Master of Frost

by Bolryder, Terry

  Today combined with all the others, the drinks he’d cooled for her, the movies they’d watched. The moments she could just sense him making sure she was okay… It all added up to him being a very good friend.

  If she were honest, even more than that.

  But as she’d told Talia, that just wasn’t possible. Not for her. Not in this life.

  Talia seemed to think everything was fixable, but she’d never been through what Chelle had. No one understood what something like that could do to you, how long you carried it in your heart, along with an invisible ache.

  But since she had to live with it anyway, it sure was better being around people like this.

  He sat up and she did as well, and when a blast of cool air hit them, she couldn’t help leaning into him.

  He froze up, and she gave him a moment to pull back if he wanted to, because she didn’t want to bother him.

  But with a little sigh, he put an arm around her, holding her close.

  “You cold?”

  She nodded. “I guess I always make trouble for you.”

  He gave her a look of reproach. “Chelle, you’re never trouble for me.” He thought about it, then laughed. “Well, if you are, I still like it. I choose to make it my own.”

  “You’re a good person,” Chelle said quietly, looking out at the trees and the gentle snowfall. “A good dragon, too, I guess.”

  He looked over at her, slightly surprised. “Thanks.”

  They sat there together like that until their butts were frozen, and even then, Chelle felt regret that they had to get up.

  When they got down off this mountain, life would go back to normal. She had classes to teach and he had a job to go find, but it had been an amazing weekend. As they walked back to the car, Chelle wished it could last a little longer.

  “So what movie do you want to watch tonight?” Dmitri asked, opening the door to let her into the car.

  “Oh,” she said in surprise. “You still want to watch one?”

  “Of course,” Dmitri said, walking over to get into the car. After he did up his seatbelt, he pinned her with a stern glance. “Don’t think that any of this changes movie night.”

  “All right.” She laughed, glad that maybe her amazing weekend wasn’t totally finished after all.

  Chapter 11

  The next few days went quickly, and Chelle was glad that things had returned to normal on most fronts.

  She was able to focus on classes, spend time with Dmitri and Luka in the evenings, and… try not to think about how much she wanted to get Dmitri in bed once again.

  Sometimes when she woke up in the morning, she was already aching, and she wondered what he would say if she proposed a friends-with-benefits situation for them both.

  But as much as she could see it in his eyes that he wanted her, she knew he wanted something she couldn’t give. Therefore, she had no right to take more than she already had.

  She shuffled her papers on her desk as the last of her students left and sighed when she saw the clock.

  She’d be late getting home again today, and Luka and Dmitri would probably choose the movie without her. They all had been content to stay in the past few days. The excitement at the club had kind of freaked all of them out, and they didn’t know if anyone had linked the frozen guy to their little group.

  Chelle did wonder what it would be like to go out with Dmitri again, to maybe dance with him now that they each knew where the other stood.

  He didn’t question her about their friendship or bother her for more, and she appreciated it, though she did see a wistful look in his eyes at some moments.

  And in return, she tried to always be thoughtful of him, to bring home food he would like or send him any job openings she was aware of.

  Their little trio was finally feeling settled in their apartment with Alek and Talia gone, and life seemed to be going well.

  “Well, hello sexy. Long time no see.”

  Chelle jerked her head up and relaxed when she saw Iris leaning on the doorframe and looking into the room.

  The small, curvy black woman had clearly come from the lab, as she was still wearing a white coat and her reading glasses. Plus, her hair was pulled into that tight, sterile bun.

  When Iris wasn’t working, when she was out on the town, she wore fashionable, edgy clothing that showed off skin and wore her hair in wild curls.

  Iris walked forward, holding a clipboard, a mischievous glint in her eyes. “So Talia says you’ve been busy lately. New boy-toy?”

  “No,” Chelle said, panicking slightly, wondering what exactly Talia had told her.

  Iris propped a hip on Chelle’s desk and stared at her intently. “Then what’s up with the silent treatment? You haven’t been inviting me to any club nights.”

