A Touch of Frost (15 page)

Chapter 25

Frost woke in small increments. He was familiar with the effects of a medical stasis. He had watched enough prisoners wake from it after their capture to know what to expect. He blinked as pure oxygen was pumped into the cylinder imprisoning him.

Over the next three hours, he slowly worked each muscle in his body. At first, he concentrated on being able to move his fingers, then his wrists, and finally his arms. He did the same with his feet and legs.

By the time Coal opened the cylinder, he was ready. He grabbed Coal’s thick forearms and rolled with a force that took the large man down to the floor with him. He struck out over and over, striking Coal in the chin as hatred poured through his mind.

Frost twisted as he flew through the air when Coal got a lucky break and was able to get his feet into his stomach. He crouched, breathing heavy as he fought the effects of the gases still in his system.

“I’m going to kill you,” Frost growled. “Then I am going to kill Idan.”

“I didn’t know he was going to kill the female,” Coal snarled back. “He was supposed to wipe her memory.”

Frost roared in rage and pain. He struck out at the other man. They were evenly matched in size, strength, and skill. The only advantage Coal had was the weakness Frost was still fighting from the containment unit. Frost made up for that weakness by focusing on the burning hatred washing through him in torrential waves.

He struck a blow to Coal’s jaw that knocked the other man off his feet so that he fell back against the bed still sticking out of the wall. Frost didn’t give the man a chance to get up. He let the ice flow through his veins and extended it outward into a three foot sword.

He surged forward and leveled the sharp point against Coal’s throat. A thin stream of blood began to seep from Coal’s neck where the blade pinned the other Star Ranger against the bed. His body shook with rage as grief poured through him.

“I didn’t know,” Coal grunted. “Passion ordered me to back you up.”

“And Idan? Where does he fit in? He’s been out of the force for almost ten years,” Frost demanded. “Where does he fall into this?”

“He…” Coal choked as Frost pushed the point a little deeper.

“I know what a Learian can do. I knew Taar’s reputation. He had already killed six Rangers,” his brother’s voice replied quietly behind him. “You are family. I couldn’t leave you.”

Frost laughed bitterly. “Family! “You killed her. You killed my woman,” he said hoarsely.

“She was a primitive,” Idan started to say.

Frost turned violently on his brother, driving him backwards into the wall near the door. He held him by the throat. He let his older brother see the pain ravaging him. He let his brother feel his grief.

“She… was… mine,” Frost repeated harshly. “I saw the patterns on her skin. They danced for me. She… she made me feel whole.”

Idan paled at his brother’s declaration. It was almost impossible for a warrior to find such a mate. Many had given up on the belief that it was even true. Hell, he had dismissed the tales passed down from father to son as just being a legend.

“I’m sorry,” Idan whispered. “I… didn’t know.”

“Do you think telling me you are sorry will save either one of you?” Frost snarled.

“It is a death penalty to take a primitive from their world,” Idan reminded Frost. “What was I supposed to do? I couldn’t let you bring her back and I couldn’t leave you there. Either option would result in you being labeled an outlaw. You would have been hunted down and destroyed and anyone you associated with would have had their memories erased or been eliminated.”

“You could have erased her memories,” Frost said. “Why? Why did you have to kill her?”

Idan’s eyes softened as he looked into his younger brother’s tortured eyes. He hated that he had resorted to such drastic measures. He knew, though, that there had been no other choice when he saw them together through the window.

“Because if I hadn’t killed her, you would have tried to return to her,” Idan said.

Frost roared out in rage. He drew back his fist and let the long blades of ice reform. He didn’t care that he was about to kill his brother. Nothing mattered, but the fact that Idan was responsible for Lacey’s death.

“Frost,” a small, tearful voice whispered. “I want to go home.”

Frost staggered backwards, his fist still raised as he stared in disbelief at Joseph’s thin face. The boy stood shivering in the colder air of the spaceship. He looked thinner, more fragile and definitely younger.

“Joseph?” Frost whispered, dropping his fist as he continued to stare at the boy. “Joseph, what are you doing here?”

