Page 64 of Surge of Ice

Evander curses. “I thought the attack on Oceanview and the others were a mistake or the dragons being angry that they couldn’t find Sam. This… this is something different. Why the hell would they just be going around at random and attacking cities?” He shakes his head. “The government is going to have a field day with this.”

Dr. Abigail continues to let the footage play. “Their behavior is extremely strange. They seem to be terrifying people, but they’re not actually killing them. For the most part. We can’t think of any way to explain this.”

“I can,” Zane says, surprising everyone. All eyes are on him, and the normally calm ice dragon looks upset. “They are trying to awaken Malikay.”

“Malikay?” I ask.

Zane nods. “Balor, Than, and Kek are beta dragons. If the three of you had enough experience as dragons, they could not dare to compete with us. We are bigger and stronger. We are naturally better fighters. Many betas do not even try to get mates, because they know they are unworthy. Balor, Than, and Kek, on the other hand, have tried many times to take Sam from us, but the only time they got close to accomplishing their goal was our last lifetime… when they joined Malikay.”

We all wait, staring. My stomach drops, and I pray he has something more comforting to say about this situation, because something about his words tells me we’re in trouble.

“Malikay is an alpha dragon. He is large and strong, but he has never been chosen by a female because he is rotten to his core. Each female he approaches with a desire to break themrather than to mate them. He doesn’t care about having a willing partner, as long as he steals a female. I believe he is destined to be alone every lifetime, simply because there is no light, no goodness, inside of him. Always. Every time. He never changes.”

I can’t help but ask. “Where are these other female dragons? Why am I the only one awake right now?”

Zane looks surprised. “Females often take longer to awaken than the males. Not always, like with you, but most of the time.”

Granger shifts to the end of his seat. “So, the three dragons are attacking people to try to awaken this Malikay, so they can steal Sam from us?”

Zane nods. “Dragons tend to find each other in each lifetime. He’s likely following his instincts to different areas he feels Malikay might be, to terrorize the people around that area until the fear of death compells the human to shift into their dragon form.”

“What does this mean?” Sam asks.

“This is bad,” Zane responds, running his hand through his white-blue hair. “If they awaken Malikay before we find the storm dragon, we will not be powerful enough to stop them. This may be the lifetime they finally steal Sam.”

I feel the color drain from my face. “We can’t let that happen.”

Evander reaches over and squeezes Sam’s hand. “We can just practice more as dragons. We can get stronger, and if they even try–”

“No,” Zane says. “You do not understand. If Balor, Than, Kek, and Malikay come for Sam, we will lose. We need the storm dragon.”

“One dragon can’t make that much of a difference,” Evander scoffs.

Zane levels him with a serious look. “The storm dragon is a massive alpha, larger than two alphas combined. He commandsthe skies, the weather. He can use lightning as a weapon to strike down his opponents. With a storm dragon at our side, most males wouldn’t even approach Sam. Even if she was discovered out with only the storm dragon, all other dragons would instinctually bow down to him. Now, that is not to say Malikay wouldn’t still try to get Sam with the storm dragon, but that is to say that he would fail.”

Evander shakes his head. “We have technology now. We have jets and rockets. Hell, we have nuclear bombs, if we need them. A storm dragon isn’t the answer to this.”

Zane looks frustrated. “I do not know these terms, but I have lived long enough to know what I believe. We must find the storm dragon.”

Sam wraps her arms around her chest. “Is this what my life will always be like? Constantly running from dragons who want to hurt me and needing you guys to protect me?”

To my surprise, Zane crosses the distance between them and kneels down, resting his hand on her knees. “There are many things you do not remember about dragon ways. First, beta dragons do not typically go after females. Many have awakened, and few have come here. They are drawn to you and your scent, but they know they are unworthy of you. Most betas respect the claim of alphas. Even Balor, Than, and Kek will be forced to respect our claim when the storm dragon comes.”

“Great, so I’m only safe as long as I have the biggest males around me?”

Zane smiles. “It will also be different if you are with child. Your scent will change to match all of ours, as the baby will be all of ours. And so–”

“Wait, go back,” Granger says.

Zane stares in confusion.

I clear my throat. “Did you say the baby will be all of ours?”

The ice dragon nods. “The female accepts seed from all her harem to create her child. Children are so rare that the child takes on all the best parts of their mother and fathers. That is why each new generation of dragons is stronger, smarter, and faster.”

My gaze meets Evander. “So, we could both be the father to her future kid?”

“And me,” Zane answers, seeming pleased.

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