Nineteen
Zamir
I didn't go backthat night. Instead, I walked the dogs with Nolan, helped him feed his horde, tried not to get murdered by my chicken stalkers, and spent the night in Nolan's bed. We had sex again, and then fell asleep in a pile of sweaty, sated limbs.
"I don't want to go," I said with a pout as I hung off Nolan. I was leaving my bag here because Nolan said I should have some of my things at his place, and I'd decided not to take Dots back either. He looked happy cuddling with Pebble, and I wasn't sure how long I'd stay there.
"Zamir..."
"I know, I know. I don't want my friends to get hurt because of me. I'm going. I'll see you this evening?"
"I'll be the one behind the bar," he joked, and I smiled. Leaning up, I kissed him, soft and slow, then pulled back with a sigh.
"Call me if you need anything," Nolan said, and I nodded.
The walk to the Sanctuary was short, but the moment I stepped inside, I knew something was off. I couldn't say why I felt that, because the hallway wasn't any different. Neither was the one lined with all the doors.
But the moment I opened the door to the Forest, a gale of icy wind smacked into me, and I stumbled back as my eyes went wide.
"What the fuck?"
"Zamir!"
"Keoni?" I called back as I pushed inside, the door slamming shut the moment I let go. I shaded my eyes with my hand, and peered through the falling snow, searching the white landscape for my friend. "Where are you?"
"Near my place!"
I pushed through the snow that reached my knees, and shook my head as I glanced around. I couldn't see any color except white. The sky was a perfect blue, though, and looked even stranger.
"Where are the others?" I called out, my voice getting lost in the wind.
"I don't know! I think Draven is stuck in his house. Everyone else went out for their chores before the snow came!"
Why was the snow here? Was this another glitch? Were the other areas affected?
I reached Keoni at last, and swore when I spotted him. The wheels of his cart were buried in the snow, pinning him in place. The back of his cart was laden with snow too, and Keoni reachedback to dust the snow off his back, something he must've been doing since he got stuck.
"Shit, Keoni." I pushed the snow off his cart, but I had no idea how I'd get him back to his place when my feet kept sinking into the snow that kept on falling. I needed to melt some of this snow... I needed fire.
I pulled my phone out and hit call as Keoni watched me, his brows furrowed and his body trembling slightly. Supes didn't get cold easily, but this wasn't normal weather.
"Zamir? Is everything okay?"
"Nope. Can you come to the Sanctuary? Right now?"
"Of course. I'll be there in five," he said, telling me he planned to run.
While we waited, Keoni demanded I explain what happened yesterday, and I did. I told him about Nolan and Zephyr's past connection, about the misunderstanding, everything. The more I spoke, the more Keoni frowned, and my phone buzzed as I finished up, so I left him there as I raced back out through the snow to let Nolan in.
I led him to the Forest, and his eyes widened as he took it all in. As we walked through the snow, it melted as it came in contact with Nolan, his dragon fire keeping his skin warm. It was only then that I realized I didn't feel cold either, and while it could be because I hadn't been here long, I wondered if it was because of Nolan's life force.
"Hey, Keoni," Nolan said and Keoni smiled, his teeth gritted as he tried to hold himself still.
"Hey, Nolan. Can you get me out of this?"
Nolan nodded, then glanced at me. "Stay close to him." He walked a few feet away, then shook his arms out. The air around him flickered, and he shifted.
My breath caught in my throat. This wasn't the first time I was seeing him in his true form, but the snow made his red scalessparkle, and it melted as soon as it touched his scales, then trailed down his body in glowing droplets.
