Frost Bound (Entangled with Trickery #1)

Dahlia

Chapter Seventeen

Dahlia

All she wanted was to crawl into the steaming bath and warm up.

It was a bloody miracle that she’d been able to stitch up the giantess at all. Lia flexed her fingers toward the roaring fire, but they continued to burn. It seemed like the cold had settled in her bones. The tightness in her chest wasn’t ideal either. Sickness was lurking in her lungs, she could tell.

“You stink,” a growly voice stated, his rugged accent rounding vowels a human mouth could not.

Dahlia flinched, and glanced over her right shoulder at the brute who glowered at her from near the doorway. What had she done to get on his bad side? Since the moment she’d appeared in the Asteran throne room, he seemed to have it out for her.

Was it because of their first encounter? Did he think she would bring it up?

She rotated until her back faced the flames and stared him down. “I beg your pardon?”

He nodded toward the steaming bath in the corner. “Bathe.”

Lia balked at the order. She glanced toward the giant with the long scar down his cheek—Olwen. He continued to pump hot water into the deep basin, looking utterly bored. Dahlia quickly scanned the room for a screen or divider for privacy.

Nothing. Did they expect her to wash with everyone watching?

Not on your life.

“No, thank you.”

Olwen blew out a heavy breath. “Whyever not? Arun isn’t wrong.” He touched the bridge of his crooked nose. “You need to bathe.”

“It’s not proper,” she replied tightly. Even if she were desperate enough to crawl into the steaming warmth the bath promised, there was no way she’d disrobe amongst a bunch of monsters.

Well, King Neve didn’t seem so monstrous. She glanced his way, watching as his chest rose and fell in the slow breaths of someone in deep sleep.

“What does propriety have anything to do with washing?” Arun growled, pushing away from the door. “It’s basic hygiene.”

Her jaw dropped. “Everything. It’s not seemly for a princess to disrobe amongst the other sex.”

He scoffed, the strong line of his jaw ticcing. “I forgot about the stupid rules saloes hold themselves to.” He reached over his shoulders and tugged off his tunic, revealing an expanse of smooth, muscled skin. “Fine, I’ll enjoy the bath.”

She stared at the scars that spread out like roots down each shoulder toward his pierced pectorals. Just what had happened to cause those? She didn’t remember those from the time at the palace.

Her gaze trailed down his chest over his sculpted indigo abdomen, stopping at the waist of his trousers, where his claw-tipped fingers began to unlace them.

A blush raced to her cheeks, and she jerked her attention away, only to catch him staring at her as he began to remove his leathers. His words finally penetrated her mind.

He’s going to bathe while we’re all in the room.

Dahlia had never considered herself a prude, but she’d never been in a room with a bathing male. She spun on her heel and faced the fireplace, focusing on the flames.

The wet slap of his pants landed at her feet, and she closed her eyes, listening as the giant brushed behind her and stepped into the tub. He groaned, and more heat filled her cheeks when water splashed onto the stone floor.

He was really bathing while she was in the room. While everyone was in the room.

“You sure you don’t want to stare a little more, valles ? To help me wash my back?” Every word dripped with disdain and mocking. Maybe a touch of taunt. “Maybe use that rusty blade on me that you keep hidden?”

This is no way to treat a princess. Don’t back down.

She bent to pick up his trousers and faced the tub with a scowl. Arun leaned back in the tub, his arms bracketing the sides in a relaxed pose, his scarred knees popping out of the soapy water. It was a marvel how he made the massive tub look downright tiny.

Lia stormed closer to the tub and tossed his pants into the water. She kept her eyes on his expression and grinned inwardly as the smug smile was wiped from his face. Carefully, she clasped the edge of the basin and leaned over the edge, her damp locks brushing the surface of the bath.

“If you think for one second that you can order me around, think again.” Bastard.

He reached out, curling a strand of her hair around his finger. “I would never presume to, my lady .”

Olwen snorted, and she tossed a glare his way. He immediately smothered his laughter, turning it into a cough. Dahlia’s attention turned back to the bully in the tub. She dropped the fingers of her right hand into the water and drew a pattern in the oil that slicked the top from the soap. Neve followed her movements before tipping his chin up, his complete attention on her face as he released the lock of her hair.

A mistake on his part.

Lia cupped a handful of water and tossed it into his face. He sputtered as she retreated out of his reach, feeling victorious. “Wash your own bloody back.”

It would be easy to stab Arun with her poison ring. He made it easy to hate him.

Instead she turned her back to him as Olwen snickered under his breath. Lia gritted her teeth as she moved away from the warm fire to the bunkbeds, fatigue riding her hard. Part of her wanted to pull the blankets from the mattress and sleep before the hearth, but she didn’t want to be anywhere near Arun.

