Chapter 3

3

Lunabelle

“ C ome,” he nearly growls in his baritone voice that rumbles off the rocks in this mountain. “I’ll show you around your new home.”

What in all magical creation is happening? I’ve been kidnapped by a giant. He’s locked me in his home and is acting as though I should be completely okay with the fact.

I should never have come. I should’ve listened to my mother’s warning and stayed far away from this side of the forest. I was trying to be nice. I wanted to show the giants my appreciation, but what a mistake that was. This giant beast thinks he owns me now. He thinks I will willingly bake him cookies.

“This is not my home,” I state, refusing to budge from my spot. I turn back to face the solid door, which looks like a massive boulder. “Now, let me out.”

He steps up to my side, crouching down, then suddenly my choice in the matter is taken away. He scoops me up as though I’m a child, carrying me by his shoulder as he starts walking me through his massive cavern, taking me from one room to the next, giving me a tour of the massive place. “This is the living room. This is the bathroom. This is a shoe closet. This is the strength training room. This is the…”

Oh, my freaking jingle bells. He’s a lunatic. I’m not living here. I don’t want to know where everything is. I just want to know how to get out of here. Although, I do have to admit this place is incredible. It’s like a massive stone mansion. The ceilings are adorned with stalactite chandeliers creating magnificent twinkling rainbows around the rooms. The walls are painted in beautiful murals, making the space feel like a wonderland of art. Every room is larger than my little house and is decked out with a massive fireplace. It makes me want to curl up on the big cushy furniture and read a book.

And the kitchen… I could bake a million cookies in that giant space. It has multiple ovens, and the counters are made of beautiful, polished granite that probably came from the inside of this mountain. The home is stunning, but…it belongs to the monster who’s got me locked in his arms and is refusing to let me out of his hold. I can’t even budge his forearm with my legs. He’s too strong for me to fight against.

Maybe if he were treating me as a guest instead of a prisoner, I’d be in awe of being able to spend the night in this place. I’d probably be in awe of the giant himself, too. I’ve never seen a creature quite like him. We were told that the Keepers looked like bigfoot, but this giant is not hairy, nor does he look like an ape-man. He’s tall, all right. And his muscles are massive, but he is not a hideous beast. He almost looks human. Yet his eyes are clear like the crystals hanging from the ceiling. They’re hauntingly beautiful, but the way they look at me… It makes me feel hot and flustered all over. It agitates every nerve in my body.

“And this is our bedroom.” He walks me into another massive room, triple the size of my parents’ home.

Our . Did he just say our ? I will not be sharing a room with this big brute. He’s delusional. Except, how am I going to get away from him? I haven’t seen a single way out of this place, except for the front door, which isn’t even a door, just a giant freaking rock that I couldn’t even budge if my life depended on it. And the windows I’ve seen are made of solid clear quartz too thick to break, and with the steep drop down the side of the mountain, I wouldn’t survive the fall. There’s no way out of this place. I’m trapped.

I need to think. There has to be something I can do. Maybe I should play nice, appeal to his good graces. Although, that didn’t work for me outside. It just made him want to keep me. I could fight him and scream until his ears bleed, but then I’m liable to end up squashed under his giant foot and no longer breathing. I may not be able to fight him, but I certainly won’t be giving into the beast and playing the part of the good prisoner.

“If Santa finds out you’ve kidnapped me, he’s going to banish you to the South Pole.”

“He would never do that.” He shakes his head as though my suggestion is absurd. “Not if he wants the protection of the giants. Besides…” His chiseled jaw turns up into a smug grin. “I think I’m owed for my services, don’t you? I just saved Santa from a nasty boogeyman who was trying to end the jolly ol’ Saint Nick’s life and steal Christmas. I think as a show of his gratitude, Santa wouldn’t mind sparing one of his many elves. What do you think?”

He saved Santa’s life ? That detail was left out of my mother’s retelling. Though, she tends to leave out a lot of important details on things. But even still, Santa would never approve of me being kidnapped and held against my will, regardless of what is owed to this giant.

“I think Santa would be livid that you stole me and broke one of his golden rules.”

His chest rumbles beneath me on a grunt. “I don’t follow Santa’s rules. Don’t follow any rules but my own.”

Great. So he’s a rogue giant with no respect for the laws of the North Pole. Awesome. Now, what am I supposed to do?

“What do you want with me?” I ask, wanting to know what this big brute’s intentions are. If he’s looking for an elf who can wave her hand and clean up his house for him or snap her fingers and have dinner appear on the table, then he has the wrong girl. My magic has still yet to be discovered. Usually, elves come into their powers on their eighteenth birthday, but mine have yet to reveal themselves.

