The warmth did not stray so much as a hair's breadth from Hermi's skin for the remainder of the night. A half-conscious thought drifted through her mind that she had somehow fallen asleep in a bread oven, yet she was far too comfortable to bother moving.
Slowly, the distant clinking of armor and the low rumble of morning chatter filtered into her consciousness, signaling that the camp was stirring to life.
Hermi's lashes fluttered. One blink, two blinks, and yet her vision remained a sleep-crusted blur. The spot she had chosen should have been the first struck by the morning sun, yet no biting light hit her eyes.
Instead, as her senses sharpened and the fog of sleep cleared, she realized she was staring directly at a wall. Not just any ravine wall, but a wall of golden-brown muscle. A giant of a man had effectively colonized her personal space, his broad chest acting as a human shield against the dawn.