Instead, she pulled her outer dress off and hung it on the bedframe, left in only her damp undershirt and leggings. She quickly crawled into the bed, her back to the room as she snuggled beneath the blankets. Lia gritted her teeth as she trembled, pain and the cold threatening to make her teeth chatter together.

She hissed out a breath and curled into a tighter ball before rolling to face the room, her back to the wall. She felt too exposed the other way. She kept her eyes closed and ducked her head beneath the blanket to preserve her heat and to keep from seeing the brute bathing.

The inside of her thighs screamed. She was sure they were raw and bloody, though she couldn’t check. Dahlia began to sing a song in her mind, and rocked gently, praying that she’d fall asleep.

Her eyelids lowered and a warm weight settled over her.

Just a little longer…

The storm didn’t let up for three days.

Three.

Dahlia swallowed slowly, her throat burning like someone had dragged a rake down it. Her eyes watered, and she discreetly dabbed at her nose with the linen she’d filched from the bandages. Goosebumps ran down her arms and she rubbed at them. One moment she was burning up and the next freezing.

It was bloody inconvenient. This was not the time to be ill.

She couldn’t afford to be weak among the Loriians.

Lia craned her neck and watched as Flyka flowed through a set of stretches like she didn’t have a nine-inch cut along her thigh. Lia winced on the giantess’ behalf and turned back to the fire.

No, she couldn’t afford to be vulnerable. Especially since the wound didn’t seem to slow the Haunt down at all. While she wasn’t comfortable with Flyka, she’d warmed a little to the gruff giantess. She didn’t let anyone boss her around. That was something Lia begrudgingly admired.

Dahlia scootched closer to the flames, pain ricochetting up and down her legs and up her spine. She stifled the whimper and dropped her chin to her chest, closing her eyes as she tried to work through the pain. Her limp, dirty hair fell around her cheeks as she hissed a slow breath out between her teeth.

The sound of ringing steel pulled her from her concentration. Dahlia glanced at the closed door leading to the barn and horses. The monsters were training. They spent most of their day out in the barn, only to come in once the sun set to hand out rations and then bathe. Arun the brute and Olwen the flirt as she thought of them, liked to tease her about it, but she was too tired and sick to care. Each night she crawled underneath her blanket, ignored the splashing of water, and prayed sleep would take her.

She winced and picked up a lock of her hair. She needed a bath days ago, but didn’t dare with so many witnesses around. The horrid pain on the inside of her thighs concerned her, as did the tickle in her lungs. Lia stared longingly at the steaming water in the bathtub.

If only.

Flyka plopped down next to Dahlia, startling her. She hadn’t even heard the giantess approach. Flyka stretched out her long legs and leaned back on her powerful arms, sweat gleaming on her brow.

“How were your exercises?” Lia asked, her voice slightly strangled.

The giantess smiled and it sent a chill down Dahlia’s spine. She still hadn’t gotten used to the fangs.

“Getting better each day.” A pause. “You could join me.”

Dahlia grimaced. “Maybe one day. Travel takes the energy right out of me.”

Flyka studied her in a way that made Lia want to squirm.

“You slept more yesterday and today.” A statement that was more like a probing question.

“What else is there to do?” Lia countered. “We’re trapped here.”

“Not for long.” The giantess glanced at the lone window. “The men have been clearing a path from the barn. We’ll be leaving in a few hours.”

Dahlia blanched and tried to cover it up when Flyka frowned. “So soon?” she rasped, her throat aching.

“Yes, but first we’re going to bathe.”

Her stomach bottomed out. “Excuse me?” Surely, they wouldn’t force her.

Flyka rubbed her nose. “I can no longer stand your scent.” Lia opened her mouth to argue when the giantess held her gray hand up. “I know saloes are touchy about nudity, but it is not so in my kingdom. You’re now of Loriia. Our customs are yours. But…” She pushed up to her feet and stepped to the door. “I know that the vallos make you uncomfortable, so it will just be us valles bathing today.”

Flyka yanked open the door, letting in frigid air that caused another bout of goosebumps to lift on her arms.

“Stay out if you know what is good for you,” Flyka yelled into the barn. “We’re bathing, and you don’t want a dagger to the throat.” The giantess slammed the door closed and offered the tiniest closed lipped smile.

That struck Dahlia in the chest. Flyka had noticed her discomfort with her fangs. That made her feel all of two feet high.

“I don’t think the vallos will be bothering us,” the giantess added.

“ Vallos ?” Lia questioned, the word rolling off her tongue.

“Males,” Flyka answered, moving back to the washing basin and dipping her pointer finger into it. She grimaced and yanked her hand back. “ Vallos for males, valles for females. And you can go first, princess.”

“You’re the one who sustained an injury.”

The giantess lifted a brow. “It’s too hot for me. I like my baths a little cooler.” She held her hand out to Lia. “Come on, then.”

