Thorin's arm around my waist gripped me so tightly that I could barely breathe. As Bernd stared at the waterfall in front of him, he might as well have been looking straight at us, and my heart thundered inside my chest as his eyes appeared to stop right where Thorin and I stood behind the cover of water and ivy. Bernd's eyes narrowed.

"Be quiet, woman!" Thorin whispered, his mouth by my ear. I could hear him breathing heavily as he held me even tigher.

I dug my fingernails into Thorin's arm, wishing he'd ease his grip on my waist but it was no use. Thorin was much stronger than I, and the last thing he wanted was for Bernd to find us.

"Master Bernd," said one of the men. "We tracked the trail through here. It stops up the slope over to the back of the waterfall."

"I know this place," Bernd said and I held my breath for a few moments as he scanned the area slowly. Of course you know of this place, brother, I thought. Jürgen used to take us here during the summer when we were younger so we could cool off.

Though Jürgen never revealed the presence of the caves to Bernd, we'd come here on our own twice, the first time getting lost and finding ourselves all the way to the edge of the forest two hours away. The memories stirred by his presence made me sad. Just yesterday I had served him stew and he had bragged to Thorin about how excellent I was as a seamstress. He'd been so proud of me then.

Bernd turned to look away from the waterfall for a few moments before turning to look at it again, as if he'd seen something, felt something. Behind him, one of the men approached, speaking to him though I could not hear him over the sound of the water hitting the rocks below.

As I watched Bernd listen to one of his men, I remembered how close Bernd and I were, realizing that he knew exactly how I felt about Lialam. We had shared so much, I thought. Why then was he doing this?

Suddenly the rage that had been boiling inside me since yesterday erupted. I struggled against Thorin, wanting him to let go of me so I could run over to Bernd and hit him in the face so he'd see reason. I wanted to scream at him for his audacity of trading me like I was cattle.

As I struggled in Thorin's grip, I heard him growl in my ear again, telling me to be still. His hand muffled my voice but I screamed in anger behind his warm palm. But when I shook my head from side to side, Thorin's hand slipped and he cursed under his breath. When he brought his hand to my mouth again, I sank my teeth into his hand.

"Let me go," I yelped, as Thorin was finally forced to let me go, blood seeping from where my teeth cut through his skin..

Below us, Bernd's head snapped towards our direction the second time. This time, I knew that he had heard something. As I turned to run towards the entrance, Thorin tried to grab me but he slipped. Surely Bernd would listen to me if I came willingly, I thought, ignoring the sound of Thorin cursing after me, intent only in convincing Bernd to leave everyone else alone.

I would force him to see reason. He'd let Jürgen go. He would also retract his answer to Lialam for my hand in marriage. He was, after all, still my brother, even if we were not of the same blood.

I only made it a few feet before Thorin grabbed me by the arm and yanked me back. We both slipped on the wet floor together, and I landed hard on my back, the breath knocked out of me, stars flashing in front of my eyes. Thorin covered my body with his, his one hand grabbing both my wrists and slamming them down onto the ground above my head. His other hand clamped down over my mouth again as we heard the sound of leaves crunching underfoot just outside the cave opening. Bernd and his men were close by.

Thorin's face was frozen in a grim expression, his eyes darkening as he turned his attention towards the sound. The vines over the cave entrance rustled, and I saw Thorin take a deep intake of breath as the sound of the men's voices outside drew closer.

When I dared try to say something, he looked at me angrily, his hand pressing harder over my mouth and this time I felt pain as his fingers dug into my cheek. It was enough for me to finally lay still.

As I gazed at Thorin's face so close to mine, I noticed the long thick lashes that framed his blue eyes, the regal curve of his nose, and the stern line of his mouth. His beard was neatly trimmed and his hair, with the pair of cuffed braids on each side of his face, cascaded over my face.

Slowly my body slackened, my muscles no longer coiled to spring away from him for I couldn't. Thorin was on top of me, his weight making it difficult for me to breathe but as I continued to stare at him, I realized then that my inability to do so no longer had anything to do with him.

It was the closeness of our bodies. And it was the knowledge that for the first time in my life, no man or dwarf had ever been this close to me. The sight of him took my breath away and I no longer heard the sound of Bernd's voice outside the cave, nor the horses' hooves that neared the clearing below as more men appeared, calling for Bernd to return to the dwarves' encampment, where he was needed.

