Veins of Ice

by Melissa Kellogg

  Unable to meet her gaze for longer than a second at a time, he said, “I’m so sorry about what happened to you, Karena. I’m glad you’re okay. You could’ve died. I heard that you were in the hospital for four days. I was beside myself with worry.”

  Karena nodded. She knew he wouldn’t have been able to visit her, not with her family and friends coming and going from her hospital room to check up on her while she recovered.

  He continued, “That cherufe came from a foundry my father owns. The foundry is similar to the one we found that juvenile wyvern in; it’s massive. The cherufe’s handler is extremely upset over the fact that it was destroyed, but understands why. He named it Old Red. It was found hundreds of years ago when the foundry was first built, and it had been living there almost ever since.”

  “How did it get into the Earth district?”

  Asher shook his head. His face conveyed his distress. “We don’t know, except that whomever did it used the special transportation truck that was built specifically for Old Red. The only time that truck was used was when renovations had to be done that required the removal of Old Red, and Old Red would be taken to another foundry until they were complete.”

  “How did this person get Old Red out?”

  “I have no idea. Only a Fire elemental who can speak through their powers can command one. But a magical person might be able to do the same too, but I’m not sure. When it was realized that Old Red was missing, the area around the foundry was checked, and it was then that everyone noticed that the shed had been broken into and that the truck was missing.,” he said.

  “I just don’t get it. How can there be no one to blame?”

  “No one I know of went into the Earth district that night. I wasn’t in the Earth district. I was at a family get-together at the time it started. I don’t know who stole Old Red and that truck, and neither does the police.”

  “A whole family died. More would’ve if they hadn’t acted as fast as they did in fleeing the fires.”

  “I know.”

  “Someone is at fault,” Karena persisted.

  “There’s nothing I can say to remedy this. We have had the same problem with Waters and Earths. No one fesses up.”

  Asher became quiet. He didn’t make excuses, or whine, or beg to continue to see her outside of work. Though she was angry, she couldn’t place the blame on Asher. It was clear that he was innocent. He was as saddened as she was by what had happened.

  “Then who is doing this?” she asked. Stress lined his handsome face, and pulled his lips downwards. He looked at his hands in his lap.

  “I wish I knew. The one thing that I do know is that someone has been covering up the evidence that could lead to an arrest. They could be the same person, or it could be a team of people, because these crimes are always done this way, where they commit their murderous crime and leave without a trace, as though they’re a phantom. Sure they stage it in some way to make it look like someone did it, but never is there any actual proof that will lead us to that person.”

  Karena thought about everything, especially the feud and her born alliance with the Water district. It felt like she was unraveling at the seams because of the feelings that tugged at her heart and reached out to Asher. She couldn’t become the enemy she was supposed to be.

  “I’m just one person,” she said, “This feud is bigger than myself, and I don’t think I’ve ever been honest with myself about how much I despise its existence. It ruins lives. I refuse to participate in it any longer. I didn’t realize it, but that’s the choice I made in that confrontation we had in the street. I don’t want to fight unless I have to defend myself or others. If you haven’t done any wrongdoing, then why should I hold you accountable for the actions of another? Just because you’re a Fire, doesn’t mean you represent the entire Fire district.”

  Asher scooted towards, covering the few feet between them, and leaned in. She grabbed his shoulders to pull him closer. Their lips met. She breathed in his smell of cinnamon and apple spice. All of her senses began to tingle, and her head buzzed as she pushed her lips against his satin ones.

  If she had fought him in the street, she knew that she would’ve regretted it for the rest of her life. Nothing could compare to that moment where they were alone together, sharing a deep connection of passion and trust with each other.

  He withdrew and said, “I was hoping this wouldn’t be the end.”

  “It’s not. I won’t let it,” Karena said, gazing into his mocha eyes. Just like his voice, the benevolence and sincerity in them couldn’t be denied.

  Chapter 23

  After talking some more, Asher and Karena left the playground, and retraced their steps back to his truck. People were just starting to tiptoe out of their homes and shops to see if it was safe to come out of hiding.

  “Can I give you a lift?” Asher asked. He stared into Karena’s icy eyes, and at the warmth that shone through them. He had never imagined that something that looked so cold could be so kind and yet fierce at the same time.

  She somewhat startled from the question, but settled back into her relaxed mood.

  “I would like that,” Karena said with a smile.

  Asher opened the passenger door for her, and she got in. Once inside the cab, he breathed in the new scent, her scent, which was like fresh pine and snow. Everything about her stoked the fires already burning inside of him. She added to his happiness.

  Their chemistry together was odd, at least to him. His natural bane was his greatest joy now. Ice didn’t melt upon meeting fire, and nor did it freeze the fire over, instead they danced like the stars overhead, and lived in harmony like night and day.

  As Asher drove, he glanced at her. His heart skipped a little faster after each look he took. When he pulled up in front of her house, she put a hand on his arm. Everything in him stilled, and he turned to look at her heart-shaped face, and the braid that ran down the side of her head.

  “Why don’t you come in?” she said, but it was more like a request than a polite invitation.

  He flicked his gaze past her, and to the house.