“What the… Who is this?” Idan demanded looking at Coal. “Where did he come from?”

“I don’t know,” Coal growled back, staring at the frightened boy. “I didn’t see anyone else on board during the voyage.”

Frost stepped closer to Joseph and knelt down in front of the thin body. His fingers trembled as he touched the tuft of white, coarse hair on the top of Joseph’s head. He wondered vaguely where his black top hat was. He had never seen the boy without it, or Larry.

“Where’s Jonah? Is he with you?” Frost asked hoarsely.

“No,” Joseph said, looking at Coal and Idan before he turned back to Frost. “We saw you running. We was bringing Little Bit home. She missed Lacey. When we saw you running we thought you might need some help after everything that happened. Jonah was supposed to go take Little Bit back to Lacey’s house, but he followed me instead. We… we saw that man shoot you.” Joseph nodded at Coal. “I wanted to see what he did with you. Jonah went to get help. The other man closed the hatch before I could get out.” This time his eyes went to Idan. “If he is really your brother, why’d he hurt Lacey? Don’t he know how much you love her?”

Frost’s throat worked up and down as he tried to talk over the lump in his throat. Idan called Lacey’s planet primitive, but here stood a small boy willing to risk his life for him. He finally nodded.

“Yes, he is my brother,” he finally forced out. “He… he didn’t know she was my… was my…” He couldn’t go on.

Joseph’s eyes turned dark as he looked up at Idan with an accusing look. He took a step closer to Frost and a low growl escaped his thin chest as he bared his teeth at Idan. Frost heard Idan and Coal both curse under their breaths as Joseph’s face started to change and a thick coat of fur began to cover it.

“Brothers don’t hurt brothers,” Joseph growled menacingly. “Frost is my brother now since you hurt him. You stay away from him.”

“What is he?” Idan asked in a stunned voice, staring at the elongated nose, piercing black eyes, and sharp teeth Joseph was displaying.

Frost wrapped his arms around Joseph and lifted him in his arms. As much as he would love to still kill Idan and Coal, he couldn’t now. Joseph needed someone to be there for him. Frost wasn’t sure what would happen now. He had never encountered anything like this before in his career.

“He is a Werevamp,” Frost replied quietly. “He is Lacey’s cousin, but he calls her his Aunt because it is easier to say. He is a primitive little boy with more courage and honor than anyone I have ever met. He… he is my brother.”

Frost didn’t wait to see what Coal or his brother said. Instead, he focused on Joseph’s trembling frame. It was his responsibility now to care for the boy until he could be returned to his family. And he would be if it was the last thing in the universe that Frost ever did.

“Shit,” Coal’s voice echoed behind him. “What do we do now?”

“I don’t know,” Idan replied, staring at his brother’s back as he walked away. “I don’t know.”

Chapter 26

“Lacey, sit down, sweetheart,” Evanna requested quietly. “Pacing is not going to help.”

Lacey stopped in front of the fireplace in her parent’s living room. She had spent the last two weeks living in her old bedroom while the Dwarves worked on her house. She could have just had one of her sisters snap their fingers and rebuild it, but Theo thought it best to just let the Dwarves take care of it as the community wanted to show their support.

Elder the Dwarf and his men had come by the following afternoon after the fire. She didn’t have the heart to tell him no when he mumbled that he and his men would be honored if she let them rebuild her home for her. Lacey had agreed, after all, everyone knew that the Dwarves were the best carpenters in the world. Whatever they built would last.

She was still feeling weak and disoriented. Her mom had been concerned when she was healing her as whoever started the fire had used a gas of some kind that should have knocked her out. She had not been amused when her mother said whoever wanted to kill obviously didn’t want her to suffer.

“I’ll show him what suffering is when I see him,” Lacey had declared in a hostile voice.

“I’m just glad you were smart enough to get down low and cover your mouth,” Evanna said. “All those fire drills proved a blessing.”

“How is Little Bit?” Lacey asked, changing the subject.

“Sam and Joanna were able to heal the burns. It will take a few months for all her hair to grow back. We’ve tasked Jonah with taking care of her,” Evanna replied with a sigh. “He doesn’t know what to do without his brother. They have never been apart before.”

