by Lia Davis
“I like her. I mean really like her. I don’t understand it. I’ve never been a believer of love at first sight, but there is something there,” Nate said.
Landon let out a sigh. “It’s the call. When Fae meet their mate, they send out a call to them.” There was a pause, then Landon added, “I feel it, too.”
Another pause. My heartbeat increased. A mate? I knew of the call, but didn’t know how it worked. Mom and Dad said it was a sacred thing, beautiful. When I met the one, I would know.
Sure, I felt an instant connection with both of them. Did that mean they were mine? Had I sent out a call to both?
“What are you saying, man?” Nate’s voice took on an edgier sound.
“She’s sent the call to both of us,” Landon clipped out. “Don’t give me that look. In old times, it was not uncommon for females to choose more than one mate.”
What? Why didn’t I know this?
“What about Cyron? What if she calls to him, too?” Nate was clearly having trouble seeing it Landon’s way. I was on board with Nate.
“Then we’ll deal with that when she does.” Silence. “Look, man, I’m not going to fight you for her. You and Cyron are like brothers to me. My only family. I would fight, but I’m not letting her go, either.”
Just then Landon stepped out of the cave and stilled, meeting my gaze. I broke the eye contact and said nothing about what I overheard. I didn’t want to talk about it with them. What was I to say?
Landon sat next to me, handing me a cup I hadn’t notice him carry out of the cave. Taking it, I glanced inside and sniffed.
“It’s water,” Landon said in a whisper.
“Thank you.” I drank it in one drink, not realizing how thirsty I was.
Nate came out with several packs of food rations and couple more cups and a canteen. I pushed my coat off my lap and started to stand when Nate shook his head at me. “Sit, please. I got it.”
When I settled back on the log, Landon handed me my coat. “You should put this on. The sun is setting and the nights in North Mountains are cold even for you.”
Muttering a “thanks,” I took the coat but didn’t put it on. I wasn’t cold yet, but he was right, I’d need it tonight.
My head whirled with information, especially of the guys being potential mates for me. And the suggestion that Landon spoke of. That they would share me.
I closed my eyes briefly. I had to be the only one who would lose my family and find mates all in the same day.
I just couldn’t let them distract me from learning how to stop Crystal and end the ice hell we lived in.
6
It was warm but cozy. I snuggled in farther under the warm blanket. An ice storm moved through last night, making it too cold even for me. So, I was content on being warm at the moment.
Why was I so warm and comfortable?
I flung my eyes open and stared into the sleeping face of Landon. His blue hair fell over his forehead. Careful not to wake him, I gently brushed the hair away, not touching his skin. A soft moan escaped him and he wrapped an arm around me and pulled me closer.
Against my back, Nate muttered, “Not time to get up.” Then he snuggled closer to me.
Pressing my lips together, I lay still between them. Their scents were a mix of sandalwood and cedar. It was masculine and calming. Confusion clouded my mind on what to do about them.
At the moment, I had to pee. As I eased out from between them, Landon snapped awake and grabbed my wrist. We locked gazes and I could tell he wasn’t fully awake. Relaxing, I leaned down and whispered, “Nature calls. I’ll be right back.”
A grunt was his initial response. A second later, his features softened and his eyes cleared. “Five minutes, then I’m coming after you.”
I didn’t know why his promise to chase me down sent a thrill through me. Since the guys had their short conversation in the cave last night, they’d become a little protective. I found it sweet and comforting, oddly enough. Smiling, I left the cave and wished I’d grabbed my coat. This cold wasn’t natural. It was caused by the evil magic poisoning the Hollow. Crystal’s magic.
Would I truly become powerful enough to stop this? I had my doubts.
I picked a spot a few yards away from the cave, not wanting to be too far from them just in case a malum or familiars snuck up on me.
When I relieved myself and straightened, I smelled the faint stench of a malum. But there were other notes in its scent I couldn’t place. They seemed familiar to me somehow.
