Free Icebound (Legends of the Shifters Book 2) by J.B. North Page B

looked down to see Roland’s
pale, cold face staring up at me lifelessly.
    I wanted
to scream, but couldn’t, and when I looked back up at Roland’s family, they
were all closing in on me. There was no one there to stop Brent this time as he
wrapped his calloused hands around my neck and…
    Bang,
bang, bang! I jerked awake as soon as I heard the deafening sound of
a heavy fist slamming into the door. My heart beat furiously in my chest. I
rushed to open the door only to be met with the sight of Sir Lochlan’s livid
expression, highlighted by the lantern he held in his white-knuckled fist.

 
     
     
    -Chapter Ten-
     
    I
narrowed my eyes and turned away as I went back to sit on my bed.
    “What
do you want?” I asked, bracing myself for whatever Sir Lochlan had come to say.
    He
barged inside, leaving the door open. “How dare you run like that!” he snarled.
“I couldn’t even stay to comfort my family because I was too worried that you
hadn’t returned. Do you know what the king would have done to me if I failed to
bring you back? The future you would leave my fiancée and me?”
    I
paled. “You didn’t have to worry—”
    “How
would I know that?” he broke in. “All you’ve wanted to do since we took you
from the conservatory is get away from everyone. You went on a walk and got
attacked by bandits. You decided to fly up ahead this morning, which made me
have to keep an eye on you the entire time to make sure you stayed with us. And
now, you run away at the slightest hint of aggressiveness from my brother? He
wouldn’t have even hurt you, nor would he be able to. If you’re not immortal,
you’re nearly there!”
    I
balled my fists at my sides. “You of all people should understand why I want to
be alone. You intimidate everyone, and push them away with your miserable
attitude.”
    “It’s
my job to intimidate people!” he shouted.
    As
soon as I picked up the scent of smoke, I stood and looked back at the bed.
Sure enough, there were two holes burned through the quilt where my hands had
been. I shook with rage as I turned back to Sir Lochlan. “Get out of my room,”
I said, eyes flashing.
    He
took one look at what I’d done to my blanket and stepped back, the ire slipping
from his features. “We’ll talk about this tomorrow,” he said warily, and then
strolled out the door, shutting it loudly behind him.
    I
sighed heavily, and crawled back in bed. It took a while for my anger to calm
down, but after what seemed like an hour, I started to drift off again.
    And
then I heard three more pounds on the door. I threw the covers off and stomped
across the room, ready for another round of arguments with Lochlan. I flung the
door open only to find Grix there. And his face was ashen.
    My
anger melted away like the snow. “What’s wrong?”
    “There’s
a fire. T-the entire inn is on fire.”
    Only
then did the rippling roar of an insatiable blaze register in my hearing. I
nearly tripped over Grix when I rushed out the door, into the smoking hallway.
“Where is Alyss?” I asked.
    “I
made sure she was safely outside,” he said.
    “And
the prince?”
    We
stumbled backward as one of the support beams suddenly crashed down, exposing
the fiery inferno of the third floor. Grix swallowed hard. “Upstairs,” he said,
pointing.
    “Make
sure everyone on this hallway and downstairs gets out safely. I’ll go upstairs
for the prince.”
    He
nodded, and before I could see where he went, I sprinted to the end of the hall
and bounded up the steps. Already, I could feel the heat getting more intense.
I burst through the door at the top. My eyes and mind focused as the flames
circled around me. All of a sudden, through all that heat and fire, I could see
a figure crouching at the end of the hallway, their arm covering their face as
they tried to get to my end of the hallway. I walked forward, clearing the way
through the flame. Sir Lochlan squinted up at me. Several burn marks were
seared into his hands, and