by Ava Hardy
Neither of them talked very much and that was okay. I had plenty to think about, like the kiss I shared with Blake the day before. I could still feel the warm sensation on my lips, as if his lips were just there a few moments ago. I thought about it in my dreams and woke up wishing I could kiss him again. And yet life between us seemed to go on as normal. It was as if nothing happened and everything remained the same. Not that I was expecting things to be drastically different, but I thought it would bring us closer. Or maybe he would acknowledge that he felt different about me; maybe he cared for me.
I wasn’t disappointed per se. I wasn’t really anything other than confused, which then confused me more. I had always wanted someone to cherish me and love me and allow me to do the same. Gaia said that we were in this together, and yet I never felt close with either of them except for that one brief moment. If we were supposed to be some grand love story, this romance for the ages, I was doubtful that we’d get anything close to that. I’m sure the guys were capable of love, but I don’t think it’s meant for me.
“Let’s stop here to eat,” Chris suggested when we reached another clearing underneath the trees on our way back to the village. The backpack he had been wearing slid down his arms and then landed with a thud in the dirt. I watched as he rolled his neck from side to side and stretched out his arms. The poor guy looked tired and sore, but he wasn’t about to complain. He would suck it up, remind himself why he was doing this and push through whatever he was feeling physically. It was amazing really, what he was capable of. I’d bet money that I had only seen a glimpse of his true potential.
Blake’s exhausted sigh pulled me back to reality and I watched as he got comfortable, leaning against a tree. I moved to sit near him and watched as Chris brought the backpack over.
“Do you want me to make a fire?” Blake asked either of us that was listening. Chris didn’t say anything as he pulled out some food for us to share.
Without a word, I got up and started to collect some sticks and branches that had fallen in the small clearing. I put them in a pile before I searched for some rocks. I found a few large ones out away from the clearing and brought them over. I put everything I had collected in the middle of where we were sitting and then stepped back. Concentrating on what I wanted, I tried to pull up all the feelings I’ve ever felt as I raised my hand towards the pile. Nothing happened.
“What are you doing?” Blake asked, leaning back out of the way as if something was going to fly at him at any second.
I didn’t bother to answer him as I got frustrated and raised my hand again. Concentrating on all of my frustration and a bit of anger, I noticed my hand flash white and then the ball of energy shot from my fingertips to the sticks, creating a fire instantly.
“Yay!” I shouted happily, doing a little victory dance. “I’ve been wanting to try that for days.”
Chris was on his back, being blown over by the force, and Blake was pressed against the tree trunk with wide eyes.
“Next time, how about a little warning, yeah?” Blake was still staring at me with wide eyes but it didn’t matter. The smile on Chris’s face as he opened up a can to put over the fire was all I needed.
We had been walking all day and not a sign of anything that would resemble an element. We didn’t even see one Defender, and I questioned that at one point. Chris didn’t like it either, realizing around lunch time that we might have been given hopeful information, but it wasn’t entirely useful.
It was silent while we ate our dinner. It wasn’t much, but it was warm. There had been a debate this morning when Chris filled the backpack with necessary items. He wanted more food but Blake said it would just be more to carry. The older of the two stated he would carry the backpack, but he was concerned with my lack of experience in hiking and how hungry I might be. I would need the calories. In the end, he packed a little extra but also kept the bag light to please Blake. The younger man did carry it around for several hours so it was a bit of a win/win on both of their parts. I appreciated Chris’s hesitations as I was a bit nervous about our trek in the woods. So far so good though.
I finished up the baked beans that had been warmed up and put my empty tin in the bag we brought for garbage. Reaching for the granola, I glanced towards the thicket of trees beyond our hidden area. Branches were starting to move and snow was falling. Chris noticed the look on my face and turned his head to see what I was looking at. Jumping to his feet, he walked out from under the tree where we had been sitting and found a spot where he could see the sky between the treetops.
“Dark clouds are coming,” his voice shouted at us just as the wind picked up. Putting his hand on top of his head, he saved his hat from flying away as he jogged back to where we were. “We’re going to have to stay here and ride out the storm.”
“There’s no way,” I said softly, shaking my head. We had several layers of clothing on each of us but that would only hold out for so long. If this snowstorm was anything serious, we would need some sort of shelter. We’d need heat.
I looked over at Chris, fear coursing through my veins. We’d come so far and still had a ways to go. If we were going to go out like this, I would rather go down fighting a Defender instead of freezing to death in a snowstorm.
“We have time to make it back,” I tried to argue, my voice giving away how afraid I was.
Chris shook his head and gave me a soft smile. “We’re going to be alright, Kiera. You’ll see. You just have to trust me, okay?”
I looked past him, seeing the snow coming down so hard at this point I could barely see the trees. It was building up around our clearing and the wind was blowing it towards us. The flames of our fire flicked in the gusts and threatened to go out at any minute. With all the wind and snow, pretty soon we wouldn’t have any clearing left.