“Can he… can he talk with him?” Lacey remembered asking, a slight hope blossoming inside her.

If there was a link, it was possible it could be followed… by the right person and with a little help. She had never tried it before because clairvoyance was not her talent, but she knew others could do it. The few times she had seen it done successfully, there had been a mental link that the person could follow, like the twins had.

“Lacey,” her mom called out to her quietly, pulling her out of her contemplation. “There might be a way to find him,” Evanna began before she stopped as her sister suddenly appeared.

“Of course, there is a way to find him,” Topper said. “We just need to find someone who can connect with him. Sean was able to do it the last time.”

“Topper,” Evanna said, stopping again as she looked critically at her slightly older sister. “What have you done to your hair?”

Topper’s hair was in a neat French twist and was a pale blond. Small pearl earrings adorned her ears and she was wearing a flapper dress with thousands of small beads around the hem. She was positively… normal for Topper.

“Oh,” Topper blushed and grinned. “Alfred and I have a date tonight. We’re going dancing afterwards.”

“Alfred,” Lacey said with a frown. “My Alfred?”

“Technically, he was the family’s Alfred,” Topper pointed out. “The poor man has been trapped as a fish for six centuries! He is bound to have certain… desires.”

Lacey’s mouth dropped open at Topper’s barely veiled suggestive remark. She snapped her mouth shut as her mom and Topper started arguing about Topper taking advantage of the poor guy.

She lifted a hand to her aching head and rubbed her temple. Alfred turned out to be a wizard in training. When the surge to eradicate those who were being labeled as a heretic swept through Europe nearly three hundred years before, Alfred’s mentor had been captured and killed.

Alfred had escaped, but he had been wounded. As a last resort, he had cast a spell transforming himself into a fish. Unfortunately, he had messed up when he was casting it. It had taken the wish and tears of a witch to finally free him.

She turned as the argument began to escalate as her Aunt’s words washed through her tired brain. Between Frost being kidnapped, worrying about Joseph and Jonah, having her house rebuilt and living back with her parents. She was about ready to just start screaming.

“Topper, you said Sean found Frost the last time. Is it possible to do it again?”

Topper turned sad eyes to Lacey and shook her head. “I’m not sure. Frost was already on Earth when the spell Sean asked me for caught him.”

Lacey’s bottom lip trembled as hopelessness washed through her. Walking over to the ottoman, she sat down heavily on it. Her head bowed as she tried to hide the tears burning her eyes. She clenched her fists in frustration. There had to be a way.

“If only Jonah was older,” she whispered. “He would be strong enough to connect with Joseph then.”

It took several long minutes for the silence in the room to draw her out of her depression. She glanced up to see Topper grinning at her while her mother had a reflective look in her eyes. She glanced back and forth between the two of them in confusion as her mother also began to smile serenely.

“Do you think?” Topper said, staring at Lacey.

“Yes, with the right amount of support,” Evanna said.

“Town circle?” Topper asked.

“Yes, yes, a town circle would be needed. And the crystal ball,” Evanna added with a twinkle in her eye. “We may need a bit longer… just to make sure that she is strong enough.”

“What? Who needs to be stronger?” Lacey asked, sitting up straighter.

Topper chuckled and Evanna leaned back in her chair. Lacey’s eyes widened when she saw where they were looking. Her eyes moved back and forth between her aunt and mother.

“How much longer?” Lacey breathed.

“Just a few months. Five, maybe six at the most,” both women replied. “In the meantime, we can be working on finding the perfect spell to help you find him.”

*.*.*

Six months later:

Frost stood on the balcony overlooking the frozen river. He stared blindly out over it, ignoring the cold wind swirling around him. The door briefly opened behind him, before the wind caught it and shut it with a bang. His hand curled into a fist as his mother came to stand next to him. She released a sigh when he did not respond to her presence.

“You cannot continue to ignore us all, Frost,” she finally said.

Frost glanced at her briefly before he looked away. He had returned to his home world after Coal and Idan had revived him and they discovered their stowaway. The fact that he tried to kill Idan had only complicated the situation with his parents. He found it difficult to accept their sympathy when the hatred he felt for Idan still burned like molten lava in his gut.

