Date: Mon, 12 Sep 2016 05:37:11 -0500 From: Kody Boye <boyekody@gmail.com> Subject: His Touch of Ice - Part 58 DISCLAIMER: This is a work of fiction, and contains scenes of graphic violence and explicit male/male sex. If you are not of the legal age to read this, or are uncomfortable with this sort of content, please turn back now. HIS TOUCH OF ICE (The Ice Men, Book 1) is copyright © Kody Boye. All Rights are reserved. ______________________________________________________________________________ I was so engrossed in packing that I didn't even hear the door open, nor see the figure who passed into the bedroom until a flicker of movement appeared out of the corner of my eye. "Jason," Amadeo said, upon garnering my attention. "I came to see how you were." "Fine," I grunted, shoving another pair of clothes into my pack. I slung it into my arms and started for the doorway without any consideration for the man's appearance. "Where are you going?" the man asked. "To get Guy," I said. "Whether anyone likes it or not." I pushed into the kitchen and began to tear through the cabinets, grabbing bags and cans of food without so much as looking at what they were. A can opener graced my palm, as did a casual cutting knife, which I pushed into a makeshift sheath before securing it into the pack. "I think you're overreacting," Amadeo said from his place opposite me in the living room. "Overreacting?" I laughed. "Are you kidding? I should've done this sooner!" "Jason—" "Where the hell were you when all this happened? Huh? Where was the good parent when the bad one kicked his only son out of the house!" "I sympathized with Guy's plight only because I wanted you to be safe." "So what is this then? A witch hunt? Tie the victim to the stake but let his martyr burn instead?" "That isn't what I did." I slammed the backpack on top of the counter and zipped my makeshift survival pack up. After a careful scan of Guy's pantry and makeshift medicine shelf, I grabbed what I needed, shoved it into the bag, and started toward the doorway. Amadeo pushed his arm out to stop me. "Move," I growled. "I can't let you leave, Jason." "You're going to. Now." "Don't be ridiculous! Get a hold of yourself! You don't even know where Guy is." "Yes I do." "How could you possibly—" "The Kelda told me." Amadeo's lips faltered. "The Kuh-Kelda?" he asked. "Jason, what're you—" "She came to me in a dream. Told me that Guy had been captured by the Howlers and that they lived underground. Said they wouldn't be hard to find." I shoved past Amadeo and headed toward the door. "That doesn't give me many places to look." "You can't go." "Stop me." "You'll get caught, Jason. You'll be the death of Guy." That stopped me in my tracks. Frozen before the doorway, hand extended toward the handle, I trembled as the realization set in. I did what any good person would do to protect the man he loves. Tears sprung at my eyes, mirroring the stutter in my limb. The sound of Amadeo's approaching footsteps were the only warning I had before he set his hand on my shoulder. I expected him to freeze me—to knock me unconscious and keep me locked within this place, or to at least punch me out or slam me in the door. Instead, his fingers curled around my shoulder and remained there. "I never told him I loved him," I said, turning my head to look into Amadeo's eyes. "Some things are meant to happen," Amadeo replied. "You can't keep me here. You can't let me let him die." "Jason—" "Please, Amadeo!" I sobbed. "Please! He's the only thing I have left! Without him... there's no point in living." The subtle shift in Amadeo's eyes was something I noticed only because of the rings around his irises. Emblazoned to a brighter hue, they flickered in their sockets as they looked upon my face and traced the flow of tears along my cheeks. His adamant expression had recessed. Instead, he appeared sympathetic—as if his eyes and lips told the story of every regretful man's life. Did he remember his own plea, when Elliot had saved him on the verge of death? Amadeo's hand slid from my shoulder. Stepping forward, he reached out and set his hand on the door handle. "You know," he said when he didn't turn the handle to open the door. "I was in your position, once. When there was nothing I could do and only one person I cared about." Amadeo's fingers slid along the door until his hand found the locks. With careful clicks, he secured them into place, then ran the chains across the door before he turned to face me. "I know where they're keeping him, Jason." A lost breath instantly returned to my lungs. "You do?" I asked. Amadeo nodded. "There's a location—east of the Enchanted Rock State Park. It's a compound, hidden under the ground, concealed in a dilapidated farmhouse that's been abandoned for years." He sighed and lowered his hands at his side. "I know I can't stop you, Jason. You love him far too much to simply let him go, but I couldn't live with myself if I let you go and something happened. Which is why I brought this." Reaching back, Amadeo lifted the hem of his shirt and withdrew a revolver from the small of his back. He popped the cylinder to reveal a full round of silver bullets. The absurdity was too much. I laughed. "Does that really work?" I said, faltering when I realized that Amadeo's expression had not lightened. "I mean... just like the movies?" "Silver is the greatest weapon against evil," Amadeo replied. "Do you remember the cross Guy always wears around his neck?" I wear it as a sign of my mortality, Guy had said that first fateful night. I have hope. One should when they see such horrible things. I nodded. "Yeah," I said. "I do." "That cross is lined with silver. To a Sanguine, it's repulsive—a sign of their damnation from the unholy thing that made them. To a Howler? It's like liquid fire spreading through their veins." Amadeo snapped the cylinder shut. "I have boxes of this for you. I can get you a car, food, supplies. I can get you out of here, if that's what you truly want. There's only one condition." I waited for him to continue. "Once you rescue Guy," he said. "I don't want you to ever come back. He sealed his fate when he left this camp." "I understand," I said. Amadeo nodded. "Good," he said. "Give me an hour to get everything ready. Then you can leave." ____________________________________________________________________________ If you enjoyed this installment of HIS TOUCH OF ICE, consider emailing the author with your thoughts or donating to him via Paypal at boyekody@gmail.com. You can also download the novel for free on Smashwords, Amazon Kindle, or any other major eBook retailer, or buy the Audible version online via Amazon.com. You can visit the author online at www.kodyboye.com.