Chapter 16

Beck was freezing. His body shook from chills, and the one time he opened his eyes, wherever he'd been tossed was pitch black. Even with his shifter sight, there was no light in his prison. He wasn't ready to die. Beck didn't have many regrets. He lived his life honorably. Instead of remaining in BC where he was close to his dad, he had followed Amara to protect his Empress, and moving led him to Lydia. More than the ache pounding his body, his heart shredded at never seeing his mate again. Beck had no idea how much time had passed since he'd been taken, but even five minutes was too long for Lydia to be alone in the wild. He had no doubt she would have come looking for him when he didn't return. Had she also been captured? Goddess, he prayed not. She might be alone, but she had the sat phone and could call for help.

As badly as he hurt, Beck had to find a way out of his prison. When he stretched his arm out to feel for a wall, it was then he realized it was cuffed. He pulled, and the cuffs dug into his wrists. "Fuck."

"Who's there?"

Beck jerked his head toward the voice and instantly regretted it. "Chloe?"

"Beck? Oh, my goddess." His sister began sobbing. "H-how d-did you f-find me?"

"I didn't. I was attacked and tossed in here. Do you know where we are?"

"N-not really. After I landed, we shifted and walked for miles."

"We? Who brought you here? Chloe, what happened? The whole story."

"After my last tour, Dad was waiting for me at the harbor and said he knew where Mom was. H-he said he got a tip from a friend whose daughter had this plan to overthrow Amara. I refueled, and we flew to Chugach. He led me into a cave, saying Mom was in her bear form, but no one could get near her. He said I'd be able to since I'm her daughter. I walked a few feet in the dark, I heard a scuffle behind me, and then I was attacked."

Beck growled low in his chest. "I'm going to kill that motherfucker."

"Who? Do you know who it was?"

"Boyd, Chloe. Your good-for-nothing father did this." At least Beck assumed it was Boyd. The assailant had been wearing a balaclava.

"No. He wouldn't. It has to be—"

"He fucking attacked me. Stabbed me with a dagger coated in poison. So don't tell me he wouldn't. Fuck! When are the two of you going to learn he doesn't care about anyone but himself?"

"I-I don't believe you." Chloe sobbed harder.

Beck growled again, but he didn't argue with his sister. There was no point. If he didn't believe in Lydia, Beck might let his own tears fall. But he did. Somehow, his mate would save him.

If he didn't die from the stab wound first.

When Lydia got back home, she was going to call Frey and tell him he should have added reading a map to their training because fuck if she wasn't lost. For the last two hours she had walked in a ginormous circle. How did she know that? Because her snowshoe tracks were visible, as was the yellow spot in the snow where she had peed. Dropping both packs, Lydia pulled out the sat phone and some snacks, then sat on the larger pack to rest. She was beyond exhausted, and if the wolf she'd seen earlier decided to have her for a snack, she would probably just sit there and let it.

Carleigh answered on the first ring. "It's about damn time, Cuz. I expected you to call yesterday."

"I'm trying to save the battery since recharging stations are scarce out here."

"Don't get smart with me, young lady. Fuckin' hell."

"Sorry." Lydia couldn't stop the tears. "I got lost. Walked in a circle. I've lost two damn hours."

"That's it. I'm—"

"No, you aren't. I have my bearings now," she lied. She didn't know why. Carleigh was like a sister, and Lydia could tell her anything. "Did you talk to Dooley?"

"Yes. He called Delaney and told her everything. She sent one of their pilots, Caleb, after him, and he flew Dooley to Valdez. And what I was going to say before you interrupted is that I'm going to have Caleb rent a helicopter and come find your ass. I can hear it in your voice, Lydia. You're done."

"Not yet but damn close to it. At least the temperature is holding steady, and the snow isn't turning to slush. Oh, and I got to see the Aurora Borealis last night. I'd have enjoyed it more if Beck had been with me instead of the bear sniffing around my tent."

"A bear? Like a grizzly?"

"Nah, this one wasn't as big. Did you know that our bracelets can turn into flamethrowers?"

Something thunked on the other end of the line. "Are you shitting me?"

"Nope. Magic is awesome. I wish I had magic. Or wings. Or an animal inside me that's actually a beast and not only a voice in my head."

Fuck you too.

Sorry. I didn't really mean that. I'm not thinking clearly.

"And now I've pissed said beast off. She took offense."

"Are you telling me you went after a bear with fire?"

"Sure am. I wasn't going to hurt it. Just, you know, scare it off. It worked. I stayed awake all night in case it came back though. The good thing is the flame melted the snow and I could fill my canteen."

"So you've not slept in how many hours?"

"I lost count. Anyway, I need to hang up and get moving. I wasn't kidding about the charge on the phone."

