We have other responsibilities, her bear reminded her.
I know, but a girl can dream. This girl had been dreaming of meeting her mate for as long as she could remember. Other girls might dream of ponies and pretty dresses, Linda had always dreamed of finding the perfect man. Not because she needed a man to take care of her. More because her mate would never leave her and would love her forever.
She was blessed because Craig was a shifter and her own children would never suffer Linda’s fate. After her mother, who Linda got her shifter genes from, died in childbirth, her father had left. He wasn’t a shifter and couldn’t take on the responsibility of a child alone. So Linda had been raised by her broken-hearted grandma, who’d lived long enough to see her granddaughter to adulthood before she too had died suddenly in her sleep.
Gina. Gina had filled the hole left in Linda’s heart when her grandma died and left her completely alone in the world. Now, Gina needed Linda’s help.
Linda strode through the snowdrift surrounding the plane and looked out across the snowy expanse. The air was thin, but not so thin it posed a problem to their health. What did pose a problem were the high peaks surrounding them. No matter which way she looked there was nothing but rock and snow.
Fortunately they were on a ledge that overlooked a deep valley. If they followed it down, they would eventually meet the tree line.
Where we will find fresh water and game.
You always think of your stomach, she told her bear.
I don’t deny it. Her bear gave a short chuckle.
Linda shook her head and walked around the perimeter of the plane. Food wouldn’t be a problem if they could leave soon and head down the mountain. With two shifters working together they should be able to hunt if they needed to.
The question of whether they could leave soon remained unanswered.
Linda headed back toward the plane and ducked down to peer through the tear in the fuselage. “How are they?”
“Cold.” Craig looked up with concern. “Is the plane intact?”
She arched her eyebrow. “Do you not see what I see?”
He gave a small smile that quickly faded. “I meant the engine and the fuel tank. If we can safely siphon off some fuel, we can use it to start a fire.”
“And if it’s not intact we need to get out of here before the fuel tank explodes. I’ll take a closer look.” She turned around and followed the outline of the plane, scraping away the snow and revealing the extent of the damage as she went. With some effort she uncovered the whole of the plane, examining the snow and the ground for any sign of leaking fuel.
“Anything?” Craig asked when she reappeared ten minutes later.
“It seems intact.” She crawled back into the belly of the wrecked plane. The nearness of her mate consumed her senses and she had to fight to focus on the two people who lay unconscious on the floor.
“Look after them. I’ll get some fuel and we’ll start a fire.” Craig’s expression told her all she needed to know. If they didn’t hurry, they would be alone on the mountain with two dead humans.
And no matter how much she wanted to be alone with her mate, it could never be at the expense of Gina and Joaquin.
Chapter Six – Craig
Craig worked quickly. Time was not on their side and neither was the temperature. The sun shone bright overhead but would soon crest the mountains and begin its descent, leaving them in a deepening shadow. They had to get the plane warm.
But not too warm.
Craig ripped off his jacket and tie. A suit was so out of place on the mountain.
Removing the fuel cap, he inserted his tie into the fuel tank and used it as a wick to soak his jacket. Then he returned to the icy tomb of a plane, where Linda had made a small pile of flammable objects, mostly clothing and some lumps of wedge-shaped wood.
“Once we decide if we’re staying here or moving on, I’ll go and collect more wood.” Linda’s beautiful face was pinched, not with cold, but with worry. He wanted to make it all better for her, but that was impossible. It was going to take some real effort to set recent events back on track.
“The sun will set in a few hours. We’re here for the night.” Craig would normally be ecstatic about spending the night with his mate in an enclosed space. But not when he also had to share that space with two unconscious people.
Linda nodded. “Let’s get the fire started and try to revive Gina and Joaquin. They are warming up, but we need them conscious.”
Craig hunkered down and scooped out the snow to form a firepit. Then he set his jacket down before going toward the front of the plane to retrieve his backpack. After a quick rummage through the pockets, he came back with a lighter in his hand.
