Chapter 15

The metal of the sai grew colder in her hands, but Lydia wouldn't dare send them back. It's all about intention. If that were true… Lydia held the weapons in front of her and imagined the steel was ice instead. Where seconds before she held black metal, now Lydia gripped icy hilts. "Yes!" Her voice carried, and she flinched. Now if only they weren't freezing her hands off. Lydia willed them back to metal, and thought about heating them, but she was afraid she would be burned. With nothing else to do about it, she placed the sai on the ground, put her gloves back on, then picked them up again.

Lydia.

Her heart sped each time Beck returned to her. Hell, he made her heart race any time he merely looked at her. It was due to the mate bond, and she relished the flutters. When Lydia scanned the area, she didn't see his large body ambling toward her in either form.

Beck's hurt. We must go to him.

Shit! He was calling to her in her mind. Lydia placed both blades in one hand, picked up the smaller of the two packs, the one that had food and water in it, and shrugged it on. She debated kicking off the snowshoes, then nixed that idea, and traveled as fast as she could in the direction Beck had gone. She had no idea how far away he had gotten. He could move much faster in his animal, but she wouldn't fail him. Lydia studied the snow and followed his prints.

Beck? Bear?

Lydia. I'm… s-sorry.

No! You hang on. I'm coming for you. Beck? Beck!

Why couldn't she have wings? Lydia's legs burned. She needed something to help maneuver faster. She stopped, imagined the sai being that something different, and they shimmered into ski poles with pointy tips. "Yes. Thank you, Luna and Lilly." Using the poles, Lydia was able to move more quickly. It was still slow going, but at least the poles helped with the exertion. After what felt like days, a strange odor caught her attention. "Is that gas?" she muttered. Not wanting to be caught weaponless, Lydia changed the poles back to her sai, then continued. About a hundred yards out, a downed helicopter came into view as did the Sagan Adventures logo on the side.

Lydia called on her Gargoyle senses to search for anyone close by. When she felt no one, she called out, "Beck? Chloe?"

As Lydia neared the helo, the scent of blood was mixed with the smell of gas, and her heart fluttered for a different reason. When Lydia reached the craft, she followed the scent. Her eyes filled with tears at the red snow. I t wouldn't do for Lydia to fall apart, so before she completely lost her shit, she took a deep breath, held it, then exhaled. The amount of gas on the ground meant someone had cut the fuel lines since the helo didn't look as if it had wrecked. She scanned the area on the ground around the blood. There was a large impression in the snow roughly the size of Beck's body if he were lying down. Next to it was their satellite phone. No, that wasn't right. Theirs was in their pack. Heading away from the helicopter were deep gouges in the snow as though Beck had been dragged off. Lydia followed the indentions until she came across footprints as well as skinny lines leading away from the area. The only thing she knew of that could make that size mark was a snowmobile. Lydia wanted to follow, but she knew it was useless. She only had enough food for a week at best, and there was no telling how far the snowmobile would have traveled. She had no choice but to turn back and call for help.

Hang on Bear. I won't let you down.

Needing to call Carleigh, Lydia slid her backpack off. When she didn't find their satellite phone, she remembered it was in the other bag. She returned to the helicopter for Chloe's phone, but when she tried to call out, there was no tone. Fuck. The battery was dead. With no other option, Lydia returned the backpack to her shoulders and set out to where she had been waiting for Beck's return. All she could do was retrace their footsteps back to the seaplane and pray she didn't run into any wild animals along the way.

When she told Beck this was their initiation into the fated mate's club, Lydia had been mostly joking. What she thought would be a trek through the snow, finding his mother or sister, and bringing her back safely in time for Thanksgiving, Lydia never imagined she would be alone in the wilderness with her mate injured, possibly dying. No. She would not believe that. The fates wouldn't be so cruel as to lead her to her bear only to take him away after only such a short time.

Keeping her senses open for any animals, wild or otherwise, Lydia switched the sai back into poles, allowing her to make better time with less exertion. She didn't want to camp alone in the wilds, but there was no way she could make it back to the seaplane without stopping for the night. When Lydia reached the pack that contained the tent and other supplies, she pulled out the satellite phone and called Carleigh.

"Hey Cuz, how's it going out there?"

"Not good, C. They took him. Beck's injured, and I don't know how badly. There was blood, but I don't know if it was…" Lydia swallowed hard before continuing. "When we got close to the coordinates, Beck went ahead in his fur to scout the area. I heard his voice in my head, and my Goyle told me that he was injured, so I took off to find him. The Sagan Adventures helicopter was there, but there was no sign of Chloe, and her satellite phone was on the ground. I was going to call you then, but the battery was dead. It looked as though someone dragged Beck's body across the snow, and then there were skinny tracks leading away from the area, which I assume belong to a snowmobile. I heard him, C." Lydia choked back a sob. "He told me he was sorry. Maybe he was sorry for leaving me alone out here. I don't know, but I won't believe he was telling me goodbye."

He's alive.

Are you sure?

Yes.

Lydia trusted her Goyle. It wouldn't lie to her.

"Oh, my gods. What are you going to do?"

Lydia clenched her free hand. "I'm going to find him, and then I'm going to make whoever took him pay."

"How, though?"

"I don't know. I can't use the helo because someone cut the fuel lines, and I don't have enough provisions to follow the tracks on foot. I have the funds to rent a helicopter somewhere, but I don't have a license. Please, C. You're the one with the brains, so help me figure this out."

"If it's a license you need, I can do that. But first, you gotta get back to civilization. Fucking hell, I wish Dooley had gone with you. Speaking of the bear, I'm going to call him as soon as we hang up and get his ass headed your way. Sebastian's going to have my head when he finds out what's going on."

"Don't tell him. He has enough on his plate right now."

"Are you nuts?" Carleigh hissed.

"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. "I am 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 being a 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.