The Guardian

by Donna Grant

  When he did, she fought not to give him a hug. “I knew you’d make it.”

  “Did you?” he asked with a grin.

  “Of course. Did you see anything?”

  “A bear.”

  “I saw a lynx,” she said excitedly while continue to walk. “He was stunning.”

  Maks slowed to stay with her. “How are you doing?”

  “I could be worse.” She smiled when he chuckled.

  “Things could always be worse.”

  They continued on in silence until they got to the top of the mountain. Eden hoped this was their destination, but she had a feeling she was wrong. And when Maks kept going, it was all she could do to hold in her groan of disappointment.

  “Not much farther,” he told her.

  At least they would be going downhill again. Or she believed that until Maks shifted from their path and went to the left, which took them up another part of a mountain. Time no longer mattered. All Eden could focus on was walking and staying upright. She didn’t try to carry on a conversation with Maks or even herself. Her brain couldn’t handle that at the moment.

  She walked when he told her. She stopped when he told her. She drank and ate when he told her. And it was a good thing he was there because she was sure she would’ve stopped a long way back and just sat in the snow, waiting for the elements to finish her off. She just didn’t have any kind of energy or will to do anything herself.

  Whether it was the cold, the fear, the altitude, or simply utter lack of drive, she didn’t know. What she did know was that she wasn’t cut out for this kind of stuff. Hiking in the summer was vastly different than in the winter. There was a reason she declined such things when it was cold. She’d instinctively known that she couldn’t cope.

  Eden didn’t even care what Maks might think of that. He hadn’t left her behind, and that was saying something. Nor was he carrying her. She might not be moving very fast, but she was moving and on her own. There was no telling how long that would last, but she would wring every last drop of it before she let him carry her.

  A giggle escaped her at the thought, causing Maks to look at her with a frown. As if she could stop him from carrying her. She was only on her feet now because falling would take too much effort. And each time she did start to lean one way or the other, he was there to right her. The simple fact was, she had no idea how she was still going. Sheer will, it seemed. Odd how much that could get you when you really needed it.

  She was aware of the many times Maks looked over his shoulders to check behind them. He was always very careful to keep his face devoid of expression, but she knew he was worried. Not once had he told her to hurry or speed up. He didn’t need to. She knew for herself that they were being hunted.

  “There’s an easy spot up ahead,” Maks told her. “We’re going to need to run. Can you do that?”

  “Yes.” Damn, I really hope I can.

  He didn’t question her, which she was thankful for. She’d given him the answer he needed, the answer she needed. Whether she could actually do it or not was something altogether different.

  “Here it comes.”

  Maks grabbed her hand. Before she’d been on her own, that gesture would’ve warmed her significantly because he put off so much heat. But she was too cold to feel anything. She was glad he had a hold of her, though. She tried to squeeze his hand, but her fingers were too numb.

  “Run, Eden. As fast as you can,” he urged in a low whisper.

  She pulled her foot out of the snow and stepped down to find there was rock beneath her. The snow on this section was only a few inches thick, allowing her to move freely. It felt like she had shaken off five hundred pounds of weight. In fact, if she tried, she was pretty sure she could fly.

  Despite that thought, she still couldn’t keep up with Maks. He was half pulling her behind him. She wanted to look over her shoulder, but she didn’t dare. To do that meant she would certainly fall on her face. A glance to the side showed that they were inches from a sheer drop-off. If she fell, there was no doubt she’d tumble off the side of the mountain and disappear into the darkness below into who knew what.

  All too soon, the easy section ended, and Eden found herself back in snow that was up to her knees. She choked back a sob. It had felt so good to be free of it, and now that she was back in the snow, it felt heavier than before, as if it were pulling her down.

  Suddenly, Maks stopped and faced her. His hands grabbed her upper arms, and his bright blue eyes met hers. “Listen closely.”

  “Don’t leave me again.” She’d barely survived on her own the first time. She couldn’t do it again.