  Chelle hesitated, wondering if Iris would see through one of her lies. Iris had a very sharp intelligence about her, and Chelle wasn’t at all confident any stories she made up would be convincing. “Just been busy with my new roommates, that’s all.”

  “Oh yeah, Talia moved out to be with her man candy,” Iris said, pouting. “Jealous. Though, I do think she should be careful. His blood tests weren’t normal at all.”

  Chelle leaned forward conspiratorially. “Do you think you should really be talking about that?” Now that she knew more about what Dr. Henrick had pulled, she felt protective over Luka and Dmitri.

  Iris laughed, putting one hand on the desk and leaning on it. “You’re an English professor, not a scientist. Plus, you’re Talia’s friend, so I don’t really think I need to worry about it.”

  Chelle breathed a sigh of relief. “So you aren’t telling anyone else?”

  Iris raised a perfectly arched, dark eyebrow. “Who would believe me?” She shook her head. “No, I have other things to deal with right now. If Talia wants to date Superman, though I have my doubts about the whole thing, she is smart enough to decide if she wants to risk being around someone like that. Plus, he seems like a genuinely nice guy.”

  “Yeah, I guess they are nice guys,” Chelle said pensively.

  “What do you mean?” Iris folded her arms. “Are there more of them?”

  Chelle bit her lip. Oops. “I don’t know. I didn’t mean…” She waved a hand as she gathered up her papers. “It’s no big deal. It’s just—”

  “Am I interrupting something?” A male voice boomed over the room, and Chelle glanced up to see Dmitri poking his head in.

  Oh damn, she’d forgotten he wanted to pick her up today since there was a particularly bad snowstorm. His short hair was dusted in snow, and he was wearing a black parka that only added to his intimidating presence.

  “Woah,” Iris said, fanning her face. “Speak of the devil, there are more. Holy Hannah, he’s hot.”

  Dmitri took a step forward, looking confused. God, he was handsome. Chelle felt her heart skip a beat just looking at him. Maybe friendship with such a kind, beautiful man really was dangerous.

  “Dude, tell me you’re hitting that,” Iris said, looking almost dazed by Dmitri’s appearance. That reaction seemed to be common, given the girls at the club. But unlike those strangers, Chelle knew Iris personally. She was a good person, a loyal friend. Someone who could be really good to Dmitri.

  “We’re just friends,” Chelle said quickly. “Want me to introduce you?”

  Iris looked between Chelle and Dmitri. “He came to pick you up. I wouldn’t want to intrude…”

  “You’re aren’t intruding,” Chelle said quickly. “We’re just friends. I promise. Nothing more.” She grabbed Iris’s hand and practically dragged her over to Dmitri, whose handsome jaw was suddenly taut.

  “This is Iris,” Chelle said, gesturing to her. “Iris, Dmitri. Dmitri, Iris. I think you two would get along really well.”

  Chelle could feel Dmitri glaring down at her, but she averted her eyes.

  It was clear she was feeling too much about him. Getting ideas just by being his friend. Maybe if he could focus on another girl, l
ike Iris, who could give him everything, she would stop feeling pain in her heart every time she met his eyes.

  “Wow,” Iris said, stepping forward and reaching for Dmitri’s biceps. “Your muscular hypertrophy is even more pronounced than Alek’s.” She let her fingers hover over his skin, and Chelle had to resist the urge to slap her hand away. “Is it all right if I touch?”

  Dmitri looked at Chelle as if waiting for her to say something, but when she didn’t, he gave Iris a nervous nod. “I’m not sure what you just said, but sure.”

  “I said you are swole,” Iris said with a laugh, running her hand over his bicep curiously. “Damn, how did they make you so big?” She released him to smile up at him, putting her hands on her hips. “I don’t care if you’re an ice man. I totally want to take you on a date.”

  Dmitri hesitated, brushing snow off his hair awkwardly. “I don’t know…”

  “Right, you don’t know me,” Iris said eagerly. “We should hang out more first. What are you guys up to tonight?”

  Dmitri glanced at Chelle, still looking puzzled. “We have movie night.”

