Page 37 of Born of Ice

“Electra, be ready in five.” Somewhere in the distance, on the other side of that ice I hear Axe’s voice. “Fine, I’m feeling generous today and I’ll give you seven, but that’s it. After that, I don’t give a shit. We’re going for a ride.”

I almost want to laugh, but instead, tears come out. The slide down my face because I realize that I’m no longer shaking or suffocating. Somehow, he pulled me out. He brought me back to the surface and I’m trying to understand if these tears are happyand grateful ones or full of anger and despair that he couldn’t leave me to go in peace.

12

Just feel

Exton

“When you said we’regoing for a ride, what exactly did you mean?” Electra narrows her red-rimmed eyes at me then on the skates I’m putting onto my feet. I finish lacing them up and send one of my blinding smiles her way, which is honestly a waste because they have zero effect on this ice queen.

But I need them. I need to keep the fake smiles on my face so the real emotions don’t show. So I’m not tempted to find that delinquent therapist and break more than his fucking nose. So, I don’t enjoy standing there, watching as every ounce of blood is seeping out of his useless body.

Great, and here I thought that my own issues were at bay…

I swallow the thick lump of boiling rage and tighten my grip on her wheelchair handles so my hands stop shaking. I was barely hanging on to a shred of control I had on my anger from the moment that delinquent therapist stepped foot inside the house. I was barely keeping my sneer in check every time he mentioned Electra’s glory days or how perfect her and Erik were together, how they are all hoping she recovers fast enough to get back on the ice with him.

I barely kept my hands to myself because every time he spoke, her face flinched as if his words were literal lashes across her bruises.

It wasn’t any of my business, that’s what I kept telling myself as I watched them.

It wasn’t, and I shouldn’t get involved but then he pulled out a walker, forcing her to it and her mouth was spewing anger while hers pleaded with him to stop. Fucking pleaded, and I couldn’t bear it.

I felt her pain inside me. Felt it as if it was my own and I stopped thinking rationally. All I knew was that I needed to get him the fuck away from her, but the fucker had a death wish.

You will never walk…

He said that. He uttered those words to her face. Fuck, I should’ve done more than break his nose. I should’ve put my fist through his motherfucking face until it was a bloody mess, until there was nothing left to talk with. Or think.

Electra looks over her shoulder, those icy eyes waiting for my response, and just like that I feel a smidge of calmness decent upon me.

“I meant exactly that.” I steer her toward our good old Iris Lake as fresh snowflakes fall from the sky, coating her knit hat and her silky hair in white, fluffy dots and Electra puts her hands on the wheels, halting me.

“Nuh-uh, no more of your sick fetishes. I’m not playing your goalie or punching bag or whatever. Yesterday was more than enough. Plus, I’m tired. I told you I would be after that session,” she grumbles.

More like decimated but sure, we’ll go with tired.

“Angry elf, can you fix that attitude of yours?” As I do mine…

“My attitude is just fine.”

I exhale. “Will there be a day when we go to do something without you first voicing out a million complains about it?”

“Sure, the day I’ll be helping you pack your bags,” she shoots back, and it shouldn’t sting. It shouldn’t fucking hurt to hear her be so eager to get me out of her life, but then again, why wouldn’t she want me gone?

Only because I’m the one with all these idiotic, confusing feelings, it doesn’t mean shit and if that wasn’t an answer to the current mess in my head, it should be.

She doesn’t need me here. No one does, yet I still have a job to do here, so I clear my throat. “It’s a good thing you don’t need to do anything then, huh?”

“What?” Electra is confused enough that she releases the wheels, and I keep moving. Once we are on the ice, there’s not much she can do to stop me.

“You are just going to be my sidekick today. So, enjoy the ride.”

“What do you mean?” But before she can continue with her grumbling, I get into position and holding tightly onto her chair then I take off. “Exton!” Electra calls out in panic, her glove-covered hands clutching onto the armrests with all her might as the first gust of frozen wind and snow hits her face at about twenty miles per hour.

I can’t see her face from the back, but I can only imagine how entertaining it would be. Probably full of shock, fury, and promises of painful death. Fun times.

“What the hell are you doing, Axe?” she screams right as we come to a screeching halt at the edge of the lake, her body almost flying out the seat from the force.

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