by Lexi Ostrow
Worlds of Frost
Guardians Book 3.5
Lexi Ostrow
Colliding Worlds Press
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Epilogue
Preview of Second Chance Worlds
Published by Colliding Worlds Press
The right of Lexi Ostrow to be identified as the author of this work has been asserted by him/her in accordance with the Copyright Designs and Patent Act 1988. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means without the prior written permission of the publisher, nor be otherwise circulated in any form binding or cover other than that in which it was originally published and without similar condition being imposed on the subsequent purchases.
Cover art by: Dreams2Media
Edited by: CLS Editing
This is a work of fiction. All of the characters and organizations and events portrayed in this novel are a product of the author’s imagination. Any resemblance to persons, living or dead, actual events or organizations is entirely coincidental.
Copyright © 2016
All Rights Reserved.
Created with Vellum
1
Marie looked out across the dry, cracked Vegas desert sand and sighed. As a creature of ice, she was not exactly cut out for desert living. In fact, she’d disdained every moment of it. Both when she’d first been paired with Zach, and after when he’d released her. Tears welled up in her eyes at the thought of her Word Speaker. At the thought of his death.
It didn’t matter how many months had passed, she’d never expected an attack, and they hadn’t been prepared for one. A werewolf Guardian and a Word Speaker had found them while they’d been hiking in Red Rock Canyon. The battle had been over before it had even begun — ending with Zach falling with a crash to his death. The rest was a bit of a blur. Her demonic nature had taken over, and in an icy rage, she’d destroyed quite a bit of the canyon and their attackers.
Ice flowered up on the ground beneath her feet. Emotion made it much harder for her to control her gifts. Which was why she’d come out to the desert space between the Strip and Primm. She’d wanted to be able to mourn as ice demons did, by encasing themselves in ice.
She knew the heat would likely melt the ice far quicker than she was ready for, but it didn’t matter. Her people had traditions, and until she gave in and allowed herself to accept Zach’s death, she would never heal.
“Marie, we need to speak.”
A voice she hadn’t heard in nearly a decade spoke from nowhere. Turning, she wasn’t shocked to see the man who had set her on her journey standing before her. A man in a trench coat with silvery-blue eyes and a beguiling smirk. A man she’d wanted to kill for disturbing her peace when they’d first met.
“Unless you came to tell me you can bring Zach back from the dead, we have nothing to speak of. My kind might be nothing more than a construct in a novel, but I am compelled to follow through with the traditions I have always believed were mine. Traditions created by a people who were perceived to be demons because of the battles we fought and the powers we could wield.”
The man sighed, showing a strain of age on his face that Marie had never thought she would see. He looked weary, bone-tired and ready to give up. His sigh only furthered her opinion.
“If I could bring him back, I would. He died in a fight that shouldn’t have ever occurred. But he is dead, Marie. It has been months, and it’s time you moved past it. You have a life in this world, and you can still fight, if the time comes.”
A spray of ice shards shot from the ground, landing helplessly at the man’s feet. “If I wanted to fight in your war. Which I don’t.”
“You won’t stay frozen forever. It’s Vegas and nearing the summer.”
“You say that as if I’m too stupid to realize it on my own, which I’m not.” She allowed the slow chill of the freezing to creep over her skin. “I do have a life here. One that I will not waste. I will do my best to be exactly what I was when Zach was alive. A protector. I have a job I adore and miss. But I cannot move forward until I embrace his death.”
He took a step forward, hands raised in a mock surrender. “When you emerge, you won’t be the same person. Your heart will have hardened like the ice you encase yourself in. Even if you don’t have long to be frozen.”
If her eyes had been able to flash like so many people thought demon’s eyes could, they would have. “I have no intention of being the woman I was. I had been written to a battle clan and survived because of the paranormal gifts the author gave me. Yet, I have never been the demon the name indicated. I was always weak, quick to love and quick to forgive.”
She heard the crackle of ice as the process began and felt the icy hand of redemption slowly creeping up her body. Looking down, she saw her feet were encased. She smiled then, a cruel smile unlike any she’d ever done before.
“When I emerge, I will be a better version of myself. I will protect without loving. I will kill without remorse should I change my mind about your war.” The noise continued, and she welcomed the cold as it grew stronger with every inch of ice that formed. “I welcome the ice. I grant it access to do as it must.”
The words were her last as the ice finished forming a cube-like structure around her body. It wouldn’t be long before her body shut down, a deep sleep to combat the cold. When she awoke, she would have no emotions left, no pain or hurt and certainly no hopeful dreams of waking up to learn the past months had been a dream. She watched through the slightly distorted angle of the ice as the man’s face hardened.
Then, like the only other time he’d come to her since assigning her to Zach, he vanished without a trace. Leaving her in the middle of the desert to freeze.