Don’t be brave or stupid, Ro. I didn’t need to investigate. I just needed to get to the guys and get the hell out of there. The effects of the serum still hummed through my blood and I didn’t want to test the new power just yet.
I stepped around a couple of trees and stilled. My heart skipped several beats and my lungs seemed to have troubles, too. Standing in front of me with her long, matted black hair was my mother.
Mom. The word stuck in my throat as if fearful to be spoken aloud.
Only she wasn’t Mom anymore. Her dark eyes that use to be blue stared at me, unseeing and hungry.
She was a malum. Still changing, but a malum all the same.
I inched back a step. Her black gaze followed me, her brows drawn and nostrils flaring as if she liked the scent of me.
“Mom,” I finally spoke the word. “It’s me, Roshia.”
She didn’t acknowledge my name and wasn’t responding to my voice. I tried again. “Mom, fight it. Fight the madness. Come back to me. Please.”
The last word was said on a sob. The pain of losing Ameria surfaced again and seeing Mom in this state doubled it.
She lifted her gaze to mine. Sadness hazed over them, reaching out to me. “Run. Save yourself, Ro. You are destined for great things.” A growl escaped her. She shook her head as if fighting some internal battle. She battled the serum’s effects. “Run. Stay away…from me.”
Another low growl sounded from her and she lunged for me, her sharp teeth bared. I threw my hands up in fear for my life and froze her into a solid block of ice. My bottom lip trembled as tears flowed over my lashes.
I stumbled around her and fled farther up the mountain. I was alone. My family was gone. Taken by Princess Crystal and her familiars. For what? I didn’t know. Besides she was poisoned with evil.
Another sob escaped me and I lost my footing, tumbling to the ground. Too tired and weak to get up, I just lay there on the frozen earth staring up past the tree branches to the grey-blue sky.
I heard footsteps approaching. While fear and dread ran through me in hot waves, I couldn’t make myself get up. There was nothing left to fight for.
The serum in my veins grew stronger. It was a matter of time before I’d turn against the guys.
Landon was the first to reach me, but Nate was on his heels. “Roshia.”
I wasn’t sure which one spoke my name. It was too hard to focus. My magic was going wild from within and I knew without looking that ice covered my skin. A protective instinct.
There was something else mixed in with my ice magic. Something darker, growing.
Nate reached out but pulled his hand back before making contact. “I can’t touch her while she’s like that. Why is she like that?”
“Go get a blanket.” Landon barked out the command. Nate darted off.
Numbness settled over me. My family was gone. I possibly killed my father and froze my mom into solid ice. I had nothing to fight for. No strength to…
“Stay with me.” Landon’s voice broke through the mind-numbing haze. I met his concerned gaze and stared. He swiped his fingers over my forehead. “Please, focus on me. That’s it. I can feel your power. It’s growing. You will beat this, beat her. Together, we will stop the evil. I just need you to stay with me.”
I shook my head. “I can’t.”
“But we can. You, Nate, Cyron, and me. You’re not alone.” Landon framed my face with his hands. Then he leaned down and pressed his lips to mine.
I froze, e
yes widening. Unexpected and intense, the kiss sent a jolt of warmth through my system. When he deepened it, slipping his tongue inside mouth, I melted and wrapped my arms around his neck. Sensations I’d never felt before rushed in my blood. Tingles fluttered in my belly and lower.
I whimpered as he broke the kiss. Still holding my face in his hands, he gazed into my eyes, searching. That was when I noticed Nate standing behind him, features blank. After a long moment, he rushed forward, nudged Landon out of the way, and wrapped me in a blanket.
“Is her skin supposed to be that color?” Nate asked.
What color? Pulling my arms from under the blanket, I pushed my sleeve up. A gasp escaped my lips. My skin had a purple-blue hue to it. I jerked my gaze to Landon, silently begging for answers. What was happening to me?
He walked to my other side and held out his hand. “It could be the serum altering your magic. Cyron will know more than we do.” He nodded to Nate. “Get the mobile ready.”
Nate narrowed his gaze. “What are you doing?”
