Page 72 of Surge of Ice

The elevator opens on to the cafeteria where omelets, bacon, sausage, and pancakes lie waiting for us. We get our trays and plates and go down the line. I don’t fail to notice that every single person in our group piles their plates sky high, or that the staff has slowly been filling up the food more and more each day, almost like they’re now prepared for us to descend on the food like locusts.

We pick a table that fits our whole group and get to eating. It’s silent until our plates are mostly finished, and then a thought occurs to me. “Do all dragons eat a lot?”

Zane smiles. “There are many unique things about dragons. Eating a lot is one of those things. We also tend to be smarter, taller, stronger, and faster, even in human form. We rarely get sick or seriously injured from normal things that humans face, and we do not enjoy lying. It usually makes us so physically uncomfortable that we refuse to do it.”

I glance at Evander. “Hear that, it’s hard for us to lie.”

He looks exacerbated. “I never specifically?—”

Aydan puts his hand on Evander’s shoulder. “She’s baiting you. Don’t fall for her trap.”

I give them both a dirty look. “I don’t think I like you two getting along.”

They laugh, and I see a hurt look flash across Granger’s face for an instant before it vanishes.Note to self, I need to spend more time with Granger, and I also need to remind Aydan to do the same.The last thing we want is for Granger to feel left out, not just because he’s not a dragon, but because we’re being insensitive.

Granger clears his throat. “So, the enemy dragons have been spotted about a two hour dragon flight away from base. They’re harassing a small town off the highway. Jets are standing by to help you, but your goal isn’t just to fight them, it’s to fight themawayfrom the small town, so there aren’t losses of life during the battle.”

“Good idea,” Zane tells him, smiling. “It is always better for dragons to be aware of the humans on our world. Peace between us is the best way to ensure we do not bring trouble on us from the humans.”

Granger nods. “These dragons are pretty damn stupid though. They seem like kids poking a hornet’s nest just to see what they’ll do. I can’t figure out why the hell they’re doing it.”

“To awaken Malikay,” Zane says confidently.

“Yes, but–” Granger looks troubled, but says nothing more.

We talk a little more, going over the details of their plan once they get to the location. Aydan, Evander, and Zane seem so confident that it makes me more nervous. I hope their egos aren’t bigger than their skill levels, because Zane is the only one between them that really has a lot of experience fighting like a dragon.

“What’s wrong?” Granger asks me, drawing me from my thoughts.

I want to lie, but he’d read me too easily. “I’m worried about this fight, and about not being there to help.”

“Sam, you know–” Aydan begins.

I lift a hand. “I know. I know all the reasons it’d be a bad idea for me to be there, but I still hate sitting at home while you three risk your lives.”

Granger reaches over and takes my hand. “We have a good plan. They’re going to be okay. And if they start to feel like they’re in over their heads, they can always run for it back to base.”

Squeezing his hand helps, but not enough. “You guys… just don’t do anything stupid. I know you’re cocky, headstrong idiots, but you need to come back alive.”

“Ah, you’re worried about us,” Aydan teases.

I snatch a piece of bacon off his plate and devour it. “Not you, specifically.”

We finish our plates and clear our table, then head back to the elevator. Tension increases around all of us, as no one speaks a word. The elevator doors open, and we step out into the coolmorning air. It’s strange the way I feel, like I’m sending soldiers off to war.

Aydan comes over to me, pulls me toward him, and wraps me in his arms. He waits until I look up into those dark blue eyes of his, and then I’m lost in him. The boy I grew up with. The one who never pulled my pigtails or was mean to me. The one who always treated me like something important and valuable. He’s leaving, and I don’t know how I’m going to handle it.

“I’ll be right back,” he says.

“You promise?” I ask.

His gaze shifts from mine, which hurts even more after learning about dragons and promises. “I’ll do everything I can to get back to you as fast as I can.”

I sniff. “And you won’t do anything stupid?”

He kisses my forehead. “I’ll try to keep my stupidity under control.”

We kiss on the lips, clinging to each other for a ridiculously long time before he finally pulls away. My gaze clings to him, watching the way the wind plays with his messy blond hair. How the cool air turns his skin just a little pink.

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