Page 36 of Blades of Ice

“A little, yeah. But I’m serious about that. Do not tell him. I don’t want him dropping everything with the lodge to come out here.”

“He’s going to be pissed. As will Dakota. At least let me call Anthony or your dad. Somebody.”

“No. Call Dooley. Hang on a sec.” Lydia found her cell phone and opened it to the email from the rental company. “Have him meet me at this address. It’s 349 Ponderosa Lane in Valdez. The code to the door is 7267. If nothing goes wrong, I’ll be back… Jesus, what day is this?”

“Wednesday.”

“Then I should make it back sometime Saturday if nothing goes wrong.” So much for a nice Thanksgiving dinner.Godsdamnit.She was not going to cry.

“And if something does go wrong? Fuckin’ hell, Cuz. This scares the shit out of me.”

“Yeah, well I’m not exactly looking forward to it. Not only do I have to make the trek alone, but I have to sail the seaplane to Valdez.”

Carleigh sighed. “If anyone can do it, you can. I may be smart, but I’m a chicken shit. If I were in your position, I’d curl into a ball and stay there until spring. You, however, are Sophia’s kid. Channel your mother’s inner badass, and you’ll make it back in one piece.”

Lydia appreciated her cousin’s faith in her. “Then let me get going. I’m burning daylight, and out here, that doesn’t last long. The sun sets early, and I don’t want to make camp in the dark.”

“I love you, Lydia Stone. Call me later to check in, okay?”

“You got it, and I love you too.”

Lydia ended the call and put the phone back in the pack. The return trip was going to be difficult enough alone, but having to carry both bags as well? There was no way she could also manage Beck’s snowshoes. Needing both packs, Lydia slid the heavier one onto her back, then threaded her arms through the straps of the lighter one, securing it to her front. She tucked the map between her body and the pack and steeled her spine. “Iam my mother’s child. I’ve got this.” Taking one last glance at the snowshoes on the ground, she took off.

Making the return trip alone was slower going. Lydia’s nerves were shot. Her body ached. Her heart hurt. Even the small herd of caribou in the distance wasn’t enough to raise her spirits. Several times, Lydia came close to giving up. When she found a spot to make camp, she almost said, “Fuck it,” and not put up the tent. Then she remembered the wolf from yesterday. At least in the tent she had a better chance of not being preyed upon. She kicked off the snowshoes so she could maneuver more easily. It took twenty minutes to figure the tent out, but once it was erect, she shoved everything inside and zipped it. Lydia spread the sleeping bag out and collapsed on top of it. She was starving. The protein bars and water had done little to ease her hunger since all the calories had been used up during her walk.

After downing a peanut butter sandwich, a pack of trail mix, and another protein bar, Lydia washed it down with a couple of sips of her sports drink. Peeing had been a chore, but when she needed to poop? Lydia was never more thankful for the wet wipes Beck had packed. At least he could shift and do his business in his fur. She didn’t have that convenience. She thanked the gods she wasn’t on her period. That would have been worse.

Lydia wrapped the sleeping bag around her but didn’t zip it. She didn’t want to be enclosed if she needed to fight for her life. Instead of the sai, she chose her short sword to keep by her side during the night. Lydia closed her eyes, but sleep wasn’t coming. She was too nervous. Too afraid of all the unknown creatures. Afraid of the ones she’d noticed in the distance. If she had a penis, she would’ve peed a circle around the tent to mark her territory. Lydia snorted at the thought. As much as she enjoyed Beck’s dick and what he could do with it, Lydia would hate beinga male. At least when she was turned on, nobody knew it. Her snort turned into a giggle.

Snow blindness was a thing, but was snow delirium?

Instead of falling into a pity party of one, Lydia recalled the meditation lessons her Uncle Frey taught everyone. It was about compartmentalizing her thoughts as she relaxed her body. As each unwanted thought was tucked away, her muscles loosened, and her breathing slowed. Lydia used the wind outside the tent to replace the white noise machine beside her bed at home. The only thing that would have relaxed her more was if Beck was lying next to her.

Lydia jerked awake, as she did most mornings. Her fingers ached from clutching her sword tightly. Releasing it, she flexed her hand until the circulation improved. She lay still otherwise, listening for any sign of movement outside the tent. When she heard none, Lydia sat up and opened the pack containing the food. She would give anything for a plate of eggs and bacon with a side of biscuits and gravy. She’d give more than anything for a cup of coffee. As she scarfed down another peanut butter sandwich, she checked the time on her phone. It was a little before six, which meant she had a couple of hours before the sun rose completely. Lydia wasn’t ready for the ten hours of shuffling along, but the sooner she got back to civilization, the sooner she could shower and eat a proper meal. Instead of getting up, she peeled a banana and munched on it.

Beck? Can you hear me?

Lydia sighed when she didn’t receive a response. She finished the banana, sipped some water, and began packing. After unzipping the tent slowly, Lydia peeked outside. Millions of stars dotted the sky, and she took a moment to drink it in before tossing all her things out of the tent and breaking it down. She peed before shrugging on her coat, attaching the snowshoes,and strapping on the packs. She then swapped the sword for poles and set out.

Doing her best to follow the map, Lydia shuffled along at a steady pace. She didn’t take as many breaks as she probably should, but fuck, she was ready to see the seaplane. Not that she was eager to swim out to it or attempt to sail it back to Valdez, but needs must, and she would do whatever it took to get back to the town, meet up with Dooley, and come up with a plan to rescue her mate.

Chapter 16

Beck was freezing.His body shook from chills, and the one time he opened his eyes, wherever he’d been tossed was pitch black. Even with his shifter sight, there was no light in his prison. He wasn’t ready to die. Beck didn’t have many regrets. He lived his life honorably. Instead of remaining in BC where he was close to his dad, he had followed Amara to protect his Empress, and moving led him to Lydia. More than the ache pounding his body, his heart shredded at never seeing his mate again. Beck had no idea how much time had passed since he’d been taken, but even five minutes was too long for Lydia to be alone in the wild. He had no doubt she would have come looking for him when he didn’t return. Had she also been captured? Goddess, he prayed not. She might be alone, but she had the sat phone and could call for help.

As badly as he hurt, Beck had to find a way out of his prison. When he stretched his arm out to feel for a wall, it was then he realized it was cuffed. He pulled, and the cuffs dug into his wrists. “Fuck.”

“Who’s there?”

Beck jerked his head toward the voice and instantly regretted it. “Chloe?”

“Beck? Oh, my goddess.” His sister began sobbing. “H-how d-did you f-find me?”

“I didn’t. I was attacked and tossed in here. Do you know where we are?”

“N-not really. After I landed, we shifted and walked for miles.”

“We? Who brought you here? Chloe, what happened? The whole story.”

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