Page 68 of Surge of Heat

When I surface, I drag in a breath, then start to fall back under. I don’t have the strength to get myself to shore. I have no idea what I’m going to do.

Strong arms wrap around me. I jerk away, but then Granger’s soothing voice comes. “It’s me. I got you. Just let me save you.”

And then, I do nothing. I just lie there as he drags me back to shore. My body hurts. My lungs burn. I feel like I could collapse and sleep for days. Without Granger, I have no doubt I’d simply die out here.

I hear movement in the distance. The green dragon, I’m sure. The water rocks harder, but Granger never slows. He’s like a machine. My savior. And I’ll be forever grateful to him.

He’s just a man. A human. I don’t know why he would have swam out here to try to save me from a dragon when it so easily could have cost him his life, but I’m glad he did.

The cold strikes me then as my adrenaline fades. I start to shake, and I realize Granger is shaking too. Then we reach the shore. He drags my body onto the snow and ice, then sweeps me into his arms and carries me through the frozen wasteland.

“Almost there,” he whispers.

My head lulls, and I see where he’s headed. Just off the shore, there’s a little place, like a cave in the ice. He’s going to tuck us into the space and hope like hell the dragons can’t find us. I want to warn him my scent will give us away, but I can’t.

We step beneath the shadows of the ice shelf, then continue deeper until we get to the little cave. It’s small, barely enough room for the two of us, but as he pushes us in deeper, I can’t help but think this is the best place we have a chance at staying hidden from the dragons.

“C-cold,” I chatter.

He’s shaking too, but he pulls me against him and starts rubbing my body with his cold hands. I lean into him, loving the feeling of his warmth against my icy body. I’ve always felt safe with Granger, but I’ve never felt like this before. He’s the only reason I’m alive right now.

“T-thank you,” I whisper, then lean up and kiss him lightly on the lips. “You saved me.”

He freezes, staring down at me.

It’s strange. I’ve never noticed how dark his eyes are. There’s something about them that makes me feel like I could stare straight into his soul.

“Thank you,” I say again, and kiss him, this time for a couple seconds longer.

I hadn’t meant to make it longer. I’d meant to make it something innocent… I think. A kiss between friends, becausethat’s all we are. Friends. I’m just confused. It’s cold. We’ve been through so much.

He’s back to rubbing me. “You’ll be okay. I’m right here. I’m always right here.”

Sam!Aydan’s shout is pure panic in my mind.

Sam!Evander calls.Where are you?

I hadn’t even known we could communicate like that when I was in human form. Maybe we couldn’t before. Maybe we’re changing.

I’m here. I’m with Granger. We’re safe. He saved me.

I can sense their emotions. Sense them calming. If only by a little bit.

In the water in front of us, near where I’d been dragged down by the green dragon, the green dragon surfaces. I can sense his fury from where we sit and know without a doubt that once he catches my scent, he’ll try to kill me.

“I have to go,” I tell Granger. “If he finds us together, we’ll both die.”

Granger’s arms tighten around me. “You’re hurt! There’s no way in fucking hell you’re going to go try to lure that thing away from me.”

I’m surprised. My gaze finds his. “Granger?”

His jaw ticks. “No way in hell, Sam.”

“You’re logical. You have to understand that–”

His eyes darken. “There’s nothing logical about the way I feel about you.”

It’s weird. I know he’s saying we’re best friends. That we’re family. But it feels like he’s saying something else. Something that makes me feel strange.

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