by Lily Thomas
But they would need dinner, so he turned his attention back to the rabbits. Taking a couple sticks he stabbed the rabbits onto them, and then stuck them over the fire to roast.
Claira watched him out of the corner of her eye, as he prepared the rabbits. She was amazed he’d been able to catch them. His wound must’ve opened up by now with the amount of excursion he was putting into her. Yet she didn't know how to ask him if she could have a look.
He may have saved her, but she felt uncertain about herself. She didn’t actually know him, after all, and she didn’t wish to make the wrong move and exasperate his patience.
She knew all the terrifying stories every other human grew up being told. He may not be a nightmare, at the moment, but that didn’t mean he couldn’t become her nightmare.
So they sat in silence. Both of them watched the fire crackle beneath the roasting rabbits. The smell tickled her nose and caused her stomach to give a loud grumble that seemed to echo through the silent air.
How long had it been since she’d last eaten? She had no idea. Since she’d encountered the rock giant, her life had become a blur. Impatience filled her, as she eyed the roasting rabbits. Claira wanted them to finish cooking quickly. Preferably, before she died of hunger.
The feeling of being watched made the hairs on her neck rise and snapped her out of her hunger. Glancing over at the rock giant she blushed.
He was scrutinizing her with those dark eyes of his, those black eyes that seemed to see straight through to her very soul.
She smiled at him shyly. It seemed to shake him, and he glanced away from her. Her smile wavered, and then fell from her face.
How could a rock giant make her feel so uncertain about herself? She had absolutely no idea how to act around him. He might be injured, but he had proven he could still be a force to reckon with.
Her thoughts turned inwards, as she felt the silence press down on her. If her fellow humans couldn't accept her, then her last hope were the rock giant people. She might be able to provide something they needed, like a healer. There was always the possibility, and she was nothing if not a dreamer.
“So…” The rock giant turned to face her, when he heard her voice. “What can I call you, because calling you ‘the rock giant’ might get confusing, if we meet up with any more of your people.”
“Kaeldar. And you?”
“Claira.” She smiled over at him. Now she knew a little more about him. It wasn’t like they were becoming fast friends, but it was a start.
The name seemed to fit him. It was hard on the tongue, just like his well-built body. Her mind shifted to thoughts about his body. Her cheeks colored, as she recalled running the wet cloth over the hard planes of his chest back in her cottage.
Never before had she thought of a patient like this. She had seen so many naked chests in her line of work, and yet his was affecting her in a most curious way. He wasn’t even a human.
Interrupting the direction of her thoughts, Kaeldar snatched the rabbits from the fire and handed her one.
Claira grimaced at the rabbit on a stick he was offering her. “I don’t know how you plan on me getting to the flesh, when the fur is too hot for me to touch.” She held up her hands. She had a few calluses, but nothing that would allow her to peel a rabbit right off the campfire.
Without a sound, he ripped off the chard fur, and he didn’t seem to mind the heat coming off the freshly cooked meal.
When he was done, she happily took it back. She was ravenous, and she wasn't going to be shy about eating in front of him. Her rock giant couldn’t keep his eyes to himself, probably thought she lacked any sort of manners.
It would be normal for them both to be curious about each other. They’d been raised to hate each other, yet they kept saving each other.
Some scalding fat rolled onto her finger, and she turned her attention back to the piping hot rabbit. Steam rippled off it, but she held it by the stick with two hands and took a mouthful. Allowing the juices to flow over her tongue, she groaned with pleasure, as the meat filled her hollow stomach.
Within minutes the rock giant had finished his. He had to be ravenous, since his body would be demanding fuel to heal his wound.
She offered him the other half of her rabbit, but he shook his head.
“I’m full. If you can, you should eat it. It will help you to recover faster.” She held it out to him again.
“Are you sure?”
“Of course. I’m not the one who needs more nourishment.”
He took it from her and finished the rest of it with some quick bites.
She was more than comfortable relaxing in front of the fire, but Kaeldar rose and made his way over to the tent. When he disappeared behind the tent flap and she didn't hear anything, she grew curious.
Not to mention she didn't feel like staying out in the forest without any company. There was always the probability a rock giant scouting party could come by. No spot near the borders was safe these days.
When she popped her head inside the tent, she saw how tiny it truly was. Kaeldar was already lying down and taking up more than half the available space. There was no way she could sleep beside him without them touching. She wasn’t used to sleeping next to a man, let alone a rock giant.
A spike of trepidation flowed through her, but she reasoned with herself. If he wanted her dead, he wouldn’t have saved her, but there was still the chance he could snap and lash out at her.
Then again the small tent could be an advantage. It would allow her to watch over him more closely through the upcoming nights. She just had no idea what to expect. Claira prayed he would be able to keep his hands to himself for at least this first day and night.
After sitting down next to the rock giant, she tentatively put her hands on his armor. He didn't move, but he did open his eyes to look up at her.
“Do you mind if I check your wound?” She asked. She didn't need him dying on her. He was her best hope at a new life.
“Don’t.” He growled out.
Claira leaned her butt back on her heels. “With all that you’ve done, I worry about your wound.”
“It’s fine.” He said gruffly.
“You don’t look fine.” Claira returned.
“Will you keep pestering me?” Kaeldar arched a thick eyebrow in question.
“Let me look at your wound, and then we will discuss me leaving you alone.”
He eyed her for a few seconds, and then gave in with a nod of his head.
Claira smiled, as she removed his armor and the fur lining underneath. The wound had indeed re-opened, but thankfully not by much. Scrounging up some fabric she wrapped his wound back up in a fresh bandage. He was going to need the rest of his blood, if he was going to stay strong.
Kaeldar fell asleep, before she even finished, and after some time, she nodded off. She’d had such a strenuous few days, and she was ready for some well-deserved rest.
Claira woke in the middle of the night to the sounds of spooky night animals, like the hooting of an owl. She’d never slept in a tent before, and she missed the solid wood walls of her cottage. The flimsy tent walls made her question whether or not they were actually safe inside.
She could feel the rock giant breathing evenly behind her, and she took comfort in the fact he was around. Eventually, she grew too tired to stay awake for much longer.
Throughout the whole night, she rolled around on the hard ground, barely able to get any sleep. Towards early morning, she started to feel unbearably warm. As she woke, she wondered if she was coming down with an illness.
After feeling her forehead, she felt his, but although a little warm he seemed fine to her.
“I better take a look at your wound.” Claira reached for his wound, but his hands shot out to grab hers.
“I am fine. Let me sleep, Claira.” Kaeldar growled at her. Deciding the discussion was over he rolled over onto his side leaving her to just stare at his back.
He was definitely becoming a frustrating
patient. Then again when were men good patients? He probably thought himself indestructible, but he might make a fatal mistake if he kept thinking that way.
Yet, Claira let him have his way, for now. If he thought he was fine, then she would wait. She only hoped he knew when to ask for help and when to refuse it, but she’d watch him like a hawk, just in case he was stupid.
By the next morning, the rock giant was up and about within the tent, but before she let him out of the tent, she was going to have some words with him.
As Kaeldar headed for the tent flap, Claira sidestepped into his path. He tried his best to slip past her, but she wasn't allowing it. Not this morning. Her hand shot out to block his way better.
His dark eyes narrowed, as he took a step back and watched her from under his lashes.
“I need you to stop reopening that wound. As a healer, I would encourage you to follow my advice, and that means you need to start taking it easy. I've saved your life once, and I don't want you ruining all of my effort.”
He stared down at her with his cold pitch black eyes.
“Do you plan on letting me past?” Kaeldar asked, as she continued to stand in his way. “Or do you have something else you would like to ask of me?” His voice took on a deeper tone, as he looked her body up and down.
She realized she was still staring straight at his chest, while remembering him naked. Blushing even deeper she quickly moved out of the way, and then followed him out of the tent.
As he packed the tent up, she watched him from the sidelines. She wasn’t sure she should be traveling with him, yet she had nothing to lose, since Claira had no family, and no one who would miss her.
She couldn't help the back and forth, to go with him or to go back to her human life. If she went back, she would have to choose a different village, because her village would never welcome her back into their fold. Or she could go with him and hope for the best.
Claira felt certain Kaeldar wouldn't stop her, if she decided to leave.
They were heading deeper into rock giant territory, and she knew Kaeldar wouldn’t be able to make any honest promises towards her safety, and if he did she probably wouldn’t believe him. Claira assumed he was nothing but a soldier, and he wouldn’t have any power to keep her safe among his people.
As she watched him pack the tent, she realized he looked a little on the pale side, and his eyes were slightly dull. She was a healer, and he was still in need of her help. She couldn't very well abandon him and still call herself a healer.
The rock giants had started this war, not that it wasn't deserved. The human population never tried to have good relations with the giants, since the giants were thought to be below humans in every way.
Claira didn’t feel like the rest of her kind. She wanted to save her judgement until she met more of his kind. She wouldn’t be able to heal properly, if she despised everything around her.
The rock giants were giving the human army a run for their money, at every turn though. The war was about even, when it came to the battles. It was hard to predict who the winner would be or if they would be a winner.
Within minutes Kaeldar had everything ready to go, and they were soon on their way through the forest. Claira only allowed them to travel for half a day before demanding they set up camp again. She was determined to see him rest, so his wound would heal faster.
Chapter 8
Robert couldn't believe his luck. There was their camp, and soon he would rescue his darling Claira.
He knew she doubted his love for her, but that was why he’d told the village about the rock giant. Claira wasn’t safe with such a monster in her cottage. She was just too naïve to realize it, so it was his responsibility to protect her.
He’d expected their group of two to travel farther than they had, yet they were only about a three-day ride from the village.
The mayor had helped him steal away, during the night, and even gave him a horse.
