Frozen Necessity (8 page)

She’d cut herself on something under the snow.

“Damn it.” she muttered as she adjusted the bearskin around her shoulders.

   Squinting in the bright light, she caught another glimpse of the incandescence and followed it further.

About fifteen minutes later, she found herself in front of a cabin much like Colt’s cabin. She climbed up the steps and stopped in front of the door. There was a heavy padlock hanging from the door and she didn’t have a key.

“Are they in there?” she whispered to Michael. She didn’t want to talk louder in case there was someone else occupying the building.

“Yes…” came his soft response in her ear.

Angelica lifted the padlock in her hand, examining it. Maybe there was a way she could break the thing.

“Heat it,” Michael said.

“That won’t work,” Angelica pointed out. Even if she could heat it to a level that would melt the metal—and she didn’t think she could do that—it would make the lock like toffee, not break it.

“Heat it.”

With a shrug, she called a flame to her palm. It took some concentration, because despite the bearskin she had over her shoulders, she was freezing.

The flame slowly heated the metal of the lock. She watched it start to change color.

“Let it go,” Michael said, and his voice was stronger in her ear.

Angelica dropped the lock, then watched in fascination as Michael’s disembodied hand phased through the lock, ice crystals forming on it. Angelica picked up the lock and dropped it against the door. It shattered as if dipped into liquid nitrogen.

Angelica pushed the door open, wanting to rush to her friends, only to find a barricade of males. Ath’s head peeked around the bristling males.

“Stop! It’s Angelica.” Athera darted around them and flung herself at Angelica.

“You are safe! How did you find us? How long have you been here? What’s going on?” Athera asked the questions in a rapid fire as Scarlet disentangled her so she could have her hug, too.

“So glad you are okay, Angelica.” Scarlet murmured in her ear.

She could feel the grin on her face. “I’m glad you are all safe, but I wasn’t expecting…” She let it trail off as she eyed the males.

They had relaxed and moved back.

“Let me introduce you to my
Wolf
.” Scarlet beamed as she went to one of the males. “This is Archer.”

Angelica smiled at the lycan. She had seen him once before in the mirror, when Scarlet had contacted him from the phoenix plane.

“And this is Laz.” Ath smiled. “He is a necromancer who helped us find you.”

A necromancer? Angelica wasn’t happy about that development. Necros were supposed to be some of the most evil beings of the eternal, and this one was frowning at her.

She cleared her throat as Scarlet shut the door against the cold. “Thanks for the help you gave my friends, Laz.”

He continued to frown at her and stepped closer, walking around her in a circle, his brow furrowed and his expression serious.

“What is it, Laz?” Archer asked, and Angelica could see the sudden tension in the lycan’s shoulders.

The necro made another circuit around Angelica as she craned her neck to see what he was doing.

“I’m not sure.” he answered Archer. “I feel some kind of…Presence.”

“What kind?”

“I don’t know.” His frown deepened to a scowl, and his eyes scanned Angelica up and down as if he was trying to x-ray her, or find something that wasn’t there.

Angelica tried not to look guilty. She was sure that Laz was feeling Michael’s presence, and for a moment, she almost told her friends about the ghost, but something stopped her.

In the pocket of her robes, she felt the signet ring she’d found heat up, and suddenly, she was sure that she needed to keep Michael a secret, even from her friends.

Laz leaned into Angelica and drew in a deep breath through his nose, scenting her. She stiffened, guilt flaring in her. Perhaps she should tell them about Michael. Laz had to know something was off.

“Oh, enough.” Ath stepped between Laz and Angelica. “Stop looking for trouble where there isn’t any.” She hooked her arm through Angelica’s and led her to the couch.

They hadn’t even sat down when Ath said. “Tell me everything that happened, from the moment we left you as we stepped through the rift.”

Angelica glanced around the eternals in the room and relaxed when Laz went to sit on the other couch and seemed to pay no more attention to the
presence
he had felt.

Ath sat next to her, and Scarlet and Archer chose a chair to cuddle up together so close that Angelica felt a moment of pain. Why couldn’t Colt treat her like that? She wanted that kind of attention, not the never-ending spew of hate he directed at her, and when he didn’t hate her, he was trying to devour her from the mouth down.