Rolling his eyes, Landon grabbed my hand and pulled me to a stand. “Roshia and I are going to pack up the cave and make sure the fire is out.”
Before Nate could storm off, I wrapped my fingers around his forearm. His features softened when he met my eyes. “I don’t really understand any of this mating and sharing thing. But I do know that I can’t handle any jealousy or fighting between you. I feel like I could break at any moment.”
Or kill someone…
Fear coated me like a sheet of ice and tears formed in my eyes. Both guys moved in closer and said at the same time, “What’s wrong?”
My bottom lip trembled as I spoke. “What if I hurt someone in the village? Or killed…”
Nate hugged me then kissed my forehead. “I’ll get the mobile.”
Landon wrapped an arm around my shoulders and directed me to the cave. “Cyron will know what to do to keep you from losing control.”
Losing control? Oh great. Something else to worry about.
I quietly followed Landon inside the cave. They didn’t have much to clean up. A few backpacks with clothes and supplies, sleeping bags, and blankets.
After everything was packed, Landon turned to me. An awkward silence filled the space. Had he regretted kissing me? I wasn’t sure why, but the thought of it hurt.
With a sigh, I broke eye contact and threw a pack over my shoulder, then picked up a rolled sleeping bag before heading out of the cave.
Just then the largest mobile I’d ever seen pulled up. By big, I mean the size of four snowmobiles built into one with the roof of a car. I’d seen two-seaters in villages but those weren’t enclosed. This thing was incredible. And very noticeable.
Where were they hiding that thing?
Nate stepped out of a side door that lifted in the air like a wing. His smile widened at my expression. “Do you like? This baby is my invention.”
He took the sleeping bag and motioned me inside. I followed and my eyes widened as I stepped into the vehicle. There was enough room to stand a little hunched over. I was wrong about it being made from snowmobiles. “What is this? I mean, I thought snowmobiles, but now…”
Nate chuckled and tugged at the backpack until I let it slide off my shoulder. He took it and tucked it in a compartment in the back of the area we stood in. “An old military van with the sleds of snowmobiles, modified to fit, of course. The body is reinforced with metal from tanks.”
It was pretty cool. I met Nate’s stare and my heart fluttered. Pride circled him as if showing off the greatest invention ever. Well, to me, I thought it was. “Isn’t it too big? I mean, it would draw attention of the familiars?”
“That’s where fae magic meets technology. Landon created a hologram program that makes it blend into its surroundings.” Nate flicked his gaze to the door behind me.
I glanced over my shoulder. Landon raised a brow and his lips twitched. “It’s more technology than magic.”
Landon crossed the small space, having to squeeze by Nate and me, to put the packs and blankets he carried in the compartment, then locked it. When he moved to the front, he pointed to the seats directly behind the driver’s seat. “Buckle up and get comfy.”
I did as he said, picking the seat next to Landon’s. Nate sat behind him so I could see him. “So how long have you known each other?”
Nate smiled. “We all worked for the council. It wasn’t until the princess rose from the dead, froze everything, and destroyed the council that we became friends. Well, formed an alliance, then became friends.”
Landon snorted as he jerked the vehicle forward. “The two of them plotted my death for a while. I believe they still do.”
With a laugh, Nate bopped Landon on the back of the head. “We did not. Although there were concerns you’d turn on us. When Cyron was infected--”
“Infected?” I moved my wide-eyed gaze from one man to the other.
Landon sighed. “He’ll fuss at us for telling you, but Cyron is a custos. We almost lost him. It was a rough couple of weeks.”
“Yeah, I believe if he wasn’t so stubborn, he’d turn into a malum.” Nate grinned at me, then winked. I giggled.
Suddenly, I couldn’t wait to meet Cyron. The guys cared for him, respected him. They were a family, brothers-in-arms. Falling silent, I settled into my seat and watched the frozen land pass by.
After a long while, Landon covered my hand with his and gave a gentle squeeze. “Everything’s going to be okay. We have you now. And together we can stop Princess Crystal and her band of evil minions.”
