Page 59 of Surge of Ice

“Boundaries,” I repeat, like it’s a word I’ve never heard of.

The thing is, I’ve never thought about this relationship as anything but a mess that I had to clean up very carefully. Seeing it as just a different kind of relationship than the ones I’m used to might actually be a good idea.

We stop by the edge of the cliff and stare out. The water is a blanket of blue, but the white-tipped waves hit the shore beneath us like something out of a dream. It seems a shame that Specter Inc. built its company here. This place feels like it should’ve been left to nature.

“I guess I should get things figured out before we find this storm dragon and things get even more complicated.”

“Yeah, the storm dragon sounds like a load of fun,” Granger mutters.

I nod, unsure what to say. “Zane says he’s supposed to be the biggest, strongest, most alpha dragon of them all.”

“Oh, yay, more alpha-male energy. That’s just what we need,” he says dryly.

I laugh and pull him into a hug. “Hey, you have alpha-male energy.”

He snort-laughs. “If we were in the animal kingdom, I wouldn’t even be a beta. I’d be an omega. One time at school I got the last baked potato in the cafeteria line, and a guy literally just stuck his fork in it and took it off my plate.”

“That’s awful,” I say, squeezing him tighter. “But maybe you just pick your battles, and that wasn’t a battle you wanted to pick.”

“No.” He shakes his head. “I’m just not that kind of guy. Between Aydan, Evander, and Zane, I’ve got the energy of a dog that’s been kicked too many times.”

I look up at him, frowning. This is really bothering him. “I can remember a dozen times in our lives where there was something you really cared about, and you went all badass and took care of the problem. I remember how Max used to copy off your papers and then be such a dick to you in the hall. So, you started writing all the wrong answers on your tests, waiting until he turned his in, and then you’d scribble out the wrong answer and redo it. He couldn’t figure out why he kept failing all the tests and you weren’t!”

His lips curve into a small smile. “I didn’t even care that it gave me less time on the tests. I wanted to teach him a lesson.”

I grab onto his shirt and pull a little. “See that?Badass.”

We quietly hold each other for a minute, looking out at the waves. It’s strange how much I love Granger holding me. I always feel so safe and protected. He feels like this force that’s bigger than all of us. It’s something I don’t quite understand.

“So, I should expect another alpha-asshole sometime soon?” he teases softly.

“Zane says we usually all find each other, and that the storm dragon is an Awakened Dragon, so we might have to figure out a plan to find him before the enemy dragons keep waking up more dragons to join their cause. Zane says with the storm dragon on our side, none of the other dragons will challenge us.”

He sighs. “Yeah, I heard the whole thing, even though I don’t know how I feel about it.”

“That makes two of us,” I admit.

He’s quiet for a long minute. “I know Aydan gets to be all protective boyfriend about you, but I don’t know if I like sharing you with these guys either.”

I snuggle against him. “Don’t worry, no one is ever going to take me from you.”

Kissing the top of my head, he says, “I hope not. You’re my family, Sam. I never want to lose you.”

“Just think of me as a pie. There’s more slices out of me, but your slice will always remain the same size.”

He chuckles. “That, I can handle.”

Then I sigh. “I just hope I can handle four boyfriends.”

“You’ll handle it. The guys just might need a little time to wrap their minds around it, that’s all. Give yourself a little grace.”

I breathe in his scent again, like books and soap. A shudder rolls through my body, and I curl in closer to him. “I honestly can’t believe how much I like your scent. It’s so weird.”

He’s breathing faster. “How’s it weird?”

“Well, I hate the scents of the bad dragons. I don’t mind most of the scents of other humans, except if they’re unclean or drenched in cologne and perfume. But you? Your scent? I just love it. I wish I could wrap myself up in it and go to sleep.”

“Well,” he says, drawing out the word, “I guess I’ll have to bathe a little more, so you don’t become obsessive about me and my scent.”

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