Grounded By Love (The Giant Wars #2)(26)

Chapter 10


Claira let out a piercing shriek, as she bolted into a sitting position.

Kaeldar jolted awake expecting to find an enemy of some sort in their tent. He reached for a dagger, but then saw Claira was the only other person inside.

She was staring off into the distance with terror shining bright in her jade eyes. The beads of sweat on her brow caused concern to flush through him.

Kaeldar gathered her small frame into his arms. “What is wrong?” Kaeldar almost expected her to bring up the death of the human male.

“I had a nightmare that I was being burned at a stake. There were people standing around and laughing, while I cried out in pain.” Tears built up in the corners of her eyes.

He could feel her heart pounding away in her chest. He still had nightmares from the war, but he had been trained to deal with the stress. Claira wasn’t a soldier though. Kaeldar had no idea of how to soothe her, other than to hold her, stroke her hair, and talk to her in a soothing voice.

“You were spared from that fate. Nothing will harm you, while I’m here.” He promised her, but he wondered if he could honor such a promise. He was about to take her to his people. People who would have a hard time accepting what she was.

He wanted to bite his tongue for giving her false promises, but now wasn’t the time to bring up her safety with his people. Right now, she just needed some comforting words.

With her head huddled against his chest, he found her sweet scent coming up to flood his senses. His hands moved over her stomach, and he had to resist the urge to allow his hand to slip under her clothing.

Claira was clouding his mind, and all her could think about was her closeness, her kindness, and the need know her better.




Claira found support from his strong arms. His promise warmed her to the core and made her feel a little better. She could imagine him tearing through anyone who wanted to harm her. So far, he’d kept her safe by any means necessary.

The dream had really shaken her to the core. She hated the thought of being burned alive. The pain her feet had endured gave her a taste of the agony she could’ve gone through. Thankfully, Kaeldar had stepped in to save her.

She truly owed him her life. Or maybe they were even now. She’d saved his, and he’d returned the favor.

Gently, he laid her back down with him, but never removed his arms from around her waist. His warmth and strong presence relaxed her from the terror she’d relived in her dreams.

Rolling over she went to sleep huddled in his arms with both of them chest to chest.




A small blush crept up her face, in the morning, as the memories of the night before came back to her. She felt foolish getting so upset about a silly nightmare, even if it had been on the terrifying side. She was an adult, not a child.

Claira loved being held within his strong arms, which caused another blush for a whole new reason. There was just something about him that was intoxicating to her. Maybe it was because he was something new, and hopefully someone who she could depend upon. Kaeldar had shown her the compassionate side of a strong warrior.

As she got up from the covers, she brushed down her clothing. Then ran her hands through her long straw colored hair. She knew it must look like a mess by now, so she tried to do her best to straighten out all the knots.

She was keen on taking a bath, but at the moment she was out of luck for finding a tub. She would have to settle for the cold river water, if she wanted to clean up.

Leaving the tent Claira found Kaeldar ready to get back on the move. He was tending to the horses, but when he heard her step out he looked up and cast her a dazzling smile. He had to have a trail of rock giant women falling head over heels for him.

Claira felt her heart putter, at that thought. How would she compare to rock giant women? If they looked anything like Kaeldar, she’d have no chance.

“How are you feeling this morning?”

Smiling back at him she replied, “I am doing fine thank you.” She raised a hand to brush a piece of hair back behind one of her ears, and his eyes followed the movement.

Clearing his throat slightly, he focused back on her face. “Will you be able to travel without any pain?”

She felt a little embarrassed he was making such a fuss about her. Her feet weren’t a big deal, but he obviously thought she might be in a fragile state after last night. He needed to realize she was stronger than she appeared.

“Of course.” Needing to explain Claira clarified last night to him. “Thank you for your support last night, but I promise you, I’m fine and need nothing.” She waved her hand in the air. “It was just a dream, a scary one, but still just a dream.”

He eyed her, and she got the feeling he didn’t believe her, but then nodded accepting her explanation.

She stepped up to the horses, as Kaeldar got the tent packed up, and tied it to the back of her horse.

“Would you like help mounting the horse?”

“Which horse will you use?” Claira asked, now that they had two horses because of Robert’s death.

“I will take, which ever one you don’t choose.”

She chewed on her lip for a little bit, before speaking. “I would like to ride my own horse, if that’s fine.” She would feel a bit weird riding Robert’s horse.

Kaeldar gave a shrug. Of course, he wouldn’t care which horse he rode. Robert’s death was probably just one of many, someone he’d already forgotten about.