The anger bristling inside him was nearly enough to send him back to smash Marie’s little ice prison. All that stopped him was the thought of Alcott desperately cradling Kellie to his chest, willing her back to life. Marie had lost Zach in a violent manner, and while her people were generally mislabeled, she was still a demonic force. Her gift of ice came from her book’s version of Lucifer. Pushing her over the edge could send her flying into his brother’s arms. The last thing his brother needed was more warriors.
Taking a deep breath, he forced himself to count to five as he blew it out. He’d never been a terribly angry person until his brother had begun to break the rules. Finding out his brother was going to be allowed to get away with it had nearly destroyed him. He had people to protect and a prophecy to lead, there was no time for pettiness.
Turning, he opened up a viewing window to Sean—the other Guardian he’d wanted to work in the pairing. Unlike most Guardians, Sean had no paranormal or magical powers. The Guardian had been a pararescueman in his book, commander of his unit if he remembered correctly. The training and lack of powers had made it rather simple for the man to fit into the real world.
However, his Word Speaker had been killed in a deadly helicopter crash some time ago. While he had healed more than Marie, he hadn’t moved on. Instead, he’d asked for a fake background to be created for him and had enlisted in the Air Force out of his book as well. Which was one of the reasons he was the second choic
e, he’d tried to move on and had failed.
Sean sat, dark beer bottle in hand, alone on his couch. His hair was shorter than when they’d last spoken—buzzed almost clean off. His eyes didn’t have the hazed over glow of a drunk, he never drank enough for that any longer. He just drank to fill the void. The void Marie would hopefully fill.
“Very well then, let’s see if this can’t go better than with Marie,” he said to himself before switching from viewing window to doorway and stepping through to the soldier.
The growl of disinterest was damn near immediate. “What the fuck do you want?” The glass bottle slammed onto the oak coffee table as his feet swung off it and hit the ground. “I thought you said that if I found purpose, you’d leave me the fuck alone.”
It took everything in him not to pinch the bridge of his nose in annoyance and force Sean to cooperate. The farther into the future the world got, the more disrespectful his warriors grew. He opted for narrowing his silvery-gray eyes and pursing his mouth into a thin line.
“Would you talk to your officers with such little respect?”
“I am a fucking officer.”
Without a thought, he stepped forward, crowding the large man and nearly knocking him backward onto the couch. Seemingly, that did the trick. The anger in Sean’s eyes fizzled out, as he realized the other man could be pushed around, even if only a little.
“What do you want?”
“I want you to make good on your word. I want you to find a purpose.”
Sean gestured rather rapidly to the desert-colored camos draped over the back of the couch. “I found my purpose. I went and did what I’m best at. I enlisted and have spent three years working my way to the rank I deserve.” Distinct tones of bitterness laced the words. “So go the fuck away. I’m not a part of your war anymore.”
“Therein lies the problem, Sean. I told you to find a purpose. Joining the military because it’s the only thing you know how to do isn’t a purpose.”
“The hell it isn’t, you self-righteous prick. I lost my Word Speaker because she was deployed on a mission I couldn’t go on with her. Your precious little world has need of military members. Especially ones with my unique skill set, given how I was written to be a perfect soldier.”
“Your purpose needs to be about you, not about moving through life empty. A purpose I just so happen to have ready to offer you.”
The vein on Sean’s forehead pulsed, an angry slash to his otherwise perfect features. “How many fucking times do I have to tell you I’m done. I will not take another Word Speaker. I loved my wife, and while I know death is a natural occurrence, I’m not interested in moving on with anyone because we were drawn together in a way no one else can be.” The shouted words bounced off the sparsely decorated walls.
“I cannot randomly pair someone with a Word Speaker, that is not how it is done.” His words were spoken with an icy calm. “However, I have a Guardian much in need of your guidance.”
That seemed to get Sean’s attention. He didn’t sit, but some of the red coloration rushed out of his face, and his body relaxed. “How can I possibly help another Guardian? Doesn’t that seem pointless?”
“Marie lost her Word Speaker in a manner far more upsetting than you lost Stacey.”
The words had barely made it past his lips when he felt his back slam against the tile breakfast bar and the pressure of a muscular arm driving across his throat. It took careful consideration, but he decided to remain in place, allowing Sean to believe he was in charge.
“You will never speak of my wife with such little respect. Ever. She was a hero and died a hero’s death. Nothing will ever diminish her impact on the world.”
Blinking slowly, he nodded, irritated at the way Sean pushed his arm farther against his throat.
“No disrespect intended. Please remove your arm.” The words were slightly strained from the discomfort of having an arm jabbed into his throat.