  Iris looked curiously at Chelle, still keeping her hands on her hips. “What’s that?”

  “We… I mean, me, Dmitri, and Luka, we all watch a movie.”

  “Oh my God, invite me,” Iris said. “Please, please, please?”

  Chelle laughed, bringing the last of her papers over as she joined Iris and Dmitri again. “Of course you can come.” It would be fun to have a new person there, and she’d missed having Iris around.

  And who knew? Maybe Dmitri would warm up to Iris once he saw what a fun person she was. After all, Chelle was the only person Dmitri had really gotten close to since coming out of the ice. Maybe he could be persuaded to change his preference to someone else.

  Of course, the thought of it made her heart feel like it was being sawed down the center, but she kind of deserved that.

  And Iris could love Dmitri in ways Chelle never could.

  Dmitri held the door open for them, and they walked down the hallway, listening to Iris talk about how things were going with the tenured position she was trying to get.

  As they walked, Chelle noticed she didn’t feel snow falling on her and put a hand up just in case. When she saw nothing, she looked above them and then at Dmitri with a secretive smile.

  Hopefully, Iris wouldn’t notice that the snowstorm was falling everywhere but over their heads.

  * * *

  Dmitri didn’t know what was going on right at that moment, but he knew he wasn’t okay with it.

  From the moment Iris had shown up, he’d expected Chelle to show her characteristic jealousy, like she had at the club. Iris, though she seemed like a very nice person, was very forward about her wants.

  So Dmitri wasn’t sure why Chelle was so fine with the situation.

  When they’d walked in, she’d even taken the spot on the couch next to Luka, preventing Iris from sitting by him when she’d walked in. That left the second couch for Dmitri and Iris. And Iris had happily dragged him onto the seat.

  He missed sitting on the three-seater with his friends. And he definitely preferred nights when it was just him and Chelle, cuddling during a movie while Luka did research, aka left them alone.

  Even now, he wanted to walk over to the couch, pick up Luka, toss him out the window, sit by Chelle, and tell Iris to find someone else.

  But he knew that was just the brute in him that was tired of not being able to claim what was his.

  The past few days had been torture, but he’d been willing to go along with it because it seemed to help Chelle. Whatever was hurting her seemed to fade into the background as long as he let her label anything as something friends would do.

  Sure, friends cuddled on the couch during movies. Sure, friends picked each other up from school or helped each other find jobs or talked long into the night.

  Whatever Chelle needed in order to feel that things were normal.

  Dmitri also really appreciated that Luka had tried to be as thoughtful and helpful as possible, giving them time alone, never teasing Dmitri when things were awkward.

  Which was why he felt extra bad for Luka right now, because Luka seemed a bit interested in Iris but was being totally blocked by Chelle and whatever crazy plan she had in her head at this moment.

  Chelle didn’t like Luka. Dmitri knew that. So the only reason she would have prevented Iris from sitting with him was if she wanted Iris to sit… somewhere else.

  Was Chelle pushing the two of them together? Because that seriously hurt.

  He was trying to deal with the fact that she was his mate and didn’t know it and that she didn’t want to be more than friends. Plus, that she’d said she couldn’t do relationships.

  But it sucked that she would actually be okay with him dating Iris. Would she go that far to deny her feelings just because of whatever was bothering her from her past?

  Still, Dmitri had no intention of letting Iris do anything. For one, he could tell Iris actually cared about her friend and wouldn’t hurt her. She didn’t deserve to walk into this landmine.

  And secondly, he had a mate. He was done playing games or pretending he could be interested in someone else for Chelle’s sake. He didn’t need to rush her, but he didn’t have to do things he was uncomfortable with either.

  Was Chelle really so far in denial of his feelings that she thought he could actually be happy with anyone else?

  He huffed as she slumped into the couch and saw Iris watching him intently.

  She turned to Chelle. “Hey, can you turn the movie up? I can’t hear it.”

  “Sure,” Chelle said pleasantly, keeping her eyes glued to the TV as she raised the remote and did as Iris asked.

