Frozen Necessity

He hates her, or maybe not. Right now, he can't make up his mind, but he knows that to him, she's become a necessity. 

Angelica can't read Colt. One minute, he's seething at her and the next, he's kind. She's beginning to wish he'd decide what he wants, because she's getting seasick from his mood swings.

Colt wants to hate her, but he can't seem to get it right. He wants her more than he wants his revenge. Will he decide what he's going to do?

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Frozen Necessity

Copyright © 2014 Evi Asher

ISBN: 978-1-4874-978-1-4874-0061-3

Cover art by Latrisha Waters

All rights reserved. Except for use in any review, the reproduction or utilization of this work in whole or in part in any form by any electronic, mechanical or other means, now known or hereafter invented, is forbidden without the written permission of the publisher.

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Devine Destinies, an imprint of eXtasy Books Inc

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Frozen Necessity

Eternals Book Five

By

Evi Asher

Dedication

To Daddy, I hope you are up in heaven looking down and seeing this, and I hope you are proud. 

Chapter One

“What do you mean a
shotgun wedding
?” Colt knew what the council was trying to do, but he needed to hear it from them. Out there,
blunt, in your face betrayal
.

“You want me to say it clearly, so I will.” Sarah frowned, and Colt could see she wasn’t pleased with the way things were unfolding.

“You
will
marry Angelica, the woman you hold captive. You will make her your wife as humans do, and your mate as the Therin polar bears do.”

“You have all gone mad,” Colt declared, and he could feel the vein at his temple throbbing with his anger. “I’ve told you what was done to me by this woman you want me to marry. How can you expect me to share my life with her?”

He slammed his fist down onto the table. “How can you
insist
I marry my rapist?”

“Calm down, Colt.” Hamish didn’t raise his voice.

Colt wanted to stalk over to the old human and rip his head from his neck.

“Don’t tell me to calm down! You are telling me I have no choice that I have to marry that…” He whipped an arm out at shoulder height, pointing in the direction of his cabin. “…that thing.”

Sarah slammed her palms down on the table and rose to her full height, pulling her shoulders back. “That. Is.
Enough!”

Colt could see she was waiting for him to say something, so he drew a breath and bit down on the next thing he wanted to say.

“Colt.” Her tone was hushed, bringing calm with it like the soft hiss of an ocean breeze. “We all love you, and we have argued amongst ourselves about this." She waved a hand in a gesture that included the other members of the group. "But in the end, we believe, this is the best thing for you.”

“You have no right to choose a wife for me. Things like that died out in the dark ages.”

“And you know very well that the council has that power,” Sarah interjected.

“Oh, you have done your homework, knowing that law was only for times of war.” A feeling of defeat sank to the pit of his stomach. If he had been anyone other than the leader of the village, he wouldn’t have to follow that stupid damn law.

But this was no human village. It was an Eternal village that followed laws laid down by Eternal ancestors, and those laws trapped Colt.

“Don’t try that one, Colt. The language of the laws says nothing about war.” Sarah had the audacity to smile. The old woman knew she had him.

“The intent was there.”

Sarah raised her hands making a tossing gesture. “Intent, shemt. The law is the law.” 

“And if I refuse to marry her?”
He knew the answer.

Hamish cleared his throat. “We will strip you of your leadership role, and exile you into the cold.”

Colt took a moment to pin each of the council members with a stare, and every one of them broke it first, some looking away with guilt etched on their faces, some looking resigned.

While he gave them all dirty looks, his mind raced.

“If I left and took her with me?”

“Angelica stays, Colt,” Sarah warned.

He’d have to fight his friends and people for her. No revenge was worth alienating those you loved. He was far gone, but not that far gone. He could still have his revenge. He’d marry her and make her life a living hell. A slow evil looking smile curled on his lips.

“Okay, Sarah, you win. You can have your wedding.” 

Sarah looked at his expression and he could see she was worried. Colt didn’t care. If they wanted to put Geli in his hands to have and to hold, so be it. He would do what they wanted, but in his way.

“I’ll come fetch you when the hall is ready.” Sarah dismissed him.

“Wait. You want to have the wedding today?” He felt shock course through him.

Sarah shrugged. “Why wait?”

Not even one-day’s reprieve before they shackled him to that monster for life.

Colt started stripping off his clothes as he walked to the door.

He yanked it open as Sarah called out after him. “Don’t sulk too long, Colt. You might miss your wedding.” 

The door handle crumbled in his fist. He heard Sarah’s sigh and ignored her.

