Alek, who somehow survived internment in solid ice.
Did he know and was keeping it secret from her?
Talia started walking down the hall, the sound of her boots on the linoleum keeping her thoughts moving at an even pace.
She was fairly convinced that he did have amnesia. Large pockets of Alek’s memory were still lost to him. Perhaps whatever made him unique—and somehow connected to all of these recent discoveries—was still a mystery to himself.
Perhaps it was just some genetic anomaly. An evolutionary leap the defied normal conventions.
More than ever, Talia knew she needed to keep Alek’s existence secret. At first, he was special because he was the man that had survived for centuries. Now he was special because he was the man that had somehow captured her heart.
For the time being, she would at least tell him about the test results, as promised. She owed him that much.
* * *
Talia had seen something on the blood tests. That much was certain, Alek thought as he watched her get back into the taxi with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.
His curiosity was piqued even further when she asked the driver to take the scenic route around the forest at the back of the university, saying she wanted to chat a bit on the way home.
Alek cast a wary look at the driver but noted he had some kind of headphones on and probably wouldn’t get any ideas about listening in.
“So what did you want to tell me?” He turned to her, resting his hands on his knees, liking how close she was to him as they took up most of the back seat.
Her hair was pulled back in a tight bun, as usual, and she looked every bit the scientist she was, though her eyes sparkled with passion just as they had the night before.
Well, maybe not the same kind of passion, but he liked that she seemed to love her work.
“It’s… incredible.” She smoothed an invisible strand of hair back into place nervously. “We’ve never seen anything like it. The blood tests came back and… well, I don’t even know how to explain it.”
He took a deep breath, wondering if this was the time to start explaining that he was a dragon and of course his blood would be different. But then a moment of hesitation stopped him. If she knew what he was, would she turn him in somewhere? Would she be frightened to have him sharing her world?
He knew he could never hurt her and she had nothing to fear from him. He was the lord of winter, after all, and all he cared about was protecting her heart.
All he wanted was her happiness.
So a part of him was a little nervous to explain to his little scientist that he was something no science could explain.
Especially since he couldn’t really prove it, given the unreliability of his powers.
“So what did the tests say? If you can make it simple for me,” he asked nervously.
“I… I mean it’s hard to explain, but you’re just, in a word, special. I’m not sure what, but it’s the reason you survived the cryogenic freeze, despite the unsterile and fluctuating conditions. It’s in your DNA, your blood. It’s nothing like a normal human’s.”
For some reason, his heart was starting to pound, and he could feel sweat beading at the top of his head. “Ah. What is it, then? Do you know?”
“I don’t know,” she said, shrugging. “Iris wants to do more tests, but she’s holding off for now. She’ll keep our secret, because I’m not really sure what I want to do with the information now.” She reached out and took his hand, and he wondered if she could feel how cold and clammy it was. “But regardless, you were right all along. You aren’t normal. You are special. More importantly, you’re healthy and fine. More than healthy. As I said, special.”
The word special was echoing through him painfully. Not the word itself, but the meaning behind it. He could sense that, in another language, he’d heard it many times before. So why did it unnerve him? Why was his head pounding so dreadfully?
He pulled away from her to rub at his temples with both hands. He’d had headaches since he was unfrozen, but never as bad as this.
“Are you okay?”
“Hm,” he replied carefully, not wanting to move very much, as pain was shooting through his body.
Act normal.
“So what do you want to do with this information?” he asked.
“Well, I mean, I want to still study you. But I also want to get close to you, one step at a time, as we have been. Deep down, this doesn’t change anything. I liked you when I met you. I still like you now. Of course, the scientist in me is going crazy since this is the find of a lifetime.”
He looked up at her warily. Would he become only a project to her?
She took his hand. “But for the first time, work is not what I’m worried about. I want to help you be happy. I want to be happy, too. Honestly, I’m just glad there’s not anything wrong.” She sighed. “Whatever you are, we can figure it out together.” She leaned onto his shoulder. “As long as you’re not about to drop dead on me, I’m good.” She sat up abruptly again. “Though, I admit I’m curious. I mean, what if you had superior DNA even back then? What if there really were ice kings and people who were basically worshipped by others because of their superior abilities? What if you really were special?”
That was it. The moment his mind started breaking. Though he wanted to be there with her, to hold her and talk about last night and their future, he couldn’t because the past was flooding in with a rush of icy cold.
“Stop!” he yelled, startling the taxi driver. “I need to get out.”
They were still passing through the forest, and Talia put a hand on his arm to stop him, an alarmed look on her face. “You can’t. It’s cold out, and—”
He gave her a firm look, shaking his head desperately. “Stay here. Go home. I need to… be alone right now.”
The taxi skidded to a halt, and Alek shoved the door open and stumbled out, jogging out into the deep snow, not really caring where he went as long as it was away from her.
He didn’t feel safe around her right now. He didn’t feel in control.
He could hear her calling him before she finally shut the door, making a sound of frustration.