After the rock giant had taken Claira, Robert had pleaded with the mayor. He implored the mayor to allow Claira to be a part of the village again. He needed Claira to be his wife, he had chosen her the moment she’d come to their village, and he would have her, even if it was the last thing he did.
The mayor consented, and told Robert that if he could save her from the rock giant's clutches, then she could return. It hadn't taken much persuasion, which had surprised Robert. But there was the condition that Robert would have to convince her to be his wife and give up healing.
A smile broke out on his face, as excitement coursed through him. He knew Claira would be grateful to him for saving her. How could she not? He was about to be her knight in shining armor.
After watching the camp and seeing only Claira, who was organizing some herbs, he decided it was time to step in to save her.
The rock giant hadn't made an appearance as of yet, and Robert hoped that meant the rock giant had gone out somewhere in the forest. He and Claira would need some time to sneak back to the village.
Puffing up his chest he cleared his throat. It was his time to show her he was the man she’d been dreaming of. He would make all her dreams come true, if she would just let him. He strutted into the clearing with a large grin, while one of his hands gripped his sword hilt.
The sharp sound of metal hissing against metal drew Claira's attention away from her herbs. Her jaw dropped, when she saw Robert strutting into the middle of the camp, sword in hand. She blinked several times. Surely, she was just seeing things. When he didn’t disappear, she realized he wasn’t an apparition of her over active imagination.
He just wouldn't give up, would he? He had to be deluded, and now he was marching into a camp with a rock giant? Robert didn’t know how to use a sword, and she wondered how he had got his hands on one.
She glanced over to the tent. When she glanced back at Robert, he was standing right next to her.
Robert reached down and grabbed her arm roughly giving her a slight shake. “Where is the rock giant, Claira?”
She glared at him. Kaeldar was asleep in the tent, but she wasn’t about to tell Robert that. She knew Robert would slip in and slit the throat of the rock giant, while he slept.
“He went out to hunt for some food, and I have no idea when he might be back.” Claira hoped it would be enough to keep Robert from searching the camp. Hopefully, he wasn’t searching for a fight.
“Let's go before the rock giant comes back.” He proceeded to drag her off by her arm, having decided they’d been there for enough time.
Heaven forbid he should ask if she wanted to be rescued. She dug in her heels. “Where are you taking me, Robert?”
When he tried to keep dragging her instead of answering her, she shifted her weight down over her heels to make it harder for him.
With an explicative, he gave in and turned to stare at her.
It was then that she read the uneasiness in his eyes. He didn’t actually want to face the rock giant when he came back from 'hunting'.
“Back to the village of course.” He said to her as if she had gone simple.
Claira shook her head. “They will kill me, Robert. Why would you want to bring me back there? Do you want to see me burn at the stake?”
He smiled at her. “Trust me, you will be fine. You have my promise.”
“I thought I could trust you earlier, but you told the village about the giant.”
“It wasn’t safe for you to have a rock giant in your cottage. You’re so gentle, Claira. You have no idea what one of those beasts could do to you.”
“He was injured. He wasn’t about to do anything to me.”
“It doesn’t matter.”
“It does to me. This is what I do. I heal people, whether or not they are humans.” Claira kept her heels dug in, as her jade eyes glared at Robert.
“It was an accident. I had a few too many, when I was at the tavern.” Robert explained.
Claira rolled her eyes, likely story, and even if it was true, it didn’t excuse
him from what he did.
“He kidnapped you, after all you did for him.” Robert tried to point out, without knowing all the facts.
“He saved me. In case you don't remember, the villagers were going to burn me, and he rescued me.” She couldn't resist adding on, “Unlike you.”
His face turned beet red, and she gave him a smirk. Robert had always been a pain in her side, and she was tired of him pestering her about marriage. She was tempted to give out a scream to wake Kaeldar, but she had no idea if he was feeling well enough to take on a sword fight.
Dare she risk it?
Even though Robert wasn’t a skilled swordsman, he was still well built. Claira didn't feel like testing Kaeldar’s strength out, so she decided she would go with Robert. She was sure she could slip away with ease, and then she and Kaeldar could get move out of range for anyone else who wanted to follow them.
Giving up she allowed Robert to pull her towards the edge of camp, where he had a horse tied to a tree.
“Let's get going before the giant gets back. I want as much space between us, just in case he still wants you.” Robert explained to her, as he was about to mount the horse. Then he stopped and looked at her. “If I let go of your arm, will you run?”
With all honesty she said, “I will not run.”
And she wouldn't. She didn't want Kaeldar to wake and come to her rescue in his condition. Even if he did have the strength, his wound would never heal, if he kept opening it.
Robert slid his sword back into its scabbard, and then offered his hand down to her, and he swung her up before him on the horse.
Robert wanted to stay and lie in wait for the rock giant to return from hunting, but then he remembered the way the rock giant had rampaged through the town to take Claira, and he decided it might not be such a wise idea.
Instead, he would take Claira back to the village where she would then have to wed him. She would have no choice. The mayor would only accept her back if she married him.