All I could see - and feel - was Thorin and the nearness of him. A raw masculinity emanated through his pores, and I suddenly felt my stomach clench, a soft gasp escaping my lips.

I forgot how long I lay there, even as Thorin adjusted himself over me, allowing me to breathe much easily now as he removed his hand from my mouth. But his thumb remained to caress my lips as his fingers cupped my face and he looked at me, the grim expression gone now, replaced by something else. Our breaths mingled in the narrow space between our faces long after the threat of Bernd and his men finding the cave was long gone. All I could do was stare at him, my eyes moving down his face as if memorizing the memory of his eyes, his nose, and his lips.

Before I knew it, Thorin's mouth descended on mine. He kissed my lips lightly at first, his mouth replacing the spot where his thumb had been and I closed my eyes as the sensations overwhelmed me then. Thorin's grip on my wrists loosened, drifting down to grasp my hair instead as his kiss deepened and I was left reeling in its intensity.

No one had ever told me how being kissed would feel like. And even if they had, I would never have believed them. Thorin's kiss made me weak, my belly knotting up, releasing a thousand butterflies fluttering within it. I found myself bringing my arms around him, my fingers running through his hair. When his tongue softly slipped between my lips, I parted them and let him caress the inside of my lips with his tongue, feeling his body respond to mine as he pulled me even closer to him.

Time stood still as we kissed. At that moment I no longer cared to tell Bernd everything I had wanted to tell him minutes earlier, my bravado forgotten. All I could think of was Thorin and the feel of his lips on mine, the fresh smell of thyme on his skin and hair, and that in this little cave, nothing else but he existed.

When Thorin finally pulled himself away, he was breathing hard, his eyes almost dazed as he looked at me. For a few minutes, we lay there silently, hearing only the sound of each others' breathing and feeling the beating of our hearts as we remained where we were.

"Why did you do that?" I asked, still breathless from his kiss.

"You're still as stubborn as I remember you," Thorin said. "I needed you to be quiet,"

Without saying another word, I pulled his head down towards me and kissed him again, wanting more of what he had offered me earlier. I felt his lips open as I did just as he did to me, letting my tongue explore the softness of his lips, and taste him.

I was suddenly bold, my fingers running through his hair, my other hand tracing the outline of his face, discovering him. When I finally let go, I was breathless again, and I moved away from him, realizing then that I was shaking. I sat up and peered at the clearing below, relieved to find it empty. Bernd and his men had not returned.

"Is it your habit to kiss women to silence them?" I asked, unable to look at his eyes.

"You could have given us away, Frigga," Thorin said as he brought his hand up where I could see the indentation of my teeth against his skin, blood still streaming from a deep cut. He frowned. "I couldn't risk having you discovered, not when Bernd was still outside the whole time, waiting for you to emerge after believing him gone."

"Are certain he was still outside?" I asked, realizing that I hadn't even realized that Bernd would have remained outside, waiting for me to emerge had I been alone.

"The years living in the land of men have dulled your senses, Frigga," he said wryly. "They were standing outside the whole time. I only stopped when I was certain they were gone."

Thorin got up from the floor and offered me his hand so he could help me up. This time I found that I could not look at him, my face burning as he gazed at me.

"Is that the only reason?" I dared to ask, wanting to know if there had truly been more to that kiss than he was willing to admit.

Thorin did not answer for a few seconds, but he nodded his head. "I needed you to be quiet. And it worked," he said and turned away.

I stared at him, trying hard to ignore the deep void that seemed to open up in my chest as Thorin kept his back to me. It hurt, I thought, this new feeling I felt deep inside me. The sudden exhilaration of his kiss suddenly shattering to the ground like broken glass.

"You're still as cold as I remember you," I said as I strode past Thorin towards the opening of the cave, glaring at him when he tried to grab me again. "Touch me again, Thorin, son of Thrain, and I will scream before you can get your hands on me again," I said as I made my way out of the cavern, not caring whether ivy clung to my hair. At that moment, I would have endured the ridicule of being Lialam's plaything than being with Thorin and his insensitivity. I had never been kissed before, it was true. But I also had never been made to feel as humiliated as I felt then.

I hated feeling the way I felt now, too confused at the many emotions that came up inside me. And as I let the confusion slowly settle, calming myself down with deep long breaths, I realized that I never hated anyone as much as I hated Thorin at that very minute - more than I hated Lialam.