Page 70 of Blades of Ice

Following the coordinates Carleigh sent through originally, Beck flew over the same path Dooley had taken when he followed Amara’s tracks in case she had returned to the cave. When he didn’t see new tracks or any animals, Beck set down onthe opposite side of the water than where she’d gone in. It was the only spot wide and flat enough to land.

When he cut the motor, Beck stared out the window and whispered, “Where are you, and why haven’t you returned?”

Chapter 27

Beck wished withhis whole heart that Lydia had remained behind or at least gone to stay with Dooley and Kennedy. Not because he didn’t want to be with her, but because she’d already spent an unthinkable amount of time walking through the snow, and part of that was on her own. If she weren’t with him, he would be able to shift and run without having to turn back for her. But his mate wanted to be with him, so that’s where she was. He would give her anything her heart desired, and she desired his company.

It had been nine days since Dooley followed Amara’s tracks. A week and a half of his mother wandering around in her fur while staving off the effects of wolfsbane as well as other animals. He thanked the goddess there hadn’t been another snowstorm, or he’d never find her tracks. It was going to be hard enough figuring out which way she went once she got in the water as the fjord coastline was more than twenty miles long. If she crossed and got out on the other side, she could have continued through the mountains or traveled in either direction and swam back across at some point. Then again, she could have swum long enough to clean the blood off her fur and climbed out close to where she went into the water. There were too many possibilities, and Beck’s brain hurt trying to calculate them all.

Lydia was going to use a drone while Beck shifted and did a cursory search. He offered to come back every half hour, but Lydia promised him she would be fine if he took longer. She had supplies, her sat phone, and weapons. He kissed his mate,pressed his forehead to hers, breathing in her scent, then got out and took to his fur.

Prints of all shapes and sizes dotted the snow. A few were bear prints, but he couldn’t be sure they were Amara’s. Beck made a mental note of the direction each had traveled as he made his way north along the water’s edge. When he didn’t find any tracks that went back into the water, he retraced his own path back to the helo to check in with his mate. When he reached her, he shifted and climbed aboard.

“Any luck?” Lydia asked.

“Maybe. After I eat a sandwich, I’m going to swim across to the other side where she went in and head north in case she wasn’t in the water long.”

“I didn’t see any animals other than a few wolves. Most of the prints I saw were too small to be a bear, but I didn’t send the drone out for long to save the battery.”

“I’ll be back in time to make camp,” Beck promised.

“I’ll handle that. I’m an old pro at it at this point.”

Beck slid his hand behind Lydia’s hair and caressed her nape. “And I hate that. Not that it isn’t a good skill to have but that you had to do it alone.”

Lydia closed her eyes. “It wasn’t so bad.”

Beck knew she was lying. She had told him all about her days alone after he’d been stabbed. What she left out was whether or not she’d had nightmares. Beck didn’t mention them, afraid of what she’d say.

He released her neck and climbed in the back where the cooler was. Traveling in the helo made it possible to bring more food.

“What do you think of a January first handfasting?” she asked.

“I think it’s the perfect way to start the new year.”

“I think so too. We can have it at my parents’ house, if that’s okay with you. That way my mom doesn’t have to worry about going anywhere while pregnant or with a new baby if Gio’s here by then.”

Beck climbed back into the pilot’s chair with his food and water. “That’s perfect, Sugar.”

“Good. While you’re on your next walkabout, I’m going to call Luna and ask if she knows anyone who can perform the ceremony.”

“You could ask Kennedy for a copy of their vows. I don’t remember all the words, but I do know they were beautiful.”

“I’ll do that. I can compare them to the examples I pulled off the internet before we left.”

Beck waited until he swallowed his bite of ham and cheese sandwich to ask, “When did you have time to do that?”

Lydia’s cheeks pinkened. “While you were in the shower this morning.” She was too damn much, and he loved that about her.

“When we set up camp, you can read some of them to me.”

Beck finished his snack, kissed his mate again, and set back out. He couldn’t search as far as he had earlier since he was losing daylight. If he’d been alone, he would have gone all night, but Beck hadn’t expected this to be a quick search and rescue. If he were honest, he didn’t expect to find his mother before the end of the year. If she were able, she’d have already returned to Seward and kicked ass.

By the time he needed to turn back, Beck hadn’t noticed any bear prints on the opposite side of the fjord. That didn’t mean there weren’t any farther north, but he needed to get back to Lydia. When he arrived at the helo, it was empty, and Beck’s heart skipped several beats. He opened his shifter senses, and when he caught humming on the air, he let out the breath he’d been holding.

Beck let out a whistle, alerting her he was close by.

“Is that you, My Bear?”

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