Mixed signals, much?

He needed to pick a mood and stick to it, because she felt like she was on one of those roller coasters they had always watched on the earth plane.

Ath’s hand on her arm broke her train of thought. “Angelica.”

“I’m sorry what did you say?”

“You seem a little distracted.” Ath smiled.

“I’d say she’s on another world.” Scarlet laughed. “Has he worked his magic on you that well already?”

“What? No!” Angelica protested.

“Come on, who are you trying to fool? I’ve met him, and that male is all kinds of tasty.” Scarlet finished the sentence with a squeal as Archer playfully nipped her shoulder.

Angelica felt heat suffuse her cheeks and looked down at her hands in her lap to hide the blush. “He hates me.”

The words came out in a low mumble.

“What was that?” Ath asked and Angelica got pissed off.

“You heard what I said, you all have preternatural hearing. I said Colt hates me.”

“Why?” Laz asked so it took Angelica a moment before she could bring herself to utter the words.

“He thinks I raped him.”

There were gasps of surprise and anger.

“How could he think that?” Archer asked.

“What?” Laz was shocked.

Athera and Scarlet were quiet.

Angelica looked at the two phoenix females and felt her jaw drop. “You think I did!”

She bound up from the chair, her fists curling, and her knuckles turning white.

“How could you, of all the eternals, assume that I raped Colt?”

“No, honey, don’t get us wrong.” Ath stood and reached for Angelica.

Geli wasn’t having it. She moved out of the way. “How else am I supposed to take it?”

“We know you were forced, too. You were sent to the breeding center, and you were forced to rape Colt.”

“I. Never. Touched. Him.” Fury was blinding Angelica and she felt it as her fists started to burn.

“Okay, everyone just calm down.” Archer’s voice was soothing as he stepped between Angelica and Athera.

“Why don’t you tell us what happened from the beginning? Everyone.” He pinned each of the phoenix women with a death stare in turn. “We’ll sit down and shut up until you have told your whole story. Okay?”

Ath went to sit on the couch and Scarlet perched on the edge of the chair.

“Okay,” Angelica agreed, and took her seat on the couch next to Ath again. She concentrated on calming herself and finding some peace. She would tell them what actually happened.

“The first time I saw anyone in the breeding center, it was Malta…”

Chapter Eight

Colt sat on the edge of his bed with his head in his hands. He felt torn, guilt eating at him. He knew he’d treated Geli unfairly. He had overreacted, but at the same time when she’d reached for his zipper, everything that had happened had come flooding back, and he’d wanted to punish her. He wanted to hurt her the way he’d been hurt.

He couldn’t deny that he wanted Angelica.

Oh,
God
, did he want her, but he didn’t know if he could let go of what had happened in the phoenix realm.

Scratch that.
He could
. He could let go of it and he would.

Angelica had used him, and he would use her in the same way.

You are trying to justify your attraction to her, and the stuff you are feeling toward her, a small voice deep inside said, but he shut it down.

It had nothing to do with attraction or any feelings…

Hell no!

He had no feelings, other than good old-fashioned lust. He wanted to fuck her, and it was that simple.

So, he was going to do what he wanted, but he’d have to apologize to her first.

Yeah, pretend as if apologizing is just a way to get under her robes. You know it’s more than that.

“Shut up.” Colt told his mental voice. He didn’t need to second-guess himself or add more complications to his plan.

He stood up and wiped his hands down the thighs of his jeans as he wondered why they were clammy.

“No time like now.” He walked to his door and pulled it open. He’d go into Geli’s room, say sorry, then finish what they’d started on the couch.

A knock on the front door interrupted him, the door pushed open without a response, and Jericho stepped into the cabin.

“Hey, Colt.” He smiled a greeting.

Colt could have strangled his best friend for his crappy timing, and he must have had a black scowl on his face, because Jericho tilted his head. “What’s got your claws sprouting?”

“I don’t want to talk about it.” Colt went and sat down on the couch. He wasn’t going to tell Jericho that he was a world-class fuck up when it came to dealing with Geli, but he was going to let his friend know what kind of woman Jericho was involved with.

