Page 101 of Burning Ice
“Fire amplifies frost, frost clarifies fire,” he said quietly. “You’re seeing more because you’re connected. That’s how Milanov said it begins. One by one, the blood wakes up.”
Mirel nodded, half in awe, half afraid. “Then I guess it’s starting.”
“It is,” Kylix said. “Which means from now on, you won’t be going out alone. You’ll always be guarded.”
Mirel reached out then, hesitantly but unmistakably. His hand cupped Kylix’s jaw softly. Kylix growled, incisors itching. When Mirel produced a similar sound, his eyes widened just a fraction before he dove in and took Mirel’s mouth in a brushing kiss. Teeth clashed, lips brushed, tongues twirled. Heat crept up between them, entwining in a sizzling dance as their mouths continued to play.
“I mean it. I need you safe, darae,” Kylix murmured against Mirel’s trembling lips. His bonded was panting. “We first go to Moargan’s and discuss our plan of action. It might take long, or not, depending on what we find. Or what finds us.”
Mirel shivered. He didn’t object.
“Good boy.” Kylix brushed his knuckles over Mirel’s lips, rubbing them harsher just to toy with the soft flesh. Mirel’s pupils grew bigger and his nostrils flared, but he didn’t turn away. He let Kylix take what he wanted with trust that grew by the day, a trust Kylix wasn’t even sure he deserved.
The car passed the graveyard and Mirel stared outside, longingly. But the Wastelands looked deserted. There was notrace of the old man who’d defended him. Kylix didn’t have it in him to stop him from wanting to find. After all, he’d lived in the Wastelands too long, had once called it home. He still couldn’t believe that his fated mate, his true love, had lived between abandoned graves, like dirt.
As the car turned toward Zephyr’s outer ring, Mirel’s skin prickled, the same electric pull he’d felt in Norma’s room, as if distance couldn’t quiet her.
“From now on, you’ll go to college with guards. They’ll bring you, take you home and will shadow you on campus.”
Mirel didn’t answer.
“They’ll only listen to me.” Kylix watched as Mirel’s shoulders tightened, chest fluttering when he finally turned around, slowly, hesitantly, but unmistakably stubborn.
Kylix grinned. “Yes, little darae? Anything to say to that?”
Mirel pursed his lips, swallowed, then gave a sharp shake. Kylix’s smile was euphoric. He leaned in and brushed his lips over Mirel’s mouth, so sweet, especially when he was stubborn yet compliant, trusting. “Thank you,” he breathed.
Moargan’s mansion sat at the edge of Zephyr, white stone and glass hidden behind trees. The gates opened when the hover car approached. Luminary guards tipped their heads when they recognized Kylix. “They’re already here,” he hummed. He got out and opened Mirel’s door. “Come on.”
Inside, the kitchen was dim. The stove was empty. Mirel remembered Aviel and Theo back in the hospital but refused to ask anything. Cyprian wasn’t there either, but Moargan was, pacing restlessly behind the bar. A set of holo-screens had been installed. Luminary guards were posted against the wall. Only the holo light moved, an eerie blue that spilled over the counters like a second heartbeat.
Yure sat behind the floating screen, back hunched, eyes too wide for the glow washing over his face. His fingers hoveredover the keys but didn’t touch. The holo light sliced across his skin, making it look translucent, veins like wire. Vandor leaned against the stove, arms folded, the golden lines of his Luminary uniform dulled by the cold light. He didn’t speak. Helianth was on his multi-slate when they entered. He gave Kylix a little wave, and a smile that didn’t reach his eyes.
Tension filled the silence. “Drink?” Moargan threw them a beer. Kylix caught both bottles mid-air, opened them, then handed Mirel one.
“Anything new?”
Yure sighed. “The code keeps on disappearing. It’s fucking frustrating. So far, that door has opened once, and I’m not even sure what I did to get it to do that. It just … has its own mind.”
Behind them, Aviel and Theo made their way in. The clunking sound of chains followed, whispers, wet kisses, then the light above the stove was switched on as Aviel started cooking. Kylix looked up, their eyes met, fire crackled between them, a silent, mutual understanding they’d always had. Their element thrummed.
“Shit.”
“Yure?” Moargan stopped pacing. “What is it?”
They all stared at the screen, where the digital door had opened. The holo’s hum deepened, creating a sound too low to belong to machines.
Before anyone could speak, a side window blinked open, columns of scrolling numbers, usernames, icons: hearts, knives, coins.
“What the hell is that?” Helianth murmured.
Yure’s face drained of color. “It’s a live chat. They’re voting.”
“Voting?” Moargan snapped.
“Who dies next,” Yure said. “Attica turned it into a game.”
“Look, bottom right.” Moargan pointed at the corner of the stream, where a watermark flickered:
