Fervor (The Fervor Chronicles Book 1) (14 page)

“Where are you going?” More rustling as her voice got closer. “Your eyes! They glow!”

“Don’t touch me!” His words were a strangled whisper because he hated saying them. He wanted nothing more than for her to touch him, to give him release, but it wasn’t safe.

She gasped, and he felt her pain as if he’d slapped her. “But I want to take care of you, too… touch you too.”

“Caprice, I would kill to be inside of you right now, but the power—the energy, it’s eating me alive. Just give me a few minutes to…” He heard a low humming and realized it came from him.

“Dear gods, there is white lightning flying from you. Your hair! It’s standing on end. Oh! One of the bolts just touched me, but it didn’t hurt. It felt…
Oh!”

“Too much! Too strong! Have to get out. Stay here.
Stay here, please.
No matter how long it takes for me to get under control, I need to know you’ll be here.” He heard her soft “yes,” and then he stumbled from the room. He couldn’t take a chance on harming her.

He worked his way through the jungle, slamming into trees as he fled the stone cottage. Gritting his teeth, he hated that he had to leave, but mostly he hated that was out of control. Groaning, he looked within, trying to examine what was happening, but his thoughts returned to the princess. Please gods, keep her safe… and don’t let her leave.

‡

C
aprice came awake
with a start. Dirt coated her face and she wiped at her lips, spitting away the sand that covered her skin. How long had she slept? Hours after her captor had left, she’d fought sleep, but eventually her eyes had drooped, and she’d slumbered.

Looking around, she spotted a dark shape across the room. She wasn’t alone. The Giant lay curled in the corner, the farthest point away from her in the small cottage. He slept on his side, his chest rising and falling in long, slow beats. His eyes were closed. She wanted to weep in relief, fighting the urge to run over to him and check him from head to toe.

Thanks the gods! I am not in this strange world all alone.

She didn’t move but she did study him. From the moment she’d first seen him, she’d thought of him as a giant, but that wasn’t entirely true. He was well made, perfectly proportioned and only about a head taller than her. She had just never seen a man so tall and
wide
before, full muscles creating dips and valleys on warm bronze skin.

Frowning as she sat up, she realized she needed a few minutes alone to collect her thoughts and attend to herself. He’d asked her to stay, but surely that meant only until he returned? Even he had to understand that some things needed to be done in private.

Caprice stumbled from the room, wincing at the bright light filtering through the leaves. It was still daylight which meant only a few hours until sunset and… the Bicullis.

Have to focus on getting home.

But her mind returned to the Giant’s soft lips. Who knew a man could touch a woman like that? That was… He was… She didn’t have the words. It had fundamentally changed something within her, hopefully for the better. It was the single most beautiful event of her life. To be touched, warmed, caressed by a man who could so easily have crushed her.

And gods, his mouth—
Heaven!
Pure heaven.

Even now her body craved more as he lay sleeping inside the stone structure. What was happening to him? To her? Was she responsible for the energy that flowed through him, the energy that caused so much destruction? She hoped not because she was greedy for more.

More of his touch, his mouth, his skin.

What would it feel like to finally have him inside of her? She felt the urge to laugh, but not from joy. How the mighty had fallen. She, the Ice Princess of the Glissante, promised to Prince Gair Penduline of the Glissante, was to be presented to him clean, untouched. And now she wanted to soil herself by having a Giant between her legs.

Oh yes, I do!

She couldn’t wait, wanted that incredible feeling all over again, but… But she also had to admit she craved
his
pleasure, remembering the expression on his face in the dungeon as she’d grasped him, bringing him to life. She wanted that creamy liquid in her mouth, inside her body, and she wanted it now.

A trickling sound caught her attention. That was as good a place as any to start. Glancing back one last time, afraid to leave the Giant alone, she squared her shoulders and called on the lessons of her youth. She would face the situation with ice in her veins, even though she dripped with sweat.

Stumbling through the brush, she pushed at vines, hacked away at leaves and almost cried as every step she took had her stepping on jagged rocks that cut through the leather bottom of her shoes.

Damn…
place
. Whatever it was called, it didn’t like her. With a final push, she broke through and came upon a peaceful brook. She caught her breath, never having seen so much flowing water. It was… beautiful, teeming with life. Following the gentle cascade of the water, she found it emptied into a crystal clear lake.

I have never seen so much water in one place
. Grateful for the cool breeze that tickled her cheeks, she walked to the lake’s edge. She dipped her hand in, breathing in a sigh of relief. Icy water coated her skin. Not anywhere near the temperature of snow, but at least it was several degrees lower than the oppressive heat.

Sitting on a large rock, she reached over the edge and began to wash her legs, remembering the feel of the Giant’s cheek on her thighs. Delicious. She didn’t want anything to impede the pleasure she felt in his arms. She stopped at the thought. When had she surrendered, given herself over completely to the passion of the
fervor
he kept speaking of?

When he introduced you to mind-numbing pleasure.

Oh gods, it was true. Her body had made the decision for her. But her mind was still strong. Wasn’t it?
Yes.
Yes, it was. No matter how wonderful it felt in his arms she would not surrender her mind
or
her heart. She would enjoy the time they had together and fight to return to her people, to Addy. It was her responsibility to combat the actions of her father and the Pre-Dom, and especially the stubborn Giant, who had put Addy in terrible danger.

The Giant. The only name she knew to call him. Why had she refused to ask his name? The question had been on the tip of her tongue, at times she’d been desperate to call out his name, especially when he made her feel so beautiful. But her fury over his actions stopped her each time. No, she would not ask something so personal, she would not give him the satisfaction. He would remain her Giant, a temporary dalliance. After seeing what the prince had done with the Pre-Dom and her father, she planned on grabbing every ounce of pleasure that presented itself before she returned through the portal for Addy.

