Page 17 of Ice

I’m good at compartmentalizing. Good at not feeling guilty for the things I’m forced to do in order to keep up my end of the deal we made. But this time… with Nova… it was different.

Nova trusted me instantly, and because she trusted me, her entourage of hot men trusted me too.

She was foolish.

But here’s the thing… I am a good person. I know I am. So, perhaps that’s what she saw.

Even the empath didn’t know I was leading them here on purpose, which surprised me because I’ve never been in contact with one before and was under the impression the Original Six were supposed to be super-charged super-unbeatable mages after drinking from the Phoenix and destroying the Shadow King.

Perhaps he was distracted by my good heart too.

Good heart…

“You have a good heart, Kim. Don’t let this break you…” Kaitlin’s words float through the air like icy feathers on a cold winter breeze. They brush against my ribs and make me shiver.

I swore to her that her death would not ruin me.

Yet, here I am.

Selling my soul to the demons who run the city.

“Here…” Zephyra swings her legs round and stands up, motioning for me to walk closer.

As she curls her finger at me, my entire body pays attention. It is as if I am powerless under the force of her gaze.

I move forward like I’m walking on water, my feet barely making a sound on the uneven concrete floor. When I reach her, she curls her finger beneath my chin and tilts my head to the side. Then, in one swift motion, she tears open her own wrist with her canines, and smears her blood onto my neck.

For a moment, the pain intensifies. But then it is gone.

I touch the wound.

It is gone too. Completely healed.

“I played my part. Now it’s your turn.” I adjust my glasses on my nose, and straighten my shoulders, trying to channel some of Kole’s energy – Norse god instead of accountant.

“Not yet.” Zephyra smiles again. This time, it is more knowing. “First, I need you to help me with something.”

I swallow hard. “That wasn’t the deal. The deal was—”

“The deal has changed.” Her voice comes out quick and hard. Snapping like ice as it meets with my skin. She softens then, and sidles closer, pressing her small pert breasts up against my chest.

“What do you need me to do?” I ask, dread solidifying in my stomach.

“I need you to help me remind Ink Heart that his little Fire Bird isn’t as wonderful as he thinks she is.”

Fire Bird?

“You mean Nova?” A laugh rattles my ribs. “You’ll never separate them. They’re—”

“I know what they are!” Zephyra bellows. “But I also know that Kole is mine. He was mine then, and he will be mine again. He just needs to see that she is not as innocent and pure as he thinks she is.”

Innocent and pure? That’s not how I’d describe Nova. I’d describe her as fire, and passion, and heat.

“All right,” I say. “Then tell me what you need me to do. And then you keep your end of the deal.”

Zephyra smiles and extends her hand to shake mine. “Then I keep my end of the deal. You have my word.”

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