The air cooled as we ventured away from the breezy, beachy coast toward the more harsh and rugged climate of the mountains.
My breath fogged out in front of me.
The journey took two days, and we stopped at whatever inn we could find along the way.
And every time, we ended up in the same bed, Tandor helping me to stay warm. Somewhere along the way we stopped feeling embarrassed about it. It became normal. Tandor neverpushed it any further than simply sharing body heat, even when I would have allowed him to. Would have begged him to. Would have done so myself.
The thought of the love potion nagged at me. Over and over, I wished that I had never dosed the entire town with the spiked chili. That I had never bent Tandor’s will. That he was himself, still on the journey with me, but because hechoseto be.
I didn’t like having to wonder if his kindness, his helpfulness, his generosity, was real, or simply a product of a love-potion-addled mind.
Once I found the dragon eggs and cured Tandor, then I could take a closer look at… whatever was brewing between us. I could examine this strange warmth in my chest, and this bubbling sensation in my stomach.
I let my arm brush against Tandor’s without pulling away. I let his warmth seep into me, let it thaw my frozen bones and soften my nerves.
Hex sat curled up on the orc’s lap, soaking up his warmth as much as I was. Hex had softened to Tandor with annoying swiftness. They still hissed and snapped at me more often than not, but they curled up next to Tandor like a pampered pet. It was fucking ridiculous.Damned familiar.
The winding road to Rockward narrowed as we neared the mountains. The softly bending paths turned into rolling hills, which turned into spiking peaks.
The poor horse struggled with the incline—our journey slowed to a crawl.
We weren’t the only ones entering the mountains, either. A handful of horse riders trotted the path in front of us. A beacon on the horizon. A target to aim for.
The air cooled even further.
I was accustomed to Moonvale’s freeze season, to bundling up in a thick, fluffy cloak, and to hustling indoors as soon aspossible to avoid frostbite. Luckily, Moonvale was small enough to walk from end to end rather quickly.
We weren’t so lucky, here. This cold was another beast entirely.
I sank further and further into Tandor’s side, desperate to absorb as much of his body heat as possible. His radiating warmth was delicious—I wanted to curl up and crawl inside his skin.
I settled for curling up against his side instead.
Eventually, when my chattering teeth became unbearable, Tandor released a deep, shuddering breath.
The orc scooped Hex up in one hand and, with the other, tugged me onto his lap. My pulse jumped in my chest. His arms cradled my sides, clutching the reins as his body surrounded me. He set Hex down on top of me, where they promptly settled back into a relaxed pile.
I could feel Tandor subtly shaking.
He was everywhere. His warmth, his smell. Even his cloak surrounded me like a blanket.
“Hang on, little witch. We’re almost there.” Tandor’s smooth voice slid past my ear like a caress.
“If I turn into an icicle and die, please bring a cauldron back to the coven for me. They’re counting on it.” My clacking teeth made my words almost indecipherable.
His arms tightened on my sides. “Oh, hush. You’re not going to freeze. It’s not that cold.”
“Are you j-joking?!” I exclaimed. “My fingers have been numb for hours!”
He released the reins with one hand and swept both of my hands in his grasp. The relief was instant. Tandor stiffened. “Gods almighty! Maybe youaregoing to freeze. Your fingers arecold.”
“Told you.”
We stayed that way for ages—with him clutching the reins with one hand, and my icy fingers in the other, the cauldron sludge curled up between us.
My numb fingers slowly regained sensation. It started with a pins-and-needles feeling, which faded into a mild burning, which eventually eased into blissful warmth.
I sighed in relief. “Oh Gods, that’s so much better,” I murmured.
