CHAPTER: 11. RUN AWAY BOY (1)

EZRA'S POV

Cole knocked 3 times before I could just pretend I wasn't home at all.

"I can hear you breathing just fine, Ezra. Get the fuck out and stop living that introvert life." He yelled so much that I feared he would draw a lot of attention to my abode. I stared at the ceiling.

"That's a concerning level of confidence."

"Open this door now, young man! You look like something the city chewed up and I am not letting you play tomorrow looking like that."

I eventually gave in and answered the door. He looked me over at once. He was in a grey jacket, hands in his pockets, and wearing the expression of someone who had already decided how this conversation was going to end.

"You slept all throughout the day," he said. It wasn't a question.

"I am fine."

"I don't think so. You have the eyes of a man who has been staring at match footage since midnight and forgot to eat." He stepped back from the door. "Let's go."

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The market was two blocks away and had too many people in it on a Saturday morning. Cole moved through it as if he had a list memorised, which he did, pulling things from shelves and dropping them into the basket without breaking stride or the conversation he was having with me.

I hated coming to the market alone because it only reinforced my fears of being found.

"So, Ice Princes From Hell." He mentioned.

"What about them?"

"You've watched their footage, right?"

"Yeah."

"What do you have to say about them? Are they stronger than us? I know they are pretty new but I have heard rumors from their opponents. They are not ordinary."

"Possibly." I kept my pace beside him.

"I feel like they are weird, especially the main four of the team. They are coordinated in a way that isn't normal… and the way they never showed their faces…”

"You don't mean team work, do you? How can that be abnormal?"

I sighed, not knowing how exactly to explain to him what I was thinking.

"Yeah. That's right.” Cole dropped the item he was holding inside the basket and went quiet for a second before looking at me sideways.

"What do you think? Can we beat them?" He questioned, getting a bit worked up.

I didn't hesitate. "Yes."

"Really?"

"I am certain."

"That's why I trust you. You are always one step ahead. I am truly honoured to play by your side more than anyone else." He winked and I slightly hit his shoulders.

"Stop talking."

He laughed genuinely and walked forward. "What else will you be needing? The days are about to get a bit serious. There won't be any chance to come back here."

As we continued shopping, I wanted to tell Cole about what was happening to me. He was the only friend that I had managed to get close to in five months and that took me in like a real brother. He was really patient with me and hadn't forced me to reveal my background to him.

Hiding something this important from him was very bad of me.

But this wasn't the right spot.

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The arena was loud before we even got to the tunnel. I could feel it through the floor. Just from the impact of the noise, I knew there was a big crowd out there. Maybe a bit bigger than usual. I sat in the locker room, laced my skates while trying to keep my breathing even.

The heat was still there, sitting at a very low persistent pressure for four days and the last suppressant I'd taken this morning had done the job it always did now, which was less than it used to. I had one left. Just one. And I had made the decisions last night that I was saving it for after the game because I needed to be functional on the ice and functional after it and one dose could only do one of those things at this point.

So, I was managing. I am here now. There was no Caius to help me out. I would be fine. I'd always been fine.

Cole tapped my shoulder pad on his way past. "Let's go."

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The ice was really bright. I came out of the tunnel and the noise of the crowd hit like a wall. I smiled and tried my best to wave back at the fans who were excited by our cool entrance.

I ran a slow loop and let my body settle. Then the other team came out. My eyes caught on the four of them that led the line and I felt goosebumps crawl through my skin. For a few seconds, I was actually powerless and I didn't know how to move. I just stared. My heart felt heavy for no reason.

Something in the air had changed. I knew the team had to be mixed. After all, this was Voss City. All sorts of people lived here.

They moved onto the ice in a line and the crowd also responded. I kept moving and just kept my eyes forward.

The warm up was over and it was time for the game to start.

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For a few minutes, it was just a tense game. I was in it the way I was always in it. My team was tight and Cole was sharp on my left. The defensive line was holding. Not bad.

But then the formation shifted subtly. It wouldn't have registered clearly on the broadcast but I was on the ice and I felt it. The four of them repositioned, not in response to the puck but in response to something else.

Me.

Wherever I moved, the geometry of their positioning shifted to account for it.

It was almost as if I was being cornered. I looked through their eyes. They had masks that covered their faces but left their eyes uncovered and something in them just struck me.

It felt intentional and I was losing my grip on reality as my eyes moved from one person to another.

Their movements were painfully intentional and very much confusingly for me as things started to click in for me. My heart rate climbed.

The puck moved up the ice and for a second, the pressure eased and I sucked in a breath.

'You're imagining it. Focus.'

I pushed forward. Cole sent the puck wide and I went for it, hit the boards, and came off clean, turning up ice. For one clear second, I had the lane and took it.

And then number twenty-two was there. As I pulled up, he turned his head and looked at me directly through his visor and my world narrowed. The crowd noise suddenly reduced in my head and my chest contracted. My stride actually broke for half a step before I recovered it.

I tried my best to focus again but before I even knew what was happening, they had it. The Ice Princes had won the first shot. Disappointment and fear wasted through me. As I stood right in the middle of the ring, I watched one of the four skate towards me and then stopped. He removed the visor and gently pulled the mask just below his chin.

My eyes shot wide open as soon as I saw who it was. My mouth automatically hung open and my stick dropped from my hand. I knew that face. It belonged to Lucian. He winked at me, wore back the mask and visor before skating off away from me.

I staggered a little as I turned a bit dizzy.

No, this can't be. They can't be here.

I was still in disbelief but when I raised my head and fixed my eyes on the boys again. Everything suddenly began to make sense. The hunch. The uncomfortable feeling. My Heat. The goosebumps since I began watching their matches.

It was because they were the 'vampiric' siblings.

They found me.

They had come for me.