Dahlia stared at Flyka’s wicked claws, but slowly took her hand. The Haunt hadn’t been anything but cordial since they left Astera. The giantess pulled her to her feet, and she bit her cheek to keep from groaning.

“You sure they won’t come in?”

“Not on their life,” Flyka replied.

Lia pulled off her thick socks, and then started on the ties of her skirt, letting it drop to the ground, leaving her in her leggings and a long-sleeved bodice. She grunted and pulled it over her head, only for her hair to get caught. Heat suffused her back and Lia froze as Flyka stepped close and untangled the strands.

Breathe. She’s not going to hurt you.

The giantess hissed out a breath when she got the top bodice and undershirt free, and a heavy silence settled between them. Lia peered over her shoulder and flinched at the rage on Flyka’s face. “W-what is it?” she managed.

“You’ve been traveling and sleeping in that torture device all this time?” The giantess began plucking at the strings of Dahlia’s filthy corset. “It’s barbaric. I can see where the bone has dug into your skin and made you bleed. What sort of garment is this? I should cut the ribbons and destroy it.”

“Please don’t. I need some sort of undergarment.” Lia held the corset to her ample chest as it loosened, a sigh leaving her immediately. It was pure relief. “It’s the undergarments of all valles in Astera,” she said, trying out the word. “It helps corral our breasts and shape our figures.”

Flyka snorted. “What nonsense. Your figure should not be shaped or changed. Each person should be as they are.”

“A sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with.” The corset finally loosened, and she held it closed and moved to the edge of the basin. “But my breasts tend to get in the way if they’re not confined in some way.”

“They are large. They would be a hinderance in battle.”

Lia chuckled at the blunt statement. “I imagine they would. Not that I’ve ever seen battle.”

Lia set the corset on the floor, making sure her back was to the door. She released the belt that held her sling and dagger, dropping them to the floor, then removing her ring and shoving it into the pocket of her skirt. Her nipples tightened in the cold air, and she wrapped her arm across them as she swung a leg over the edge and into the hot water.

Her toes burned and cramped, but it was manageable.

“What are you doing?” Flyka growled. “You need to remove your hose.”

With a will of iron, Lia lifted her other leg into the basin and dropped into the water. She hissed out the agony that burned through her limbs. Stars dotted her vision, but she didn’t pass out. The water reached the bottom of her chin, and her hair floated around her in the soapy water. One tear seeped out of her left eye, and she quickly dashed it away, before looking up at the giantess.

“I am not comfortable bearing myself to the world with strangers.” She didn’t let her gaze waver as she stared down Flyka. “Thank you for arranging a more private bath though,” she added softly. “I’ve been cold for days.”

The giantess shook her head. “I know . Your flat teeth chatter at night. It got so bad last night that Arun gave you his blankets to stop the racket.”

Lia blinked. The mean giant that couldn’t stand her gave Lia his blankets? Why would he do that? Surely, it didn’t bode well. His only interactions with her were cutting. What sort of game was he playing?

Flyka approached the tub with a bar of soap and a vial of what looked like perfumed oil. She handed the bar to Lia and poured the vial on the top of her head, kneeling beside the basin. She arched a brow at the Haunt. What was this?

“I’m not a lady’s maid,” the giantess said roughly. “But I had plenty of sisters to know how to wash a head of tangled hair.”

Lia’s eyes closed as Flyka gently detangled her locks and scrubbed her scalp. She almost moaned when the giantess ran her claws lightly over her scalp. It was bloody wonderful. The claws in her nightmares were used for slashing but the Haunt was so gentle. It made her shift in discomfort.

“Had?” she asked softly, opening her eyes to wash her arms.

“They all died.” A brusque statement.

Dahlia frowned at the wall. “I’m so sorry.” And she was. Losing Cosmos would kill her.

“Don’t be. They died like warriors.”

Lia pursed her lips. “Were they Haunts like you?”

“Yes. They died protecting our last queen when saloes invaded our borders.” Her scrubbing turned a little rougher.

Saloes … humans.

Dahlia twisted and bravely placed a hand on Flyka’s forearm. The giantess paused her scrubbing and stared down at her. “I’m truly sorry.” Losing family left scars on a person’s soul. Her mum haunted her daily.

Flyka sighed, losing some of the tension in her body. “It wasn’t your fault, princess.” She gently shook off Lia’s hand. “Now turn around so we can get you clean. You stink,” she replied without any heat.

Lia spun back around and stared at her distorted reflection in the water. It seemed everyone had lost someone to the violence between Astera and Loriia.

And they will again if the queen has anything to say about it.

She dashed her hand through the water.

“Would you do anything for your family?” she asked softly.

The giantess paused, then began rinsing out Lia’s hair. “I would do anything for my king and my family.”

Dahlia nodded. So would she. Even if it meant tearing Loriia apart.

And the thought scared her.