Lahat ng Kabanata ng ICE AND ARROGANCE : Kabanata 211 - Kabanata 220

(Kane)The engine of the little midnight-black motorbike hummed a low, vibrating purr against the concrete floor of the subterranean tunnel. With the arena”s security protocols temporarily bypassed, we slipped out of the loading dock and into the cool, damp night air, completely escaping the flashing cameras, the suffocating telemetry boards, and the toxic wreckage of Caleb”s VIP suite.Danica rode upfront, her small frame leaned low over the handlebars, her laughter cut by the rushing wind. I sat right behind her on the compact seat, my long legs bracketed around her hips, my hands resting lightly over hers on the throttles to guide her through the dark, winding access roads behind the Apex complex.We didn't go back to the dorms. We couldn't. Tonight, the air was too thick with expectations, and my chest was too heavy with the weight of the draft contract folded inside my discarded gear bag. Instead, I guided her toward the old, decommissioned training facility on the eastern edge o

(Danica)Twenty minutes later, the low, guttural purr of the custom motorbike cut out.Kane coasted the machine to a halt a full block away from 114 Oak Street, keeping us safely in the deep shadows of the overgrown maples lining the curb. The morning light was still weak, painting the quiet residential street in cold shades of blue and grey."I'm leaving the keys with you," Kane murmured, his hands lingering over mine on the handlebars before he stepped off the compact bike. "Keep it in the old utility shed behind the garage. Caleb never goes back there. It’s yours, Dani. Your escape pod."I looked down at the matte-black machine, my heart swelling. "You're not riding it to your meeting?""I'll hail a ride from the corner. I don't want Caleb's people seeing me anywhere near this block," he said, his expression hardening as he glanced toward the looming silhouette of the hockey house down the street. He leaned down, pressing his lips to mine in a brief, fierce kiss that tasted of un

(Danica)By 8:00 AM, the morning sun was fully up, casting a bright, merciless glare over the district.I sat at a small corner table of the quiet, low-lit cafe directly across the street from the grand brick-and-stone archway of Harrison University. My heavy duffel bag rested against my shins under the table, a physical weight matching the numb exhaustion settling deep in my chest. On the polished wooden surface sat an untouched, lukewarm cup of black coffee and my phone.I had tried calling Kane three times.Each time, the call went straight to voicemail, the mechanical tone flat and uncaring. I gripped the phone a little tighter, a familiar pang of longing and worry tightening in my throat. I knew why he wasn't answering”or at least, I thought I did. I assumed he was still caught up in the high-stakes, post-game administrative chaos of last night”s grueling victory in Game 9. I figured he was stuck in meetings with coaches, or perhaps dealing with the fallout of the team's victory

(Danica)The heat from our bodies was still trapped beneath the heavy white duvet, but the air in the room had suddenly turned ice-cold.I kept my head resting on Kane”s chest, listening to the steady, rapid thud of his heartbeat. His arm was wrapped tightly around my shoulder, his fingers digging into my bare skin with a fierce, almost desperate pressure. It felt like he was trying to anchor me to him, as if the slightest loosening of his grip would cause me to evaporate into the quiet space of this townhouse.This was supposed to be our sanctuary. I had finally fled 114 Oak Street”the Harrison hockey house”escaping Caleb”s suffocating, toxic control. We were never supposed to be together; he was the star center for the Wolves, and I belonged to Harrison, his fiercest rivals. Our relationship was a dangerous, unspoken line crossed in the dirt of this college hockey war."What about the scholarship?" I whispered, my hand tracing the line of his collarbone. "Is there a problem with the

(Danica)The darkness didn't bring rest, only a fragmented blur of ice, shouting crowds, and the phantom sound of Kane”s skates cutting through the rink. Every time I closed my eyes, I was falling.The harsh vibration of my phone against the mattress dragged me back to the cold reality of the bedroom. My eyelids felt heavy, coated in sand, but the screen was flashing a name that made my failing heart skip a beat.Kane.With shaking fingers, I slid the receiver to my ear and pressed the phone to my face."Kane..." I breathed, the name scraping against my raw throat."Dani."His voice didn't sound like the fierce, unbreakable captain of the Wolves. It cracked, thin and completely shattered. Through the line, I could hear the low, wet shudder of his breath”the sound of him crying, miles away, trapped in a car driving him further into exile."I'm so sorry, Dani," he choked out, the raw agony in his voice cutting deeper than my fever. "I just got off the phone with Riot. He told me. He tol