He wanted to let the bear in him free and transform with a roar, and then run through the forest. As his bear, he could think, or rather, not think. He could lose himself in the snow, the wind, and the trees. He could be free. Right now, he
needed
to be free. First, he'd stop over at Jericho's place, have a bath, and shave. He didn't want to do it in his cabin. Because Angelica was there and he wanted to wring her neck, it was best if he stayed far away from her for now.

He couldn't get over it. They were going to make him marry Geli and he was annoyed that that part of him was…
happy
about it. He couldn’t understand where the emotion was coming from, and he didn’t know why it felt right to be marrying her. All he’d wanted from her was vengeance, but he wouldn’t let them deny him that. No, Angelica was going to suffer more than he ever had in that tiny cell, stripped naked and lashed to a bed. He would make sure of that.

* * * *

A knock on the door startled Angelica. She thought Colt was back, but then she realized Colt wouldn’t bother knocking, oaf that he was.

She looked over at Michael and whispered, “You’d best make yourself scarce.” 

The ghost vanished in a puff of vapor. Angelica had learned to watch for the soft misting in the air that said Michael was near.

The knock at the door came again and Angelica called out, “You can come in.”

The door opened to a group of people. A woman bundled up in fur led the way, and behind her were three burly looking men. She had something draped over her arms, but what was in her hands was what got all Angelica’s attention. She carried a plate filled with steaming food, meat, and potato and…Angelica’s mouth watered, and it was all she could do not to fixate on the food and forget to look up at the woman carrying it.

“I'm Kanlee. I've brought you a bath. Where can I place the tub for you?” the woman asked.

“Huh?” Angelica felt like an idiot for her eloquent response and blushed.

Kanlee laughed. “Let’s try that again. Hello, Angelica, I’m Kanlee, and Sarah sent me to set up a nice warm bath for you.” She pointed at the tub one of the men was carrying. “And bring you some food.” She handed the plate over and Angelica took it from her, blushing again when her stomach let out a loud growl of hunger. She tried to cover the sound.

“You are an angel. A bath would be heavenly” Angelica hadn’t bathed or washed properly since this ordeal began, and she would have committed crime for a good bath. “Can we put it in that room?” She pointed at the room Colt had told her would be hers. She didn’t have to tell Kanlee that it was her new prison.

“Of course.” Kanlee directed the men and they deposited the wooden tub into the room next to the fire, and then started filling it with water so hot, steam rose from it. 

Angelica sighed in anticipation. The smell of the food wafting from the plate in her hands was making her ravenous.

“We will leave you to your bath and food,” Kanlee said, and then looked down at her arms. “Oh, I almost forgot. Here are some clean clothes. I’m sure they should fit you, and I think you will be happy to get rid of the tatty robes you are wearing.” 

Angelica looked down, a blush suffusing her cheeks.
Tatty
was a nice way of saying that her robes were a mess. They were torn, dirty, and frayed, the original color long since gone, now hidden under a layer of dirt.

“Thank you,” she said, bowing her head to hide the color in her cheeks.

“I’ll leave them here.” Kanlee put the clothes down on the wooden bench, then said, “I’ll be back later, but for now, enjoy your bath.”

She followed the men out of the small cabin and Angelica breathed a sigh and started eating with a ravenous intensity. Colt had fed her well on the way to the village, but one could not survive on protein alone. She’d missed the trimmings that went with meat.

When she’d finished eating, she felt full and satisfied for the first time in ages. Angelica picked up the clean clothes and moved them to the bearskin blanket in her prison-room. She noticed there was a large towel with it and soap, and even a comb. She sent a blessing out to Kanlee and put everything down in a neat pile, then started to strip off her disgusting robes.

Even though the fire was hot in the fireplace, and the air was warm in her room, it was still cold enough to raise gooseflesh on her skin.

Angelica rubbed her arms and stepped into the tub. Her eyelids went half-mast at the decadence of the hot water and she slowly sank into the wooden tub.

It was going to be a tight fit. The tub wasn’t that large, but she hiked up her knees and sank down under the water as deep as she could go. The warm liquid swirled up around her shoulders and Angelica moaned in pleasure.

Only then did she realize she’d just stripped in front of a window with no covering. She blushed at the thought.

Who cares, I want the bath more than I care about my modesty right now.

She reached for the soap and lathered up the cloth, then proceeded to scrub her skin until it glowed.

It was good to feel full and clean. Angelica sank further back, washed her hair, then pulled the wet locks on top of her head and laid back as far as she could.

The tub was right next to the fire, but by now, the water was cool and Angelica didn’t want to get out. However with her stomach full of food and the contented clean feeling, she had the energy to heat her body temperature to the point that the water started to bubble and boil around her. Satisfied that the water was hot enough, Angelica stopped heating it and lay back with her eyes closed and a sigh of contentment.