Topper smiled and clapped her hands at his cleverness. Her smile faded though when her now weary husband walked slowly towards her. She caught his arms and searched his face. “How hard was that for you?”
“I’m not sure why, but that kind of effort is more tiring on Earth than it is on Glacier,” Stark admitted. “The work is done. The shelter will keep us all safe from the elements tonight.”
Topper nodded. “Thank you. What can I do?”
“Think you can come up with some sort of bedding for all of us?”
Topper patted his arm. “Yes. Leave it to me,” she said, walking toward their shelter. She used her teeth to pull off her tight gloves as she passed through the opening. It was remarkably warmer inside the shelter where the cold wind wasn’t hitting her.
Topper raised her now bare hands and flicked them along one curved wall. Fifteen equal piles of straw appeared there. That should do for their canine heroes.
In the center of the room, she whirled a finger, conjuring a small cauldron lit with softly glowing embers. The crystals would warm the room without melting the shelter down around them. Stark had left a small hole in the ceiling for ventilation, but the crystal fire probably wouldn’t need it.
Thinking how hungry the dogs must be after pulling the sled for all those hours, Topper flicked her hand toward the door. She winced as she heard a significant grunt outside as a large bag of dog food hit something in the dark.
“Sorry,” she yelled. “I was aiming for the sled.”
“No problem,” Stark yelled back. “It knocked me down, but I’m okay.”
Topper bit her lip as she studied the icy walls of their shelter. She walked to one and put her fingers on it, amazed at the solid cold that felt like stone. “Nice skill,” she whispered, walking to the entrance of their snow hut. She stopped short, snapping her fingers. “I almost forgot about us.”
She conjured a sleeping platform made of straw bales. They could put the super duty sleeping bags she saw on the sled on top. Using the sleeping bags would alleviate any questions come tomorrow when their rescue arrived. The straw she would blow away in a magically enhanced wind. She’d also make sure their snow shelter melted away.
Drained from all the energy she’d just expended, Topper left the warmth of the shelter and headed outside. Was it just this morning she had been bursting with the motivation to start this adventure?
Stark was standing in the middle of a circle of hungry dogs chowing down on the food he’d heaped into nearly equal piles. She saw he’d saved back half the bag for the morning. He looked up and smiled at her, just as sexy and strong as when they’d started out today. Her heart stuttered in her chest as she studied her handsome husband. Very few men would have handled a near death experience with such good humor and grace.
Suddenly she was crying over how lucky she felt and how much she loved him, her tears freezing to little drops of ice as they slid down her face. Shoving her still gloveless hands into the warm pockets of the coat Stark had chosen for her, Topper ducked her head and tried to rein in her crazy emotions before he noticed. She sniffled and took a deep breath, releasing frosty vapor as she breathed back out.
“Beds are ready for everyone. I put a low heat source in the shelter too. It should provide enough to keep us from freezing tonight if the temps keep dropping.”
“Are we digging into the emergency supplies for food or doing something else?”
Topper sighed, understanding Stark’s question. “It seems best to eat what they sent along with us. That’s what they’re expecting us to do. Do you mind?”
Stark left the dog circle as most of them were finishing. He walked over to her and met her gaze.
“I’ve survived on rations before. It’s you I’m worried about. I’m sorry your honeymoon plans haven’t worked out like you hoped. It’s a shame that beautiful room at the lodge won’t be used tonight.”
Topper shrugged at their fate. “We’re still alive. We’re together. The dogs are okay. I prefer to count my blessings. I’ll be bitchy tomorrow when I have to put my cold, stiff ass back on that hard sled seat. Tonight I’m just glad we’re all okay.”
Her numb lips tingled when Stark’s mouth swept gently over hers. He pulled back to meet her gaze. “I appreciate you more tonight than I did the moment I realized you were my mate.”
“I was just thinking the same about you,” she said back. “Maybe it’s all those honeymoon pheromones we’re swapping.”
