Chapter 14 #2
“If this is what you require of me, for your sake, then I will do it.” I almost regret the words as they slip from my tongue, this means that I’ll have to be closer to her than I’ve been since she was pinned in the dungeons beneath my touch.
Worse, I’ll have to make sure I don’t caress her supple curves.
“I will unshackle you, but your hands must remain in the bands.”
The physical relief I gain by having the joined chains taken off almost has me dropping to my knees thanking this woman the only way I know how.
If I could worship her and give her all my attention here right now, I would savor the taste of her on my tongue like it was my last meal.
The very thought has me biting my lip as if I could make the scene a reality.
“I guess you will have to just ride with your hands at my hips.” She’s turning in a rush, the look on her face hidden amongst the auburn waves that are cascading down her back.
It’s unusual that she doesn’t have her hair braided up in the typical style of Noxia.
Perhaps she likes to look like a wild rose among a garden.
It would be fitting of her personality. The locks, wild as they may be, frame her face in a stunning halo that accentuates the sharp angles of her jaw and chin.
The frigid air turns cooler, though I’m not sure how it’s possible when it’s already biting. I know I need to move, need to get on her mare. But gods my feet feel like lead.
I have to will myself to move, knowing we’ve paused our journey enough for the forest spirits to notice.
Reluctantly, I shift one foot, then the other.
Until I close the distance and stand alongside the mare.
Alora still hasn’t turned to face me, instead she holds the reins and pats Dahla’s neck.
We both know that this proximity will possibly tear down the proverbial wall between us.
That she might recognize me as a person instead of the tool she’s condemned me to be.
“So, who gets on the mare first? Am I to help you up and then seat myself behind you?”
“I don’t need your help.” The venom seethes from her lips, her tone cold and haughty. It should strike me but instead, it awakens the deviousness that slumbers within me, making me want to kiss the words off her mouth until she bites.
In a quick move, she’s stepping into her stirrups and lifting her body onto the worn saddle. She shakes her head, causing her auburn tresses to shift to the back of her nape, clearing her eyes from the obstruction.
Her lips smirk and she shifts her eyes to me slowly, expectantly.
This little warrior won’t yield easily, a challenge I find alluring.
“Where would you like me to hold so I can lift myself?”
She blanches. In her haste to beat me onto Dahla, she didn’t account for her body now being in the way.
I grab the saddle horn anyways, my forearm laying across her thighs.
The feeling of them flexing beneath me has my heart racing, and I focus the next moments on propelling myself upward and into the space behind her.
With my free arm, I scoop her closer to my thighs, until she’s almost sitting on them.
“There’s only one way for this to work, little warrior,” I whisper into her ear, the languid words causing her spine to stiffen. “Together we’re too big for this saddle, so you must ride this close to me.” I feel her muscles flex again, as if she’s about to spring away from me.
Her arm moves to my arm that’s currently around her waist. Her delicate hand comes around my own, causing my skin to almost vibrate. With a slow pull, she moves it to the top of her thigh.
Fuck me. This feels like torture, or worse, condemnation.
“If we must ride this way, then you’ll have to keep your hands lower and not obstruct my midsection.
” Her whisper is sliced with annoyance and my insides soar.
I can’t tell if she knows how much her actions have turned my mind to chaos, or if she just would rather challenge me.
Probably a little of both given what I’ve seen of this little asp.
“I would most definitely rather my hands be where they are now,” I whisper into her ear as if I could beckon her to let me move them lower.
Caym and Leeson spur their horses forward in a rush. Alora meets the urgency and gently taps Dahla. The horse responds and bounds forward, almost sending me toppling off backward. I grip Alora and hear a low chuckle escape her lips. She definitely wanted me to fall, again.
I knew my little warrior was feral, but I hadn’t expected her deviousness.
My mind turns thoughts around, the swirling of them consuming me.
I can admit when I’m wrong, but this is something unexpected.
The Hidden had been doing everything to make my life, and in turn King Euron’s, more difficult.
I hadn’t blamed them, but I had failed to think of them as individuals, a shortcoming of my own callousness.
The wind whips her hair in my face, the soft brushes tickling my chin. The more time I spend in the company of these people, specifically her, makes me realize how much of myself I’ve lost under King Euron’s rule.
More than just my soulmate and my freedom, but pieces of myself as well.
But with her, I feel like those pieces start to stutter, begging to be sewn back together. It’s enough to break me because I’m not sure how much more I can stand to lose.