One day very soon.
The sled dragged slowly behind as he neared the place where the large footprints sat in the snow like a mystery wanting to be solved. His imagination left the image of Linda behind and instead conjured up the kind of massive beast that must have stood here in the last day or so. Maybe this part of the mountain had its own ecosystem and dinosaurs still existed.
That’s just crazy, his bear told him.
Do you have a better explanation? Craig asked.
Not now, but I’ll work on one that doesn’t make us look totally insane.
Craig smiled to himself and then gritted his teeth as he pulled the sled up a steep incline that took them a little out of their way but meant Gina and Joaquin wouldn’t see the footprint and ask questions. Their diversion also meant the sled wouldn’t slide over the prints and destroy them.
A full, hard twenty minutes later they reached the entrance of the cave. The sled was too wide to fit through the cave mouth and so Craig maneuvered it as close as possible to the entrance and then took the harness off. By the time he reached the side of the sled, Linda had already helped Gina to stand. “I’m so cold.”
“You won’t be when you get inside,” Linda assured her as she supported her friend as she stumbled forward.
“I just want to get home,” Gina said morosely. “Not that I’m complaining. I’m so very grateful to you all.”
“We all understand and feel the same,” Linda reassured her.
“It’s your turn, buddy,” Craig told Joaquin.
All the color drained from Joaquin’s face. “It’s gonna hurt like hell. I don’t want Gina to hear me scream.”
“I don’t think she’ll think any less of you if you do.” Craig carefully pulled back the mountain of covers from Joaquin’s injured body and then scooped him up into his arms as if he were a child.
Joaquin moaned, low and long, like a wounded animal.
“It’s okay, let it out. The only thing to hear you out here is the mountain.”
“And the woman who is carrying my child,” Joaquin spoke through gritted teeth.
“I don’t think she cares about you screaming, she just wants you alive and in one piece.” Craig ducked down as he entered the cave, causing Joaquin to gasp.
“You knew about the baby, didn’t you?” Joaquin asked as Craig inched slowly into the cave.
“I did. But I swore to my mate that I wouldn’t tell you and I am a man of my word. Especially where my mate is concerned. She’s the most important thing in the world to me.” Craig set Joaquin down on the hard ground.
“Perhaps that’s something Joaquin and I should learn from you two.” Gina was stretching her legs and walking around the cave doing low lunges.
“You might be right,” Joaquin agreed. He struggled to a sitting position. “Perhaps I should walk around, too, and get my circulation going.”
“Eat first and let me bind your ribs.” Craig crouched down by the fire and helped Linda with the food. “If we have a further two days until we get out of this valley and then another two days’ hike down the mountain, we can afford to eat two of the rations today. I’m certain we can hunt for some food when we get lower down and we all need an energy boost.”
“Plus, we might not find somewhere safe to light a fire tomorrow night.” Linda’s eyes flicked up to his.
“Safe from what?” Joaquin asked suspiciously.
“Anyone who might be watching,” Craig said quickly. “Nothing says I’m here like a flaming fire.”
“Point taken.” Joaquin winced as he moved his body. “I think some of the bruising has come out and the swelling has gone down.”
“Why don’t you check Joaquin over while I cook the food,” Linda suggested.
Craig moved across the cave floor and hunkered down next to Joaquin. “At least it’s warmer here when I lift your shirt.”
“It’s not going to hurt any less when you touch me though, is it?” Joaquin said with a short laugh.
“I’m afraid not.” Craig lifted Joaquin’s clothing and examined the angry purple bruises along his ribs. “You’re right, they don’t look as bad.” He used his fingers to prod the thin bones. “The bottom one is broken, but the rest seem to be intact. You should be able to walk around, just be careful and no sudden movements.”
“I’m not planning any,” Joaquin said, sounding relieved that his injuries were not as severe as they first thought.
