Page 1 of Fire And Ice

Prelude

In the early morning predawn light, a lone rider crossed the dry land, moving toward the looming mountain in the distance. The horse she rode nickered in the stillness and the sound echoed across the meadow.

The rider’s focus was entirely on the mountain in front of her and she missed seeing the man standing in the shadows.

Luther had just walked out of the main building of his compound and he held a mug of coffee in his hand. The compound was at the base of the mountain and he watched, as the rider got closer. He stood there wondering where the hell she’d come from while riding a horse on their land. He finished his coffee and shook his head.

The woman got off her horse and stood there, looking at the mountain.

He frowned, as everyone in the area knew this place belonged to the MC and they usually stayed away, but this woman was as bold as she was strange because she wasn’t paying him any mind. What had her interest, was the mountain.

Luther just stood there watching her.

The door to the main building opened as Diesel, his VP and Steel, his Enforcer came outside. When they saw Luther staring at something they couldn’t see, they walked over.

“What are you staring at, boss?” Diesel asked.

Luther just motioned with his head at the girl.

Diesel and Steel turned to look.

Diesel’s eyes got wide and he growled, “What the fuck is she doing? She’s just standing there.”

“I’ll be damned if I know. She didn’t even look this way,” Luther admitted. “It’s like nothing else interests her but that damn mountain.” He studied her and was sure she was a one of a kind woman. Dressed in jeans and a button down shirt, she wore boots and a hat but the hat couldn’t hide her bright blue hair. Otherwise, she looked natural standing where she did. He could see a duster type coat on the saddle of her horse and that was another weird thing, who the hell rode a horse nowadays?

“Well, I don’t know about you,” Diesel grumbled. “But I’m gonna ride over there and see what she wants. This is private land and she doesn’t live here.”

Steel nodded. “I’ll go with you.”

“Yeah, me too,” Luther added.

All three walked over to their bikes and the sound of their engines broke the silence around them. They rode out to the woman.

She turned to watch them arrive.

“Lady, what the hell are you doing here?” Diesel growled. “In case you don’t know it, this is private land and you aren’t supposed to be here.”

She turned her gaze back to the mountain. “I came to find this mountain and this place.”

“Why?” Luther asked. “This land was abandoned long before we came here.”

She frowned. “Abandoned? What do you mean it was abandoned?”

“Well, we’ve owned this land for about ten years now,” Luther told her. “And when we got here, no one else was living here. The person we bought it from told us the people who did live here before, just disappeared one day.”

The woman spun around staring at him in a panic. “Ten years?”

Luther nodded. “So whoever you are looking for...They aren’t here anymore.”

Amira turned back again and really looked at him this time. She could see he was a tall man, she estimated his height at about six foot four. He was muscularly built and his shoulders were wide but his waist was narrow. His hair was jet black as he wore it long and pulled back into a ponytail. His skin was tinged brown and his eyes were dark but they weren’t black like you would expect from a person of American Indian descent. His eyes were dark grey and that led her to believe he had some white man’s blood in his veins as well.

A strange combination, to be sure.

She felt odd while looking at him, she had a feeling inside her gut trying to tell her something but she wasn’t sure what it was. She didn’t even look at the riders, instead she turned back to stare at the mountain. She had been so sure this was her mother’s mountain and she was being drawn to it. She walked a little closer and that’s when she heard the call. This was her mother’s mountain. She could hear the hum calling to her.

Her hand reached inside her shirt and she grabbed the amulet her grandfather had given to her before she left her home and the amulet warmed in her hand. He told her the amulet had been her mother’s and the blood on it was hers. He’d found it among her father’s things and thought she should have it back. He told her he didn’t want any reminders of his son’s biggest mistake, meaning her.

She turned back to the men sitting there on their motorcycles while watching her.

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