by Lily Thomas
“He killed Edmund, and now he wants me to suffer.”
“I doubt that.” Jasmine scoffed. “That man would never be so cruel.”
No, he wouldn’t.
Adorra glanced back at the arena, as Mathar squared up and fired a few shots with his bow and arrows. They landed true, and she couldn’t help but feel impressed at his skill. It was amazing to watch his arrows soar through the air and then land true in the hay targets at the end of the arena.
“Surely, he will win.”
“We will see. There are many fine archers who will participate today, and there’s no telling what might happen.” Jasmine informed her.
The day of events passed quickly, with Mathar losing the archery contest by a small margin. It had been impressive to say the least despite the loss. Now they all sat in the great hall, the tables decked out in food and drink, and dancing was going on in the middle of the great hall.
Adorra remained seated at the head table, watching the festivities going on around her. Jasmine had abandoned her long ago to dance with all the other merrymakers. Her sister had done her best to persuade her to join in, but she’d of course refused.
As her eyes scanned over the ice giants in the hall, she caught sight of Mathar, who was leaned up against a stone wall, his onyx eyes just watching her.
Pretending as though she hadn’t seen him, she kept her eyes moving over the crowd. But she could feel his eyes still on her. He was studying her. Probably wondering why she couldn’t loosen up and join in with all the merrymaking.
Jasmine bounced her way over to the table. “Adorra, do join in the festivities!” Her sister’s cheeks were rosy with her exertion from dancing.
“I’m fine right here, but,” Adorra pointed behind Jasmine, “it does appear that your dance partner is waiting for you to return.”
Jasmine turned in a flurry of movement as she glanced over at Dryden who was beckoning her to come back for another bought of dancing. It didn’t take her sister long to forget why she’d come over.
As Jasmine danced her way towards Dryden, Adorra felt a small smile crawl across her lips. Despite her original intentions, she was beginning to wonder if breaking those two apart would be nigh impossible and also just a bit cruel. They seemed to mesh so well together, and nothing, not even a pregnancy would keep her from bouncing across the great hall and into his arms.
“Would you like to dance?” A hand appeared in the side of her vision.
Turning her head ever so slightly, she gazed up at Mathar standing over her. “Dance?”
“Why not?”
“With you?” She quirked an eyebrow.
“You must have danced with worse partners than myself back at your court.” Mathar grinned. “Surely, granting me one dance won’t be too hard.”
“Why would you want to dance with me?” Adorra’s eyes narrowed as she tried to read any expressions in his onyx eyes, but there was nothing there for her to glimpse. He appeared to just want to dance with her.
Mathar chuckled as he leaned down next to her. “Do I need a reason to want to dance with the prettiest woman in the great hall?”
“Pfft.” Adorra waved her hand in the air, dismissing what he’d said, but her heart nearly stopped at his words. “Don’t lie to me.”
“I would never.” Mathar defended himself. “Now, will you grant me a dance or must I find myself a more willing participant.”
Adorra was tempted to tell him to find another woman to dance with… assuming any woman would dance with him, but the thought of another woman so close to Mathar had her itching with jealousy.
She jumped to her feet. “One dance.” She pointed a finger in his face. “Only one and no more.”
He bowed to her. “Whatever you wish.”
Chapter 20
Nearly five dances in, Adorra realized her mistake. Every time the dances brought them into contact, her skin felt like it was burning with the desire that was coursing through her. Perhaps it was the heat of the room or the wine she’d had at dinner, but she was feeling flushed.
Their hands connected again, and she couldn’t take it anymore. “Excuse me!” She tossed over at Mathar before escaping the circle of dancers.
Dashing through the great hall, Adorra sought the door that would lead her into the courtyard. When she found it, she desperately threw the door wide and dashed out into the cold air of the mountain night.
She closed her eyes and enjoyed the cold air that was quickly wicking away any excess heat coming off her body. When she began to shiver, she opened her eyes and glanced around at the soft flakes of snow that were falling all around her.
As she looked around the courtyard, she found the whole night magical.
“Are you daft woman?” Mathar’s voice lashed out.
Whipping around, she found him scowling at her from the doorway. “I needed some fresh air.” She defended herself. “I’m not daft.”
“Standing out here in the cold with no furs makes you daft.” He ushered her forward. “Come back in before you catch your death.”
“I’m not cold enough to come back in.” She remained firm despite the fact that she was shivering. She didn’t enjoy being ordered around, especially by this man.
Mathar stormed towards her, and she back tracked quickly, but not fast enough. He was on her in a second.
“You’re shivering daft woman.” He rubbed his hands over her arms.
“I’ll be fine.” Adorra brushed him off.
“Like hell.” Mathar ducked down, wrapped his arms around her legs, and swooped her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes.
“Mathar!” She pounded his back with her fists. “Put me down you beast!”
“You wanted me to be a barbarian.” He strode into the castle, and she heard the merrymaking in the hall nearby.
A giant wandered into the hall.
“Help me with this brute!” She eyed the giant from her upside down position.
