Frozen Necessity by Evi Asher

calm down. Yelling at the stubborn male was not going to get her the help her friends needed.
    “I need your help.”
    She must have surprised him, because he turned on the couch, and pinned her with a stare. “What?”
    She swallowed audibly and spoke a little louder. “My friends are lost in the blizzard, two of them are phoenix, and they are going to die if we don’t go find them.”
    He stared at her saying nothing, and his silence made Angelica fidget with nerves.
    “How do you know this?” His glare was scary. Angelica stepped back, and then realized what she’d done. She lifted her chin and squared her shoulders. “I contacted them. Please help me find them.”
    “You what?” He rose in a swift motion and walked around the couch to tower over her.
    “I’m not saying it again. There is nothing wrong with your hearing.”
    “How did you contact them?” he demanded.
    “It doesn’t matter, Colt. They need help.”
    “And I’m not helping you until you answer my questions,” he answered in a low growl.
    Angelica gritted her teeth against arguing more. “I used the fire. I can talk to another phoenix as long as they are near an open flame.”
    He nodded, but didn’t say anything.
    “Please help them, Colt, I think they are close.”
    “What makes you think that?”
    She took in a deep breath. It was difficult for her to tell him everything. She felt like she was giving the little bit of power she had away. “I don’t think they would have come through so clearly if they had been far away.”
    “You don’t think?”
    “I don’t know. I wasn’t even sure I could use the fire to communicate with them until I tried it and it worked.”
    “You were trying to get them to come rescue you.” It wasn’t s question.
    Angelica kept quiet.
    “Geli.” His voice held a note of warning.
    “Yes, damn it, okay, yes. I wanted them to come fetch me.”
    He stepped closer, forcing her to tilt her head back so she could keep eye contact. “You will not be leaving me, Angelica.”
    “You can’t make me stay.” She had to argue with him. Her hands went to her hips as if they had a will of their own, and she glared at him.
    He surprised her when he started laughing. “So strong, but not strong enough, Gelibean—you bear my rune. You are mine, and I won’t ever give up something that belongs to me.”
    “I…” Angelica started to argue with him, but changed her mind. There was no point. She would prove him wrong with her actions.
    “They need your help. Please, Colt, I can’t do this on my own.”
    She wondered if it was her please that moved him because he stepped back.
    “How many are there and did they tell you where they are?”
    “There are four of them, and no, but they described the surrounding area. They don’t know where they are.”
    “Tell me.”
    Angelica described the fallen down cabin and a few of the surrounding landmarks.
    Colt kept quiet as she spoke.
    “Do you have any clue where that is?” she asked him as she finished speaking.
    He ignored her and walked towards the door.
    “Colt!”
    He turned and looked back at her, his dark curls falling to cover one eye. “I’ll get them out the blizzard, Geli, but you won’t be seeing them again.”
    He yanked the door open and strode out, pulling it closed behind him as Angelica stood there unable to think of anything to say.
     
    * * * *
     
    Colt got the snowmobile out of the shed and drove it to Jericho’s cabin.
    His friend stuck his head out the door when he heard the engine approaching.
    “Get your ride, we have a search and rescue to do.”
    Colt was glad when Jericho didn’t argue, but just nodded and ducked back inside for warmer clothing. He must have gone out the back, because he came roaring around the side of the cabin in his skidoo.
    “We are going to need more space.”
    “I’ll go get Clint and meet you here in five,” Jericho said as he sped off north into the village.
    Colt wished he’d gone with Jericho. He