Kiss of Frost (The Dragon Stone Saga Book 1)(2)

"I don't even know where Mom finds all of this stuff."

"I know. It's like she's got a sixth sense about it." Jem laughs, holding up an old mirror. "Do you remember when she used to take us with her just to pull her wagons full of stuff for her?"

"How could I forget? My body hurts just thinking about it." I pause, smiling at the memories. "We got some cool stuff though. And my closet thanked me for it."

"Right? We were the best-dressed teens in the whole town."

"Yeah, we were." We talk back and forth about our adventures on weekends and holidays, the trip down memory lane helping us pass the time while we search for the proverbial needle in a haystack.

Hours later, I push my arms above my head, stretching my sore back and rubbing at my neck. "Are you sure that the box she's looking for is here and not at the shop?" I ask, praying that's the case.

"She said it was here. Trust me, she already destroyed the storeroom looking for it."

"What's the deal with this jewelry? Is it worth a million dollars?" It's not like they need the money. Jem's family comes from old southern money and her mom's store has been featured all over as the best place to find what you're looking for.

"She just said it was important we find it in time."

"In time for what?"

"Who the hell knows." Jem closes up another box, blowing her bangs off of her forehead with an aggravated breath. "Want to call it a day? You know how Mom is, everything is urgent, and your allergies are obviously bad."

"Sure. Might as well." I sneeze again and try not to scratch at my chest. I need a shower to get all the dust off me.

We'll pick it up tomorrow. I'll bring doughnuts." Jem smiles.

"With the—"

"Yes, with the sprinkles." Jem laughs.

"You know me so well." I grab my giant purse and head for the door, waving as I head to my little studio apartment above the shop.

I throw my keys into the bowl Ann, Jem's mom, insisted belongs in this space before I toe off my shoes, grab a water bottle, and flop belly down on the couch. A few minutes into whatever happened to be on and I'm out like a light.



A loud metallic clang echoes outside my windows. I jump up and look through the water drops decorating the glass, the moonless night making it hard to see past the stairs leading up to my apartment. There's a shadow just a bit farther down the alley behind the shop. Metal screeches against metal again and I grab the gun I keep locked up by the door in case of emergencies. I tiptoe down the wooden steps outside my apartment and stay as hidden as possible as I creep closer to the potential robber.

Feet away, I stop, listening as they mutter under their breath, but I can’t make it out through the sound of the rain hitting the asphalt. I can't quite tell if it's a male or a female, but I don't hesitate. I raise my gun and point it squarely at them.

"I'm armed! Stop what you're doing and walk away!" Thankfully my voice doesn't shake, because the longer I stand here the more I'm sure my legs are going to give out.

The robber turns, and I see a flash of green eyes from the streetlights behind me. They hold their hands above their head and I bravely take a step forward, my heart pounding.

The potential robber lifts their hands, slowly reaching for the hood of their sweatshirt.

"Slowly." I inch forward another step.

The black hood falls back and I'm face-to-face with a young girl. Maybe fifteen or sixteen, I'd guess. She's got sharp features, her chin jutted forward with defiance, and her beauty is something women would pay millions for.

"Please don't hurt me," she whispers. "They said if I call the cops, they'll kill her." Her voice shakes along with her entire body.

I eye her up and down, seeing if I can spot any weapons. "Are you armed?"

"Only with a lock pick." She lowers her arms and shifts from side to side. "Please, they have my mother."

My heart softens despite my efforts to keep it hardened against this child in front of me. "Who does?"

"They do. They sent me here to get them something they want. I don't know who they are. They just showed up and took them." Her words come out in a desperate rush and I remind myself to stay cautious just a little longer.

"Who are these people?" I ask suspiciously. She's not giving me much to go on and I'm intrigued but skeptical. I reach out with my magic but don't feel any malice from the girl. Only desperation and sadness.

"I don't know. They broke into our house and have my mom and my little sister. They said they were after something powerful and that we're the only ones who can get it for them. I just want to keep them safe." Her shoulders hunch and she wipes at her face.

Can I trust her? Powerful men who need a teenager to find something? I can feel a bit of magic around her, but I can't tell if she's playing me or if she's just unaware of the fact that she has any power at all.

"Can you show me what they're looking for? Maybe I've seen it and I can get it for you and this can all be over." I try to keep my voice light and positive, but every action movie ever is playing in my head. The villains get what they want and they kill the family to tie up loose ends. If I give this girl what they want, does the same fate wait for her and her family?