“Tell me about Kate.” He leaned his elbows down on his knees and dipped his head to tell Jericho to sit down.

Colt’s best friend sat down, but he looked at Colt with a questioning look. “What about her?”

“You haven’t known her very long.”

“That is a statement, not a question and yes, you know I’ve only known her a few days.”

“Are you serious about her?” Colt asked and prayed that Jericho would say he wasn’t.

“We’ve been friends since we were cubs. Do you really have to ask me?”

“Answer the question Jer. I need to hear it from your lips.”

Jericho shrugged, and the motion screamed
whatever
. “No, she’s fun to be with and great in bed, but I’m not interested in anything long term. She said she’d be on her way soon anyway.”

Colt debated telling Jericho about the kiss Kate had given him, but he couldn’t make up his mind if he should say anything or let it go since Jericho wasn’t serious about her. Colt clenched his jaw and made a decision.

“She came here and she kissed me,” he blurted.

Jericho did another one of his
whatever
shrugs, and Colt relaxed a little.

“You aren’t going to hit me.”

A bark of laughter escaped Jericho’s lips. “Dude, she kissed you, and I’m not blind. I saw how she was looking at you when you met her.”

Colt knew there was something Jericho wasn't admitting to. He thought his best friend might have more feelings for Kate than he was letting on.

“I kissed her back for a bit.”

“Did you enjoy it?” Jericho grinned, but Colt could read Jericho's tension in the lines around his eyes.

“What’s wrong with you, Jer. If you told me Gel—” Colt clamped his jaw shut and refused to finish that sentence.

“Oh, no you don’t. You aren’t getting out of finishing that thought. Spit it out.” Jericho was still grinning, but now the expression seemed far more knowing to Colt.

He changed the subject back to Jericho and Kate. “Aren’t you jealous?”

Jericho frowned for a second as if he was considering it, then lied.

Colt knew it was a lie.

“No, I suppose I should be, but I’m not. It’s not in me to be the jealous type.”

Colt snorted. Yeah, right. Meet the right woman and you’ll be five shades of green every time anyone looks in her direction.

He caught himself glancing at Angelica’s closed door. When he realized where he was looking, he forced his eyes back to Jericho, but it was too late. Jericho had seen the direction of his gaze.

“So you know jealousy first hand, huh?”

“No, I don’t.” Colt denied it, but even in his ears, his denial sounded week and forced.

“Ah huh. If you say so.” Jericho was smirking, and Colt wanted to hit him for it.

“Why are you here, anyway?” Colt grunted, choosing not to let Jericho get to him.

“Sarah sent me.”

“Oh?” Colt sat forward. He wondered if there was town council business that needed seeing to.

In such a small village, they didn’t get much to do as the council, so he was always eager when there was some work.

“She’s decided that since you brought guests to the village, we should have a town gathering to welcome the guests.”

“One guest—and she is a prisoner.” Colt’s eyes strayed to Geli’s door again. The wood looked so warm and inviting, he wanted to get up, ignore Jericho, and go push the door open to see Angelica on the other side.

“Hey, One-Track.” Jericho half yelled to get Colt’s attention again.

“Sarah is talking about all the guests, the others we got out of the storm,
and
Angelica.”

It took a moment for Colt to realize what Jericho had said. He felt his brow crease with a frown. “No.”

Jericho laughed and the sound was rich and warm. “What makes you think Sarah gave you a choice? The whole thing has been arranged.” He looked down at the watch strapped on his left wrist. “Two hours from now, the town will be welcoming all the guests, and you had better be there with Angelica in tow, or Sarah will come haul you down to the town hall by your ear.”

Jericho stood up. “Now that I’ve delivered the message, I’ll be on my way, places to be…people to see.” He winked at Colt, who sat in silence, and walked out the door.

“Crap,” Colt uttered as the door closed.

The storm had died right down, so he couldn’t even use that as an excuse for keeping Angelica in the cabin. Jericho was right. If Colt tried to deny Sarah what she wanted, she’d come take it. There was something powerful and strange about that particular village elder.