energy of the brooks, on the sweetness of the grass, on the power of the brother next to him.
And he jumped.
Chapter Thirty-Eight
The ride was impossibly long and complex until Ivar barely twisted a hard left and then squeezed through the final vortex that tossed him around so violently his teeth cut into his mouth. It hadn’t been that tight before. He landed on ice and skidded several yards. He covered his head to protect it, but shards of ice slashed up and tore his thighs to shit. He finally came to a stop, his body freezing. He shoved himself to his feet, perched precariously between two blade-sharp pieces of ice. Something howled in the distance. He blinked, shivering. This was the wrong world.
Quade’s world had held jagged rocks surrounded by lava and the stench of burning sulfur. Ivar looked up. The sky was a swelling purple and the atmosphere painfully heavy. Wait a minute. That was familiar. As were the brutal burnt-gold color of the trees, but now thick icicles bent their massive branches.
Where was the lava?
He slid over the ice toward the forest, avoiding the sharp blades the best he could. Either this was a twin world with opposite weather, or things had changed. Just how much time had passed in this world during the last three months of earth time? He clambered through the trees, avoiding the sharp branches.
A crack popped from high up, and the sky seemed to open, showing red on the other side. Wait a minute. This had happened before, but there had been silver. The crack was wider and stayed for longer this time. Then it closed.
A body dropped from high up, landing in front of him. The figure was covered from head to toe in fur, including a mask.
“Quade?” Ivar asked, settling into a fighting stance, even though he was bleeding from both legs.
Quade ripped off the mask, his eyes a burning aqua. He looked Ivar up and down. “Vike?”
“Yes.” Ivar moved to him. “You’re still alive.” He looked around. “Where’s all the lava?”
“World changed.” Quade shook his head, and his long black hair swung in clumps. “Why are you here? I saved you. Sent you home.”
A creature howled in the distance, sounding closer than before.
Ivar tensed. “I made it home, and now I’m back. Need to take you home.”
“Can’t go.” Quade motioned for Ivar to follow him. “The fire is coming. Hurry.”
Fire? It was all ice. But he’d been through this before, so he ducked his head and followed Quade through the ice field to another forest made of burnt trees holding branches with razor-sharp bark. Now all of it glimmered with ice everywhere, which only served to sharpen the bark. Quade took several different trails, winding around and finally reaching a series of tall rocks.
They climbed, hand over hand, to reach the same cave as before.
Ivar panted, trying to heal all his cuts. He dumped out the backpack and set the odd boxes along the far wall to record whatever it was Promise wanted.
Quade sat and leaned against the smooth rock of the cave. “What the fuck are you doing back here?”
A complete sentence. So the Kayrs brother did know how to speak.
Ivar sucked in air. He’d forgotten about the difference in gravity or altitude or pretty damn much everything. He retrieved the devices to put back inside the pack. “I’ve been gone three months. How long has it been for you?”
Quade shook his head. “Centuries? Long enough for the lava to dry up and then turn to ice. The creatures still live, though.” He reached for what looked like dried jerky. “Hungry?”
“No.” Ivar looked toward the entrance. “When Ronan’s bubble burst, it changed yours and Ulric’s.”
“Yeah.” Quade chewed thoughtfully, looking more barbarian than vampire. “The cracks in the sky are longer, and I’ve seen Ulric. We’re getting closer to each other. Soon we’ll collide.” He scratched his neck. “Will we get the chance to fight or just die?” He didn’t sound concerned about either possibility.
“Which do you want?” Ivar asked, curious.
“Doesn’t matter so long as Ulric dies,” Quade said, ripping off another piece and dropping parts in his overly long beard. “I stopped feeling a long time ago. Millenia or two. Maybe more.” He focused, his eyes so much like Ronan’s it hurt to look at them. “Ronan is well.”
“Mated and happy. Wants you home.”
“This is home,” Quade said. Fire flashed across the rock entrance, throwing intense heat inside that boiled their skin.