Page 68 of Blades of Ice

Beck proved thathe had no problem making love while Lydia was on her period. Twice. After agreeing to a handfasting ceremony, things got hot on the sofa, then again when they retired to the bedroom. Granted, she had to stop in the middle of their make-out session to remove her tampon. Talk about a buzzkill. Beck didn’t let it bother him, and in turn, her. As he said, it was a fact of life. During her post-coital buzz, he convinced her he was healed enough to begin the search for Amara. When they woke, they got their asses in gear before the sun was up. Beck filed the flight plan for the Cessna while Lydia made breakfast. After they ate, they made sure the house was cleaned and that they had all their belongings. Since it was too early to stop for supplies in Valdez, they planned to drop off the Cessna in Seward, go shopping, then get in the helo and head back toward the Chugach Mountains.

Jon had taken one of the rental cars the night before and parked it inside the warehouse. Lydia arranged for the second SUV to be picked up from the marina since she and Beck didn’t need two vehicles. Once they arrived in Seward, Beck left the Cessna in its regular spot by the dock, then sent Caleb a text. Since Lydia’s original rental was still in the parking lot, they headed that direction.

With his hand on her back, Beck led Lydia to the SUV. They were a few feet away when Beck froze. “Heather.” It wasn’t a question of whether the female walking toward them was Beck’s ex. Heather took a step back.

“What are you doing here?” Beck growled.

“I…” She took another step back.

Lydia wasn’t about to chase the female through a parking lot. She held her hand behind her back and called on her dagger. “Beck, unlock the car.” Her mate did so without question, and Lydia drew the weapon forward, waiving it so Heather couldn’t miss it. “Get in the vehicle.”

“You can’t kidnap me.”

“Why not? I hear it’s all the rage these days. Get in the car. I won’t tell you again.” Heather gasped when the blade turned to ice, and she scrambled into the backseat. Lydia pushed in behind her and turned sideways to face the female.

Heather leaned against her door, mimicking Lydia’s pose. “What do you want?”

“Information. But here isn’t the best place for this conversation. Let’s take this somewhere a little more private in case things get… messy.”

Heather put her hand over the driver’s seat. “Sawyer, please.”

Lydia growled as she eyed Beck’s ex. The female was pretty with long dark hair she wore in a braid. Lydia didn’t detect any makeup, but she wasn’t wearing any either. Camping out in the wilderness wasn’t conducive to fixing one’s face. Heather was smart enough to pull her hand back and place it on her lap.

“Where to, Sugar?”

“Your home is close.” And it was the only place Lydia knew of locally where they could have privacy.

Beck was quiet as he drove the short distance to his house. He pulled into the driveway and shut the motor off. When he opened Heather’s door, she didn’t move, so Lydia poked her with the tip of the blade. Heather bolted out, but Beck grabbed her arm in case she tried to run. When they got to the porch, he unlocked the door, holding it open for the females. Lydiafollowed Heather in, flipping on the lights. While Heather’s back was turned, Lydia returned the weapon to her arm. An ice dagger was handy for threatening bears, but it was also fucking cold. Heather walked around the table, putting it between her and Lydia. Lydia removed her parka, placing it over one of the chairs, then went to the cabinet where coffee supplies were. She set the machine to brew a full pot. When she turned, Beck and Heather were in a standoff.

Since her mate wasn’t talking, Lydia asked, “What do you know of Amara’s disappearance?”

Heather continued staring at Beck, and Lydia was close to throttling the female. “Heather, either you tell us what you know, or we’ll take you out to the Chugachs. We know of some previously used caves with chains and cuffs.” Heather snapped her attention to Lydia, her hands clenched at her side. Lydia crossed her arms over her chest and leaned her butt against the counter. “Well?”

Claws extended from Heather’s fingertips. Beck growled at his ex, but Lydia wasn’t intimidated. Within seconds, she held a sai in her hand and had it pointed at the female. “I’ve had about enough of she-bears for one lifetime. Sit your ass down and start talking.”

“You think you can hurt me?” Heather sneered. When the blade turned to ice, Heather jumped back, tripping over her feet.

“One chance, Heather. You have one shot at telling the truth about what you and Boyd have been up to.” At Boyd’s name, Heather’s face paled. “That’s right. We know about your clandestine meetings in Sterling. We also know that Chloe and your dad were conspiring against Amara. What we want to know is if you and Boyd were working with or against them.” Lydia wiggled the sai. “And I’ll know if you’re lying.”

“Yeah, okay. Fuck.” Heather scooted back until she was pressed against the wall. “A couple of months ago, I overheardmy father on the phone. He wasn’t expecting me to stop by. He and whoever he was talking to were planning on taking over Amara’s territory. I didn’t realize he was talking to one of Beck’s sisters until he said, ‘I don’t want Sagan Adventures. I want cash.’ They argued, and before he could figure out that I was eavesdropping, I snuck out. I was going to call and warn Sawyer, but I didn’t know which sister was involved, so I called Boyd.” Heather snuck a glance at Beck before continuing.

“I know you hated Boyd after he brought in Valerie, but your sisters didn’t. You know the way things work in our world whether you like them or not. Was Boyd a dick for helping overthrow Amara? Yes, but he loves his daughters. He thought they loved him enough to stay in BC. At least Chloe. With Delaney next in line, she was sure to leave the territory. As much as Boyd wants power, he wants to be loved more. Anyway, I got in touch with him and convinced him to call Chloe and Delaney to feel them out.

“It only took two calls, one to each of them. Delaney told him all about how well the business was doing and how happy she was in Seward. Chloe, on the other hand, ranted the whole time about always being second place. Then she asked if he wanted to make some money. When he asked how, she said by getting rid of Amara. He mistook her meaning and told her he might know someone strong enough to challenge her. Chloe laughed at him and called him a fool. Said she wanted Amara gone permanently. Boyd played along and asked how much it was worth to her. She offered him the company, same as she did my father. Then he mentioned Delaney being next in line for the throne, and Chloe said Delaney wouldn’t be a problem seeing as how she was pregnant.”

“Of course Chloe fucking lied about not knowing,” Beck muttered.

The coffee machine beeped, but Lydia didn’t move toward it. Beck did the honors and poured three cups. He fixed Lydia’s the way she liked it and placed it on the table beside her. He took Heather a cup, and when she saw it was still black, she sighed and took a sip anyway. Lydia swapped the sai for the cup and let the hot mug warm her hands.

Heather thumped her head against the wall. “Boyd might be a lot of things, but a baby killer he isn’t, especially his own grandchild. He told her he’d think about it and call her back. We needed a way to find out what she and my father were planning, so Tate – that’s one of Valerie’s sons – and I paid a visit one day. Tate’s good with electronics, so while I kept my father preoccupied, Tate slipped some listening devices around Orson’s house.”

“How did Chloe get involved with Orson?” Beck asked. Heather hesitated, looking at Lydia. “She knows you and I dated,” he told his ex.

“And are you two together?” Heather asked Beck.

“Yes. We’re mated.”

“Fully? You gave her the Ursina bond?” When Heather’s eyes went to Lydia’s shoulder, Lydia pulled the neck of her shirt over far enough for the mating mark to be visible.

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