We rode on for a few more hours and came to a plateau near the bottom of a large mountain. My men would camp here tonight, and tomorrow we would make the remaining journey to Blackrock for the funeral.
I sighed as I looked at the steep path, the rocky outcrops I needed to climb, and I swung my leg off Konai and extended my hand to Cynthia.
She looked at my hand as if I insulted her by trying to help her, and she huffed in annoyance as she ignored my help and dismounted. Her boot caught, and she stumbled. My arms were already outstretched, and I grabbed onto the back of her arms to steady her. Cynthia yanked free from my hold and I rolled my eyes at her and addressed the other men, who were already dismounted and unpacking.
“I’ll be back in the morning.”
Walking in front of Konai, I patted her head offering her an apple. She greedily took it, which made me smile but as she trotted away, her tailhit me in the face...
Cytnhia’s barking laughter filled the air and I closed my eyes taking a deep breath.
Konai was neighing playfully, and when I opened my eyes, my gaze ensnared Cynthia's. “Stay here and don’t get anyideas.” My shoulder brushed hers as I walked past, and a shiver went down my spine at the contact. I eyed the guard standing behind her, and he nodded at me in confirmation that he would watch her.
“Wait, what? Where are you going?”
Ignoring her, I strode away toward the path that would lead me up to the ogre encampment. The initial ascent was steep, but after the climb it was a smooth walk the rest of the way. I only hoped I wouldn’t encounter too many daka. They liked to live on the mountains.
Approaching the first rise, I braced my hand against a jagged outcrop and hauled myself up onto the boulder. My fingers barely found purchase along the rock face, tendons straining as I searched for another handhold. As I climbed, pebbles skittered down the incline beneath my boots, and I pulled myself onto a narrow shelf of stone. There, I found another handhold and lifted myself higher until I finally reached a small ledge. Ahead, two more climbs awaited before the path leveled out. Just as I reached to continue my ascent, I heard a grunting sound coming from below me.
Peering over the ledge, my chest tightened as I watched Cynthia pull herself up the rocky wall toward me. How did she get away from the guards? Glaring at her, I snapped, “Absolutely not. Go back to the camp.”
She ignored me, and my blood boiled. Her palm slammed near my feet, and I growled as I watched her pull herself up onto the small ledge. Her large brown eyes narrowed as she looked up at me, and I swallowed hard, pressing my back against the stone. She was on her hands and knees in front of me, the ledge barely big enough for both of us, and her face was dangerously close to my crotch. She smirked as sheleaned back on her ankles and stood, glancing over her shoulder briefly to gauge the space behind her.
Her large eyes slid back to mine, and I shoved the image of her on her knees far away in my mind. Annoyance bubbled in my chest and I grabbed her arms, pulling her so our faces were almost touching.
“Go back to the camp, Cynthia,” I repeated the words, but she only huffed, pulling out of my grasp, and folding her arms across her chest.
“I don’t think I will, General. I’m not the type to stay behind. And anyway, haven’t you made yourself my keeper or whatever? Shouldn’t you be keeping me by your side in case I slit your men’s throats and escape?”
Her lips curled into a sly smile, but I narrowed my gaze on her and took a small step toward her, closing the gap between us again. Cynthia’s eyes widened at my approach, and she reached out to grab onto my shirt, nearly tripping backward and off the cliff.
“Is that what you want to do, witch? Escape?”
“Not a witch,” she sneered and tried to push me away, but I didn’t budge, which only seemed to frustrate her further, making her let out a soft exhale. “If I wanted to escape, I would have done so already, don’t you think?”
My mind raced through my options. I could drag her back to the camp, tie her up. Or I could knock her out, or… or…I could take her with me. A low rumble escaped my throat. “Don't slow me down.”
Turning sharply, I placed my foot onto the next step and pulled myself up.
“Whatever you say,dick,” Cynthia murmured, and my head shot downward. My hand slipped out of the hold, and Icursed, prompting Cynthia to bite her lip to hide her amusement.
Glaring, I continued climbing until I finally pulled myself up and over the last ledge. Cynthia was still climbing, and I smirked as I stepped onto the wide, arching path. It was wide enough for an ogre to walk comfortably, and I didn’t bother waiting for Cynthia as I started to walk up it. Cynthia’s curses floated to me, and smug satisfaction rose in my chest as I heard her panting breaths as she ran after me.
“Dick,” I heard her murmur again as she finally caught up and my hand twitched at my side in annoyance. Cynthia must have seen as she once again started talking.
“Your constant twitching makes me believe you need to talk about something, Theo.” My name on her lips sent a shiver running through me, but I kept my gaze forward, mouth tightly shut. “You kept squirming the entire journey here, and the muscles in your jaw keep flexing, which means you are carrying a lot of pent-up emotions. You can talk about them if you like. I mean, how long is this journey anyway? Might do you some good.”
Did this girl ever shut up? Rolling my shoulders, I continued to ignore her, hoping my silence would be obvious enough that I did not want to talk.
“Keeping your emotions locked up like that will only cause your cock to shrivel and fall off.”
I stumbled, my eyes widening as I stopped short. My head snapped towards her. Cynthia was grinning, her eyes crinkling at the corners as she laughed, her hand going to her mouth to stifle another giggle.
“You should definitely see your face right now. It’s pretty priceless.”
Her smile was intoxicating, and I almost let out a laugh with her. I had to hand it to her… she knew how to break the tension. I merely shook my head at her, a small laugh leaving my lips as I stepped forward again.
“The moment you mention a man’s dick, they freak out. It’s so predictable, you know? Anyway, as I was saying, you don’t want your cock to fall off, so you might as well talk about it. I can see you are upset about something. I know when I have a lot on my mind, talking helps me, maybe it would—”