  Maks’s lips softened. “You’re a strong woman. One of the strongest I’ve ever met. Look what you’ve done.”

  “It’s because you were here.”

  “You could’ve done it on your own. I know that. So do you.”

  Maybe she did. She was just so tired. She wanted to lie down and close her eyes. They were so heavy.

  “Eden,” he said sharply and gave her a little shake.

  Her eyes snapped open. “What?”

  “If you keep on this heading, you’ll find a cave entrance. It’s covered so no animals can use it. You’ll have to look closely for it, but you can do it. It’s only another few kilometers away.”

  Anything more than a foot was too far right now. Did he really expect her to walk that by herself? On top of the mountain. Oh, God. Then there was the cliff she’d have to worry about falling from.

  “I caught up with you the first time,” he continued. “I’ll do it again. I give you my word, and I never break a vow.”

  Eden swallowed, tears threatening. “I’ll try.”

  “That’s all I ask of you. Just don’t stop moving. Go as slow as you need, but don’t stop. Do you understand?”

  She nodded, emotion choking her. She was more terrified now than when they’d left the house. The cold had permeated every inch of her. Warmth was a distant memory she feared would never return.

  “You can do it,” he told her with a smile. “I know you can.”

  Eden sniffed and lifted her chin. “Of course, I will.”

  One side of his lips curved into a heart-melting smile. “I’ll catch up soon. Remember, don’t stop. No matter what you hear behind you, keep moving.”

  She tried to look down the slope, but his fingers on her chin prevented her from turning her head.

  “You need to go. Now,” he said and gave her a little push.

  Eden turned and started walking. She wanted to look over her shoulder and see Maks once more, but she didn’t. She had to stay focused, needed to concentrate on what was before her so she didn’t bust her ass and maybe even die.

  The cold was turning her into a pessimist. That had to be it. Obviously, she was suited to warmer weather. Modern conveniences made people forget how damn cold it really was. It wasn’t something she would ever take for granted again, that was for sure. She even tried thinking of sitting in front of a fire, or taking a hot shower to warm herself, but it did nothing. Kudos to those who could think such thoughts and shift their internal temperatures. She didn’t have that skill.

  Step by step, she plodded ahead. When the silence of the night was broken by the sound of a gunshot, she jerked, pausing for a heartbeat before she started moving again. She didn’t want to think that it was Maks who might have gotten hit. She would continue thinking that he’d either fired the gun or that whoever had fired on him had missed. There weren’t any more gunshots, but she wasn’t sure if that was a good thing or not.

  Her mind raced with all kinds of possibilities. It wasn’t until she went over what Maks had told her to look for that she realized she hadn’t been looking for a covered cave entrance. Nor did she know how far she’d walked. Not that she was ever very good at gauging distance on a flat road, much less going over mountainous terrain.

  She stopped caring about the cave and instead concentrated on walking. If she had to go all night, she would. She’d h
ave to stumble across a house or village sometime. Right? If she was lucky, maybe.

  Eden began to keep a lookout for anything that might be a hidden cave. She tried several spots that her fuzzy brain thought might be a covered entrance, but so far, she’d come up empty. It became harder and harder to even lift her feet. She refused to stop, though. Maks had told her to keep going, and that’s what she would do. No matter what, she would keep going. She wasn’t going to let him down. He’d made a promise to her, and she was going to keep her side of the bargain and continue on.

  “Don’t stop,” she said to herself. “Just don’t stop.”

  22

  Maks stood over the corpses, his breathing ragged. He looked down at the blood-splattered snow. It wasn’t going to take long for wolves to make their way there. They would dispose of the bodies better than anything Maks could do.

