Page 38 of A Fate of Ice and Lies
On a hard swallow, I nodded.
“I have gifts for you.” His smile widened to show twosharp fangs, but it was the dimples on either side of his mouth that drew my attention.
He extended a hand to me in invitation, his smile dropping when I didn’t take it.
“Come now,” he said, his tone gentle.
One of the other men, or fae, reached into one of the carts behind them and threw a small red object in the air. When he caught it, he bit into it with a satisfying crunch. Juice spilled down his chin, which he quickly swiped away with the back of his hand.
My eyes widened, my hesitation forgotten as I left Donnie’s side to peer into the carts filled with food. Tomatoes, peppers, apples, grapes, potatoes. They were all there, along with other fruits and vegetables.
Donnie stood beside me, his hand on my shoulder. “What is all this?”
Elias directed his half smile at me. “Food.” He waved a hand at the food bank. “If we ration it out, you should have enough to feed your people until my friends and I can harvest more.”
Friends, then. Not warriors.
“Harvest more?” I managed to squeak out. “How?”
Elias spread out his hand, and a swirl of silver fluttered from his palm. “Magic.” He winked at me, and an electric shock ran all the way to the bottom of my feet.
“Show-off,” one of his friends said.
I openly looked back at the second stranger and the sleek hair that passed his shoulders. While his hair was red, it had more of an orange tint than mine.
“My name’s George,” the fae said, extending his hand. “The big, ugly guy you’ve been talking to is Elias.”
Ugly. When I scoffed, Elias shot me a small, almost shy smile.
Although George seemed friendly, I ignored his offered hand, and instead, I rewrapped the blanket over my shoulders and chest. My heart suddenly hammered against my ribs, and I instinctively drew away from him.
While I didn’t fear Elias, this one terrified me.
My reaction bothered George for some reason, and his alabaster skin turned a sickly shade of gray. Worry for the man seeped in unwelcome, and I pushed it back.
“Brenton,” the second friend offered. “The even uglier one.”
I shook my head in disbelief. This one’s hair was more a disheveled mop that sat on his head. Still beautiful, though.
“Don’t listen to a word any of these fools say.” Elias said this as a tease, but it felt like a gentle caress.
Clearing my throat, I stood straighter and held myself closer to Donnie.
Elias narrowed his eyes at us before he cleared his own throat.
“Where is your chief of police?” Elias asked Donnie. “Fort, is it?”
“Stuck in his house,” Donnie answered. “Snow’s blocking his doorway and windows. We haven’t been able to get him or his family out in two days.”
“Why didn’t you tell me sooner?” Elias questioned, his voice gruff with what I thought was annoyance.
“We’ve got it handled,” Donnie said with a note of defiance.
“Clearly,” George huffed out.
He wrapped his muscled arms across his chest, and when Brenton pushed his shoulder, the scowl on George’s face fellaway. George shook his head at his friend, not in annoyance but amused tolerance.
It was strange to see the three of them together. So humanlike, yet different. That difference was apparent in the short-sleeved shirts they wore that not only showed off their ridiculous muscles but also told me they weren’t as cold as the rest of us. Although oddly enough, Brenton and George both wore gloves to protect their hands from the temperatures.