Blake’s movement out of the corner of my eye caught my attention and I watched as he packed up the last few things into the backpack. He tossed it on the other side of the tree and then told Chris it would be better over there. What was better?
I started to stand when I felt Chris take my hand. He helped me up and then pulled me towards him. “Do you trust me?” he asked, and I nodded my head without thinking twice.
Chris moved over to where the backpack was and it instantly felt warmer. The wind was blocked by the large tree but the snow was still swirling around, inching closer as the gusts picked up. I looked down and noticed that Blake was digging a small hole in the dirt. Stepping out of the way, I wondered what he was doing. Surely he didn’t expect to dig a big enough hole for the three of us to get inside. Chris moved over and extinguished the fire in a single breath. An image of the big bad wolf and the three little pigs popped into my head and I had to smile with amusement for a second. Pushing it out of my mind, I watched as he reached in and picked up the red rocks from the center and placed them gently in the small hole that Blake had dug.
“Holy shi…” I couldn’t believe what Chris just did. “How did you?”
With an amused smirk, he looked at me and gave a playful shrug. “We’re not human, remember? Our hands, when we shift, are just like a dog’s. The pads on our feet are very protective and it carries over into our human form to some degree. Extreme temperatures don’t bother us if it’s only for a few minutes.”
I nodded my head in understanding, reminding myself that there was still a lot left for me to learn.
They went back to the rocks and arranged them side by side before putting a thin layer of dirt on the top.
“Lay down on your stomach,” Chris told me, pointing to the dirt.
“What?” There was no way I was going to go face-first into some dirt, especially over some rocks that would probably melt my jacket.
Blake pulled out a spare sweatshirt from the backpack and tossed it to Chris. While Chris folded the clothing, Blake got our bag tied to a tree branch to keep it from disappearing on us. I looked back at Chris and he put the folded sweatshirt down on the ground.
“Put you
r head on that like a pillow. You need to hurry though before all the heat is gone.”
I looked between both of them for a moment and then went down on my knees with a sigh. This might be one of the most ridiculous things I had ever done. Moving over, I put my stomach over where the rocks were and then rested my head on the makeshift pillow. Chris’s scent immediately flooded my senses. Before I had time to say anything, I felt Blake move to my left side and wedge himself between myself and the tree. He was mostly lying on top of me. Odd but not unwelcome. Chris was on my right and started to do the same. They moved their bodies just enough to cocoon themselves around me. It wasn’t the most comfortable, but it was only a matter of seconds before I was surrounded by warmth.
“You’ll both freeze,” I whispered to them, not wanting to think of what would happen if we had to stay outside for too long.
“Don’t worry about us. We’ll be alright,” Chris reassured me. I had no idea if he was telling me the truth. Maybe being shifters, they suddenly became overheated and freezing temperatures didn’t matter. I mean their skin was able to protect them from most Defenders. It could be possible. Right?
“Are you warm enough?” Blake asked, kissing my temple.
“Yeah,” I replied a minute or two later. Sadness was washing over me and I tried not to let it show. I couldn’t let them do this.
“Don’t be sad, sweetheart. I promise we’ll be alright,” Chris whispered in my ear and then I felt his lips on my neck. He was placing soft kisses in spots that warmed me from the inside out. I wanted to stretch out, beg him to keep going but just as soon as it started, the kisses ended. “Try to sleep. The storm will be over before you know it.”
Suddenly, as if on cue, I got really sleepy. All the hiking, plus food in my belly and now the warmth that these two provided me, I couldn’t help but close my eyes and drift off in a deep slumber as the wind and snow swirled around us.
I don’t know how long I had slept, but when I opened my eyes, I didn’t hear the wind howling any longer. There was still a chill in the air that forced me to realize that the guys’ heat wasn’t surrounding me any longer, but I still felt the weight of the boys.
“Chris! Blake!” I called out, pushing my legs out from under me. I groaned as my extremities stretched out after being tucked in for so many hours. That wasn’t what scared me. There was no movement or response from my guys.
“Christopher! Blake!” I shouted louder and moved to sit up, forcing them off me.
As I rose to my knees, I looked down at the two of them and tears immediately filled my eyes. Both looked like they had been painted in blue, their bodies rigid and unmoving. Shaking my head, I put my hands on both of them, as if I could wake them.
“No! No, no, no, no!” I cried, tears slipping down my cheeks. I rubbed their chests at the same time, my head going back and forth as I hoped to see some form of life. This couldn’t be happening. We just started getting closer, and we were so close to finding the element. I couldn’t lose them now.
“Blake, please!” I begged in a frantic voice. I looked at him and then looked out over the wooded area around me. The snow was several feet deep except for the area where my boys had protected me. It was dry, still a little warm and my heart broke. They sacrificed their lives for me, as Gaia warned that they would. I had no idea what I was supposed to do now. I couldn’t just leave them there. Even if I wanted to go back to the village, I had no idea which way I was supposed to go.