  He flexed his hands as he turned and started up the mountain. From the moment he’d left Eden, he’d been worried about her. He hadn’t wanted to let her go alone, but he hadn’t had a choice. The Saints had gotten closer than he would have liked. Too damn close, actually. One had been taking aim at Eden. If Maks hadn’t gotten there in time…

  His thoughts trailed off. It was better for everyone if he didn’t complete that thought. The four-man team hadn’t been expecting him. That gave Maks an advantage, and he’d needed it because the team was good. Very good. He’d encountered all manner of trained fighters in his life, and these were some of the best he’d seen. The Saints must be upping their game.

  Perhaps he’d been a fool to think they’d kept recruiting others like they had with him. Maybe after their run-in with the Loughmans, they’d changed tactics and began training their own men. If that was the case, there were only a few select people in all the world who could train others like that.

  Maks didn’t stop his ascent while his mind turned over this new information. The thing he hated about the Saints was that he didn’t know what was fact, what was a guess, and what was completely wrong. All he could do was put the information he had together with the facts he’d experienced and seen firsthand. So far, he’d been pretty spot-on in his guestimates. How long would that last, though?

  His body urged him to rest, but he couldn’t. Finding Eden was his top priority because he couldn’t be sure that none of the Saints had gone around him to follow her. Maks tracked her footsteps in the powder. They were quickly being covered by the snowfall. The deeper impressions told him where she had stopped to rest before continuing.

  Maks plowed through the deep snow, his gaze moving all around, searching for enemies, predators, and Eden. When the cave finally came into sight, he moved quicker, hoping that Eden was there. But as he drew closer, he could tell that the cover hadn’t been moved. No longer were her footsteps visible either. He halted and turned in a circle, hoping for some sight of her.

  He’d told her to keep moving. Maybe she’d been so focused on staying upright that she hadn’t seen the cave. It wasn’t easy to find in general, and the fact that she was exhausted and cold only made things worse. There was no movement anywhere he looked. He wanted to shout her name, but he didn’t dare. There were more Saints out there. If they hadn’t already found her, then he needed to get Eden out of the weather and warm. Soon.

  “Fuck,” he murmured.

  Maks turned back the way she’d been headed. He’d told her to keep moving in this direction, so he was going to look there first. She couldn’t have gotten that far ahead. Maks plowed through the snow, ignoring the ache in his legs and lungs. Behind him, he heard the howl of a wolf, followed closely by several others. No doubt they were already at the bodies. The last thing he wanted was the pack to track him and Eden.

  He hadn’t gone very far before he spotted something through the trees. He stilled and watched, his gaze narrowed as he waited. The moment he saw Eden, relief poured through him. He hurried to her. As he came up behind her, he said her name softly so as not to startle her. She didn’t appear to hear him, and that concerned him.

  Maks put a hand on her arm, but once more, she didn’t stop. He then moved in front of her and stood in her way. She stopped and blinked up at him. When her gaze finally registered him, her face crumpled. His arms came around her, bringing her against him.

  “It’s all right,” he told her. While he wanted to stand there and comfort her, he didn’t dare. “We’ve got to get to the cave.”

  She tried to walk forward. Maks stopped her and turned her around. Eden didn’t say anything, just started walking. She stumbled twice, but he caught her each time. They weren’t making as good of time as they needed to. Just as Maks was about to lift her into his arms, Eden dropped.

  He checked her pulse to make sure she was still alive, then he gathered her in his arms and double-timed it to the cave. Once there, he set her down and removed the natural covering to check that no animal or person was inside waiting. When he saw that it was just as he’d left it, Maks got Eden inside and quickly covered the entrance again.

  In short order, he had a fire going and pulled out blankets from an airtight box of supplies he’d left behind. The moment he pulled off Eden’s gloves and felt her flesh, fear rushed through him. He moved faster than he’d ever moved in his life, putting a blanket down on the hard ground, then removing Eden’s clothes down to her underwear. Finally, he covered her with another blanket before stripping himself and getting under the covers with her.

  He kept his pack of food and weapons close, but right now, his worry was getting Eden through the night. She didn’t so much as twitch when he pulled her against him. He rubbed his hands up and down her arms and back to get her blood pumping. Then he moved to her legs and feet and hands, repeating the process over and over again.

