Elven Oath

Chapter 8

Vevina

T he next morning I awake stiff all over from the tension the night before. I had a hard time settling in for sleep. The crisp morning air has me drawing my cloak close around me as the others packed up.

My eyes drift to the empty spot where my horse should have been tethered but we had discovered that one of the attackers had stolen her. I can only hope that she manages to break free of them at some point and goes back to my fathers castle.

Looking around, I find Aodhan near the fire. His movements are deliberate as he helps to pack up camp. He hasn’t spoken to me since the attack, though I could feel his eyes on me throughout the night as I tossed and turned.

It was strange being bound to him by a marriage I hadn’t chosen, yet feeling an undeniable pull toward him. I could almost feel the invisible thread tying us together.

He had protected me last night as I stood there stunned, more from the fact that my own people were willing to run a blade through me.

“We need to get moving,” Falkor says, glancing between Aodhan and me. He nods toward the clearing where the horses are tied. “Looks like we’re one short.”

Aodhan follows his gaze, and I see the realization flicker across his face. His eyes meet mine briefly before he finally speaks.

“You’ll ride with me.”

His tone is matter-of-fact, as though this is the only logical solution, but the statement sends a ripple through me.

I swallow hard, trying to keep my expression neutral. I wasn’t about to argue, not after everything that had happened, but the idea of being so close to him set my nerves on edge.

Without a word, I nod, knowing I have little choice. I can feel the weight of the unspoken tension between us as he leads his horse over to me. The large, sleek beast snorts impatiently.

Aodhan moved with the quiet confidence of someone who had been in control his entire life, and for a moment, I felt small in comparison.

I had grown up in the safety of the elven court, shielded from most dangers, but here the reality of the world seemed so much more dangerous.

He mounts first, his movements smooth and effortless as he swings into the saddle. Then, he extends a hand down to me. For a second, I hesitate, staring at his outstretched hand with uncertainty. There was something about the way his eyes gleamed when he looked at me that made my heart beat faster.

But there was no time to dwell on it. I take his hand, and in one swift movement, he has me lifted up onto the horse behind him.

My body tenses as I settle in place, my hands instinctively reaching for something to steady myself. Aodhan’s back is solid, his presence even more overwhelming, and I can feel the warmth radiating from him through his tunic.

It felt strange to be this close to him despite our wedding night. My father’s court had been full of formality and distance between people. Physical closeness, especially with someone like Aodhan was entirely foreign to me. My hands hover awkwardly in the air, unsure of where to rest them.

“Hold on,” he says, his voice low but firm, as if sensing my hesitation.

I let out a slow breath, trying to calm the flurry of emotions swirling inside me, and I place my hands lightly on his sides, feeling the ripple of muscle beneath his clothes.

The moment I touch him, a strange awareness washes over me. As if I can sense the power coiled beneath the surface, a dragon lying just beneath his human skin.

We set off, the horse’s hooves crunching softly over the dirt road as we leave the camp behind.

The other two fall in line behind us, Falkor and Drago exchanging quiet words as we ride. I barely hear them, my mind too focused on the steady rhythm of the horse under me and the feel of Aodhan’s body brushing into mine.

I can feel the rise and fall of his breath, the solid warmth of him beneath my hands, and it was beginning to unnerve me. My thoughts circle around the absurdity of this entire situation and now I’m forced to cling to his back like a helpless maiden.

I wasn't helpless.

Determined to regain some semblance of control, I shift slightly in the saddle, leaning back in an attempt to give myself some more space.

It isn’t long before I realize just how uncomfortable this whole arrangement is going to be. The saddle was built for one rider, and no matter how I move, it feels awkward and confining.

But the more I shift, the more Aodhan seems entirely unaffected. He is calm, completely unfazed by my squirming attempts to create distance between us.

I can feel a stubborn defiance bubbling up inside me, and before I can stop myself, I deliberately lean forward, brushing against him in a way that was less than subtle.

If I make it annoying enough, maybe he’ll offer to ride with one of the others. Aodhan shifts slightly after a moment, glancing back at me with an unreadable expression.

“I didn’t realize my presence was so uncomfortable for you, Princess,” he says, his voice holding a hint of amusement.

I ignore the tone in his voice, opting instead to push further. Maybe a little discomfort would make him reconsider his offer.