Her husband’s chuckle over her joke warmed her up quite a bit. Who knew lust could defy the miserable cold? Topper felt a reluctant grin tugging her lips as she fought not to shiver.
“Death humbled me today, Stark. You should probably know I’m not always this tolerant of inconvenience.”
When he chuckled again, it made Topper smile, but she wasn’t sure why.
“Did I say something funny?”
Stark shook his head. “No. Not funny… just… charming. I am pleased to share your moods, whatever they are.”
Sighing, Topper pointed at the sled with her chin. “Good. I’ll take the dogs inside and get them settled. You fetch our bedrolls and dinner.”
“It might take me a bit to gather it all,” Stark warned.
Topper nodded as she snorted. “That’s okay. I’ll fill the time praying to Gaia that our emergency rations aren’t a bunch of seal blubber or something else equally vile.”
“May your goddess hear your prayers,” Stark said.
The wicked grin and formal bow Stark gave her made her roll her eyes, but how could she chastise him for teasing her?
She tried to imagine being stuck in this situation with any of the other males she’d known in her life. A shudder passed through her. She’d have ended up spelling most other males to sleep just so she wouldn’t have to listen to their constant complaining over what’d happened to them.
But Stark? He seemed to be taking their life and death adventure all in stride. It made her wonder how often he’d faced down death and walked away from it before she’d met him. Some of her adventures hadn’t left her unscathed, but none had come close to ending her.
Letting loose a whistle Lacey would have been proud of her for, Topper called the dogs to follow her. By the time Stark got inside the snow hut, all but a couple of the dogs—poor tired things—were sleeping soundly. Mercury rested, but kept watch, not closing his eyes until the last of his team finally gave in to exhaustion and slept.
“Are you sure this isn’t seal blubber I’m eating?” Topper asked, eyeing what was left of the food in her hand.
Stark read the label again, grinned at what it said, and then tucked the package under his leg to hide it.
Topper’s narrowed gaze landed on her mate. “Tell me, Stark. What am I eating? I need to know.”
“It is a perfectly fine source of protein. Don’t you find it palatable?” Stark asked.
Topper stared at what looked like dried up bacon having a bad day. Palatable? She wasn’t even sure it was meat. “No. It tastes like crap.”
“I know that word and what it symbolizes. I also know you have never eaten anything remotely resembling… crap,” Stark finished, using her word.
“Must you be so literal?” Topper demanded. “I think I’ve earned a moment or two of whining.”
“Whine all you want, but finish your food. You need the protein it provides to keep your core warm. There’s some dried fruit you can look forward to eating for dessert.”
Topper bit off a chunk and chewed. She caught Stark’s sneaky smirk. “Stop enjoying my discomfort and tell me what the hell I’m chowing down on here.” She lowered her voice to a whisper. “It better not be a sled dog who couldn’t cut it. That would seriously piss me off.”
Stark’s full out belly laughter over her comment miffed her. She glared at him until he stopped. To her mind, it was a valid concern. She had no idea what natives in Alaska considered food fit for emergencies.
“Stop imagining the worse. It’s just moose
jerky,” Stark said.
Topper stared at the partial piece of stringy preserved meat left in her hand. She shook her head. No, she was not going to waste her magic on conjuring a hamburger. She might need it to keep them from becoming hamburgers for some non-hibernating bear.
“I guess I’ve eaten worse than moose. Once on safari I ate boa constrictor. Now that was bad food.” Topper bit off another chuck of jerky and chewed.
Stark passed her a bag of dried mixed fruit and kept one for himself.
“Any moose jerky left for the morning?” Topper asked, popping the last bite in her mouth.
Stark grinned and nodded. “Yes. There’s even enough to feed some to the dogs. I’m sure that’s what the extra bags were intended for in emergencies like ours.”
Topper’s sigh echoed in the chamber. “Moose jerky and camping in an ice hut is a bit more adventure than I had in mind for our trip. I’m sorry it’s worked out this way.”