He looked up to see a literal blizzard of ice and wind surrounding him as he walked deeper into the forest, perhaps a sign that things were finally shaken loose in his heart.
He bowed his head as he pressed onward into the snow, into the forest, into his memories, knowing the only option for him was the least desirable.
Finally facing his past.
Chapter 16
“Welcome to your new lodgings, sire,” Dmitri exclaimed eagerly as they strode into the main hall of what would be the center of his new kingdom.
“Hm… It’s hardly half the size I had anticipated,” Alek said, tapping his foot in slight annoyance.
“To be fair, given the size of this fiefdom, the locals have done quite well, in my opinion. I think they are to be commended.” Luka chimed in, tightening a belt over his shoulder that kept the heavy furs and leather he wore in place, typical clothing for such extreme weather as their land was known for.
“Well, they shouldn’t. The lord of winter isn’t renowned for his mercy.” He strode into the large space. Tables and chairs hewn from wood surrounded him. And at the head of it all, a large wooden throne stood above all others. High above them, the stone edifice, cold and unspeaking, loomed.
Luka and Dmitri followed behind as Alek, excited to have his very own throne for the first time, leapt into the oversized seat.
“And don’t forget that this is only the beginning. Your father wants to see how you rule, see that you are capable of governing this land, before he gives you others to rule,” Luka added, always a spoilsport, focused on Alek’s father’s business.
“Where are the gold and silver accents I requested for my throne?” Alek interrupted, feeling not very kingly in his current lodgings.
“The people here lack for material wealth. But they make up for it in
good hard work and a hardy disposition,” Dmitri said cheerily.
“Well, I’d like to see how hardy their disposition is if the lord of winter’s demands are not met,” Alek said, rising to his feet.
“Just give it time. After all, your people have yet to meet you in person. I think you’ll like them,” Dmitri advocated.
Alek harrumphed. “What is there to possibly like about humans?”
Dmitri opened his mouth but paused when Luka interjected.
“There are more important matters to attend to anyway. There have been reports of another dragon encroaching on this land. Stealing goods, threatening the outlying townsfolk,” Luka said.
Alek laughed. “Ha, as if anyone could possibly pose a challenge to me.” He paced on the raised area where his throne stood, folding his arms. “Very well. I would love a chance to test my strength anyway. I’ve yearned for a bit of sport for some time now.”
“The people will certainly be grateful for it, I would think. Just try not to hurt their farms like in the past. For many of your people here, it’s all they have,” Dmitri said.
Alek ignored the advice. It was their fault if they got in the way. “I will see to it that this becomes the greatest fiefdom in my father’s kingdom. Then I will rule over all of his lands.” Eager energy surged through him at the prospect of more power. “In no time at all, I will surpass even my father. It is my destiny to do so, is it not?”
Luka and Dmitri glanced at each other, expressions blank. Then they looked up at him and nodded.
“We want nothing more for you than that, Alek,” Dmitri said.
“Good.” He took his seat once more, satisfied, tapping his foot on the ground as he imagined what it would be like to be king.
“There are several people who would like to meet their new ruler as well,” Luka remarked. “Some are here to discuss the status of this season’s harvest, as well as current construction projects. A few of them even have ideas to increase this year’s wool output for the sheep herders.” Luka pulled a piece of parchment from his satchel, putting it forward for Alek to take.
Alek yawned, waving his hand. “Send them away, Luka. I can’t possibly be bothered to handle such petty things when I have more important things to tend to.”
Luka stood still for a second, then slowly withdrew it into his pack.
“Besides, I’m exhausted from the long journey. And when I wake, I desire to seek out the foul interloper who dares intrude on the lord of winter’s lands and give them a proper greeting.” Alek rose, making for his bedchambers upstairs, uninterested in such trifling matters that Luka seemed insistent on foisting upon him. As he walked, a chilled wind blew through the keep, whistling as it did, though he didn’t feel the sting of the cold at all.
“As you command,” both Luka and Dmitri exclaimed behind him.
* * *
Talia didn’t know what had come over Alek to make him run like that.
Had he thought she was going to use him as an experiment? She was still processing everything Iris had told her, but she had tried to make it clear to Alek that even though she was surprised by him, it didn’t make her see him differently when it came their relationship.
Whatever that relationship was…
If anything, it made her more eager to protect him. The way he always protected her.
She directed the cab to continue home and decided to ask his friends for help since she doubted she’d be able to follow him into the snow even if he wanted her to, given the way the storm was kicking up behind him.
Plus the way he’d looked at her, that expression of fierce, pained warning, as if he truly didn’t want her to come.
She’d felt she had no choice but to respect him, even if she desperately wanted to grab his arm again and ask what was wrong.
When the cab dropped her off, she nearly tripped jumping out of it and quickly ran up to the front door of her apartment, fumbling with the key as she let herself in.
When she opened the door with a whoosh, she saw everyone staring at her.
A movie was on, and Chelle was sharing a couch with their two visitors, looking hilariously small nestled between them.
Talia’s eyes widened at the sight, but Chelle simply smiled, and Dmitri and Luka didn’t seem to see anything wrong with the situation.
There was nothing to suggest they were anything more than friends, except their slightly odd proximity.
Chelle noticed Talia’s distress, however, and rose immediately. “What’s wrong? Did something happen?”
Dmitri rose, too, running a hand over his shaved head, blue-green eyes blazing. “Where is Alek? Wasn’t he supposed to come back with you?”
Luka stood hesitantly, ice-blue eyes narrowing as he waited to hear her out.
“I… We were riding home, and he just… Something happened.” She pushed back a lock of errant hair. “I just was talking to him about something, and he got this weird look on his face and just bolted. He got out of the car and just ran into the forest, surrounded by a blizzard.”
Luka and Dmitri shared a look she couldn’t understand and nodded to one another. Then they began to grab their coats, as if ready to head out.
Chelle put a hand on Luka’s arm. “Be careful out there. It’s cold.”
Luka looked down at her as if confused at the contact, but he nodded, pulling a woolen hat on over his dark, silky hair.
Dmitri’s eyes were on Chelle for a moment, but then he turned back to the issue in question. “We’ll go look for him.”
“I’ll come,” Talia said, feeling anxious at the idea of just waiting at home, not knowing if he was even all right.
Dmitri shook his head insistently. “No. And you aren’t to come find us either. It’s too dangerous out there in the cold.”
“But—”
“You said it was a blizzard, right?” Luka asked, staring her down with that icy, frank gaze. “Then you aren’t fit to handle it. We are. We belong in the ice and snow.”
“Yeah, you were frozen there,” she bit off sarcastically. Then she groaned because she knew her worry didn’t give her a right to be rude. “I’m sorry. I just don’t want it to happen again.”
“It won’t,” Luka said. “But listen, you going out there is the last thing Alek would want. This time, we’ll save him.”
“This time?” Chelle asked, looking between them. “What?”
Talia bit her lip. Had something like this happened before? When they were frozen? Luckily, things like that didn’t happen here. It just never got that cold. “Be safe out there. Alek wouldn’t want anything to happen to you either.”
“We will,” Dmitri said, pulling a hat on as well. But she could tell he was already in warrior mode, planning how to bring his friend back.
Though, if she were honest, she had to admit Dmitri and Luka often acted less like friends and more like subjects.
But not now, as they opened the door and set out with grim, determined faces.
Still, all that mattered was that they brought Alek back and that everything turned out safe. That he knew he had somewhere to come home to. Someone waiting to make sure he was okay.
As the door swung shut, Chelle walked over to Talia, putting her arm around Talia’s shoulders with a sigh. “Those guys really aren’t normal.”
Talia nodded. “You have no idea.”
Chelle was right, and the tests that morning had proved it.
They were truly made to be out in the ice.
She just hoped it was only for a short while this time.
Chapter 17
Alek glared as his two closest advisors, hearing them but not really believing his ears.
“You said what now?”
“They’re gone, highness. We need to move on.”
He squirmed slightly, feeling the uncomfortable coldness of the elegant stone he’d chosen for his newest throne. And his castle. And his village. It was the most expensive, would last the longest, and besides, it befit the stature of a ruler a
s great as he was.
“How could they be gone? This is their village.”
“My lord, it has been some time that they’ve been trying to bring you their grievances. You haven’t wanted to listen, and—”
“It’s my job to rule, not to deal with petty things.”
Luka frowned, wringing his hands as he stepped forward toward the stairs that led up to the chair where Alek was sitting. “We’ve tried to tell you, sire, that ruling is sometimes petty, and—”
“Have I not fought the rival dragons to satisfaction?” Alek asked, standing haughtily, tossing his hair over his shoulders to glare down on the men he’d thought were his friends. All his life, they had echoed his father, telling him he was special. Helping him with his plans. Standing beside him.
Now they were here to back him down. Doubt him. Call him a failure and tell him to move on.
A fateful prickle of dread crawled over his shoulders, as he knew in some part of him that they were right. That things had been going wrong for some time now.
He wasn’t sure why.
He was the strongest of any of the winter dragons he’d met. Capable of building the iciest storms, the most frightening structures.
Yet people had the gall to claim they weren’t happy. To leave.
“Sire, the food,” Dmitri said. “The things you bring in, they are too expensive for commoners.”
“Then they can bring what they want.”
“You barred the caravans,” Luka said. “You feared they would bring spies.”
“You may have kept them safe, but you also isolated them from others. Our small village was slowly shrinking because you wouldn’t accept any ideas but your own,” Dmitri said.
“You grow too bold, Dmitri.”
Dmitri’s hands tightened into fists. “No, I should have been bolder.”
Luka nodded. “We both should have. We loved you, and we wanted you to have the confidence your dad instilled in you. But by the time we realized you were spoiled, that you couldn’t consider the wishes of others, it was too late to stop you. We didn’t want to cripple you, but we should have before you rolled over everyone and everything in your search for power.”
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