Page 44 of Surge of Ice

Damn it.

I put away my phone and let my thoughts start working. Moving to the mouth of the alley, I take a deep breath and formulate a plan.

“We’re going to go directly across the road, then stick to the sidewalk. We’ll avoid anyone who comes at us, and only fight if we have to.”

“Understood,” he says, then brushes the back of his hand over my arm.

I try not to react, to respond to him, but it’s impossible. A tingle moves across my skin, humming through my body. “Go.”

We rush to slip through the traffic on the sidewalk and keep going into the street, where people have taken over the road instead of cars. I try not to make eye contact with too many of the humans we pass, because I don’t want to invite any trouble our way. We make it to the other side of the street and then stay alert as we walk the rest of the way to the restaurant.

But when we pull on the door, it doesn’t open. Through the broken windows, we spot tables and chairs boarding up the windows and the door. We could break through it all, but then we’d be leaving everyone inside vulnerable after we get Dahlia.

“Let’s look for a side entrance.”

Zane follows closely behind me as I slip down the next alley. The truth is that as much as I want to find Dahlia, I’m also terrified to find her.What if she’s hurt?

No, I can’t think that way. I just need to get in the restaurant. That’s all I need to do right now.

Just focus on that.

SEVENTEEN

Samantha

We’re headingdown the alley when I spot a door slightly ajar on the side of the building. Instantly, every hair on my body stands on end.Why would they be so careful about the front door and then just leave the side door open?

“That’s the door. It’s already open,” I tell Zane softly.

“So we will not need to break it open. That is good.”

“I don’t think it is,” I say.

When I glance at him, he looks confused, but I press my finger to my mouth in the universal signal to stay quiet, then approach the door. Listening at it, I can hear the faint sound of someone talking, but it’s hard to tell where it’s coming from with the noise of the street and the rioting.

Opening the door slowly, I make just enough room for us to fit, then slide into the darkened kitchen. All the lights other than the emergency ones have been turned off, for some reason, leaving an eerie feel to the room. I keep going, then freeze. On the ground near us is a man. Blood pools beneath his head and the coppery scent washes over me.

Heart thumping, I hurry to the man’s side, kneel down, and feel for his pulse. There’s nothing.This man is dead. Somebody must have killed him.

I glance up at Zane and shake my head. A troubled expression crosses his face before he helps me up. We slowly move to the door that separates the kitchen from the front of the house. A man starts talking, and this time there’s no doubt he's in the dining room, his voice loud over the sound of someone weeping.

“Shut up! Didn’t I tell you to fucking shut up!”

The weeping increases, and then there’s the sound of flesh hitting flesh.

I push the door open just a little and see six men standing in the room, a couple with guns, and about a dozen people on the ground. My gaze instantly goes to the man glaring down at a little old lady who is sprawled on the ground.

A rumbling noise comes, and I shift to see Zane looking at the scene in front of him. I realize he’s growling, and some deep instinct inside of me knows that Zane is dangerous right now. Not to me, but certainly to the men in that room.

Which is a good thing.

I close the door, then stretch up onto my tiptoes to whisper in Zane’s ear. “Two of the men have guns. Those metal things in their hands. Those are dangerous. They can shoot us like arrows, only worse.”

He shifts so his cool breath hits my ear. “Then you stay behind me until the guns are gone.”

It’s a sweet thought, but I’m not a wilting flower. I’m a dragon. I don’t need to stay behind him to survive. If anything, me knowing more about this world means I should be doing my best to protecthim.

I shiver and speak in his ear once more. “We both need to be careful.”

---