“Sir?” The ice giant looked at them.
“It’s fine.”
The other ice giant nodded and walked back into the hall as Mathar continued to haul her through the castle.
“Put me down!” She slammed a fist into his spine.
He grunted but didn’t release her. Instead, he spanked her ass with a solid open-palmed smack.
Her mouth popped open.
Mathar came up to her door, raised a foot, and pushed it in with a clatter, and after they entered the room, he kicked the door shut.
Striding over to the bed, he threw her down. Mathar undid his pants, his cock springing free, and then he leaned over her. He bit her ear before whispering, “Do you want your barbarian?”
She squirmed under him. “Yes.”
Mathar didn’t wait another second. He grabbed onto her knees, and dragged her over to the edge of the bed, placing her sheath at the height of his cock. He positioned his cock at her entrance and drove home.
“Yes!” Adorra screamed to the ceiling.
Adorra rolled over in the bed, the sheets tangling with her feet and looked over at Mathar, who was wide awake.
“Don’t stare at me.”
“I find it hard not to when my eyes are always pulled towards you.”
She watched as his onyx eyes moved over to the mess that must be her hair. Quickly, she raised her hands and tried her best to tame her hair. “I must be a sight.”
“I like you with your hair all mussed.” A grin was plastered over his lips.
“If you’re teasing me, it’s not very nice.” Adorra gave up on her hair.
“Do I need to prove to you how very appealing your mussed hair is every morning?” Mathar winked at her. “Because if that’s so then I’d be very pleased to do that.” He rolled on top of her.
“Oh!” She pummeled his chest with her fists until he relented and rolled back onto his back. “Wicked man!”
He grinned like a boy as he sent her a wink. He rested an arm over her waist, and she ran her hands over the fine ha
irs on his forearm.
“I’ve been thinking about my sister and what she’s told me.” Adorra glanced over at him and noticed the smile had faded. A serious look had overcome his face as he watched her.
“What exactly are you speaking of?”
“She kept insisting that there must have been signs that Edmund wasn’t the man I thought he was.” She shook her head. “But I have no memories of him being anything other than a kind suitor and fiancé.”
Mathar nodded. “She’s right. If he was plotting your death, there had to be signs of what he was plotting.”
“But I can’t think of anything.” Adorra was growing frustrated with everyone being so certain about this.
“Close your eyes,” Mathar instructed her.
“My eyes?” She raised an eyebrow wondering if he was planning something wicked.
“Close your eyes.” His hand came up and motioned her to close her eyelids.
She relented and closed her eyes as he wished.
“Now let your mind relax and think back.”
Adorra giggled. “This sounds ridiculous.”
“Do you want to remember something or not?”
“I do.” She wanted to know if there’d been something that she could’ve missed. She’d been in love with Edmund and nothing had seemed to be wrong with him. She wasn’t certain they’d find anything, but her sister was so adamant about Edmund’s involvement in Jasmine’s disappearance.
“Think back, remember the man you knew, who you fell in love with.”
Mathar couldn’t believe he was doing this. He had no idea what he was talking about, but he hoped that by getting her to talk she might remember something more about this man who she so dearly wanted to call husband.
“When you first met him, what was it that attracted you to him?” He wasn’t entirely sure he wanted to know her answer. It was strange, but he was finding himself jealous of a dead man.
“The sparkle in his eye and the fact that he wouldn’t give up on courting me. He had such a passion for me…” She trailed off.
“And?” He pressed.
“I always found it strange. There were many women more beautiful than myself”
Mathar snorted, and she cracked an eye to look at him.
“Sorry,” he apologized as he noticed she’d opened her eyes, “I find that hard to believe. You are stunning.”
“Flattery will only get you so far.”
“We’ve gotten off the subject at hand. Close your eyes.” She did as he bid. “Now, why would his interest in you puzzle you?”
“He had so many women interested in him at court, because of his good looks and decent wealth.” She paused. “I never understood why he chose me over all those other women. There were richer women than myself who wanted his attention.”
Mathar wasn’t sure where to go from here. “Perhaps you should continue this with your sister.”
“What?” Adorra’s eyes remained closed. “You were the one who started this and thought it might do me some good, and now you just want to end it?”
“Then why do you believe he chose you?” His eyes skimmed over her. Her hair was all over the place after their rough lovemaking the previous night, and he began to count the reasons why he would choose her.
“Well, according to my sister, he wanted to kill me for the little land and wealth that would come with marrying me.” Adorra shrugged. “If she’s to be believed, then that means he would have chosen me because… I had no family to wonder about my death if I was killed.” Her eyes shot wide, and she looked at him wearily. “I think that’s enough for today.”
Before he could reach out and comfort her, she’d slipped off her side of the bed and padded over to her clothing. He watched her beautiful behind as she padded over the stone floor. And then she bent over giving him quite the pleasing view of her still engorged lips.
“I think I could get used to such a delectable view.” He purred from over on the bed.
Adorra straightened and cast him a frown. “Don’t get too used to it. It won’t last forever.”
He smirked as she turned her attention to the fur dress in front of her. It may not last forever, but he was going to enjoy it thoroughly while he had it.
Mathar jumped off the bed. She wasn’t the only one who needed to get dressed and get their day started. Dryden was finally going to show him the plot of land he would be able to call his own, and he couldn’t wait to see it.
Adorra gasped behind him, and he spun around not knowing what to expect. She stared at him like he’d done something that was most horrible.
“What is it?”
“You… your back.” She whispered. “Those scars. How have I not seen them before now?”
Mathar had forgotten about them. He shrugged them off. “They happened long ago.”
“But they,” Adorra stepped closer reaching out a hand, “they look so horrible.”
He spun away from her reaching hand before she could touch him. “As I said, it happened long ago.”
“But who did that to you?” Adorra’s eyes shined with compassion.
“Does it matter?”
“It depends, was the person who dealt you those blows ever punished?”
“He is dead.”
Adorra frowned. “And let me guess, you won’t tell me more than that.”
“Why would you be interested?” Mathar shoved his legs into his pant legs and then quickly did his belt before throwing on his shirt to hide his scars. There was a reason he barely ever took his shirt off, except to sleep. People always asked too many questions about it, and he hated the stares it would always attract.
“The pain you must have endured. How long ago did it happen?” Her hazel eyes stared up at him, pitying him… no, not pity, compassion.
“I think we’ve discussed enough of this.”
“How can you not tell me more?”
He glanced over at her and saw the pain in her hazel eyes. For some reason, his scars seemed to be paining her, but there was no need for anyone to think more on it. “As you’ve made clear several times,” he stepped closer to her, “we are nothing to each other.” With that, he left the room.
He wasn’t going to get into it with Adorra. There was no need for her to know more about his past, to know Edmund hadn’t been the only person he’d killed.
Mathar shook his head as he pushed down all the memories of his father that were trying to crawl their way back into his mind. He wouldn’t let them clog his mind with anger and despair.
All he hoped now was that Adorra could remember something that would help her see the truth about Edmund. There was a passion in Jasmine’s eyes when she talked about it, and he knew there had to be signs. All Adorra had to do was think about it, and hopefully, he had helped to plant a seed of doubt that would sprout and show her what she was missing.
Adorra had struck a nerve, that much was clear to her. Those scars on his back had been so horrible, and she knew exactly what had caused them. She’d seen a man get flogged before, and it was not a sight for the weak of stomach.
The blood and strings of flesh… it was horrible, and she couldn’t believe Mathar had gone through such a horrible fate. She just wondered who had ordered him to be flogged.
Her first guess would be Dryden, but as she’d stayed here at the ice giant castle, she’d grown to see that Dryden was more than an ice giant. He was a fair and kind man. It couldn’t have been him, but who else could have had the power to subject Mathar to such pain and fear of infection?
Anyone who did survive a flogging then had to endure the fear that their flayed back would cause a severe infection and kill them.
Adorra frowned at the closed door. He may not have wanted to give her any information, but she knew another source that might be willing to gossip.
Quickly, she left her chamber and made her way towards Jasmine’s room. It was time for her to get a little information of her own. Why men had to bottle everything up was beyond her. For s
ome strange reason, they felt as though they had to take the weight of the world on their shoulders without breaking.
As she came up to her sister’s chamber door, she knocked lightly.
“Come in!” Jasmine called out.
Adorra pushed the door open and then closed it behind her. “Dryden has already left?” She looked around but only spotted her sister.
“That man is up before the sun. There’s always something that requires him, and today it’s Mathar.”
“What about Mathar?” Adorra felt her ears perk up.
Jasmine turned at her vanity and quirked an eyebrow over at Adorra. Adorra felt a small blush crawl up her cheeks. She really needed to have less interest in Mathar, or people were going to get the wrong idea about her.
Jasmine turned back to the vanity as she stuck a few jeweled pieces in her hair. “Mathar is receiving a plot of land for all that he has done for Dryden.”
“Like killing Edmund.”
Jasmine sighed and turned slightly to look back at her. “Don’t blame him for what happened. We were the ones who asked him to do that.”
Adorra glanced at the hearth that was roaring with life. “I don’t think I can hold it against him anymore.” It was time for her to come clean while learning something new about Mathar, assuming her sister even knew anything. “Have you ever seen the scars on Mathar’s back?”
“Once,” Jasmine said as she finished with her hair and came to sit by Adorra by the fire of the hearth. “How did you come to see them?”
“This morning,” Adorra couldn’t meet her sister’s eyes, “when he left my chamber.”
Silence reigned over the room.
“How have I not heard anything about this?”
Adorra turned towards her sister who was wide-eyed and curious. “We’ve managed to keep our relationship quiet.”
“When did all this start?” Jasmine’s mouth hung wide as she shook her head.
“When we were traveling through the mountains. We came to a cabin, and there was a hearth of hot coals, and it just… happened.”