Lifting the cool water in her palm, she ran the liquid down her calves, carefully trying to scrub any remaining glass away. Most of it was gone, although much of it remained underneath her garter. She wished she had the nerve to strip bare and wash herself clean. Instead, she lifted her skirts high and blushed when she realized how bare she was, everything having been removed for the ceremony. The Giant seemed to have liked it. She studied herself and wondered what had made him want to put his mouth on her. Her sex looked slightly pink and swollen. The familiar heat of desire kicked in when she imagined his tongue and knowing lips gliding against her. With a groan, she let the gown drop, happy that he had removed the extra fabric.

A lilting tune danced across the lake, an enchanting melody that caused her to stop and listen. The music felt like tiny fingers caressing her overheated skin, relaxing her. It was soothing, almost lulling, and it caused goose bumps to race down her spine.

She searched the lake, and off to the right a smooth stone sat in front of a roaring waterfall. Splayed on the stone was a woman—a completely naked woman, who was luxuriating in the feel of her own skin. Lying flat on her back, one knee bent, the woman ran her hands down her ample breasts, cupping her sex, swirling up and down again and again, over her breasts and stomach. As she touched herself, the swell of the melody peaked and dropped depending on how close she came to her core.

Caprice flushed and felt ashamed to be watching such an alluring creature, but she couldn’t help it—
the woman was in the middle of the lake
. And she thought her actions… beautiful. Was this how the giant might see her if she were to touch herself? She continued to watch, burning each brush of her hand into memory to use at a later date.

The woman stood, her flaming red hair flowing past her shoulders and down her back, almost touching her waist. With hands raised, she jumped straight into the air, cutting through the water like a knife. Caprice’s breath caught in her throat when she saw the dark shadow of the woman’s body swimming closer and closer.

Rising from the lake, water sloughing off her skin, she stood just feet in front of Caprice. She stretched, running her hands through her hair, twisting the silky red ropes until most of the water had slid back into the lake. She acted as if she hadn’t a care in the world. “Well, you’re a surprise,” the beauty said as she flipped her damp hair back over her shoulders.

Her speaking voice was as lovely as her singing and, once again, Caprice felt a pull, a need to get closer, even taking a small step forward before she stopped herself.

“Oops! Sorry about that. I’ll dial it down a bit. The power of the pipes and all.”

As she continued to speak—words apparently, but nothing Caprice could understand—the pull lessoned. What was left was a pleasing lilt, but nothing like the caressing touch from before. “Pipes? Pardon me?”

“Some say my voice is a lethal weapon.” With hands on her waist, she struck a bold pose, stark naked. Her eyes ran up and down Caprice as if to take her measure. “Yup, quite a surprise. Thought for sure you’d be a man. Unless you have something hiding under that skirt I’m not catching?”

Caprice gasped and straightened. “No, I do not.” Fighting to keep from tugging on a braid, Caprice couldn’t help but think of her man, lying on the floor, dead asleep. “Why did you think I’d be a man?”

“That’s all that’s ever come through the Bicullis.”

“What would you have done if I were?” Caprice frowned, unsure of the peculiar woman in front of her.

“Nothing.” She practically yawned.

“Nothing? I take it your actions earlier were to… to entice a man?”

The woman’s eyes were a piercing, shimmering turquoise. She truly was lovely, but tough. Real muscles coated her naked frame, something Caprice had never seen before on a woman—or even a man—until yesterday. But her muscles were different, long and lean, feminine. The woman was also as tall as Caprice. Another first. “I never do anything to please men. It was a hot day. I thought I’d cool off, so here I am.”

Caprice, sensing she had angered the woman, was unsure of how to proceed.

“Now
they,
on the other hand, plan on doing a lot.” She nodded her head back beyond Caprice. The smile on the woman’s face grew, and she had a strange glint in her eye.

Dreading what was to come, her heart slamming in her throat, Caprice took a peek over her shoulder. A group of barely-clad, forest women stood behind her. Varying heights, mostly her size and taller, they hardly wore much more clothing than the naked beauty from the lake.

Only a single piece of soft leather wound around their breasts, bypassing their stomachs and covering their privates and backside. Caprice’s hand crept up, snagging a stray braid.
There are so many of them
. The women may not have been covered in clothing, but they more than made up for their lack of clothing with weaponry: knives, daggers, crossbows, some even sported shields half the length of their bodies.

One strode forward, clearly in charge, her hair a riot of dark braids falling around her shoulders. Her face was harsh, cold, and Caprice fought back a shiver when the woman’s dark-green eyes rested upon the redhead. Is this how her subjects felt when her father looked upon them? Did they feel this same sense of dread?

“Is she alone, Cameo?” Her eyes passed over Caprice, as if she were inconsequential—not deserving of her attention. They kept moving, beyond her, around her, constantly searching as if to ferret out any threat.

“Far as I can tell. If there had been a ‘big ugly’ with her, I would have known. He wouldn’t have been able to resist my voice.” One of the women had thrown a scrap of material at the redhead and somehow she stretched the small piece of material around her body.

Big ugly?
Why did she have such an aversion to men? Was it shared by the group? Dear gods, Caprice was furious with the giant half the time, but that didn’t mean she wanted him hurt. She wasn’t finished exploring the
fervor
yet. Who was she to fight against a cosmic force that was throwing her together with a gorgeous, stubborn man? More importantly, what would these women do to him if they found him?

Gods. I also need him to get back through the Bicullis
. Why hadn’t she listed that reason first?