Page 47 of An Empress of Fire & Steel

“I am telling you now, I want all of it, every last part of you. When you are ready for that, you are going to ask me to kiss you. And when you do, we can go exploring that desire I know you have burning inside you.”

Emara had entered a game even more dangerous than the hunt, a game that she knew she shouldn’t play, a game she had never played before but already felt addicted to.

“I can ride alone.” She looked between the hunters. “I have a dagger strapped to my leg, and I am feeling rather confident in using it these days.” She shot the warning to Torin alone.

“I bet you do, angel,” his husky voice purred. “As much as I would love to engage in a one-to-one combat session with you right now, we must be on our way.” He leaned against a wooden fence, dripping with confidence. “I need to get you to the Amethyst Palace on time, regardless of how you feel about sharing a horse. And as lead guard, you need to ride with me.”

Emara went to open her mouth, but she closed it again quickly. As much as she hated to admit it, he was right. She was delaying the inevitable. The plan was that Artem would carry the food and water, and Magin would be carrying the extra weapons and shelter. She just hadn’t realised that Torin’s horse would be carrying her. If she put up a fight, it would only eat into their travelling time.

She groaned.

She picked a horse and approached it. He was a stunning destrier, a horse that was sturdy enough to carry a heavy load and quick enough to escape any unwanted company.

She put out her hand, allowing the horse to familiarise itself with her scent.

“Hi,” she whispered to the ebony beauty.

Blinking at her, the horse allowed her to make contact. She ran her palm down the length of its face and then scratched under his chin.

“He’s called Ledi.” Torin stood behind her as the other’s readied their supplies. “He’s mine. I named him after a mountain in the north.”

She looked over her shoulder. “You never told me you had a horse.”

“We don’t use them often, only for missions like this.” He patted Ledi’s side. “My mother gave him to me when I completed my Selection.”

Emara watched as Torin tended to his horse, brushing him down, dusting off any hay that clung to his coat. He checked his legs and then his hooves before turning back to Emara. “Do you need a hand with the mount?”

Her grandmother had gifted her riding lessons from a local farmer for her eighth birthday, so she knew how to mount a horse. She laughed, sticking her foot into the stirrup and placing her hands on the saddle. To her surprise, Emara hoisted herself up more elegantly than she expected, like it had been no time at all since she had done it last. Swinging her leg over, she sat proudly on top of Ledi, a horse of war.

She had to admit that she was a little apprehensive given the size of the horse, but she wasn’t going to let Torin think she feared anything.

“There are many things you won’t need to help me with, Torin Blacksteel.” She took hold of the reins and patted between Ledi’s ears. “And one of them is mounting a horse.”

He pursed his lips, an impressed expression overtaking his amused one. “Well, we can add that to the list of things that I have learned about you.”

“I told you a long time ago not to underestimate me.” She smiled, feeling a little smug.

He put his foot in the stirrup, and with one swift movement, he was sitting directly behind her on the horse. Even through her cloak, she could feel the warmth of his chest travelling from his body to hers.

“I am realising I still have a lot to learn about you,” he said, his warm breath caressing her ear. His voice was so low, she was sure she was the only one who could hear it. “And I plan on learning everything you will allow me to know.”

The air was no longer chilled between them, but hot and thick.

She took in a sharp breath. “You should learn immediately that I can be quick tempered around males who think they can make demands of me.” She squared her shoulders, and as her muscles moved, she could feel him move too, adjusting to her new position like they were two parts of a puzzle.

“I think that was the first thing I learned about you.” He chuckled behind her, and the tone sent her heart into a frenzy. “Are you boys ready?” He cast his voice behind him, cutting their secret conversation short. Emara peeked around, her cheekbone almost grazing Torin’s chin, to see if the other men had mounted their horses.

Torin let Artem pull out in front and then steered Ledi into the middle of the formation. Magin followed at the rear, and the horses’ hooves could be heard on the frozen ground as her trio of guards made haste to the mountains in the north.

The journey to the northernmost point in the kingdom had begun, a journey which would lead Emara to the grounds of her ascension.

The frosty air scratched into Emara’s cheeks, making her face feel frozen. Her hands were numb too, as were her legs and feet. They had been riding for hours now with only a few exchanges from the hunters on which route to take breaking the silence. She knew they were headed north, but she had no idea how to navigate her way there, making her feel like a spare part. Torin had said that they should reach the palace a few days before the ceremony, weather permitting. Right now, it wasn’t exactly the best weather to travel in, but at least it had stopped snowing.

However, looking at the thick white clouds overhead, she was certain it could flurry down any moment, making everything damp and even more drenched. She moved her hips to relieve the pressure off the bones that had sat in the leather saddle in the same position. Groaning, she moved again, not wanting to wriggle too far down the saddle into Torin.

“Are you okay?” Torin asked.

“Apart from basically being a block of ice, I am just stiff from riding for so long.”

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