Stark shrugged. “This is luxurious compared to most of my forays into the ice fields. Would you hate me if I admitted I’m still having a good time? On assignment I was always alone… and often lonely. You’re the first female who’s ever chosen to stay out in the cold with me.”
“Of course I don’t hate you. Your freaky ideas about what constitutes a good time need some serious revision though.” Topper grinned and shoved his arm playfully, making Stark laugh. “So no one ever shared your sleeping bag, eh? Glacieran women must all be wimps.”
Stark laughed and then went back to chewing his jerky. Topper stopped chewing when he turned a serious gaze her way.
“My dearest mate, all females except Icela are wimps compared to you.”
Topper barked out a laugh. “Not that I don’t like being compared to your goddess, but I think you’re forgetting reality here. Let’s recap. I can’t get us out of this without calling for magical help. We’re toughing it out in the freezing Alaskan weather because my witchy-ness doesn’t work as well in the cold. Face it—this is all my fault.”
“Is it? So you control all the weather and all the shifting of elements of your planet?” Stark asked. He shrugged and ate some fruit before finishing. “If so, you’re even more impressive than I realized.”
Topper snickered at his sarcasm and popped a chunk of sugared pineapple her mouth. She chewed thoughtfully. “I know I don’t have that much control. I’m just saying that I could have made better, warmer plans for us. This is our honeymoon. It’s a time of adjusting to each other, but… damn. We’re supposed to be sharing a hot tub, not a snow hut.”
Stark stopped eating and lifted a brow.
Topper sighed, realizing she’d inadvertently insulted his work. “I didn’t mean it that way. This snow hut is amazing—truly.”
His smile grew slowly and spread. “The ability to build a shelter from the elements is a gift from Icela. Not all Glacierans have it.”
Topper hung her head. “I was being flippant, not intentionally insulting. I’m sorry if I hurt your feelings.”
Stark reached over and pinched her until she jumped away from his fingers.
“Hey! What was that for?” Topper demanded.
“You apologized for something,” Stark accused, pointing a finger at her chest. “Wicked alien enchantress, what have you done with my caustic mate? I demand you return her to me immediately. I’m in love with that cranky-natured witch.”
Topper laughed out loud at his dramatic teasing. “So you think I’ve not been myself lately?” She narrowed her gaze at a now frowning Stark. What was his problem? “What? You’d rather I’d be bitchy 24/7? Doable… but I was trying to break my bad habits.”
Stark shook his head. “No, I don’t prefer anything… it’s just that I fear I have irreparably altered you with our mating… especially after last night.”
Topper held up a hand. She bent down one finger and then another. Yes—only two times in her life had she been rendered speechless. One was when the first man she’d loved betrayed her because she’d confessed to being a witch. The second was when Lacey informed her that she’d captured two aliens. Stark’s comments about having “irreparably altered her” now constituted a third.
Did he honestly think that highly of his sexual prowess? Stark was good… really good… but her world didn’t exactly revolve around his alien man stick.
Her hand fell to her side as she stared at her worried husband in disbelief. “May I ask how you think you’ve irreparably altered me? And by the way… those words do not sit well.”
Stark nodded and then hesitantly held her confused gaze. “Last night, I accidently shared Icela’s light with you. I didn’t mean to, and it’s never happened to me before, but…”
His shrug preceded another deep frown.
Topper cleared her throat. “So am I going to morph into some sort of Glacieran monster or grow two heads or… I don’t know… something else horrible?”
“Doubtful about the monster part,” Stark said dryly. “But I don’t know what’s actually taken place or what consequences will come of it. I exhausted myself more than usual in our lovemaking. You instantly passed out afterward, yet barely slept for tossing and turning all night. This morning you woke like nothing unusual had happened and yet you were singing and… well, not being much like yourself.”
Topper’s eyebrows raised when Stark gave another shrug. “So you think us having mind blowing sex last night somehow changed my personality?”
Stark nodded gravely.
Topper turned away and covered her mouth with her hand. Loud laughter leaked around it anyway, earning her a glare from her now embarrassed husband, and worried gazes from the dogs she woke. She bit her lip hard trying to stop herself, but… seriously?
