chance of betraying him. I know, because I wouldn't."
Before Kat could respond, he grabbed hold of the boulder and pushed with all his might. The immense stone took a moment before it budged. Soros could hear her gasp in astonishment and just a tinge of fear as the doorway was blocked, sealing the prisoner into her cage with the predator.
Chapter Nine
Kat
K at woke in the middle of the night, shivering from head to toe.
The fire was almost out, but that wasn't the main issue. She'd felt the cold climbing up to the cave, but during the day it had been brisk at most. Throwing more wood into the pit and feeling her teeth clatter, Kat thought that even "freezing" was a generous word for the temperature in the cave.
She looked around in the flickering, red light that the fire offered. Soros hadn't even moved from the spot where he’d sat down after closing them in. The huge warrior was leaning back against the wall, appearing to be asleep.
He'd been a gentlemen and given her the only blanket. Apparently he hadn't prepared to have company.
Kat pulled the blanket tightly around her shoulders, but it didn't help. She could see her breath mist in the air, and the floor was almost too cold to touch.
She considered waking him, but what good would that do? He could do nothing more than her – just add more wood to the fire and hope it lasted them until morning.
Kat knew exactly what could have helped a bit, but she was hesitant to approach him. They said that all warriors were very light sleepers and their first reaction when touched was to cut off the head of anyone foolish enough to approach. So she wasn't really looking forward to cuddling up to him.
For a few minutes, she tried to go without, but it was impossible to fall asleep again. Thunder rumbled outside and the cold bit even harder than before. Soros' armor didn't look comfortable to rest against, but it would have been something other than stone against her back.
Eventually Kat gathered up the courage and crawled closer. She had to wonder if Soros was actually sleeping – if he trusted his reputation that much. Slowly, she sat with her back to him and leaned in. Without a word, he adjusted his position to allow her to cuddle into his arms.
So he was awake. Kat couldn't imagine that move being an instinct. Or maybe it was? A man like that was unlikely to sleep in an empty bed.
The surge of jealousy that washed through her was a surprise, but she was too tired to worry about it. Instead, she took the greatest pleasure in the little joys in life. Soros' hands were truly huge, practically blankets on their own. Not caring for a second what he thought about it, Kat pulled them around her, slipping deeper into the little haven she'd created.
In the morning, she'd worry about using feared warriors for covers, but right then, Kat only wanted to get some sleep. With the rain singing her a lullaby, she fell into a dreamless sleep.
----
T he lightning struck so close that Kat felt like it was about to push the boulder out of the way and hit her. She woke with a scream, instantly feeling embarrassed. It wasn't like she was a child anymore, fearing a little thunder.
But by all the gods in the galaxy, that was a truly ancient storm raging on top of them. It sounded like it could bring the mountain down on their heads. Suddenly, the ceiling didn't look so sturdy, despite Kat knowing full well that they were deep within the mountain.
Her initial fright had been great enough that it actually took her a second to realize that Soros was up. The warrior's hands were wrapped around her, protectively this time. He didn't push her away, and most importantly, didn't laugh.
The proud part of Kat wanted to tell him that it was alright, she'd just had a bad scare and that they could go back to sleep. Only as long moments passed, she found herself accepting the embrace, not one inch of her wanting to pull away.
Outside, the lightning beat at the mountain range. She could hear
Before Kat could respond, he grabbed hold of the boulder and pushed with all his might. The immense stone took a moment before it budged. Soros could hear her gasp in astonishment and just a tinge of fear as the doorway was blocked, sealing the prisoner into her cage with the predator.
Chapter Nine
Kat
K at woke in the middle of the night, shivering from head to toe.
The fire was almost out, but that wasn't the main issue. She'd felt the cold climbing up to the cave, but during the day it had been brisk at most. Throwing more wood into the pit and feeling her teeth clatter, Kat thought that even "freezing" was a generous word for the temperature in the cave.
She looked around in the flickering, red light that the fire offered. Soros hadn't even moved from the spot where he’d sat down after closing them in. The huge warrior was leaning back against the wall, appearing to be asleep.
He'd been a gentlemen and given her the only blanket. Apparently he hadn't prepared to have company.
Kat pulled the blanket tightly around her shoulders, but it didn't help. She could see her breath mist in the air, and the floor was almost too cold to touch.
She considered waking him, but what good would that do? He could do nothing more than her – just add more wood to the fire and hope it lasted them until morning.
Kat knew exactly what could have helped a bit, but she was hesitant to approach him. They said that all warriors were very light sleepers and their first reaction when touched was to cut off the head of anyone foolish enough to approach. So she wasn't really looking forward to cuddling up to him.
For a few minutes, she tried to go without, but it was impossible to fall asleep again. Thunder rumbled outside and the cold bit even harder than before. Soros' armor didn't look comfortable to rest against, but it would have been something other than stone against her back.
Eventually Kat gathered up the courage and crawled closer. She had to wonder if Soros was actually sleeping – if he trusted his reputation that much. Slowly, she sat with her back to him and leaned in. Without a word, he adjusted his position to allow her to cuddle into his arms.
So he was awake. Kat couldn't imagine that move being an instinct. Or maybe it was? A man like that was unlikely to sleep in an empty bed.
The surge of jealousy that washed through her was a surprise, but she was too tired to worry about it. Instead, she took the greatest pleasure in the little joys in life. Soros' hands were truly huge, practically blankets on their own. Not caring for a second what he thought about it, Kat pulled them around her, slipping deeper into the little haven she'd created.
In the morning, she'd worry about using feared warriors for covers, but right then, Kat only wanted to get some sleep. With the rain singing her a lullaby, she fell into a dreamless sleep.
----
T he lightning struck so close that Kat felt like it was about to push the boulder out of the way and hit her. She woke with a scream, instantly feeling embarrassed. It wasn't like she was a child anymore, fearing a little thunder.
But by all the gods in the galaxy, that was a truly ancient storm raging on top of them. It sounded like it could bring the mountain down on their heads. Suddenly, the ceiling didn't look so sturdy, despite Kat knowing full well that they were deep within the mountain.
Her initial fright had been great enough that it actually took her a second to realize that Soros was up. The warrior's hands were wrapped around her, protectively this time. He didn't push her away, and most importantly, didn't laugh.
The proud part of Kat wanted to tell him that it was alright, she'd just had a bad scare and that they could go back to sleep. Only as long moments passed, she found herself accepting the embrace, not one inch of her wanting to pull away.
Outside, the lightning beat at the mountain range. She could hear
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