Page 19 of Surge of Ice

I don't want him to tell me what to do, but I sit back on the couch and pull Sam against me. She's tense for a moment before slowly relaxing. It's strange how much I hate that he recognized what she needed and I didn’t.

“Than and Balor have been coming after me,” Sam admits quietly.

Zane goes back to his chair, but drags it further from the fire… and closer to Sam. I'm about ready to go into a defensive position, but Evander slides to the edge of the couch and perches there, watching the other man carefully. I’ve never been grateful for him.

Zane seems to ignore us. “Than and Balor have tried this before. They've never been successful against our much more powerful harem. But right now, with just the two of you, they stand to defeat you and take Sam.” His words end with a whisper of anger.

“So, how do we stop them?” I ask, running my hand over Sam's arm.

He cocks his head. “Easy. For one, you three let me teach you to be dragons once more. Two, we complete the harem and give Samantha the protection she needs.”

“Complete the harem?” Evander says, a threat in his voice.

Zane shrugs. “Yes, I will join you and stand against them.”

“Just like that?” I ask, waiting for it.

He levels me with a calm look. “I would do anything for my mate.”

We're on our feet in an instant, Evander and I towering over the blue dragon. This man is far too comfortable for his own good, if he thinks he can speak like that about Sam. He’s currently no one to us, to any of us, and we should make that clear to him.

“Guys.” Sam stands, looking frustrated. “Just sit down. We don’t need to talk about this mate thing right now. There are more important things going on.”

I glare down at Zane. “She’s not your mate. Just keep that in mind. We’re not selling Sam for your protection.”

He shrugs. “I never asked you to.”

Evander and I slowly sit back down. I don’t trust this Zane. I don’t want him anywhere near Sam. And given the way Sam is staring at the blue dragon, I might need some help keeping them apart.

“You’re different from the three of us,” Sam says, tilting her head.

Zane smiles. “You’re fire dragons. I’m an ice dragon.”

I stare, not understanding.

He continues. “Fire dragons tend to be… very passionate and quick to anger. Ice dragons are calm and slow to anger. It takes a lot for us to react. It is one of the reasons fire dragons and ice dragons are often in harems together: we balance each other out.”

“Well, that explains a lot,” Sam says, giving us a look, which I don’t appreciate.

Zane looks amused. “It is not all bad. Passion can be a wonderful thing.”

Her eyes are on him again, and he’s not subtle about adjusting his erection. The asshole.She’s not some ice cream sundae he’s going to get a lick of.

Sam leans forward, licking her lips. “You’ll excuse them if they’re a little protective and I’m a little cautious when it comes to male dragons. We’ve been through a lot lately.”

His expression gentles, and he runs a hand through his impossibly beautiful pale blue hair. “I did not say you have to mate me any time soon. I would not want you to be with me simply because you felt you had to. We can wait until you feel ready.”

“And what if that’s never?” Evander asks, his words clipped.

Zane’s gaze moves to Sam. “If I join your harem, it will happen. I know that to be true.” But for a man who sounds so calm, he’s also one hundred percent confident.

“Or we could just leave you here and forget all about it,” I say.

Zane looks troubled. “And will you just wait for Balor and Than to gather enough males to defeat the two of you? Because that is what they are going to do. They are going to gather other males and come back, I know that without question, because it’s what they’ve done every time. And if your harem is not strong enough, they will shred her wings and take her prisoner, mating her until she gives them offspring.”

Sam rubs her arms, and I wrap her in another side hug. “You’re going to be okay. We won’t let that happen.”

Her eyes are wide and frightened. “Are you sure about that?”

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