“What are you, a Boy Scout?” Linda nodded toward Craig’s pack.
He glanced down. “Always be prepared.” He gave her a lopsided grin. “Although I never expected to be in a plane crash.”
He flipped the lid on the lighter and a flame came to life. With a flick of his wrist he lit his jacket and instant heat filled the small area around them. Linda picked up the clothes and fed them to the fire.
“That was my favorite shirt.” She shrugged. “Maybe I can claim it on my expenses for a new one. If we make it back alive.”
“We will get out of here,” Craig reassured her.
“But will they?” Linda asked. She had a point. Even if Joaquin and Gina escaped hypothermia, there was a long journey down the mountain before them.
“We can only do our best.” Craig covered her hand with his. Heat radiated out from the point of contact making him shiver as a thrill of excitement coursed through him. “We both want to keep them safe. And if that doesn’t happen, we’ll know we did everything in our power and won’t live our lives blaming ourselves.”
“And that’s supposed to make me feel better?” Linda asked.
“It is.” He touched her cheek affectionately. “You can see empathy is not my strong point.”
“No. It is. You’re right, we can only do our best.” Linda pressed her cheek against his fingers, absorbing the comfort he offered before shifting her attention back to Gina. “Come on, honey.”
Linda slid her hands under the blankets covering her friend and rubbed the trunk of her body, trying to stimulate her. Craig did the same with Joaquin as the temperature in the plane slowly rose. Although, it was going to take more than a few items of clothing and wedges of wood to keep them warm through the night.
“Does Gina know about shifters?” Craig asked his mate.
She nodded as she looked up at him through her lashes. “And Joaquin?”
“I don’t think so. But he did see an eagle outside of the plane after the pilot bailed.” Craig shrugged. “He might put the two things together, or he might not.”
“Whether he does or not, he’ll have to be told.”
Craig nodded in agreement. Linda was right. If they were all going to get down off the mountain they would need help from their bears. Even if it was just to ward the chill off at night.
Chill, more like freezing temperatures, his bear interjected. These frail humans don’t stand a chance.
They do, because we’re here to make sure they make it, Craig answered. It was unusual for his bear to be so negative…
“Damn it.” He moved toward the fire. There was nothing left of his jacket or the letter it contained.
“Are you okay?” Linda asked.
Craig sighed and nodded. “There was something in my pocket.”
“Important?” she asked.
“It’s not something I need.” He’d memorized every word of the letter, he’d read it so many times. Craig didn’t need to hold the worn paper in his hand to know exactly what it said.
“Gina.” Linda’s relief was palpable as the woman who was the reason they were all here stirred and then her eyes flickered open. “Gina.”
“I’m so cold.” Gina’s teeth chattered, and Linda leaned down and covered Gina with her body. “That’s b
etter.”
“Can you sit up?” Linda helped her friend to a sitting position and then hugged her close.
“What happened?” A small squeak escaped her lips as she looked at Joaquin’s still body. “Is he dead?”
Craig shook his head. “No, but he was under the snow for a long time, we need to warm him slowly.”
“The pilot? He jumped.” Despite Gina’s white complexion, she seemed to be completely awake and lucid.
“He did.” Linda pressed her lips together. They hadn’t spoken about what happened or why a pilot would leap from a plane and leave its passengers to plummet to their deaths.
“Why?” Gina asked the question. But none of them had an answer.
“There’s time to get to that,” Linda told Gina. “Until we get down off the mountain there’s nothing we can do, so we need to focus on our survival.”
“Someone wanted us dead,” Gina persisted. “Or me dead.”
“At least we can rule out Joaquin.” Linda’s comment was met with a sob from Gina. “Unless he saw this as some kind of twisted murder-suicide pact, he wasn’t responsible.”
“What if he dies?” A bone-shaking shudder passed through Gina and her hand slid down to her belly. At the same time Linda’s eyes flew up to Craig’s.
