Queen of Summer's Ice (Book 2)

Chapter 15

     Nazim refused to sleep, thinking that we were going to be attacked the second our guards went down, but once he finally laid his head on the feathered pillow and really closed his eyes, heavy sleep took him. And lands was he snoring! 

     I envied him a bit right now, not that I needed sleep now that my powers were restored to me, but because sleep was more like a hobby. Another form of relaxation that I took pleasure in. Especially these past five years with the twins never wanting to sleep -

     The thought came to me to quickly, to naturally. To always think of my children. But I couldn't, not here. Not yet. There was already an ache in my heart and I didn't need to make it worse. So instead I focused on everything Alagan told me in the last few hours. Rehearsed every line he had told me about the beginnings of his life. Yet other than that I knew nothing about his recent self.

     Although I could figure some things out easily enough just by reading him; He's been alone for so long that he's not good at communication. Well, not good at it or he's decided that he doesn't enjoy it. He's an alpha, the way he stands and portrays himself, he's been living as the King of his very own island for to many years to count so of course he would be. He's a lone wolf, who bites first and asks questions later -after you've been defeated. And of course he's as stubborn as a rock with immortal patience.

     Alagan doesn't scare me. Not necessarily, I'll keep myself at a distant from him because I'm not stupid - I know how to feel out my competitors. But I need to know him more. Know what makes him tick, his weaknesses, his desires, his ambition. 

     Well, maybe not ambition, since he could have gone back to the main lands any time he's wanted and take out who ever he wanted. But he never did. Which has me questioning if he hasn't because of mother? Now that I've gotten rid of her will he want to come back? Should someone like him even come back?

     An hour of me thinking passes, the stars fully shining right next the the crescent moon, when the ground began to rumble. Nothing around us fell to the ground, only because there was nothing around us. The bed practically absorbed all the movement, yet Nazim slept as heavy. And just as quickly as it came, it gently rolled away.

     Stupid earthquakes. 

     After a few minutes of my tensed muscles, I realized there wasn't going to be any after shocks. I started to rest my back against the wall again, the thoughts coming back into my head, until one clicked. One that caused my muscles to tense up once again.

     Alagan was the earth quake - Alagan was all the earthquakes in the past months. 

     Without even bothering to wake up Nazim - he would have wanted to come, to help protect me while I confronted Alagan, but his body seemed so at rest I just couldn't bring myself to do it. So instead I quickly whispered, "I'll be right back," into my cousins ear and ran out the room to hunt down my brother.

     It wasn't hard to find him. I just had to keep following the rumble of the quakes, and the closer I got, then the louder all the commotion was. I passed the islands heavy tree lines and walked deeper into the land. When the trees started to lighten up to an open field I saw rocks being banged into one another, crumbling from the land and spreading to high grounds. And lava splurging from the ground to help add to the land. It looked chaotic, but there, at the edge of everything was Alagan, barely even working up a sweat.

     Yet when he heard noise behind him that wasn't the clanking of rocks, his face was distorted. He bared his teeth at me, his breathing heavy, his sweaty chest was highlighted by the low lighting of the moon. And his eyes, I could have sworn the whiteness of his eyes were a fainted red. Has he been crying?