Page 38 of A Sword of Ice
Valerio’s eyebrow rose. “Just try to follow orders this time.”
20
The Strength of Ice
They’d prowled all morning until they finally found the Fae. A female that Julius had caught a glimpse of from far away. She wore gray all over, a pale, drab color that offset the rich, dark color of her skin. White curls peeked out from over the collar of her gray fur coat, hair that hid the evidence of her ears, making it impossible to see if they were pointed or not.
But the moment Shula saw the female, a gasp pushed past her lips.
“That’s her,” she said.
So Julius watched, and they followed her, splitting up. Because they were dressed as soldiers—soldiers the female was going out of her way to avoid—Julius knew it was better to corner her, catch her off guard. Shula took to the ground, while Julius took to the unstable roofs of the buildings.
That way, he had a better vantage point of the Elemental.
They still weren’t sure what kind of magic she possessed, so they had to be cautious. Especially, taking one look at her figure beneath her coat, Julius knew instinctively she wasn’t the type to stand idly by.
She was the type of female Julius enjoyed. Strong, capable. Her legs were long and muscular, a body thick with the strength of someone who was no stranger to hard work. She wasn’t square, as she gave off the subtle hint of curves, but she was thick in the most perfect of ways.
He waited on a building, peering over the edge and standing on a crouch. The Fae slipped into a building a few ways down, and he saw Shula prowling in the darkness towards her. But when the Fae stepped out, she paused, head cocking to the side.
As if she could hear Shula from around the corner, feet crunching in the snow.
Fuck.
The Elemental burst into a run. He heard Shula cry out softly as she followed. Their footfalls against the snow echoed loudly, and he let out a curse, even as the thrill of the hunt vibrated through his system.
He ran, jumping from one rooftop to the next, praying the decaying buildings would hold his heavy weight. He was ahead of the Elemental while Shula stalked her from behind. She wasfast, her body darting between alleyways and turning sharply around corners. She caught up near the building where Julius was and she turned, gauging the distance between her and Shula.
Julius took advantage of her distraction and jumped from the building.
He landed on the ground with a thud and a crouch, looming to his full height over her.
She was tall, and he finally caught a good look at her face and her scent.
Smooth, ebony skin, piercing dark eyes, plump lips, round nose, and a slightly squared jawline all made for the perfect face. She smelt like the delectable combination of ice, apples, and mint, scents he associated with his childhood and the freedom of the forest. The sight of her beauty almost had him staggering back. But it wasn’t that. Not exactly. It was magic. A magic so unrecognizable it jolted through his system like a bolt of cold lightning down his spine.
He was surprised, but no more surprised than her.
She seemed intimidated by his size and staggered back a step while he pushed forward. His hands shot out, encircling her wrists. The touch sent a zing through his body and he opened his mouth to speak.
He didn’t see the blow coming.
Her knee connected to his dick, and he felt the pain shoot up to his throat. A whimper pierced past his mouth and he dropped to his knees, the helm slipping from his head. The impact was jarring, but not as jarring as the pain in his groin. He wanted to reach for it, but a moment later he was struck with cold. His gaze darted down to see ice spreading from the Elemental’s fingertips all over the lower half of his body, keeping him pinned in place.
That answered the question of what kind of Elemental she was.
“Fucking dick face!” she snapped, and then she was running past him.
Fuck.
He tugged against the ice, but it kept him as still as a statue, immobilizing his arms and legs.
Footsteps sounded down the alley and a moment later, Shula appeared. She took one look at him, scoffed, and ran to catch up to the fleeing woman.
Double fuck.
Rage boiled through his body, bursting out of him in magic. It surged through him and he groaned, flexing his muscles until he heard a crack as the ice holding him down began to break apart into chunks on the ground.
