Page 7 of Iced Heat

“Because most problems are,” he shrugged. “Now do you want to see me before I light another one up?”

“Yes,” I nodded.

He blinked at me and for a moment I wondered if he missed what I said. Then he began to fade away – to dissolve as if he was only a whisp of smoke slipping through my fingers.

“Xav?” I called his name, my heart skipping a beat.

“I’m still here,” he said.

The air around me grew chilly and each time I exhaled my breath created little icy patches in the air. An icy touch slid across my lower back and I shivered, my teeth damn near ready to chatter.

“Are you an elemental?” I asked, rubbing my hands together.

“Something like that. All eleven clans have their own powers. I have a few elemental abilities. Ice was my first. It was myfavorite too. My mom hated it because it was usually an ability only guys got.”

“But you—”

“I know I am,” the frosty air laughed, whirling around me again like a million soft hands caressing me everywhere at once. “You’ll probably never meet any of them, but I could’ve led them. I should be training to lead them.”

“What? You’re like a prince?” I asked, rubbing my hands together again.

“Something like that. It’ll probably go to my baby sister now. That’s her bad luck, though,” he said, and the air shifted as if the ice on the breeze shrugged. “She could’ve left too. Hell, maybe by now she has. I don’t stay in contact with them.”

The cold concentrated on one spot on my shoulder and a second later tiny cold feet chilled my skin through my shirt. Blinking, I watched my mate come back into view. He was a wyrm. Some might’ve called him a lizard, but his dimensions were all off to be one of those.

“I picked this up during my medical treatments back with the flight. Well, some of what they did taught my magic to take a secondary solid form. Can do a few colors and few elements this way. I’m usually green without the elements.”

“And you can talk in that form too,” I grinned.

“I can talk in any form. It’s the staying in solid form that took so much practice. Sometimes back on my birth world we go days without taking the solid form. Here I need to. Here I want to. Sorta need to be solid to touch you. To have you touch me. Now, that I showed you both my first form and my newest, are you going to tell me what you’re really going to do about your sister?”

“I don’t know,” I admitted, glancing at the back door of the club as the ice shrank away from my skin and he was a mist again before solidifying back in front of me as the man I met inside.

“That’s okay. Knowing everything is a punishment sometimes. Having it all figured out can make you short sighted but from what’s going on over the flight link you might want to decide if you want to see her now or later.”

“Uh? Why?” I blinked, trying to hear if Teddy was saying anything.

“She’s inside. I think she felt us respond or something. We can go in or we can take off. That’s your call. I have no room to judge anyone on how they choose to handle their family relationships. I’m no contact with everyone on purpose. Liatris, Selt, Teddy. They’re my family. You too now,” he said, taking my hand in his and entwining our fingers.

I could’ve run. I could’ve tugged on his hand and ran until I found a hotel or another place to hide. Having Xav all to myself in a place where no one could touch either of us sounded like the best plan in the world. That was the magic of the true-mate response talking, though. That was the magic more ancient and primal than anything even Xav had shown off insisting upon its own way.

“Seq?” Daliah’s voice called out from too close.

“Run or stay?” Xav whispered.

I hated myself. I really did. Running would probably be best for all three of us but I stayed there with my feet glued to the ground in the alley way.

Chapter Four

Xav

Daliah was taller than I expected her to be from the time I spotted her video chatting with Teddy. She was a dragoness after all, but her name and voice put in mind of someone much more petite. She carried herself well even if her voice was uncertain as she called out for her brother again. Part of me wanted to dissolve into ice and chase her down the alley. Mosly because it would’ve entertained Sequin to the ends of Earthside, but Liatris would bitch at me for hours. Not that he was my boss but his latest lecture points to me and Selt were on the ethics of magic. Apparently, we both lacked in that department. I was the same as I’d always been. Just on the Starscale worlds that meant I stood out against the backdrop of everyone tripping over themselves to be extra nice.

“Sequin?” Daliah said again as the door fully opened and she slipped outside.

“Daliah,” Sequin said, trying to cross his arms while still holding onto my hand. Since he didn’t want to let go of me he ended up with his arms only half crossed and holding my hand – my casting hand – against his chest. Since Daliah didn’t smell like she was there to fight I let him keep his hold on it. Besides, touching him made this whole thinking like a walking, talking human a lot easier. Not that I randomly dissolved in front of anyone else, but his scent alone was enough to put me at ease. Besides, he saw me in my most basic form and didn’t run off screaming into the night.

“Can I help you?” Sequin asked a second later when Daliah hadn’t said anything else.

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