Page 101 of The SnowFang Storm

Sterling’s eyes were a winter storm, reflecting the silvery underbelly of the clouds over us. I touched his face, felt the texture of his skin from his beard, even though he’d been careful to shave before our meeting. I pulled him to me for a slow, aching kiss that sent a shudder through my soul.

He pulled back. “The Moon showed you us as the rook, not the swindler or the raven. That’s the path we take. You saw two bishops. Black rook takes white queen, rook takes rook, bishop takes bishop. Checkmate, black wins.”

I gulped around my cold-parched throat. That gambit involved the black rook being sacrificed. Jun, Cye, even Burian were innocent bystanders to all this. “I didn’t see a white rook.”

“You also didn’t see the black king.”

“Then it’s not checkmate,” I said. “We stopped Jerron from sacrificing the white queen. She’s still on the board, for whatever that means, but I’m going to guess it’s my father’s influence. If that’s right, then as long as it’s in play, we have a chance.”

Sterling gathered me close, mindful of my bruises. “Kyle and Thessa will not take our refusal well. If there is one thing that Alpha and I have in common, it is that we are used to capturing our prey.”

Holiday Hunting

Cye set a cake down on the coffee table. He lifted a wedge off the tray, revealing the cake was made of a dozen delicate layers in green, white, and red.

I sipped my hot chocolate. Cye had decorated it with large pink marshmallows and a dusting of green sugar. Solstice decorations hung, and a beautiful costume drama on television that I couldn’t understand a word of, and still relied on Jun to translate. All other things aside, it was a nice way to start the evening. Especially since I did not have any obligations, since we’d bowed out of them. The swelling of my face had gone down, but I still had stitches in, and my pale skin was stained green, yellow, and a bit of purple from fading bruises.

Makeup would have probably covered it (maybe) but I didn’t want Mint to see me like this, so I’d just told him and Gazelle the truth: I was burned out on parties after the abduction incident, so I was putting my feet up. Gazelle approved and praised me for drawing a line in the sand, then we swapped texts about her fuzzy socks and Jun and I’s obsession with obscure sports. This involved sending her a picture of Jun posing with the TV and my own silly fuzzy socks (which Gazelle had sent over) in the frame.

[Gazelle] >> That guy is RIPPED.

Winter [Gazelle] >> His workouts are brutal.

[Gazelle] >> Is THAT where you got your shoulders?

I had not been aware I had nice shoulders.

Winter [Gazelle] >> Yep.

[Gazelle] >> Tell him to text me. Is he a creep?

Winter [Gazelle] >> Wholesome like oatmeal.

I snickered and poked Jun in the beef. “Gazelle wants you to text her. She wants a shoulder workout, I think.”

Crumbs from Cye’s most recent cookie experiment flew out of his mouth. Burian brushed them off his laptop and cursed. Jun asked, crumbs going everywhere, “What?”

“And I promised her you aren’t a creep. But do not tell her about my face.”

Jun sputtered more crumbs. I brushed them off my legs. Cye came by with the dust broom and pan.

“Celebrity clieeennnent,” Cye chirped at Jun.

Jun sounded like air leaving a balloon.

Sterling came through the front door, gym bag in hand, and hair still damp from his workout, shower, and the light mist outside. He fished a stiff white and blue envelope from the front pocket of his bag. “For you, pretty wolf.”

I recognized my own handwriting right away. I’d overnighted Spring my request, and also included a pre-paid overnight express envelope back, but used Sterling’s office care of Andre out of an abundance of caution. Overnight to or from that part of Alaska was more like a week, depending on the weather.

I ripped open the envelope. The letter inside, written on notebook paper in a neat, upright hand, advised me to come right away, before winter got any deeper.

Spring had taken the bait.

“I have my in. I’ve got to leave immediately.” I pulled out my phone to text Hamid to set it up.

“Then Alaska it is,” he said.

He was kidding, right? If I brought Sterling, it would be a big giant neon Trouble Wanted: Inquire Within sign. “Out of the question. Fairbanks is barely neutral and is a wolf hub for the arctic. I’m sneaking in, and Alphas don’t sneak anywhere.”

---