“Joaquin.” Craig shifted the angle of his body as Joaquin murmured but didn’t wake.
“I have some brandy in my purse,” Gina said, sitting up and moving stiffly. “That should help revive him.”
“No,” Craig said a little too sharply. He softened his voice when he saw Gina’s bottom lip tremble. “It could do more harm. Let’s get him closer to the fire and work on raising his core temperature.”
“I’ll help,” Linda offered. “Gina, stay there for a moment and stay warm. I’ll check you over for any injuries once we’ve woken Joaquin.” Seeing Gina’s distress, Linda reached out a hand and placed it on her friend’s shoulder. “He’ll be okay. I promise.”
Craig pressed his lips firmly together. He’d learned not to make promises he couldn’t keep, and this might be one promise none of them could keep. Joaquin had been buried in the snow for too long and they had no idea if he had internal injuries. For all they knew he might have a lesion on his brain or have ruptured an internal organ.
People died. Good people died. Often in meaningless ways.
But Joaquin’s death, if he was dead, wouldn’t be meaningless. He’d bravely wrestled for control of the plane and saved three lives.
Or perhaps four lives. He was certain Gina’s involuntary movement to cover her stomach was a sign she was with child. And since she was obviously in love with Joaquin and he was in love with Gina, Craig’s conclusion was that the man lying unconscious on the cold ground was the father.
His eyes flicked up to Linda’s and the concern in her face confirmed his suspicions. “He’ll be okay.”
His bear groaned loudly. Don’t ever make those kinds of promises.
Craig ignored his other side and instead focused on the fire. He added the other wooden wedge and then broke off a metal bar from the back of one of the seats to use as a poker. Soon the flames were dancing merrily.
They were the only merry thing in the plane.
“Let’s get some of these clothes off him.” Linda ran her hands down Joaquin’s legs. “His pants are wet, do we have any other clothes we can put on him?”
Craig fought his way to where Joaquin had stowed his luggage when he got on the plane. After some searching, since everything had spilled out of across the plane, Craig found Joaquin’s small suitcase. Unzipping it, he flung it open and rummage through it looking for dry clothes.
“Craig.” Linda’s voice cracked like a whip. “Do you have anything?”
Craig pulled out a pair of dry pants and a sweater. They weren’t enough to fend off the bone-chilling cold that slowly seeped through the hole in the plane, but they were better than nothing. The light was fading fast and the temperature was dropping. They needed to wake Joaquin.
“Here.” He returned with a handful of clothes in his arms. “We need to warm him up and keep him warm.”
“Do you want to dress him, or shall I?” Linda asked.
Craig raised an eyebrow. “I’ll do it, for no other reason than my bear hates the thought of you touching another man. Especially below the belt.”
“Your bear?” Gina’s weak voice asked. “You are a shifter, too.” She pointed her finger accusingly at Craig.
“Guilty as charged.” He went to work on Joaquin.
“And your bear is jealous of Linda touching another man.” She might be weak, but Gina’s brain was fully functional. “You two are mates.”
“Guilty as charged,” Linda echoed his words.
“Wow.” She looked more alert as a smile spread across her face. “I’m so happy for you.” The comment was directed at Linda, but she quickly added, “I’m so happy for both of you.”
Linda swung around to face her friend and pulled her into a close hug. “We all deserve happy endings.”
“Do we?” Gina asked, her face tight.
“Yes, we do.” Linda shook her head at her friend. “Here, put some of your clothes on, too. Plenty of layers is what you need. It’s going to get cold. Real cold.”
Gina took the clothes and began dressing. It gave her something to do while Linda and Craig fixed their attention on Joaquin.
“How is he?” Linda asked quietly.
“His pulse is stronger. But still weak. All we can do is keep him warm.” He looked around. “We should find something to hold water and melt some snow. We need to keep hydrated.”
“Don’t you have something in your magic pack?”