I adjust my position again, this time making it more obvious, letting my hand slide “accidentally” over his side, lingering just long enough to make my intentions clear.

But instead of pulling away or showing any irritation, Aodhan’s lips curved into a slow smirk.

“Careful, Vevina,” he murmurs, his voice taking on a low, teasing note. “If I didn’t know better, I’d think you were trying to seduce me.”

The heat that rushes to my face is immediate. I freeze, my hand still resting awkwardly on his waist, the words he’d just said sinking in.

Seduce him? My heart hammers in my chest as a mixture of shock and embarrassment burns through me.

“I—what?” I sputter, trying to regain my composure, but Aodhan doesn’t seem to be interested in letting me off so easily.

“Oh, you’re bold, Princess.” His voice is even smoother than before, a low rumble that sends a shiver down my spine. “But if you’re going to touch me like that, you might want to be more careful where your hands go.”

I can feel my cheeks heating up as his meaning becomes crystal clear. My earlier attempts at making the ride difficult for him had backfired spectacularly.

Instead of frustrating him into giving up the horse, I had given him all the ammunition he needed to turn the situation into something far more suggestive.

And now, here I was, stuck riding with him. Every shift of his body suddenly seems more intimate, every movement magnified by the tension that now crackles between us.

“I wasn’t...” I started, but before I can finish, Aodhan shifts slightly in the saddle, his hand brushing against my leg, just lightly enough to send a shock through my system.

“Of course not,” he says, his tone playful, but I can hear the edge beneath it. He isn’t mocking me, but he certainly isn’t letting me off the hook either. “But if you want to make this ride more interesting, all you had to do was ask.”

My breath catches in my throat at his words, and I can feel the heat in my face spreading down my neck.

He can’t be serious. But when I look at him, the way his golden eyes gleam with amusement and something else—something far more dangerous— it makes my heart race even faster in my chest.

He wasn’t entirely joking.

“I’d prefer it if you kept your hands to yourself,” I shoot back, finally finding my voice again, though it sounds far less confident than I intended. I shift back as far as I can on the horse, trying to create some distance between us.

Aodhan chuckles. His deep, rumbling laugh vibrates through his back and into me. “As you wish, Princess. But don’t blame me if you fall off.”

My jaw clenches, and I bite back a retort, realizing that anything I say will likely only give him more reason to toy with me.

So I hold my tongue, determined to endure the rest of this ride in silence, no matter how uncomfortable it becomes.

But the problem is, now that I was so acutely aware of him, every little movement seems magnified. His broad shoulders shift slightly as he guides the horse down the road.

And the worst part of all is that I can’t stop noticing it.

I curse silently to myself, gripping the saddle tighter as the ride stretches on. I’m not sure what irritates me more.

The fact that Aodhan seems completely unaffected by our closeness, or the fact that part of me can’t help but wonder what it would be like if he wasn’t.

The forest loomed ahead of us, dark and quiet, and I try to focus on that instead. Trying to push thoughts of Aodhan’s teasing out of my mind.

This was just a journey, nothing more. And as soon as we reached wherever it was we were going, I’d have my own space, my own room, and my own horse.

I just had to make it through this ride.

Without letting him get under my skin.

Aodhan

Our second night camping is turning out to be far less comfortable than the last. The air is colder with a biting chill that has settled deep into my bones. It reminds me just how exposed we are out here.

We decided against lighting a fire. It was far too risky. After the attack last night, we shouldn’t draw attention to our location within the forest.

Not with those still lurking out there somewhere who weren’t happy about the peace our union was supposed to represent.

I glance across the small clearing to where Vevina has settled herself, stubbornly keeping her distance. She hasn’t said much to me since our little conversation during our ride.

Probably still smarting from her failed attempt to wrest control of the situation earlier. I’d noticed the frustration in her eyes, the embarrassment when I’d teased her, but she hadn’t tried anything else since then.

Now, though, she was making a point of staying as far away from me as possible. Wrapped up in her own cloak, her back turned toward the rest of us in some silent protest.

I smirk to myself, shaking my head slightly. She was a stubborn one. But as the night wears on, that resolve of hers won’t hold against the creeping cold.

I’d already noticed how she shivered from time to time, her body tensing beneath her cloak as she tries—and fails—to sleep.

It wasn’t surprising; the temperatures were dropping fast, and without the warmth of a fire, the cold could be unforgiving.