  Dmitri sort of wished she would look over. He would welcome her jealousy. But she seemed determined not to look.

  “You like her?” Iris’s whisper tickled his ear. “Dude, I’m sorry I didn’t notice.”

  Dmitri looked at Iris, stunned. She was very blunt, but he hadn’t expected her to be that perceptive, especially in the face of Chelle’s lies. He nodded.

  Iris sat back with a thoughtful expression. She was a pretty woman. Smooth, dark skin, soulful eyes behind cute glasses. Nice hair now that she’d let it out of the bun.

  But he couldn’t see her as anything but another person. Nothing sexual at all.

  “This is a tough one. Chelle is super non-committal. I’ve never understood it.”

  Dmitri cast a glance at the other couch, just to see if Chelle and Luka were listening. But the two seemed to be having a hushed conversation of their own, and Luka wasn’t happy about it.

  Dmitri turned back to Iris, who had just touched his arm. “Sorry,” he said reluctantly.

  “No, it’s okay,” Iris said. “I just… I’m sorry for you. That’s really a tough one. You want me to talk to her?”

  “No,” Dmitri said. “She knows. That’s probably why she encouraged you with me.”

  “That doesn’t make sense,” Iris said. “Not if you have feelings.”

  Dmitri felt weariness settle in his chest. “Not a lot has made sense lately.” The only time he felt at peace was when he was alone with Chelle and it was safe to just feel his love for her without any labels. At times like those, he could even feel her care for him, though he knew she’d deny what it was.

  Chelle and Luka stood abruptly, and Luka stormed down the hallway, not looking at all pleased.

  Dmitri quirked an eyebrow, wondering what had bothered him, but Chelle just shook her head.

  “I’m going to go talk to him. Please, you two enjoy the movie.” Then she disappeared down the hall, presumably to follow Luka.

  Dmitri wasn’t worried about it. Luka would never make a move on his mate. But still…

  “Damn,” Iris said. “That was cold. I should really go yell at her, but I know the girl well enough to know her heart is in the right place. This whole thing is just silly.”

  “Yeah,” Dmitri
said.

  “Have you thought about going along with it? Trying to make her jealous?” Iris asked.

  “No. I mean, I don’t want you in trouble with your friend. I know she acts that way, but she can be possessive as well.”

  “So make her come to terms with that. If she’s only your friend and she turned you down, she’s not allowed to get mad if you’re with someone else.”

  “It’s not that simple,” Dmitri said. She was his mate. He couldn’t just turn away, and the thought of touching another woman repulsed him.

  But he’d gotten himself into this predicament, and it wasn’t Chelle’s fault.

  Iris sighed, leaning forward with her chin in her palm. “I do hate to see a great-looking guy with such a sad look on his face. And I hate knowing one of my best friends is passing up something so good.” She sat up. “If you aren’t going to do anything to make her jealous, then I think you should go talk to her. Tell her you don’t want to date other people. Just her.”

  “She knows,” Dmitri said, folding his arms.

  “So you’re just going to let it go?” Iris asked disbelievingly. “I mean, even if she’s alone in a bedroom with your hottie friend?” She fanned her face. “I don’t know how I could be in a room alone with him.”

  “Luka and Chelle aren’t like that,” Dmitri said. But just the slightest bit of doubt was creeping around his heart. He batted it away.

  “So what, you’re just going to let her try and hook you up with people like me, who you don’t want, and just pine and wait for her to come around for you?”

  He shrugged. “Do I have a choice? I don’t want to push her.”

  “Sometimes people have to be pushed, just a little, when they aren’t doing things that are good for them. In this case, Chelle is making a huge mistake. Whatever is causing her to make it, she isn’t in her right mind. So why should we just wait until she comes around? She may never, because something just isn’t going right.” She punched Dmitri lightly on the shoulder. “If anything, you seem like the sane one here. So maybe it’s time for a little push.”

  He swallowed. The stakes felt too high for that, even though sometimes he just wanted to honestly tell Chelle what he wanted. Why he thought it was stupid that she said she couldn’t love him when he felt she already did.