The only thing that still prevented him from finishing the task was the unexpected appearance of the small Earth boy, who looked very scared and very alone.

He closed his eyes as he remembered Joseph’s pale, thin face staring back at him with wide, pleading eyes. The same scene played over and over in his mind until he felt like he was going mad. It was only the knowledge that Joseph needed him that kept him from going after the other men.

“What do you want?” He asked harshly as he pulled himself back to the present.

“I came to see my son,” Sella replied, placing her hand over his. “And the young boy. I enjoy his company and it has been weeks since you brought him by to see me.”

Frost pulled his hand from under his mother’s sympathetic one. He did not need nor did he want her pity. His father and mother had met him, Idan and Joseph when they landed. The only reason he had transferred to the other transport was because Coal had been ordered to take his transport and go after another fugitive. Passion has told him to pack his personal hostilities away and get off the Coalition’s transport.

“You’re no longer a Star Ranger, remember?” Passion stated. “Coal needs the transport and I need Coal. Get your head out of your ass. You know that lives are at stake.”

He thought bitterly of telling Passion just what she could do with her Directives, but he knew he would need her support when the Directors discovered a Primitive had returned with them. They could easily order Joseph terminated.

“He is inside,” Frost said dismissively. “I’m sure he would enjoy visiting with you. He… likes you.”

Sella sighed as she watched the ice boats racing far below. It was a good day to be out on the river. She remembered watching Idan and Frost as they raced. Her heart ached that two of her sons who had always been close were now torn apart.

They both turned when the door opened again. Frost’s chin rose when he saw his father’s brooding face. His expression was grim as he bowed his head in greeting to Frost before brushing a kiss across his mother’s lips.

Frost turned away from the display of affection, his heart hardening as he did. The forbidding expression could not be good. His father had been arguing with the Directors for the past six months on why Frost should be allowed to return Joseph to his world.

At first, his father and he had petitioned to halt the order to terminate the boy. They had received an injunction to stay the motion of termination until after their arguments could prove the boy was not a threat. It had taken three months for the orders to be overturned. Now he was fighting to be able to return Joseph.

“There is to be a hearing tomorrow morning,” Polar stated. “You and the boy are to be present.”

A shiver of apprehension ran along Frost’s spine. The flat tone in his father’s voice did not bode well for their plea. His jaw tightened. It wouldn’t matter. He was already making plans of his own, with or without the Directors permission. If it meant a death warrant on his head, so be it. He didn’t care any longer.

“What time?” He asked in a calm voice.

“First thing,” his father replied. “I will be there with you.”

“So will I,” Sella stated, folding her hand in Polar’s before reaching to touch Frost’s arm. “We are family and have the right to attend.”

Frost gazed out over the frozen world feeling nothing. Family… he knew it wasn’t fair to punish the rest of his family for what Idan had done, but his heart felt frozen. The only thing he cared about was Joseph. Once the boy was safely with his family, Frost would disappear into the star system and wait for whoever Passion sent. He would not fight, but he would not be taken alive. His pain would end then.

“Joseph and I will be there,” Frost said, turning away.

Sella and Polar watched as their son quietly walked away. Sella’s heart broke for him. The desolation in his eyes bit harsher than the bitter winds during an ice storm.

“Will the Directors allow him to return the boy?” Sella asked as Polar pulled her into his arms.

“I’m not sure,” Polar admitted. “It is difficult to tell with them. I… I am not confident that they will. If they turn down his request, I will appeal.”

Sella leaned back and cupped Polar’s chin with her hand. “You are a good father, Polar, and an excellent counselor. If anyone can convince them, you can.”

“I hope so, my ice queen,” Polar murmured as he watched through the large windows as Frost knelt in front of Joseph. “I truly hope so.”

Whatever Frost was telling the boy, the boy must have understood. A fierce look of determination crossed the young face before he threw his arms around Frost’s neck. The fire of determination burned in Polar when he saw his son’s arms wrap tenderly around the young boy in return.