Page 31 of Blades of Ice

Beck parked in the same spot Lydia had Sunday night. The plan was for Beck to see if Boyd was there. If so, he would continue around to the front and knock on the door. While confronting the male, Lydia – hopefully – would pick the lock, go in and plant the bugs, then hightail it back to the SUV.

Beck squeezed her neck. “You’ve got this.”

Lydia prayed he was right. They stopped at the edge of the woods and used their shifter senses to check the house. “I don’t hear anything.”

“Neither do I. I’ll take a closer look if you want to set up the cameras.” Beck eased his way to the back of the house, checking windows. For a big male, he was light on his feet. Lydia kept her ears open as she attached the cameras to trees close to the house. When they met at the back door, he said, “No one’s in there. Let’s get this done.”

Lydia removed the kit from her pocket and pulled out the two picks she thought she needed. She knelt, putting herself eyelevel with the knob, and blew out a breath. Her hands shook, and Beck settled his over them. “You’ve got this,” he repeated. When he turned loose, she thought back to Anthony’s instructions. She inserted the turning tool first, then used a nifty little wave rake, which she sawed back and forth until the tumblers gave. She twisted the turning tool, and the door was unlocked. Beck kissed her cheek when she stood. She replaced the tools in the pouch and shoved it in her pocket. Beck eased the door open, and they entered upon quiet feet.

Per Carleigh’s instructions, Lydia placed the bugs in the parts of the house most used – the living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom, while Beck searched for anything indicating why Boyd was in Sterling. Gravel crunching under tires got their attention, and she headed to the back door with Beck on her heels. He locked the back door, and they ran toward the woods, stopping when they had tree cover. Lydia sent Carleigh a bug emoji followed by a thumbs-up. Now if Boyd would speak aloud to whomever he was working with, the breaking and entering would be worth it.

“I don’t understand why we don’t kick his ass and torture the information out of him,” Lydia said once they were safely back in the vehicle.

“You really think you could torture someone, Sugar?”

“No, but you could.”

“I’m a lover, not a fighter. I wouldn’t know how to begin extracting information out of someone like Boyd. While I’m larger in bear form, Boyd’s a wily son of a bitch, and he’d fight dirty.”

Lydia turned in her seat, glaring at her mate. “But that was the plan if he’d been there. You were going to confront him.”

Beck grinned and tapped her nose. “I was going to pull a sugar routine on him.”

“A what now?”

“You know, like you did with Delaney? I was going to ramble on about inane shit.”

Lydia play punched his bicep. “Hey, my shit was not inane. I was singing the praises of Sagan Adventures. Speaking of which, how are you going to get a plane if there are flights already booked?”

“I checked the schedule while you were packing. There’s only one booking this afternoon, so I’ll call in our flight plan as soon as I get to the harbor. I’ll text Delaney after we land, and she can call in one of the other pilots after the fact, if she doesn’t figure it out first.”

“Won’t that piss her off?”

“Yeah, but she tasked me with finding Amara. That’s what I’m doing.”

“I really don’t want to have to smack a pregnant female, but I will if she gives you any more trouble.”

Beck chuckled. “I like that you’d defend my honor, Sugar.”

“I’d defend more than that. You’re my mate, and nobody gets to talk hateful to you while I’m around.”

Beck pulled into a fast-food drive-thru, and they ate their lunch on the road. Lydia was glad Beck was driving because she would have been a nervous wreck navigating through the snow. Atlanta might get one or two snowfalls a year, but as far south as it was, there was little accumulation, and most people stayed home since the roads were icy.

They stopped by Beck’s house where he packed a few clothes, some toiletries, and a small tent and sleeping bag. He also unplugged the satellite phone charging in the living room. By the time they reached the harbor, there was at least ten inches of snow on the ground, but Beck assured her that was nothing. Lydia removed her gloves and beanie from her pockets and put them on before getting out of the SUV. She was a Goyle and could withstand the cold if she had to, but she wanted to becomfortable while walking to the plane. Beck carried both bags while scanning the area. Lydia also remained alert, but the only ones she knew on sight were Boyd, Delaney, and Chloe.

The sidewalks weren’t as crowded as before, but there were plenty of people out. Lydia had to remember they were used to the conditions, and according to Beck, this wasn’t much snow. She was thankful he was willing to move with her because Lydia didn’t think she’d ever get used to the Alaska weather. West Virginia had colder winters than Atlanta did, but it was nothing like this. Several people spoke to Beck, and those who did weren’t shy about staring at Lydia. She smiled at them because why not?

Lydia stowed their bags, removed her gloves, beanie, and parka, securing them as well, then took the co-pilot seat in the cockpit while Beck checked the plane. It was the smaller Cessna, but the controls were the same. When he joined her, Lydia strapped in. She had never been a nervous flyer, and she trusted Beck to get them to Valdez safely. She put on the earphones – or cans, as her Uncle Frey called them – and settled back while Beck got them underway.

She listened as the air terminal gave him clearance, and again, Beck explained what he was doing and why. Lydia absorbed every word. Not that she would ever need to pilot a seaplane in harsh conditions, or ever, but she had always enjoyed learning new things. It was one reason she didn’t mind going through the archives, even the oldest ones. Seeing where she came from, going back thousands of years, was intriguing.

When Beck asked if she wanted to take the controls, Lydia declined. “I’ll just watch you being all sexy.”

“Sexy, huh?” His cheeks flushed, and Lydia found it charming. Her big bear of a mate had to know how he affected people, especially women. Instead of embarrassing him further or getting them both hot and bothered, she changed the subject,asking about his homeland. Lydia had traveled to several states as well as some European countries and tropical islands, but she’d never had the opportunity to go to Canada.

“Our home was in the northwest corner of BC. Amara ruled the pack there for almost a hundred years after her mother, Imani, passed the crown to her. My grandmother was Empress for over three-hundred years and had taken over for her own mother. Being shifters, they had to move around so they wouldn’t be found out, which you know all about. Our pack has lived in almost all the provinces, but Amara enjoyed being close to the coast. It’s one of the reasons she moved us to Alaska.”

“In all that time, no one challenged your grandmothers?”

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