He smiled, liking her humor even faced with a crisis. “I have a small tin cup. But we need something bigger. A water bottle.”
“I have a plastic folder,” Gina said as she dragged on more clothes. “Since I’m not going to make the damn meeting, you might as well take the paperwork out and use that.”
Linda passed a black executive-style briefcase to Gina. “Here.”
Gina unclipped the briefcase and stared at the paperwork for a moment. Then she picked up a couple of plastic pockets filled with papers. She separated the papers from the plastic covers. “Use these for the water and these for the fire.”
“Don’t you need them?” Linda asked quietly, her expression intent as she watched her friend’s face.
Gina offered the paper and plastic sheaths one more time. “No. I don’t need them.” Her face was set firm. “No business is worth getting killed over.”
“Gina…” Linda hugged her friend. “We’ll figure it out.”
“If we live.” Gina sobbed loudly, then she stilled, her attention fixed on Joaquin. “He’s waking up.”
Craig swung around and patted Joaquin on the cheeks. “Welcome back.”
“Where am I?” Joaquin asked. “And why is it so cold?”
“We crashed.” Craig hoped they weren’t dealing with a case of concussion.
“Crashed.” Joaquin’s eyes scanned the room and then widened. “The pilot bailed, he turned into some kind of bird.” His face went pale as shock threatened to take hold.
“Joaquin.” Gina’s voice pulled at Joaquin and made him calm. It appeared true love was not just for shifters after all.
Chapter Seven – Linda
“We need to get wood for the fire.” The urgency in Craig’s voice matched that growing in the pit of Linda’s stomach.
“We should go together.” Her words were met by a small smile from Craig. “Not because I can’t bear to be apart from you.” Although, the thought of moving more than a few feet away from him was almost unbearable. It took her breath away how quickly they had formed a deep connection.
“I know. But you can’t blame me for imagining for a moment that you need me by your side to protect you.” He held up his hands in self-defense when he saw her expression change. “I know you are more than capable to look after yourself.”
<
br /> “If one of us goes alone, and they get into trouble…” She swallowed down her fear of losing Craig. What if he slid over the edge of a cliff or fell through a melting glacier?
“Then the other will sense them and find them, wherever they are.” He reached out and stroked her cheek, his fingers warm against her skin. “But you are right. It’s safer if we go together. And faster, too.”
Linda looked over Craig’s shoulder to where Gina and Joaquin lay side by side, their bodies touching, and yet there was a distance between them that neither of them knew how to close. “It might give them a chance to talk. If nothing else, Gina’s going to explain about shifters. Although how Joaquin is going to react to us being bear shifters, I’m not sure.”
“We should tell him now.” Craig half-turned but Linda caught hold of his arm. A shock of recognition coursed through her fingers and flooded her body.
“Let Gina tell him. It means they have to start talking. Which might lead them to resolving some of their other issues.” She arched an eyebrow at Craig.
Craig sighed as he studied the couple. “Doesn’t it make you happy to be a shifter? None of that uncertainty.”
“And none of the romance.” Linda smothered a smile as he swung his head back around to study her face.
“Do you want flowers and dinner in a fancy restaurant?” he asked.
“I’ll pass on the flowers.” Her stomach grumbled at the thought of food. “And I’d settle for dinner anywhere right now.”
“I have some nuts and a cereal bar in my backpack. I also have some emergency rations.”
“Why?” Her brow creased.
“I’m always prepared.” Craig gave her an apologetic smile which melted her heart. It was a shame it wouldn’t melt the snow outside. “I am ex-Army. Trained in survival in the harshest of conditions.”
“And so you carry around a survival pack.” She had a lot to learn about her mate.
“Of course. It’s not all fancy hotels and first-class flights when you are a bodyguard.”
She indicated their surroundings. “I think I figured that out for myself.”
“I always knew my mate would be smart.” His good humor lifted her spirits.
Survivor Bear Page 5