  Ever assuring, she continued, “No one is home. Hadrian and Rose probably won’t be back for a couple more hours.”

  As he weighed out the risks, he tilted his head.

  “Sure. Why not,” Asher said with a shrug, but he held a trace of fear inside of him, which didn’t have anything to do with her.

  When he got out of his truck, he looked up and down the street, but the people who were outside, despite the chill and cloudiness overhead, didn’t pay any attention to them. They were busy attending to their yards, playing with their children, or driving by in cars or bicycles. It was a quiet street, but nevertheless, neighbors were nosey by nature.

  He followed Karena across the pathway, onto the porch, and into her home. The first thing he noticed was the earthly feel to her home. It was cool in there, and not well lit by natural lighting, either due to small windows or the way the house had been built. The dark, hardwood flooring complimented the fern-green walls. His eyes traveled. Shoes crowded the sides of the entryway. Umbrellas, coats, and scarves hung from a nearby coat rack. A sideboard’s top overflowed with random items.

  He walked into the parlor room. Sunlight streamed through the open windows. A small, decorative, handmade craft, which looked like a hanging hoop with ribbons attached to it, fluttered around as it caught the incoming breeze. Blankets were strewn over the couches, and books and candles competed for space on the coffee table.

  “It’s like a rabbit hole in here,” Asher said, “but it’s cozy.”

  There was too much clutter for his liking.

  Karena looked at her feet and flushed a bright red. “Rose and Hadrian are Earths,” she said.

  “It’s interesting how certain traits can be found in an elemental affinity. The same goes for magical people and hybrids. Though nonmagical folk seem to be more unpredictable, even when It comes down to their living preferences,” Asher said. “I gu
ess no one told Hadrian or Rose to clean up their rooms when they were kids?”

  Karena laughed. Her mood lifted from being self-conscious to a lighter and airier one.

  As she showed him the rest of the first floor of the house, he tried to not focus on her small waist, the roundness of her butt, or how her hips swayed. They pleased him. He and Karena both connected on an emotional and spiritual level, and he knew the physical one, though superficial compared to those two, would stimulate him just as much.

  When they rounded a corner to leave the kitchen, Asher stole another look at how her butt filled out her pants and drew the fabric taut across them as she walked. She moved with a certain fluidity he didn’t see from his own kind or from Airs. Every move she made was smooth and elegant.

  They came back into the main hallway. Karena went to the stairs, and stood on the first step of them, facing him. He waited, wondering what she wanted to do now. She took advantage of the fact that they were of an equal height now by wrapping her arms around his neck and putting her nose to his. She gave him a quick kiss.

  With a mischievous glint in her eye, she asked “Would you like to see my room?”

  “Would you like me to?” he said. Bedrooms were highly personal spaces, and though he longed to see it, he had to make sure she wanted this.

  She pressed herself against him. Her breasts were soft, and to tease him, she moved them across his chest. Her hips touched against his, driving heat into his loins. She nibbled at his ear. He groaned, and gripped her waist, willing himself not to lose control. His hands lowered to grab her firm butt and massage it. His breath shuddered, and he pushed her hips harder against his, to feel her, wanting to become one with her.

  “I want you to,” she said in his ear.

  “I’ll do anything you want.”

  She withdrew from him to unbutton his shirt. Her icy hands roamed across his bare chest. His skin reacted by heating up, and then her fingers cooled him down. It was a sensation he enjoyed. Mist wisped around them.

  Karena turned around to go up the stairs, but he seized her, as though she was a bird he didn’t want to let go of. He inhaled deeply and forced himself to release her. Laughing with delight, she dashed up the stairs. He took his time up them. If he experienced any more excitement and rushing of his blood, he would lose his head. Glittery frost lined the stairway, but within feet of him, it melted.

  Asher went down the short hallway and stood in the open doorway of her room. She sat on her bed, legs tucked under her, and waited for him. She glowed with joy. Her smile widened when he closed the door behind him and took off his shirt. Though her room didn’t intrigue him as much as she did, he nevertheless looked around, drawing out the suspense and anticipation of getting on the bed.

  Her living style was much different than an Earth’s because of her elemental affinity with water. Her room was messy, but in an organized way. Everything was assigned to its own section of the room. Odds and ends were confined to a storage chest. Books and notebooks were stacked on the shelves of a narrow bookcase next to her desk. On top of her desk were pens, pencils, and blue notebook paper. Clothes hung from hangers in her closet, but a messy pile of dirty clothes lay under them on the floor. On her dresser, next to her closet’s entrance, lay his mask from the party. Beside it was a rose quartz crystal, a pink candle, and a wilted lavender rose.

  Asher stopped in front of her bedroom’s window and pulled on the cord. The curtains drew together, throwing them into a twilight, where it was neither too dark or too light. He sat on the bed, and Karena pulled him down and onto his back. He twisted and turned a little, so that his head was propped up on a pillow.

  She straddled him, and he ran his hands up and down her thighs. He could feel her muscles flex through her pants. She leaned down. Her fingers traced the scar across his chest. Her eyes saddened, and the corners of her lips tugged downwards. He took her hand away to kiss her fingertips. She smiled, and dipped her head down to kiss him on the lips. He sucked on their deliciousness.

