Page 71 of Blades of Ice

Beck laughed. He couldn’t help it. He never imagined having someone else’s voice in his head, but now that he knew they could communicate silently, he was going to abuse the hell out of it.

“Sure is, Sugar. You need anything from the helo?”

“Just your fine ass.”

Beck laughed again. He was immensely in love with his sassy mate and couldn’t wait to show her how much.

They were onday eight, and Lydia was over it. When the drone didn’t prove helpful, Lydia flew the helo on small circuits, careful not to use much fuel. The days were long, spending most of her time waiting in the bird while Beck scouted on the ground, but the nights were everything and made up for the worst of it. They cuddled in their tent, made love, talked about any and everything, and decided on the vows for their ceremony. Lydia had spoken to Kennedy who recited hers and Dooley’s vows. Luna offered to officiate since she had a license to perform marriage ceremonies for pagans who didn’t want a religious one. She also asked if she could incorporate Kennedy’s words to those Luna had used before, and Lydia agreed.

Between the two of them, they had searched around eight hundred miles in a one-hundred-mile radius by crisscrossing and doubling back. Her mate was worn out. She was over that too. He needed to rest more than the few hours’ sleep they got each night, but he was determined to continue until their end-of-the-year deadline.

“I’m leaving my pack. I want to do so knowing I gave everything I have in finding my Empress.”

Lydia didn’t complain after his declaration. She got it. He might be switching camps, but he would be loyal to his current one until the last minute. He had been gone several hours, and Lydia was ready to stretch her legs. When he moved the helo the day before, he landed away from the deep snow and close to a river. Lydia was thankful to walk on her feet instead of snowshoes. It was around two in the afternoon, and although the temperature was hovering in the low thirties, the sun was warm, so she left her parka in the helo.

She had gotten used to the various animals that lived in the area. Instead of running back to the safety of the aircraft, she took photos. She even got a video of two Dall rams fighting. It was brutal and beautiful at the same time. Something on the river caught her attention, and Lydia moved toward it for a closer look. There were two otters floating on the slow current, and Lydia pulled her phone out of her pocket to get a shot. She turned her back to get a selfie with the playful creatures in the background, but she wasn’t alone. Lydia returned her phone to her pocket while keeping an eye on the polar bear less than twenty feet away. It was likely a female since it was smaller than Beck’s animal. It was still an apex predator. Lydia released her swords and took a fighting stance.

The bear didn’t like that, and chuffed its disapproval. When it took a few steps toward Lydia, she allowed the metal to change to ice. She didn’t know if that worked on the wild bears, but she wasn’t taking any chances. The animal chopped its jaw and growled.

“Amara, no!” Beck yelled before shifting and running full out toward the female. Beck’s mother shifted to her skin, and Beck slid to a stop a few feet away. Lydia was used to those in her Clan retaining their young appearance, so the female before her was a shock. Amara’s long, gray hair was braided, and herskin was wrinkled. If she were human, Lydia would put her somewhere in her mid- to late sixties.

“What are you doing out here?” Amara asked. There was no hug. No words of affection. No happiness coming from the female.

“Looking for you.” Beck left off the duh, but it was implied by his exasperated tone.

“Did you ever think I might not want to be found?”

“Yes, but it’s safe for you to return.”

“I’ll return when I’m ready. Instead of searching for me, you need to find that fucker Orson. I got in some good swipes, but I was too weak from whatever he had on the cuffs to kill him.”

“How’d you get out of your cuffs?”

Amara jutted her chin. “Pretended I was dead. Sure, he could hear my heartbeat, but I slowed it to the point of barely noticeable. He got close, and I attacked.”

“You’ll be happy to know he’s already been taken care of. I’m curious as to why you allowed him into your house. I wasn’t aware you and he were… chatty.”

“Not that I owe you an explanation, but he convinced me Boyd was conspiring against me again. With our history, I had no reason to doubt him.”

“Your history?”

“This line of questioning is getting old. You dated his daughter, so we talked on occasion.” Amara turned her attention to Lydia, scowling. “Who the fuck are you, and what are you doing with an ice sword around my son?”

Lydia moved closer, and Beck held out his hand. Lydia returned one sword to her wrist, keeping the remaining one pointed at the ground. She didn’t trust the Empress, even if she was Beck’s mother.

“Amara, this—”

“Empress. I am your Empress, or have you forgotten yourself?”

“My apologies, Empress. This is my mate, Lydia Stone.”

“Mate?” Amara sniffed the air. “I don’t know what she is, but she’s not a bear, so you’ll take her back to whatever hole you dug her out of.”

Lydia tightened her grip on the hilt. “Beck is my fated mate, and there will be no giving me back.”

Amara scoffed. “Fated mates are bullshit.”

“Maybe to someone like you, but in my Clan, I assure you they are real.” Lydia put herself between son and mother.

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