"You are my fucking hero. Do you hear me?"

"I hear you, but all I'm doing is walking, and I'm not very good at that."

"Fuckin' hell. We're going to have a long talk when this is all over. Before I let you go, I found something. I did some snooping." Lydia snorted, and Carleigh huffed. "Okay, some more snooping. It seems Amara has been saving for a rainy day. She has an offshore account worth millions."

"Or instead of a rainy day, she's saving in case she was overthrown again. I wonder if her daughters know that?"

"That remains to be seen. Please be careful, and remember I love you."

"Love you too." Lydia set the phone on her lap and tore off a hunk of her sandwich.

Lydia hoped Dooley wasn't too bored waiting on her. She also prayed wherever Beck was, he wasn't being tortured. Lydia had prayed to the gods more in the last couple of days than in her whole life. She also had a few words with the goddess. Since she was Beck's mate, maybe the female deity would listen.

After finishing her snack, she got back to it for a couple of hours, then set up camp. Once she was inside the tent, Lydia didn't bother eating. She couldn't stomach another peanut butter sandwich. Besides that, Lydia couldn't hold her eyes open, and she fell asleep as soon as she stretched out. The first thing she noticed upon waking was that she hadn't had a nightmare. It was the first night in weeks she didn't dream about killing Tinsley. Note to self: Exhaust yourself and you'll be too tired to dream. The second thing that hit her was how bright it was. When she pulled out her phone and checked the time, Lydia groaned. It was already after nine, which meant she was getting a late start.

"Fuckin' hell," she muttered, borrowing Carleigh's words. She should be excited. Today was the day. If she didn't get lost, she would arrive at the Cessna. If she couldn't figure out how to sail it back to Valdez, she could call someone to help. Was there such a thing as AAA for seaplanes? Only one way to find out.

Lydia packed up and set out. She was beyond tired even after sleeping like the dead. A strange noise stopped Lydia in her tracks. She searched for the cause, and when she saw the figure, she pushed her goggles up. "Beck?" She took a few steps his direction, but the figure disappeared. Lydia rushed to where she'd seen him, as fast as she could wearing snowshoes. When she got there, she searched the ground for footprints, but the snow was unbothered. Was she losing her mind? Was she wishing to see her mate so badly that she was conjuring his image? She wanted to cry. To scream. To curse the gods. Since none of those would help her situation, she turned to follow her tracks back the way she'd come, only a polar bear stood in her way.

"You're a question mark," its distorted voice taunted.

"No, I'm not. I'm an exclamation point."

The bear laughed. How could a bear laugh?

"An exclamation point wouldn't be lost, walking in circles, while her mate dies a slow death."

"No! He's not dying. I-I can still feel him." Lydia's throat tightened. "I'm an exclamation point, dammit." Her mother had told her so many times. "Beck?" Lydia tried aloud and in her mind. "Beck? Please." The bear took a step toward Lydia, and when she called on her sword, it didn't work. Why wouldn't it work? She was going to be eaten by a damn polar bear, and she'd never see her mate again. Or her parents. She wouldn't get to meet little Gio, or give Locke a hard time about being smarter than her. Damn, her heart hurt.

The whir of helicopter blades sounded in the distance, but they wouldn't get there in time. The bear… Where was the bear? Lydia scanned the ground around her, but there were no tracks. No indication the animal had been there. Gods, she was losing her mind. She dropped both backpacks as she waited for the helo to come into view. When it did, she waved her arms over her head in case it was Caleb. The bird hovered above her without landing. Lydia took in the area and realized she wasn't in a space large enough. Before she could panic, the side door opened, and Dooley appeared. He waved at her, then lowered a rope ladder.

Shit. Lydia didn't know if she had the strength to climb it. Dooley descended the ladder as it swayed. He jumped the last few feet, then made his way through the snow to where she was frozen.

"Hiya, Lydia. How are you holding up?"

Tears welled in her eyes. She'd never been so thankful to see another being in her life. Lydia transferred the poles to one hand, slid the mask up, and swiped at the wetness with one glove.

"That good, huh? Let's get you out of here." Dooley picked up both packs and motioned with his head for her to follow.

"I don't know if I can climb the ladder," she admitted.

Dooley rounded on her. "You listen to me, Lydia Stone. You are a fucking Gargoyle. You are Beck's mate, and you are stronger than any female I've ever met. I'll stay on the ground and hold the ladder while you climb. And you will climb. You had the strength to keep walking another ten miles, so you have the strength to get your ass into the helicopter."

Lydia nodded. "I can do this."

"Damn straight you can." Dooley lowered the backpacks to the ground, then pointed to the snowshoes. "Might want to take those off first."