His head cocks to the side as he studies my face. His large hand reaches out, and his thick finger starts to trail down my cheek. A shiver rolls through my shoulders from the intent I see burning behind his stare. I think I know exactly what he wants with me. What I don’t know is why my body is heating to the fact. I don’t know why there’s a flutter in my stomach. Or why there’s a tingle between my legs. I shouldn’t be attracted to this man. He’s a giant who’s holding me against my will. He’s a monster who has no regard for the laws or for me.

“I want so many things, Little Red.” His thumb slides across my lower lip, scorching the trail of his smooth touch with heat. “I want to…” His mouth snaps shut, and he shakes his head, leaving his thought lingering in limbo as his hand drops to his side. The fact that I’m hanging on to his last word, wanting him to tell me what he wants to do with me is absurd. It’s time I get my wits about me and not fall prey to this monster and his gorgeous face.

I lean forward, a hairsbreadth away from his mouth, refusing to look into his crystal eyes that remind me of a shimmering snowflake. I refuse to get drawn in by his crystal orbs. But his lips are just as tantalizing, so I keep my stare locked on the smooth slope of his nose, admiring its lack of a sharp, long point. “You will never get anything from me. You can keep me here for as long as you want, but I will never be yours.”

His chiseled jaw locks, and his crystal eyes are now glowing a vibrant yellow, making me shake with fear. No one ever told me that giants possess magic. No one told me anything about them at all, except that I shouldn’t come, which I stupidly failed to heed the warning.

“You are mine, Little Red, and I’d be careful if I were you. You don’t want to tempt me. I’ll be happy to prove you wrong and have you bending to my will. Now, it’s time for bed.”

The door behind us suddenly closes and I’m now locked in this beast’s bedroom, my mind whirling with his threat. I wonder what he means by that. What exactly would he do to prove me wrong, and… I wonder if I would like it.

Goodness, there’s something wrong with me. My mother always said I could be a fruitcake at times, and I think she may be right.

I’m carried to his enormous bed and plopped into the center of the huge plush cushion. I scurry to the other side, about to jump down and tuck myself underneath its frame where he can’t get to me, but his big arm sweeps out and I’m pulled against his huge body, tucked under his heavy arm. “Try to escape me again, and your sexy little elvin tush will get a walloping. Now, lie down and close your eyes before I lose control.”

Another shutter runs through me, but I can’t pin the tail of it on fear this time. There’s a word ringing in my ears like jingle bells. Sexy . He thinks I’m sexy. This giant beast who emanates dominance and strength thinks I’m sexy. He’s powerful and gorgeous and…

He freaking kidnapped you, Luna!

I shake the lunacy coursing through my mind and snap my thoughts on straight. It’s dark out and I’m trapped under this big brute’s weight, so there’s nothing I can do right now. But come tomorrow, I need to find a way out of here. I’ll tell him that I need some fresh air, pretend to hyperventilate and ask him to take me outside, then I’ll make a run for it.

But he’s faster than me, and I’m guessing he can use his magic to stop me. “What kind of powers do you have?” I ask, wondering if I can outsmart his magic. “I didn’t know giants possessed magic.”

“We don’t. I only have the power of my strength.”

He pulls me up to where I’m forced to look into those mesmerizing eyes. Even with only the light of the moon shining through the window, they are still bedazzling.

“But your eyes glowed.”

“When our emotions are running too high, the animal will take control.”

Animal? Goodness in all that is merry, I have no clue what I’m up against. Except…I feel exactly what I’m up against. My shin is pressed up against something very hard and very long. Lord have mercy, I think it’s his thing . His manhood. And heavens, it is massive like the rest of him. It must be the size of my forearm. And it’s hard. I thought they only got hard when they want to be inside a female, but I’m an elf, and there’s no way that thing would fit inside me. Would it?

Luna! No! It’s not something I should even be giving thought to. It’s against the golden rule. We’re not allowed to crosspollinate and have sex with any other species. And I definitely would never have sex with my captor who’s holding me against my will. A giant whose name I don’t even know.

“What’s your name?”

“Kilgore,” he grunts, tucking me in tighter. “Now, sleep, Little Red.”

“My name is Lunabelle, in case you care.” Although, I’m guessing he doesn’t since he didn’t return the question. I’m just his little pet. His little elf he wants to do who knows what with. Though, with the stiff shaft prodding against me, I think I know exactly what he has in mind. And the thought is causing my body to buzz with an unnerving excitement.

“And your age, Lunabelle?”

I’m an adult who doesn’t deserve to be bossed around. “Twenty. And you?”

“Twenty-eight.”

He looks older, but I’m guessing that’s because of his size. And that wrinkled grimace he wears so well.