Read Fervor (The Fervor Chronicles Book 1) for Free Online

unconscious, and Caprice wondered if he would strangle himself if someone didn’t release him soon. Her hand fluttered to her throat. Before the reaction could be noted, she pretended to straighten her gown.
    Studying the size of the cage, she realized the man must be massive. He towered a foot over her and most of the men of her kingdom. Her heart sped up in her chest, bringing an uncomfortable flush to her cheeks. “I have never seen a man his size.”
    Addy leaned in again, careful not to touch her Mistress. “Because of his size and strength, he is rumored to be Fiera—a race who must be descended from giants!”
    “G-giants?”
    “Just a rumor, Princess. The guards aren’t even one hundred percent sure he is Fiera. There are slight… differences in him.”
    Her chest clenched, and she tried not to gulp in great breaths of air. Despite the freezing temperatures, she felt the tiniest flash of warmth. “Differences?”
    Addy gave her a strange look and then focused in on the prisoner. “Coloring’s off. Most of the Fiera are rumored to have hair black as night, with eyes to match.”
    Because the man was slumped against the chains, with his head pitched forward, it was impossible to see his eye color. All she saw was miles of bronze skin that made her palms itch to rub against him. She wondered at her reaction. Uncomfortable and annoyed that this man was breaking her concentration, she decided to ignore him for the rest of the evening. Sliding her eyes away, she kept her gaze fixed permanently on the heads of the milling aristocracy.
    Addy faded back and took her place behind her Mistress. Caprice trusted if any new information came in, Addy would be the first to know. Despite her resolve, it seemed as if only seconds had passed before her eyes darted back to the cage and a group of fawning Vendri surrounding the prisoner. Simpering idiots. They were blocking her view—not that she wanted to look.
    Oh, but she couldn’t resist. Rising, she strode forward, Addy scampering by her side. The princess felt her friend’s surprise. Her actions were highly unusual, but her father had bade her look at the Fiera, so she would look.
    The crowd parted immediately. They bowed as she passed, acting as if they moved out of reverence, but she knew they were motivated by fear. They dare not touch for so many reasons, most of which would entail their death.
    Approaching the cage, Caprice fought to catch her breath, for once forgetting about the painful shards of glass imbedded in her skin. The giant hung from the manacles, unconscious and bent forward because his height dwarfed the cage. His head was pressed against the bars and his hands hung forward between the slats.
    He looked so menacing, yet vulnerable, almost as if he were sleeping. The dried blood on the side of his head told a different story—they had bludgeoned him. A familiar fury started to grow and she looked for the nearest guard. The closest two were bringing in a new captive, a scrawny man that fought with every inch of his life. Once he laid eyes upon the sleeping giant and the swarming Vendri, the man shoved one of the guards and he flew across the space, slamming into her side.
    A crowd gasped, the sound floating through the courtyard. Caprice fell forward against the cage, her hand flying out to find purchase and ended up entangling in the Giant’s hair. The silky strands coasted over her palm and a shiver raced up her arm. She disentangled her hands, but tripped on her gown and fell forward again. Her skin pinched between the bars, causing the top of her breasts to smash directly into the Giant’s face.
    She swore she felt a small flutter against her chest as his mouth moved ever so gently against her breast.
    Oh Gods, the warmth of his skin! It felt like nothing she’d ever touched, and she fought the urge to sink in further, desperate to know his heat. Closing her eyes, she put one hand on the bar, then the other, for once not caring what anyone