Falkor and Drago were on the opposite side of the camp, well within sight but far enough away to give us some semblance of privacy.

The forest around us was eerily silent, save for the occasional rustle of leaves in the wind or the distant hoot of an owl.

I lay back, resting my head against the saddle I’d placed on the ground, keeping one eye on Vevina.

The pale moonlight filters through the trees, casting shadows across the ground, and in that faint light, I can see her shifting again.

She was trying to sleep, but it was clear she was uncomfortable, curled up tightly in an effort to conserve heat.

It wasn’t going to work.

Another hour passes, and I can see the tension in her form worsening.

Her body trembles slightly now, her shoulders hunched as she fights to keep the cold at bay.

I sigh quietly to myself. This was going to be interesting.

Pushing myself up onto my elbows, I glance at Falkor and Drago, making sure they are still in their places.

Then, without saying a word, I stand and cross the short distance to where Vevina lays.

She is barely aware of me, her body too focused on the cold to notice my approach.

It isn’t until I am right next to her that she stirs, blinking up at me in surprise.

“What are you...?” she started, her voice hoarse from the cold.

“You’re freezing,” I say flatly, not bothering to give her the chance to protest. “You can’t sleep like this.”

She frowns, pulling her cloak tighter around her as if to prove me wrong. “I’m fine.”

“You’re not,” I say, crouching down beside her. “You’re shivering so hard I can hear it from where I was sitting.”

Her defiance flickers in her eyes, that stubborn pride rearing its head again.

But she doesn’t argue further because she knows as well as I do that she won’t make it through the night like this.

“Come here,” I say, my tone softening just a little. “It’s too cold to be sleeping alone. You won’t get any rest like this.”

She hesitates, her gaze darting to my face, then to the ground between us as if she were weighing her options.

I can see the war going on in her mind. Her desire to prove she doesn’t need my help battling with the undeniable reality of the cold.

Finally, she lets out a frustrated sigh and mutters something under her breath before shifting slightly.

“I don’t need your help,” she says, but even as she says it, she scoots closer, the barest hint of reluctance in her movements.

I raise an eyebrow, but don’t press her further. Instead, I settle back down on the ground, pulling my own cloak over us both.

She shifts awkwardly beside me, her back still turned as she tries to keep some semblance of distance, but I’m not about to let her freeze in her pride.

I reach out, wrapping an arm around her waist and pulling her flush against me.

She stiffens immediately, her body going rigid in my arms.

“This isn’t...” she starts, but I cut her off, my voice low.

“It’s just warmth, Sweet,” I murmur. “You can hate me all you want, but you’re not going to freeze tonight.”

She is silent for a long moment, her breathing shallow as she lays there, pressed against my chest.

I can still feel the tension in her frame, the way she is clearly trying not to react to our closeness. It’s almost amusing how hard she’s fighting it.

Slowly, though, I feel her start to relax. The warmth spreading between us and her shivering finally subsiding as the heat from my body begins to seep into hers.

She still isn’t comfortable, that much was clear, but at least she isn’t trembling anymore.

After a while, she shifts slightly, her back pressing more fully against me as she gets used to being against me.

I keep my arm draped loosely around her, careful not to push too far. The last thing I want is for her to think I’m taking advantage of the situation.

But the truth was, despite the cold and the awkwardness, having her this close wasn’t something I entirely minded.

In fact, it was... nice.

I close my eyes, listening to the sound of her breathing, the rhythmic rise and fall of her chest as she finally begins to drift off.

She smelled faintly of the forest, of earth and leaves, and something uniquely hers that I couldn’t quite place.

It was a simple thing, really, but there was something calming about it.

A few hours ago, she had been doing everything in her power to irritate me, to create distance.

Now we were wrapped together in the cold, our bodies tangled up in a way that was far more intimate than either of us had probably anticipated for the night.

I smirk slightly to myself, feeling her small movements as she shifts in her sleep.

She was strong, in her own way. Stubborn as hell, but strong. I admire that about her, even if she didn’t see it herself.

The sounds of the forest around us fade into the background as we lay there. And though I know there were still dangers out there in the forest, for the first time since this journey began, I felt something close to peace.

Wrapped up with Vevina, her body soft and warm against mine, I find it difficult to think about anything else.

It was just the two of us and I was going to make sure we slept like this every night.