Snow and Red: Dragon Shifters' Hoard book 1 - an urban fantasy paranormal romance by Eileen Mueller & A. J. Ponder

Author:Eileen Mueller & A. J. Ponder [Mueller, Eileen]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Phantom Feather Press
Published: 2022-01-12T16:00:00+00:00

Thin Ice

“It’s a bit of a steep descent,” Zeph said, “We’re almost there.” He and Snow scrambled down the rocky slope onto a plateau.

Snow whistled at the view. “It’s beautiful.” Cradled in the rugged mountains and surrounded by trees, low lying shrubs and gravel, there was the tiny lake—an astounding shade of aqua-blue.

“The water comes from the ice-melt high in the mountains. I just—” Zeph shrugged. “I just wanted to show you.”

“This is perfect,” Snow said. “I’ve got something to show you too.” She pulled out her pale-blue ice-skating boots, then her father’s old white lace-ups—carefully unpacking the tissues nestled inside them. “Here, I think you’ll fit these.”

Zeph looked to the water. “It’s cold, but it’s not frozen,” he whispered, his jade eyes meeting hers.

Snow giggled. Now the moment had come, she was nervous. She’d been wanting to do this all day—show Zeph her powers. Something she dared not show anyone else—except Red. Maybe Zeph, with the wind-powers he tried to hide, would understand. He was a freak, too. “Can you keep a secret?”

Zeph gave her a slow easy grin and took her hand. “You know I can.”

True. He had plenty of his own. They strolled to the lakeside.

Snow’s ice power thrilled through her. It was now or never. She crouched on the shore and placed her hand on the water. The chill from the ice-melt was nothing more than a tickle, a memory of the cold snow from the high peaks.

She plunged her hand into the water. “Are you ready?”

§

A shiver of excitement hit Zeph as Snow’s power flared, her hand shimmering under the aqua-blue surface. His wind power rose to meet hers, soaring out of his chest and tugging at his hair. “Are you sure you can do this?”

“It’s ice melt, so it’s pretty cold already.” Snow frowned. “If we want to skate, the biggest problem is the wind. Too much, and the lake will be full of ripples, then I won’t be able to freeze it so we can skate.”

“I’m sure the wind will be fine.” Zeph inhaled deeply, calming his nerves and reeling in his wind powers. The leaves on the bushes stilled and a hush fell over the glade. “Try now.”

A cold mist rose from the ice. “This will take a while,” Snow pursed her lips. Below her fine collar bones, the sapphire pendant sparkled in the sunlight. It matched her pretty eyes, but why had she worn it today? Didn’t she know it was stolen?

Zeph turned his attention to the old-fashioned ice-skates, loosening the laces. They must be at least twenty years old. Should he put them on? Or was this whole ice-skating thing a joke? Exactly how powerful was she?

Power seeped from Snow’s fingers, freezing the water around her hand so it sparkled like diamonds.

Zeph readied himself for the waft of sulfur that accompanied every mage’s magic. Nothing. He leaned in close, drawn to her power as if, like the lake, he was caught in her spell.

The water shimmered, a thin film of ice stretching across the lake to the not-so-distant shore.

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