I knew he was referring to me being an ice fae injected with the serum. Doubt still swirled in my mind. The power within me seemed too out of control. Like it was waiting for the right time to lash out at everyone, dragging me into the dark void of insanity.
Gods, I hoped they were right. I didn’t want to become a mindless killer.
“Promise me something.”
“Anything,” both guys said at the same time.
“Before I turn evil, kill me.”
7
I wasn’t sure what woke me so I didn’t move. I was alone in a room of some kind. The scent of snow was in the air mixed with mint and lavender. It was calming and clean.
Had I fallen to sleep in the vehicle? So the guys dropped me off and left? I scowled and sat up.
Where the hell was I?
I scanned the room. Stone walls surrounded me, like I was in a cave. The bed I sat on was soft and clean. A brown fur rug lay in the center of the floor. Where the hell was I?
A shadow appeared on the other side of the curtain hanging in the doorway. I sucked in a breath and waited, not knowing who or what was about to come in. At the same time, I called to the power, ready to blast someone if needed. But I didn’t want to call on my magic until I was sure the serum wouldn’t make me use it for evil.
The curtain slowly moved to the side, revealing a younger dark-haired man in a white lab coat. A gasp stuck on my throat as I watched him move forward. He was handsome and fit—from what I could tell with the lab coat on. His gaze met mine instantly and his lips lifted in the corners, stirring a desire inside me. “Good, you’re awake. Landon and Nate have done nothing but talk about you since you all arrived.”
His voice was soft and flowed over me like a physical caress. This must be Cyron. I relaxed. “Where are they?”
“Getting your room ready.” He advanced closer to me. When he stopped inches away, he took my hand into a relaxed grasp, holding his thumb to the inside of my wrist.
“I’m not ill…am I?” My heart hammered in my chest as I watched him intently. His cool fingers were soothing against my skin. However, the electrical current looping from him to me at the connection made my insides rattle and ache at the same time. I recognized the feeling as the call. It was what happened with Nate and Landon, except with Cyron it was stronger.
When he lifted his gaze to mine, I couldn’t help but stare back, leeriness rising. His eyes were mismat
ched—one green and one gold. However, it wasn’t the two different colored irises that stirred my worry. It was the flecks of crimson that showed he’d been changed. Even though Nate and Landon told me, it was still a shock to see.
He was a custos. I’d never met one but knew they worked with rebel groups against the princess.
“Where am I?” My questions came out more as a demand.
He crossed his arms. “Caverns in the North Mountain. We’d made them our home. Yes, I’m a custos. No, I’m not the only one here.”
Frowning, I touched his arm. “Nate and Landon told me you were turned and where the village was. I meant this room. If they are readying my room, then this isn’t it.”
He closed his eyes briefly and dropped his arms, relaxing his posture. “Sorry. People have an issue with us when they first meet us. This is one of the medical bays. You were asleep when you arrived, and for some reason, they didn’t want to leave you somewhere one of us wasn’t.”
I averted my gaze and didn’t respond. Apparently, the other two didn’t share too much information with Cyron. “Did they tell you I was injected with the serum?”
A raised brow was his first reaction. “No. In fact, I only saw them in passing. Landon said there was a female in the medical bay who was napping and they were getting a room ready.”
“Oh.” I swung my feet in circles as I sat on the edge of the bed avoiding Cyron’s stare.
“What did they tell you about me?” he asked.
“You were infected and the unofficial leader of the rebellion.”
Cyron laughed. “Figures. The three of us share the leader skills. I’m the doctor and researcher. I’m looking for a cure.”
I nodded. “I’m an ice fae.”
Cyron stilled. “Did they tell you what that could mean?”
Nodding again, I lifted my gaze to his. “I could become strong enough to fight Crystal and possibly win.”
“Those are the rumors. I’d managed to get documents from other groups that told about how the ice fae didn’t react to the serum like everyone else. Some believed it was because the princess is also an ice fae and she wouldn’t make a serum that would harm herself.”
