Page 27 of Surge of Ice

Zane takes a bite of the lobster, his eyes widening at the taste, then swallows and says, “No, why do you find that hard to believe?”

“Because every male dragon seems to be willing to do anything to get to Sam.” His tone is patient, but there’s anger in his eyes.

“That’s right,” Aydan grumbles.

“We’re not idiots,” Evander adds.

Then, the two men exchange a glance.I guess it’s nice that they’re getting along. Kind of.

Zane seems to consider their words as he cuts another piece off his lobster. “I can understand that. Aydan and Evander are fire dragons. They’re naturally quick to anger, possessive, jealous, and lacking patience. Them not trusting me is like… an ice dragon loving cold water. It is who we are. I am curious, however, human, why you don’t trust me?”

There’s an implication again that there’s something more between Granger and I than friendship. Aydan looks irritated. Evander looks pleased with himself, and I feel awkward and embarrassed for reasons I don’t understand.

“You haven’t given me a reason to trust you, yet,” Granger says, eyeing the other man.

Zane tilts his head. “Fair enough.”

We finish eating and clear our table. Dr. Duncan and Dr. Abigail are there in an instant, hovering over us like they’ve been at the edge of their seat, which they probably were. They do have their first Sleeping Dragon to study after all.

“Do you have time to stop by the lab, so we can catch you up?” Dr. Abigail asks with a bright smile.

I’m exhausted, but I nod. I’ll rest easier knowing what’s going on.

All of us head into the elevator and to the floor with the labs. The doctors lead us over to the couches and chairs by the television. There’s not enough room for us, but Aydan grabs me around the waist and slides me into his lap, looking pleased with himself. Evander looks annoyed, but then his gaze is back on Zane, as he sits in one of the big chairs next to the couch.

“So, what’s been going on since we left?” I ask.

The doctors exchange a look, and then Dr. Duncan speaks, tugging on his long, brown beard as he does so. “We were able to track down the green dragon with a jet. We found him, the brown dragon, and a salmon-colored dragon on a large volcanic island. The green and brown dragons must have awakened him.”

My heart sinks.Another dragon?

Dr. Abigail clicks on the screen and, sure enough, we see the three dragons and the volcanic island. From the video screen, the dragons look powerful… and dangerous. The green dragon rounds on the jet. Fire goes over the screen, and then the dragon is on the jet, and the footage ends.

Aydan squeezes me. “It’s okay. We can handle it.”

His words are sweet, but the truth is, he doesn’t know. I look at Zane. “Can we handle three dragons?”

He tilts his head, studying me. “We can handle any and all dragons. When the harem is complete.”

“Complete?” I ask, confused. “I thought with the three of you, it was complete?”

Zane shakes his head, frowning. “No, we must find the storm dragon to complete the harem.”

“Storm dragon? What the hell is that?” Evander asks.

Zane shifts so he’s perched on the edge of his seat. “The storm dragon is the most powerful dragon to fly the skies. He dominates anything and everything. He is more powerful than the wind, and more dangerous than lightning. With him at our side, no dragon would dare oppose us. We must find him to complete the harem and protect Samantha from Balor, Than, and now Kek.”

“Who are Balor, Than, and Kek?” Granger asks, looking confused.

“Balor is the green dragon, Than is the brown dragon, and I’m guessing Kek is the salmon dragon,” I explain.

Zane smiles, his gaze running over me. “You are correct.”

“And this storm dragon,” Granger begins, looking thoughtful, “is he an Awakened Dragon or Sleeping Dragon?”

“He is an Awakened Dragon,” Zane answers. “Normally, he’s found you by the time I find you, so this is unusual.”

“And we need him to protect Sam? We can’t just handle any dragons ourselves?” Evander asks, looking doubtful.

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