I rested my head near his. I wanted to hear his laugh again. I wanted him to kiss me and not stop himself from going further. My eyes drifted over to Chris and I expected to see those deep, rich eyes staring back at me. The hint of a smile on his lips as he watched me as he always did. His mind going over things. Anything. Everything. I suddenly felt lost and alone, not just in the physical sense. I quit my job to go on this adventure. The promise of saving the world was right there, helping people and making sure that nobody had to know the true evils that were all around us.
For a moment, I closed my eyes and kept myself next to Blake. The coldness of his body was starting to seep in through my layers and I brushed it off. It didn’t matter. Nothing really mattered in that exact moment. Everything I had felt I was working towards in my life, answers I had been searching for...gone. I opened my eyes and looked at Blake’s face. He looked so peaceful, and in a way, it warmed my heart.
Without a second thought, I leaned over and placed a gentle kiss to his blue lips. As I pulled away, I noticed that the blue tint in his coloring was fading. In its wake returned his pale complexion, almost as white as the snow. I held my breath and my heart pounded in my chest. With nobody around to explain what was happening, it felt almost like a Snow White moment, but I knew this was no fairy tale.
“Hey,” Blake greeted with a small sleepy smile. It looked like he just woke up, and as cute as it was, I reached out and smacked his chest hard. He let out an ‘ow’ sound and rubbed his breastbone before sitting up. “What was that for?”
“You scared the shit out of me!” I shouted, wiping the tears from my cheeks. “I thought you died.”
“Well, I sorta...” Blake started to explain, but then stopped when he looked around me. “Fuck! Chris!”
He scooted over to try and get the other man to wake up as I turned around on my knees. It was then that I realized Chris was a darker blue than Blake was. He had been on the outside, away from the tree and his body was hit with more wind and snow. Blake was shouting, telling me to do what I did to him and to wake Chris up. I had never seen him so frantic before, and while it should have scared me, it only proved that Blake cared just as much for Chris as he did for me.
With no time to appreciate the bond the two had, I leaned down and put my lips to Chris’s and kissed him just as sweetly. I pulled back and nothing happened.
“Do it again!” Blake demanded, and I kissed Chris again. “Are you sure that is what you did to me?”
“Yes! I’m sure,” I said as I looked at Blake. My heart was starting to drop as I realized that Chris might not wake up. The excitement of being able to save them was fading. I leaned down again and kissed him. I let my lips linger on his, hoping and praying that it would work. I brought my hand up to cup his cheek, and all I felt was the cold ice that was taking over his body. His beard felt hard against my hand and I wondered if I could use my newfound energy to somehow warm him up. I was tempted to try but felt that I would only make things worse. Why couldn’t my kiss save him?
Tears started to drop down my cheeks as I kept my lips to his. I could feel the cold starting to creep over me and I didn’t care. The dread I felt moments ago quickly returned and all I could do was pray that someone let Chris come back to me. One by one, my tears slid down my face. One fell off my cheek and landed on Chris’s skin. The blue tint lessened. Another tear slipped from my chin and the blue tint lightened even more. As each tear left my face and landed on his skin, Chris’s color started to return until he finally opened his eyes.
“You’re too beautiful to cry,” Chris whispered as he slowly raised his hand to wipe away the last of my tears.
I fell back onto my butt and burst into tears. I put my arms down on my bent knees and buried my face against my hands for a moment. A second later, I felt a pair of arms wrap around me and I was surrounded by Chris’s scent. Blake’s scent joined in a minute later as I felt even more arms and more body heat surround me.
“I thought I lost you two,” I cried softly. “I didn’t know what I was going to do.”
“You saved us, Kiera,” Chris whispered, his lips finding my cheek for a soft kiss. “You take care of us like we’ll always take care of you.”
“It’s what you do when you’re a team,” Blake whispered, giving my other cheek a soft kiss.
“When you’re a family.” Chris voice rang in my ears and I wanted to stay with them like this forever.
Chapter 12
We had managed to make it back to the village sometime in the afternoon, a
fter most had settled into their daily activities. Many people had been surprised to see us alive, stating that it had been one of the worst storms they had ever seen. Chris gave them a story on how we hunkered down and kept each other warm. He glanced at me and I smiled, appreciating that he kept the details private on what really happened.
There was some disappointment that we didn’t find the element, but Chris reassured them that we’d find it.
Everyone left us alone when we made it to the small house behind the main building. All three of us were ready to change into something else and sleep for as long as possible. Chris locked the door as soon as the three of us were inside and Blake started a fire. I was tempted to shower before crawling in bed, but I didn’t think I had the energy for it. Even though I had slept through most of the storm, it wasn’t good sleep. The emotional aftermath and the hike through all the newly fallen snow had just wiped me out.
I headed towards the bedroom and noticed Chris taking his boots off. I quietly watched him as he prepared to sleep on the floor, letting Blake take the couch. Turning so I was facing them, I couldn’t help but smile.
