Together, we wound the rope through the metal and constructed the pulley. It took well over an hour, perhaps even more, to lower all the mine carts to the bottom cave. By the time we were done, sweat coated every inch of me, seeping into the sleeves of my tunic. My hair had transformed into damp ringlets—without the bells. I’d learned my lesson from last time. Tormund looked like he’d barely broken a sweat. Even though he was a shadow demon, his ability to do pretty much anything just as easily as if he were lounging around eating cake was impressive, to say the least.
“All right, come on. Let’s go.” I shoved the mine cart across the rocky cave floor.
Tormund followed, grabbing the sides to help me steer it across the uneven surface. We reached the crack in the wall that led to the dragon’s lair only a few minutes later. Sighing, I leaned against the cart and wiped a new layer of sweat from my brow.
“This is hard work,” I muttered. “Why do you still look like you could run the entire length of this cavern and back a hundred times?”
He frowned and shifted on his feet uneasily. “Shadow demons have a lot of stamina.” Then he winked.
I laughed in response, which seemed to erase whatever unease he’d been feeling a moment before. He knelt and peeredthrough the crack we needed to traverse to reach the dragon. But I frowned as I watched him. He hadn’t liked my question, which hadn’t even been a question at all. More of a joke, really. And yet something about it had put him on edge, like he didn’t want me to know the truth of his powers.
Was he keeping something from me?
I didn’t want to think it. After everything we’d shared, it felt like all the walls between us had come crashing down. He kneweverythingabout me. And despite holding back the words, I’d given him my heart.
Had I been wrong in thinking he’d given me his?
Tormund backed out of the crack and brushed the dirt off his sleeves. “The dragon’s not in there.”
I blinked. That was the last thing I’d expected him to say. “Come again?”
“She’s not there, but all her gold still is.”
“But we…” I gestured at all the sugar, all the baking tins, all the moss. Hours upon hours had gone into preparation for this. We were here to gift the bloomin’ dragon with hundreds of cakes, and she wasn’t even here to eat them! I am a pretty level-headed person most of the time, but right then, I could have screamed.
“I’m certain she’ll be back. A dragon would never leave a pile of gold for longer than a few hours. She’s probably out hunting.” Tormund scratched the base of his horns, then pointed at the pond in the far corner of the cavern. “We can have a drink and rest until she gets back.”
“I don’t want to rest,” I said. Not that it mattered what I wanted. If the dragon wasn’t here, there wasn’t much we could do. We couldstealthe gold, of course, but I had no desire to anger a creature who could melt my skin from my bones. I would rather wait and supply the moss cakes, thank you very much.
I trailed after Tormund, still watching him carefully. He sauntered along no differently than normal. Perhaps I’d read that reaction wrong. It was dark down here, and I was tired, and there really was no reason for him to feel uncomfortable with a comment about his power.
When we reached the pond, I settled onto a flat rock beside it and dipped my fingers into the cool water. I splashed my face, then drank a palm-full, sighing as the water slid down my parched throat. As much as I hated to admit it, I needed this rest.
“We have a long road ahead of us after this,” Tormund said. “Feel free to take the opportunity to bathe. If you’d like.”
I lifted my gaze to meet his. He was starting at me with a dark, hooded look in his eyes. Shadows whorled around him. “Are you saying I smell?”
“I’m saying I wouldn’t mind watching you strip naked and bathe while we’re waiting. We don’t know how long it will be until we reach another pond like this.”
Biting back a smile, I tugged my tunic over my head and dropped it by my feet. We’d likely pass another pond or lake within hours, but the look of utter desire on his face made me want to keep that little fact to myself. Boldly, I unbuttoned my trousers and pushed them down.
Tormund watched my every move with eager eyes.
My belly jiggled as I stepped over the side of the pond and slipped one foot into the water. Its cool embrace soothed my sweat-soaked skin, goosebumps pebbling my arms. A shiver went through me, and my nipples tightened.
Tormund sucked in a breath and stood. “Gods, you’re beautiful.”
With my eyes locked on his, I slid my other foot into the pond, lowered myself to my chin, then stood back up. Rivulets of water trailed down my skin, streaming across my breasts. A hiss went through Tormund’s lips.
“Is there a problem?” I asked him sweetly.
“Come here,” he said in a rough voice, pointing at the flat stone.
Heat tightened my core, though the rest of me was cold, my bare skin covered in goosebumps. “If I get out of the pond, I’ll have to get dressed. It’s not very warm in this cave.”
“I’ll keep you warm,” he said—demanded, really. But when he held out his hand, there was a question in his eyes. And I answered yes by sliding my fingers through his.
Tormund tugged me out of the pond and gently pressed on my shoulders to lower me onto the stone. I sat, sucking in a breath when he knelt between my thighs. With gentle fingers, he nudged my legs wider before him. My core pulsed with a delicious ache.
