By My Side ... (A Valentine's Day Story) Read Online Free PDF Page A

conscious thought, and effort, not to let them droop. Elena
could barely feel her toes anymore, the icy snow long since having
found its way into the warm fur lining. Her hands were clenched
tightly at her sides, not out of anger or a desire to do violence
-- but because she desperately needed to hide their uncontrolled
trembling from him. Still, she met his yellow gaze without
flinching, bravado giving her the strength, her muscles could not
provide anymore.
    Reschkar stopped before her,
the snow which had begun to fall again, melting in little drops on
his shirtless chest. Were it not that galling, it would have been
fascinating. At least the other orcs saw a need to make use of some
protection against the elements. He, on the other hand, seemed
immune to the effects of the harsh climate, neither his body nor
his demeanour giving any indication he was even aware of the snow
and ice carried by the ever harsher wind. It was as if winter
itself had submitted to his will.
    He stepped close enough for the
warmth of his skin to be a presence against her awareness and, try
as she might, she could not read any disdain in his features.
Silently, as he seemed to do everything, he unclasped the leather
strap fixing the heavy broadsword to his back and handed the weapon
to another orc. His eyes never left hers and she was caught in the
quiet calm, the sea of unquestioning acceptance in them.
    It took her a split second to
realise his intent when he grabbed her arm -- and by then it was
too late, she was already in the air. Too fast even for her to
scream, she found herself lifted, swung upwards against a broad
back. She shifted and in instinctive self-protection her arms came
around his neck, her legs closing around his narrow hips to regain
balance. Within no more than a second she was hanging onto him, the
warmth of his skin searing her body in instant relief. Her protest
was instinctive, but heartfelt:
    "No!"
    Elena's voice was hoarser, more
panicked than she had intended. A sudden realisation hit her along
with the dry pain of her throat. She had barely spoken for days
now, ever since she had left her home. For a moment the isolation
hit, made her realise how alone she suddenly was -- then she
swallowed hard and repeated:
    "No."
    He was little impressed by her
outburst.
    "You cannot walk in this snow
and we cannot afford the time to move any slower. If we do not
hurry, we will be caught in the coming storms."
    The emotion was perverse, but
the very reasonableness of his tone grated on her.
    "I am too heavy. You cannot
carry me."
    His laughter travelled through
her like an intimate caress. It was all the answer he seemed
willing to give her though. His large hands held her in place,
their touch strong and secure. She trusted those hands to hold her,
to support her. That thought startled her enough to hesitate, to
freeze her mind in a momentary state of confusion. She trusted him?
He was an orc, a mindless killer, the man she had sold her body and
blood to in order to keep him from slaughtering her people. What
the hell was she thinking? By the time her mind had unwound from
that shocking thought, he was already moving again.
    The warmth of his body under
hers thawed her frozen bones, forcing a calm on her she would have
thought impossible. Gradually, each muscle unwound, softened, eased
until the weight of her exhaustion made her lean into him. With
every step they took her body adjusted more to his until she fitted
him like a second skin. The even rhythm of his movements was barely
disrupted by her weight on his back.
    Over the last few hours the
terrain had worsened by steady degrees. Their way wound itself ever
higher through the mountains, sheer cliff-faces dropped away on
their left, the edge coming closer and closer to the path. Then
even the path disappeared. Elena was almost certain that the only
thing larger than a bird ever setting foot here were mountain goats
-- and larger predators. The odd, hoarse barking call, the