Page 32 of Blades of Ice

“Never, but unlike Amara, they didn’t toss their mates aside. When they chose their males, they completed the Ursina bond. Granted, the females didn’t complete the bond until they had at least two female offspring, ensuring there was someone to pass the crown to. Back then, they lived in remote areas of the country where their aging wasn’t as much a factor as it is now.”

“Why do you think Amara didn’t give Boyd the Ursina bond?”

“Because he’s a dick? I don’t know. My sisters probably do since they’re close with Amara, but as her son, she never spoke of personal things with me.”

“Did the younger sisters ever feel like they’d be better suited as Queen? I’m assuming Amara has a younger sister. What if she’s decided it’s her turn?”

“I’m sure they felt that way at some point, but in our family, tradition is a huge part of the culture. They would never challenge their sister. At least they haven’t so far. And yes, Amara had a younger sister, but my Aunt Tanya was killed about fifty years ago by some poachers when she was in her shifted form.”

The plane dipped as Lydia said, “I’m sorry.”

Beck didn’t appear worried about the turbulence, even though the snow was getting heavier. “Thank you, but that happened years before I came along, so I never knew her. And she was my mother’s only female sibling, making Amara the only option until she decides she’s had enough and passes the crown to Delaney.”

“And does Chloe agree with the same traditions?”

“As far as I know. She’s never indicated otherwise. As loud and confrontational as Delaney can be, Chloe’s the opposite. She’s this happy, go-with-the-flow female most of the time. Not that I see her outside of work.”

“I don’t see Locke that often either, but he knows I love him. You need to prepare yourself for my Clan. Cousins are more like siblings, and friends are like cousins. There’s not one member of our extended family who won’t welcome you with open arms and make you feel like you’re one of us.”

Before Beck could respond, someone came through the radio alerting him to a change in the weather. Beck thanked him using pilot lingo and conveyed he would land on the sound and sail the rest of the way in.

Lydia trusted Beck. She did, but she also prayed they never flew through snow again. Now she understood why commercial planes were downed during inclement weather. This shit was ridiculous. The small Cessna bounced around like a butterfly in a windstorm. She may have closed her eyes and prayed. She also may have let out a squeak when a strong gust pushed against them.

Once they were safely on the water, she opened her eyes and blew out a breath.

“Piece of cake,” Beck assured her.

“If you say so. I think I peed my pants.” The water wasn’t nearly as rough as the sky, but it was choppy as hell, and this was the first time in her life she wanted to be away from it. She lovedthe water, whether it was swimming, floating, riding jet skis on the lake, or going out on a Clan member’s boat to hang out in the sun for the day. Still, she sucked it up, thankful to be out of the air.

It took much longer to get to Valdez via water, and by the time Beck berthed the plane in a rented slip, Lydia was ready for a hot shower, followed by a hearty meal in front of a roaring fire. Before leaving the lodge in Sterling, Lydia researched vacation rentals in and around Valdez. Since they had no idea how long it would take to find whoever called, they needed a base of operations, and Lydia insisted it be something homier than a basic hotel room. When he complained of the cost, she reminded Becktheyhad plenty of money, even going so far as to show him her savings and investment accounts. After he picked his jaw off the floor, she then suggested what they could do in front of a fireplace, naked. He didn’t argue afterward.

Lydia bundled up while Beck shrugged on his new jacket before shouldering their bags. After asking one of the men working the marina where to wait for a ride, they headed that direction. Beck had a message from Delaney waiting on his cell, but he didn’t listen. He wouldn’t until they were somewhere private. Their car arrived soon after they got to the waiting spot, and the ride to their rental took less than ten minutes. Lydia retrieved the email from the property manager and entered the code on the front door. It wasn’t a large home, but it had all the amenities they needed. Except food. While Beck placed their bags in the bedroom, Lydia opened her phone to see what restaurants offered delivery until she and Beck could get groceries.

“Hey, Bear, what do you feel like for supper?” she called out.

Beck returned to the living room and pressed his front to her back. “I’m not picky.” He set his chin on her shoulder, and Lydia scrolled through options.

“Most of these restaurants don’t deliver, so I’ll have to use the Driving Diner app. How about this Asian Fusion place?”

“Sounds good. Pull up their menu.”

Lydia did, and after deciding what they wanted, she placed the order. “We’ll need to get groceries tomorrow.”

“Instead of buying things that could spoil while we’re gone, let’s focus on getting items we can take with us. Things like protein bars and trail mix. We’ll need matches to start a fire if we can find any dry wood. I can hunt for our main source of food or if we’re close enough to water, I can catch fish.”

Lydia hadn’t thought much on what would happen while they were out searching, but she should have when Beck packed a tent. “We’re going primitive?”

“It’s not like we’ll have a hotel or restaurant in the middle of nowhere, and that’s where the coordinates indicate. If all else fails, we can sleep in the Cessna. We’ll need to scope out the area before we rent snowmobiles. Once on foot, it’s going to be rough going, Sugar. If you want to stay here while I search, I won’t blame you. In fact, I’d prefer it.”

Lydia’s heart melted, but she was determined. If her mother could travel to Egypt alone, Lydia could traipse through the snow with her mate. “Thank you for that, but where you go, I go. We’re a team.”

Beck’s face softened, and then he kissed her. Just when things started to heat up between them, someone knocked on the door.

Chapter 14

Beck had reservationsabout dragging his mate into the wilderness, but he wouldn’t disrespect her by insisting she remain behind. He knew too well what it felt like to be considered less than, and he would never give Lydia the impression he thought she wasn’t tough enough to handle whatever life threw her way. She had trained from a young age. She had been through a battle for her Clan. Lydiawastough, and he would do everything in his power to keep her safe. If he could only do something about her nightmares. She’d woken both mornings with a start, and Beck did what he could to ease her out of them.

The night before, they finally got around to making love in front of the fire, but not before Carleigh called with better coordinates. No, not better. More accurate. Better would have been closer to Valdez, not farther away. Beck didn’t know the terrain where they were headed, so renting a snowmobile was out. Not until they got a lay of the land, and that meant walking. If only he could have flown the helo, they’d be able to cover more ground.

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