Before Beasts, There Was Ice--Book 8

A Trick of the Light

Despite having a good night's rest and who knew how many of those sickly chocolate calorie bars, Kai not only found himself ravenous on entering Tala's cabin, but exhausted as well, despite being rather untouched by the cold. Before he could think otherwise, he sat down on the mess of furs before the fire and woke up freezing to the point of pain.

Hissing profanities, he sat up and glared at the depressing flames in the fireplace.

"Don't you have any decent firewood?" asked Kai as he threw in a log from the pile besides it. "Or better yet, some coal?"

"Since when have you complained about the cold?" said Tala, who came around with a poker to stab at the roast hanging over the fire. "Besides, low flames are best for cooking."

Kai rolled his eyes and started tearing off his boots.

"That'll just make you colder—" Tala cut off with a spluttering choke as Kai thrust his feet into the coals.

Kai let out an explosive sigh as the heat spidered up his chins.

Tala just stared.

"I know," said Ray, coming around to Kai's other side. "I had to dump him into a steel drum of fire. Freaking weird, isn't it?"

"And he's not going to come back with his flesh peeling off, right?"

"Don't talk about me like I'm not here," said Kai flatly, even as he found the reason he had fallen so cold. The fire he had stoked so carefully from his gut to the rest of him had died down as he slept. As his eyes drooped, he could only guess that it was because of exhaustion. He could keep the cold at bay, but it took it out of him. Being a being of fire just gained another negative.

As though reading his thoughts, Ray said, "You're not looking so good."

"Keep your opinions to yourself." Kai pulled off his gloves and thrust his hands into the fire as well. As he watched the little yellow flames and red coals spark colors across his honey skin, he drowsily thought of how he could squeeze himself into the fireplace after dinner...and if it would be worth it.

"So, how'd you guys get here?" Tala asked. "Ray got me up to when he was catnapped in LA and taken to that, gasp, secret army base. Then you woke up and everything's got to be about the guy whose wings are taking up most of my house."

In Kai's defense, Tala's one-room (literally one little box of wood), was quite tiny. Tiny was best for heating purposes up so far near the arctic circle.

Kai made a grunting noise to express that he was too tired for storytelling. The only reason he was still conscience was to keep his extremities in the fire and to eat the meat as soon as it was done.

So Ray, polite as ever, continued with what had happened in the lab and where they had split off.

"...and then, somehow, Kai had gotten into the volcano and came shooting out the top so hot, he was like a small sun or flying meteorite. It was brilliant—uh, I mean. Literally. He just burned through everything."

Tala didn't make any noises to Ray's narrative. But when Ray came around to how they had stolen a U.S. Navy ship, albeit the smallest one there, he let out a low whistle.

"That's hard core," he said to Kai. "But please tell me you didn't sail that thing here."

Kai glanced at him, frowning. Tala met his eye, blinked, groaned, and slapped Kai over the head.

"You idiot," he growled. "Every U.S. Navy ship has a GPS tracking device."

Every muscle in Kai's body went rigid. Tala went on about how it would be stupid for any nation's navy to not have tracking on their boats, but Kai hardly heard him. Beside him, Ray had also stiffened and rose.