Since those with magic were immune to human diseases of all kinds, there was only one consequence of sex any of them feared. Thank Gaia her time for worrying about such things was long behind her. She was at the perfect age when all concerns about indulging in physical pleasure were gone.
She turned back to her glaring mate. “How about this explanation? I’m truly happy for the first time in my life. I’m going to go with that as an excuse for any kooky behavior I exhibit with you or anyone else. Okay?”
Stark let out a long breath as he thought. “Perhaps we should abstain from sexual intercourse until I can consult with Frost and maybe take a trip back to Glacier to talk to Icela.”
Too shocked to think before acting, Topper reached over and socked Stark hard in the arm. Her unexpected, surprisingly strong punch nearly pushed him off their makeshift straw bed. He looked at her in shock as he righted himself. Good. Now that made two of them who were stunned.
“This is our honeymoon, Stark. Before you, I abstained for most of my freaking life. This is the first time I’ve ever had all I wanted from any man I’ve ever been with and I will not…”
Her impassioned rant ended when Stark grinned as he rubbed his arm. “I felt it was my duty as your mate to inform you. I didn’t say I thought it was a good idea. I don’t want to abstain either.”
Topper huffed. “Good… because I’d rather eat moose jerky for every meal than give up sex.”
Stark snorted and smiled. “Very well. We will accept whatever consequences come from our couplings.”
Topper rolled her eyes. “You’re making me sound like a brooding animal.”
“Aren’t you?” Stark asked. “Aren’t we all made that way? I feel that way about you. I just try to say it nicer.”
Her eyes couldn’t roll any higher, so she settled for glaring. “If that’s your idea of a sexy compliment, your pillow talk needs some serious work.”
Stark leaned over, pulled the clothing she still wore away from her neck, and kissed the skin he’d exposed. “Crawl into my sleeping bag and I’ll happily give you a hundred sexy compliments.”
“Much better,” Topper praised, giggling at Stark’s talented fingers loosening the fasteners of her coat.
Chapter 7
The next morning t
hey fed the dogs and loaded the sled. Still, there was no sign of any rescuer. Stark had a discussion with Mercury who seemed to think home was no more than a few hard hours run away. From that they decided to push onward and a quick call to Sandra on their dying emergency phone confirmed the plan was sound. She did sound surprised that no one had made it to their camp yet.
Topper sighed as she climbed into the sled seat and covered her legs with the provided fur. Last night’s snuggle fest with Stark had left her unsatisfied, but feeling cherished. His reluctance to have sex had probably spared them both some aches this morning.
At least they’d be going back to the lodge tonight. That hot tub was going to be very welcome after two days out in the cold. Thank the goddess she’d bought more suitable clothing when they arrived.
The sled was moving along smoothly when Mercury once more slowed and stopped the sled. He stayed still, nose lifted, his attention on something ahead of them. Stark jumped off the sled and ran to the front, squinting off into the distance. Something or someone was moving around, but they were too far away to see the person clearly.
A loud boom broke the silence and echoed everywhere, startling all of them. While Topper clung to the jostling sled seat, Stark did his best to calm the dogs. An entire mountain’s worth of snow suddenly broke loose and tumbled down from the nearest incline, dumping its content on the trail.
Topper squinted at what’d happened, then shook her head. Closing her eyes, she called to her binoculars back home and they soon appeared in her gloved hand. “Stark, here. I have something to help,” she called.
He trotted back, retrieving the lenses she held out. Looking through them, Stark mumbled roughly in his native tongue. When he pulled them away from his eyes, he had the same look he had dressed in his uniform.
“Who is it?” Topper asked.
“I don’t know, but they intentionally blocked our path. I’m going on ahead to check out the situation. You stay here with the dogs. If I don’t come back within the hour, release the dogs from the harness and transport yourself to the hotel.”
Magic, New Mexico: Touching Topper (Kindle Worlds Novella) (My Crazy Alien Romance Book 2) Page 5