  It felt like an eternity before he felt any warmth in her. Only then did he pause in his ministrations and simply wrap her in his arms. Maks kept having to force himself to loosen his hold. He closed his eyes and allowed himself to rest. They weren’t out of the woods yet, but this respite could make all the difference in if they lived or not.

  An hour later, he woke and got up to put more wood on the fire to keep it burning. He checked the entrance cover. He’d fashioned it so that no light could be seen from outside. On top of that, he’d created a latch on the inside so no one could just open the door if the cave was in use.

  After checking Eden’s fingers and toes for frostbite, he took a few minutes to eat a bag of nuts and drink some water. Only then did he climb back beside her. The moment he did, she turned toward him, seeking his warmth. The fact that he liked the action made his heart skip a beat. Growing up, he’d seen the love his parents shared, and he’d wanted that same kind of love.

  It wasn’t until he was older that he realized how rare such a love was. He’d still held out hope that he’d find it, right up until the Saints came into his life. Never did he imagine someone like Eden. Now that she was here, he didn’t want her to leave. Ever. But he knew that was only wishful thinking. He might have been waiting for a woman like her his entire life, but these fleeting moments were all he could have. It didn’t matter that he felt more alive with her than he ever had, or that, despite the seriousness of their situation, he didn’t want to be anywhere else but with her.

  Eden pressed her cheek against his chest. Maks wrapped his arms around her, holding her firmly as he pressed his lips to the top of her head. This moment, this short flash of time, would stay with him for the rest of his life. All he’d suffered, everything he’d endured, had been worth it to have a woman like Eden not only in his arms but also giving her trust completely to him. He wasn’t sure he deserved any of it, but for her, he’d live up to it all.

  No matter what he had to do in order to achieve it.

  All the while, he tried to ignore the fact that he could feel all of her against him. He’d dreamed of her for three nights, wondering what it would be like to have her just as he did now. It was better than any fantasy. She fit against him perfectly, as if their
bodies had been made together as a single unit and then taken apart.

  It would be so easy for Maks to allow himself to believe that he could have Eden, that there weren’t enemies around every corner waiting to kill her and to hurt him. That he hadn’t lived a life of lies and blood and death. He was the monster people only half-heartedly believed was real because their brains couldn’t comprehend how anyone could choose such a life.

  It wasn’t the life he’d wanted or the one he thought to have. But it was the one that had been handed to him. Sure, he could’ve walked away and let what he was doing fall to someone else, but that wasn’t who he was. How could he be sure there would even be a next person? For all he’d known, there was no one else but him. Thankfully, there were people like the Loughmans, but it was sheer luck that he’d stumbled upon them.

  And even then, he hadn’t been entirely certain that he could trust them, not at first. That had come from fighting alongside them and seeing what the family and their friends were willing to sacrifice for the good of the world. It had been the same fight he’d been in. The relief that he wasn’t doing it alone had been staggering.

  He could’ve given them everything he had and walked away, leaving it up to them to take down the Saints. And they would’ve done it without question. He couldn’t, however. It wasn’t just because the Saints had forced their way into his life, taking the woman he’d believed he was going to marry. It was because of everything wrong with what the Saints stood for and were doing.

  Maks lowered his gaze to Eden. The firelight danced across the walls of the cave and cast a red-orange glow over her hair and down the side of her face. If the Saints hadn’t come into his life, he would never have met Eden. He didn’t want to thank the organization for anything, but he couldn’t help it. Eden was…amazing.

  Intelligent. Brave. Beautiful. Strong.

  Could he have been happy with his old life as a Ranger? Could he have loved his girlfriend and made her his wife? Yes, he could have. But it wasn’t the same relationship his parents had. He knew that now. As much as he didn’t want to admit it, a part of him had known, even back then, that she hadn’t been right for him.