Page 64 of Blades of Ice

When Beck’s white body leaned against her legs, Lydia pointed a bloody dagger at Orson’s unmoving form. “Nobody attacks my mate.” When Beck nudged her with his snout, Lydiatransferred both blades to her left hand so she could dig her right one into Beck’s red-tinged fur. “You’re hurt.” Her hand went from scraping through fur to grabbing Beck’s ass when he returned to his skin.

“I’m fine, Sugar.” Lydia observed his leg where Orson dug his claws in. It was already knitting back together. “Are you okay?”

“Yeah, he didn’t touch me.”

“No, I mean…” Beck tapped a finger against her temple.

“Why wouldn’t—?” Lydia caught on to his meaning. She turned to look at Orson who was now in his human form with deep gouges in his stomach. The male wasn’t moving, and after staring at his chest, she realized he wasn’t breathing. Lydia had taken another life. She waited for the guilt to overwhelm her, but it didn’t happen. She had defended her mate as well as herself. Orson had intended to kill Lydia, so no, she didn’t feel bad about doing it to him first.

“I’m good. I promise.” Beck cupped the back of her head and pulled her in for a closed-mouth kiss.

“I hope you’re still good.” Dooley strode up carrying Kennedy in one arm while dragging Chloe behind with the other. He dumped Chloe next to Orson. Her head was twisted at an odd angle. “Bitch went after my mate.” He set Kennedy on her feet and put himself between her and the others. He palmed her face, tipping her head to the side. A bloody stripe bisected her cheek. The claw mark was half an inch away from Kennedy’s eye.

“I’ll be fine if you let me shift,” Kennedy groused.

“In a minute. Beckett, please turn around.” Dooley retrieved a canteen and a hand towel, then proceeded to wipe the blood from her cheek.

“Why aren’t you in your fur?” Lydia asked her friend.

“My mate made me shift to see the damage.” Kennedy stood still while Dooley dabbed at her cheek.

“Never again.” Dooley dipped his head and softly pressed their lips together. “I’m taking you home, and we’re hiding out for a week. No, two. Fuck.”

“I concur.” Beck pulled Lydia to him and buried his face in her neck, inhaling deeply. Wanting to kiss her properly, he leaned back. “I don’t suppose you have a toothbrush in your pack?”

Chapter 25

Lydia called Carleighto cancel the hardware order. Her cousin’s response when Lydia relayed the events of the past half hour? “Fuckin’ hell.”

“My sentiments exactly.”

Carleigh stopped typing to give Lydia her complete attention. “How are you doing with it?”

Lydia rested between Beck’s thighs with her back to his chest. His strong arms were banded around her. “This was different than what happened with Tinsley. It was either him or me, and I chose me.”

“Glad to hear it. What happens now?” Carleigh returned to tapping her keyboard.

“Now, we wait on Jon to come get us. Beck and I are going back to the rental for a few days, and when he’s at full strength, we’re going to look for Amara. Since it’s going to be late when we get there, we’ll all sleep, and then we’re going to ask Jon to take Dooley and Kennedy to Kodiak in the helo since he’s never piloted a seaplane. Beck and I will drop the Cessna off in Seward, then take the helo back up. We still aren’t one-hundred-percent certain about Boyd’s involvement, so Dooley thinks you or he should devise your own cryptic message letting Boyd know the baby bear will never again eat porridge, or something to that effect.”

“Yeah, we can do that. Is Beck going to tell Delaney?”

“Nope. He’s done with her. Boyd can fill her in, or Amara can once we track her down.”

“You think Amara’s going to be okay with what happened? Chloe was her daughter.”

“Beck said she’ll handle it as a queen and not as a mother. Once we locate her, we’re heading home. If we haven’t found her by the end of the year, we’re coming back regardless. I’m not missing Gio’s birth.”

“Yes! I need to see your face. Now can I tell Bas what you’ve been up to?”

“Nah. I’ll tell him myself when Beck and I visit the lodge. I figure he and Dakota won’t yell as much if there are others around.”

“Sneaky. I like it. It sounds like you’ve got everything under control. Tell Jon to call me, and I’ll arrange a flight for him out of Anchorage.”

“Will do.”

Lydia rubbed her hands over Beck’s arms as she enjoyed the wonder of the Aurora Borealis. She would miss the wide-open sky with its light show and millions of stars when they left Alaska. Beck had offered to pitch their tent, but she declined. She didn’t want to miss what was above her, and she had her mate to keep her warm.

It was going on midnight when Jon returned. They had heard the helo in the distance, and as they waited for him to reach them on foot, they packed their bags. “Where’d you stash the idiots?” he asked when he looked around and didn’t see the bodies.

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