  His hands snuck under her shirt, and raced up and down her ribcage. Her skin was so soft and butter-smooth against his hands. She moved herself a little closer, and he took it as a hint to unhook her bra, so he did. He pulled off her shirt and bra. Her breasts rubbed against his chest. Her body was made to slide against his. All of her feminine curves, so exquisite, begged to be explored.

  He licked her ear, and tugged at her pants. He couldn’t take it anymore, and flipped her over. She laughed, and reached for his belt. But he was quicker in taking off his pants and hers. Fully naked, he got on top of her. Their bodies steamed where they met. Their lips roamed over each other, and their hands quivered as they pushed and seized each other. Their passion intensified. They took turns feeling the weight of the other. Spasms of pleasure rocked them until they gasped and lay panting on her bed, soaked in sweat.

  Asher curled up next to her, and wrapped his arms around her. Too warm for the blankets, they napped.

  Chapter 24

  When Hadrian pulled up in front of his house and into the driveway, it was evening, a solid seven hours after the funeral. He had been arrested by the police and questioned. Unlike Sean and those who had initially gone with him to cause trouble, he hadn’t been charged with a misdemeanor. Sean had been livid about what Karena had done, and everyone was sure to be talking about it for the days to come. Instead of fighting Asher, she had neutralized the situation. Apparently, it was wrong to do so. He didn’t think so, but to those who had lost their minds in grief, they did.

  Hadrian got out of his truck. Karena’s car wasn’t anywhere to be seen. She wasn’t home. He frowned. Where had she gone? It had been a dismal day, and if something had happened to Karena again, he felt as though he would have no choice but to turn her in to her parents in order to keep her safe. She meant everything to him.

  When he rounded the hood of his truck, he heard the porch squeak. He looked over. Tristan waved to him from the porch. Hadrian’s stride stiffened. After what Karena had said about him, he wasn’t sure about Tristan anymore.

  Hadrian hopped up the front steps and onto the porch.

  “Where’s Karena?” Hadrian asked.

  Wringing his hands in distress, Tristan said, “I was hoping that you would know. I’ve been worried about her. I heard about the fight in the Fire district and what she did.”

  “She probably took the long way home.”

  “They said that she left the scene walking,” Tristan said. He combed his limp, black hair with his hand, and then he straightened his vest, even though neither needed to be fixed.

  “I’m sure she’s fine.”

  “Can’t you at least check to see if she’s home?”

  “If her car isn’t here, then I doubt she is too. But I’ll go and see anyways,” Hadrian said. Tristan’s worry was getting infectious. He unlocked the front door.

  “A lady such as herself—.”

  Hadrian snapped, “Stuff it, Tristan. She can take care of herself and then some.” Tristan was making his bad mood even worse.

  He entered his house, feeling how still it was. Tristan followed him in. Hadrian jogged up the stairs and to Karena’s room. He knocked on her bedroom door, but there wasn’t a reply or invitation to come in. He twisted the handle, and stuck his head in. The room smelled like cinnamon apple with a hint of smoke. Behind him, Tristan caught up. Hadrian shut the door a bit harder than he intended.

  “Is she in there?” Tristan asked, standing a little too close for comfort. Tristan’s eager, blue eyes stared at the door handle he had his hand clutched around.

  “No. She’s probably with her parents.”

  “I checked there too, and she’s not there.”

  “Just chill, Tristan. I’ll find her, or she’ll come home. She always comes home before night time.”

  “I don’t think you understand the severity of the situation. She’s been missing for some time now.”

  “She’s a big girl. Don’t go acting like a parent
or else she will really get pissed off at you,” Hadrian warned, but even his nudge to get Tristan to back off didn’t work.

  “I want to go into her room and see if there’s clues as to where she has gone.”

  Hadrian couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Now he knew what Karena had been talking about. Tristan had no sense of boundaries, and thought he could poke around in Karena’s room. Bedrooms were off limits, except to the closest of friends and family. Hadrian refused to budge.

  “You’re not going into her room.”

  “Oh, I see, you’re hiding evidence. Don’t tell me, there’s a dead body in there.”

  “Get out of my house, Tristan. Don’t ever come here again,” Hadrian snarled.

  “I’ll find her, and when I do, I’ll shove it in your face that I care more about her than you do. She shouldn’t be living in his hovel.”

  “And what does she deserve, your grandfather’s cluttered house? How’s the cleanup coming along? I don’t think you’re doing so well with it because you reek of old man smell. One could easily guess what that house looks like just by looking at you. Are you wearing his clothes too?”

  Tristan angered, turned on his heel, and stomped down the stairs. “If you ridicule me again, I’ll curse your house,” he said.

  “That’s a threat only a necromancer would say!” Hadrian shouted at him, and pounded down the stairs after him. Hadrian grabbed his shoulder, and threw him against the wall. He bared his teeth and growled in Tristan’s face, “What did you just threaten me with?”

  “Nothing,” Tristan said. Though it seemed that he was as frightened as a mouse in front of a cat, Hadrian could tell that it was only an act.