Sean’s brown eyes flashed with fire. “I see no purpose in removing it. You could easily do so as you did the last time we saw one another. So if you see fit to stay, back pressed against the counter, then I will not make a motion to change that. If this is the only upper hand you will allow me, I am going to take it.” The rage in his words was satisfying, he was emotional, which meant he wasn’t in a place to make dangerous decisions.
“Very well.” He flashed back to the couch and heard Sean growl. “As I was trying to say, Marie lost her Word Speaker in an attack from another pairing, one from my brother’s side. She too is released into this world, but unlike you, she is rather supernatural in nature.” He waited for a reaction and got none. “She is struggling to find her place, to live without her Word Speaker. They had been together nearly three years if I remember correctly, and mere months after her true release passed, he was murdered.”
Slowly, Sean’s eyes transformed from blazing anger to something akin to sympathy from a hardened man. “That does sound . . . upsetting for her.” His arms crossed over his chest. “What is it you think I can do for her?”
“She needs someone who has been through a similar loss to show her there is a way to continue. As far as I have viewed, she has shown no interest in terminating her life. Though I worry she will try something foolish, like a deal with my brother, to return to her world and her people.”
“You boys can do that?”
He sighed. “There is much we can physically achieve that we are not actually allowed to. Things that could get us killed. My brother, however, shows little concern for his life and would easily break the rules to gain a warrior or remove one of mine.”
“So what you are saying is you need me to act like a fucking therapist?”
“To an extent, that is precisely what I am saying. You have been out of the game for some years. Marie’s Word Speaker was merely one of many murdered. There are Guardians across the world struggling to cope with their existence without their partner. If you could reach her, get through to her in some fashion, then it stands to reason that we can show all the others there is a purpose to continue.” He didn’t see the need to point out that he believed Guardians could bond in much the same way a Guardian and Word Speaker could. Nor did he ever see the point in letting Sean know that was the real purpose behind the experiment, to see if it were possible.
Sean was quiet. Whether he was contemplating helping or contemplating attacking him again was the question.
“I want something in return.”
That hadn’t been expected. “What?” he asked wryly.
“I want information. I want to know exactly when this war happens, and I want to know who you are.”
“That is non-negotiable.”
“Then I won’t help.”
The blast of power rolling off him was utterly uncontrolled. It picked Sean up off his feet and threw him sideways, slamming him into the entertainment center. A crash sounded as his arm and head smashed through the large TV, and glass from the standing unit shattered on the carpet.
Sean leaped to his feet, small rivulets of blood trickling down his face. He didn’t charge, though, and it was apparent he knew no amount of strength or combat training could allow him to succeed in an assault.
“I sincerely hate that you all keep forcing me to resort to violence to get your attention.”
Sean spit, a red-tinged clear glob that landed on the carpeted floor beside him. “There’s a word for people like you in the military.”
“Yes. I’m rather certain that there is. That, however, is not my concern. You and the lives of all those sworn to fight for me are. So let me rephrase this. I was not offering you anything. Either you help me, help Marie actually, or I will remind you precisely what a demi-god truly is.” He could feel his fangs scrape over his lower lip, fury drawing them out.
He knew that, had he been a mere man, Sean would have assaulted him. It radiated out of his eyes like a madness so intense he could practically feel it. However, one of the things Sean was written to be was int
elligent. It was a trait he had not lost since release.
“If I have no choice, then I only ask that it not disrupt my life. I do not wish to damage what I have started. I will not go AWOL from the service, and I will not put her above any missions that come from my command.”
Those terms were acceptable. The entire point, after all, was to let Marie and the others see that an ordinary life could be gained even in the wake of terrible loss.
“It is very lucky for me then that she lives in Summerlin.”
Sean reeled back as if he’d been slapped. Clearly, the man thought he’d found a way out of the deal. His mouth opened and closed without a word.
“That is one of the few reasons I had sought you out. She has a career here and a home. It is imperative for all Guardians to realize the death of a Word Speaker does not have to mean they need to flee from everything they have.” He opened the doorway back to his home. “She is unavailable of sorts at the moment, but I will make certain to bring you together when the time arises.”
Sean nodded tersely, his eyes still slotted with annoyance.
Content with the forced partnership, he stepped through to his living room and closed the doorway behind him. He had finally done some good, good that didn’t require breaking the rules like resurrecting a soul should have.
Pulling his beloved trench coat off, he tossed it across the way, and it landed perfectly on the coat rack next to the TV. His eyes stopped on the spot where he’d once upon a time had a strange rip in reality. A tear that had shown him the family member of a Word Speaker, a woman who was not a Word Speaker herself.
“A woman who had been nothing but trouble. A distraction,” he growled. “A temptation,” he admitted under his breath.
Hayley had been a something to him. It was the only explanation he could fathom for why he had seen her. Only a handful of months had passed since Huracan had spotted the tear and had mended it, but it felt like forever.