Page 62 of Mitchell's Untamed Mate

She reached up and caressed his cheek.“Everything will be alright,” she murmured, kissing him.

He sighed and rested his forehead against hers.“How do you know?”

She smiled.“Because you told me it would be.”

He chuckled at her confidence.His humor faded when he looked up to see Jace standing beside him.Jace had the decency to look regretful.

“I’m sorry about this, man,” Jace murmured, motioning for him to hold his wrists out.

“This isn’t over.Don’t blindfold her.The climb will be difficult enough without being able to use our hands.If you cover her eyes, it will be damn near impossible,” Mitchell retorted, glaring at Connell.

Connell pursed his lips and shook his head.“We can’t let her see where we are going.I’ll help her.”

“Put your hands out,” Jayden ordered Tracy.

Tracy smiled at Jayden.“Ella misses you.”

Jayden glared at Tracy and pulled the ropes tighter.Tracy winced when the coarse fibers bit into the tender flesh of her wrists.Mitchell cursed and tried to reach for her, but Jace jerked at the length of rope holding him.Tracy’s eyes locked with his for a fraction of a second before Jayden placed a folded piece of material over her eyes and tied it behind her head.

“Let’s go,” Connell said.

Mitchell held back until Tracy stepped in front of him.He stumbled slightly when Jace pushed him between his shoulder blades.He pushed back with his shoulder, almost knocking Jace off his feet.Jace pulled the knife at his waist free and held it in front of him.

“I know how to walk.Unless you plan on using that on me now, keep your hands to yourself,” Mitchell growled.

Jace glared back at him.Mitchell didn’t start moving until Jace twirled the knife and slid it back into the sheath at his waist.They fell into step after another brief standoff.

“I didn’t think you’d make it back,” Jace commented several minutes later.

Mitchell didn’t reply.He kept his focus on the ground in front of them.The terrain was rocky and slippery thanks to the ice that had built up under the snow.

“What happened after I left?”Jace asked.

He kept his silence.His focus locked on Tracy’s back.Jace finally huffed out a curse and quit talking.Jayden led the way while Connell guided Tracy over the uneven, rock-and-ice-covered path.Mitchell watched with frustration when she almost fell for the dozenth time.He breathed a sigh of relief when Connell reached out and ripped the blindfold off.Tracy staggered to a stop, blinking against the sudden brightness.

“Thanks,” she murmured.

Connell nodded.“Don’t make me regret it.”

“I won’t,” she quietly replied.

Mitchell looked around to get his bearings.They had reached the crest and the splendor of the mountain and forest lay before them.The majestic beauty and power of the mountains held all of them mesmerized for a moment.The snow-capped, jagged mountains rose into the sky, touching the varying shades of gray, fluffy clouds.

The familiar lines were etched into his mind.For generations, humans had traveled the narrow corridors that cut through the mountains as they moved between north and south.As his clan had dwindled over time, their journey had become shorter and shorter until they had found solace within the thousands of acres that surrounded the mountain peak, unaware that they were slowly being surrounded by the growing population of shifters.

They would begin their descent along the ridgeline now.The narrow path with its steep slopes would give way to wider, though uneven, ground.There was a large cave, hidden by a rock slide, slightly above the timberline.The cave had been discovered by humans long ago.Petroglyphs from generations of humans graced the interior of the cave, giving each generation a history of the one before it.

“Another storm is coming.We need to reach the village before it hits,” Jayden said, pointing to the darkening skies over the mountain.

“How long before we reach it?”Tracy asked.

“Two hours… if we are lucky,” Connell replied.

They started forward as one, understanding the dire circumstance they could find themselves in if they were caught in a storm on the mountain.Lightning, hail, heavy snow, and avalanches were all weighing on their minds as they moved at a steady clip.Mitchell cursed more than once when he almost lost his balance.Having his hands tied together made it difficult to recover.

Jace echoed his curse and gripped his arm.“To hell with this.I’m not going to be responsible for you breaking a leg… or worse, your neck.”

Jace pulled his knife from the sheath at his side and slid it between the rope binding Mitchell’s wrists, cleanly slicing the woven bonds.Mitchell looked at Tracy.Jace muttered under his breath when he noticed where he was looking.

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