his hands around her waist. He dropped her to the snow-covered ground. The moment her fur booted feet hit the snow, she felt the urge to sprint over to the cottage and dash inside, but instead, she waited patiently as Mathar tied his horse up to a tree.

  “Will he be fine out here in the cold of the night?” She asked.

  “He’s even better built for this cold than I am,” Mathar reassured her as he strode up to her and guided her over to the cabin’s front door by placing his hand against the small of her back.