“A snowstorm is coming up fast and I’d like to make it farther than the next hillside before we’re forced to stop.”
She and Leeson exchange a long glance, like they did before when Leeson caught us in our stare down.
“We have to do something.” It almost sounds as if she’s pleading on my behalf.
I push the thought aside and rationalize what she’s requesting. We’re fucked if we keep this pace. If the storm doesn’t get to us first, the spirits will. And I doubt anyone in this party has thought to leave any offerings to the beings.
Caym slides off his saddle and walks toward me, and I tense.
Surprisingly, he unties my lead from Dahla and yanks me closer to Alora. It’s comical really. She’s well below my chest in height and tells me to sit behind her.
“I’m not sure this will work either.” I simply state the obvious, not expecting her face to twist as if I just slapped her.
“You don’t think I’m capable?”
“No, it’s not that.” Her cheeks begin to turn a crimson and I can’t help but watch the blush spread down her neck.
“Then what is the problem, Devourer?” She stares at me expectantly. There’s no way to avoid this.
“It’s just that… well you’re much smaller than me and I worry the weight of me will be too much for the mare if I’m on her back end.”
“You’re not leading her. She’s my horse even if you stole her from me for a time.”
The tenacity I hoped to hear from her returns and I can’t help tease more of it from her.
“She is a lovely thing, it would be a shame to hinder her ability.”
I catch the eyeroll Alora tries to hide.
She stares at me, before continuing. “We must do it this way, it’s the only way we gain back any lost distance.”
Her hands make a circling gesture. “I’m not sure if you’re too proud to ride behind me or whatever, but for our sake and yours, we need to be moving. There is no choice.”
I look at her, studying her eyes, catching a glimpse of hesitation or perhaps it’s self—consciousness. I can practically see the shimmer of anxiety slowly seeping out.
“I am not too proud.” I speak quietly, afraid she might think me callous. “I merely worry for your horse. She’s such a lovely creature and I don’t wish her lame.”
“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 couldworshipher 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 onhermare. 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.