Lydia glanced down. She'd worn them so long they'd become an afterthought. Lydia popped them off. When he held out his hands for the poles, she decided to trust the male with her secret and returned them to her wrist.

Dooley took a step back. "What in the actual fuck?"

"Magic. I'll explain later." Lydia waited for Dooley to pull himself together. When he did, he grabbed hold of the ladder, and Lydia climbed. Her arms were noodles, and her legs were close to numb, but she called on her Goyle as well as her mother's spirit, and she made it to the top, all but falling into the helo. She moved to a seat so she wasn't in Dooley's way, and in much less time than it took Lydia, he was onboard carrying both packs as well as her snowshoes. He placed her things under the bench, pulled up the ladder, and closed the door. When he took the seat beside her, Dooley grabbed the cans from a hook beside his head, slipped them on, and gave Caleb the okay to go. Dooley helped Lydia strap in, then did the same for himself. He introduced her to the pilot, who gave her a brief nod.

Lydia leaned her head back and closed her eyes. The vibration of the helo was a welcomed sensation, though it made staying awake difficult. Dooley and Caleb chatted the whole trip, but she'd be hard pressed to remember what they talked about.

"We're here," Dooley said, gently shaking her arm.

Lydia opened her eyes and looked out the window. "Where's here?"

"Well, it was an abandoned warehouse, but now someone named CLS owns it."

"Who's that?"

"Congratulations, Lydia. You are now the proud owner of a new company. Carleigh formed an LLC, named it for you and her, then bought the property. It has been sitting empty for so long, the owners practically gave it away. It's the perfect place to store your new helicopter."

"My… What?"

Dooley grinned. "Carleigh said you can fly, so instead of renting a helo, she bought one. I'll explain everything once you've eaten and slept."

"No peanut butter," she grumbled.

Dooley helped her down, then tossed her bags to Caleb. Dooley led her to one of two parked SUVs, while Caleb remained with the bird.

"I'll get her stowed, then meet you at the house," Caleb said.

"Ten-four." Dooley beeped the key fob and stowed the packs in the back. He opened Lydia's door, then strolled around to the driver's side.

"I suppose I now own two new vehicles," Lydia griped.

"Oh, no. These are rentals. Carleigh didn't want to spend too much of your money."

"Right. Like, how much does a helicopter even cost?"

"You'd have to ask your cousin. Or Caleb. He'd know."

Lydia plunked her head against the passenger window. "How the hell did she make all this happen since the last time we spoke?"

Dooley pulled out of the parking lot without looking at the GPS. He eased down the road, tapping the steering wheel. "I guess when you're loaded, you can get whatever you want when you want it. But Carleigh figured you might need a helicopter to search for Beck, and instead of renting one for the foreseeable future, she purchased one. You can always sell it afterward."

"Makes sense." Lydia wasn't worried about the money. Even a few million wouldn't put a dent in what she had, and if Carleigh split it? Even better. But did they really need a warehouse in Nowhere, Alaska?

Dooley pulled into the driveway of the rental house. "Come on. Kennedy will get food thrown together while you shower. Not that you smell bad, but…"

Lydia would have snorted if she had the energy. She knew how badly she needed to shower. It surprised her Kennedy was in Valdez, but then again, Lydia wouldn't want to be away from Beck if he was off on a rescue mission. Lydia all but fell out of the vehicle, catching herself on the doorframe. She got her bearings, then closed the door. When she turned toward the house, Kennedy stood there, smiling. The petite blonde was always smiling. If Lydia could read auras, she had a feeling Kennedy's would blind her with how bright it was.

"Hey, Lydia. I'm glad to see you."

Lydia forced her legs to move. "I'm glad to be seen." Once inside, she removed her parka and hung it on the hook by the front door. "Dooley said you would cook something, but honestly, I just want a shower and to sleep."

"No problem. I'll have something ready to go in the oven as soon as you're awake." The little fox shifter grinned over her shoulder. Lydia didn't have to turn to know it was Dooley. She took the backpack that contained her toiletries and left the couple alone. Once in the master bedroom, she removed her dirty clothes, letting them fall to the floor. When she opened the dresser drawer for fresh ones, Lydia's eyes teared up seeing her mate's clothes mixed with hers. She didn't bother wiping them. More were sure to follow until she found Beck. Lydia found clean underwear, but instead of grabbing her own shirt, she took one of Beck's and went into the bathroom. She turned the shower on, and while the water heated, Lydia dumped their things out of the backpack and placed them on the counter. Her heart ached not knowing how badly Beck was injured, but she wouldn't believe he was dying. That she wouldn't see him again.

"Fuck you, polar bear illusion." Lydia wouldn't stop searching until she found him, no matter how long it took.