“I’m going to cut a strip off the parachute and wrap it around your ribs. That should help. Then you can eat and afterward if you feel strong enough, you can walk around. But don’t use too much energy.” Craig got up and went back outside. The snow was still falling, and he took a moment to send his senses outward, to scan the area for anything unusual. There was nothing. Relieved, he cut a strip from the parachute and then pulled the sled closer to the cave entrance. He tipped it at an angle so that the sheet of metal blocked the worst of the wind from entering the cave.
Satisfied there was nothing more he could do, he went back inside where the sight of his mate and the smell of the warm stew she was preparing made his stomach growl. If only they were not in such peril, they might have spent the night enjoying each other’s company.
He quickly wrapped Joaquin’s ribs and then helped him stand. Once he was steady on his feet, Joaquin took his first unaided steps since the plane had come down and walked across to Gina with a happy smile plastered on his gaunt face.
“Love conquers all,” Linda said quietly as she stirred the stew over the fire.
“I like to believe it does,” Joaquin admitted.
“I don’t think it conquers hunger.” Linda looked at the gloopy meal in the makeshift pan. “I never thought I’d find this kind of thing appetizing, but right now I would eat anything.”
“Pity we never caught that rabbit.” Craig shuffled closer to the fire and sat with his thigh pressed up against hers.
“If we had, we might have missed the cave. And I would rather have a dry roof over our heads than a rabbit on a spit.” She glanced at him sideways. “Have you thought anymore about the other thing?”
“I’ve thought about it, but I’m no closer to solving that mystery than I was before.” He took the water bottle she offered him. “I don’t know. If it wasn’t in the fresh snow I’d think someone was playing a trick on us.”
“Trying to scare us, you mean?” Linda spooned the cooked food into the empty foil packets she’d saved from yesterday and today. They made two makeshift bowls which they would have to share.
“Perhaps. It does seem strange they appeared just when the eagle disappeared.” He shook his head. “But that doesn’t explain the thing I sensed yesterday. It was old, ancient even, like nothing else I’ve ever sensed.” He closed his eyes and tried to catch hold of a stray thought before it escaped him.
“You’ve remembered something.” Linda watched him while the food cooled in the packets.
He tilted his head to one side. “Maybe I have felt something like it before.”
“When you were in the Army?” Linda asked with fear in her voice.
“No.” He placed his hand on her shoulder. “Here in the mountains. Close to Bear Creek. I was out camping one night, trying to get away from civilization for a while. I hadn’t long come back from active duty and I just needed some time alone. I hiked high into the mountains to watch the stars come out. While I was watching there was this shadow that crossed the sky. Huge, on silent wings. I never did find out what it was and no one else had seen it.”
“When we get back to Bear Creek we should report it to the sheriff, so they are at least aware of it,” Linda suggested.
“If we get back to Bear Creek without an encounter.” Craig’s experience taught him that the chance of them getting out of the mountain without coming face-to-face with the enemy was slim. If this creature was their enemy. It could be a docile vegetarian creature who wanted to stay out of their way.
Yeah, like a big chicken. His bear d
id not sound convinced.
Craig wasn’t either, but it was a problem for tomorrow, right now all he planned to do was eat his food and sleep knowing his mate was near.
Chapter Fifteen – Linda
Linda stretched out her arm and brushed something warm. It took a moment for her to remember where she was and who she was with.
“Morning,” Craig whispered, his fingers stroking her skin as she turned around to face him.
“Morning.” She leaned forward and kissed his lips.
A smile played across his lips. “This is one view I could get used to seeing every morning.”
“I look like a yeti.” She ran a hand through her tangled hair. “Unfortunately I can’t blame the mountain for my morning look. This is pretty much me all the time.”
“I like it.” He brushed her cheek with his fingers and twirled a tendril of hair around his fingers. “I like it a lot.”
“Well, you are biased.” She threaded her arms around his neck and pressed her body closer, not caring if she had morning breath. Or morning body. She needed a shower.
“The others are still asleep.” Craig’s eyes were dark with desire as the dying embers of the fire reflected in them.
“They are.” She listened to the steady inhale and exhale of the two people lying across on the other side of the cave.
“And we should go and check outside.” He slid out from under the blankets covering them and pulled her with him. She was still fully clothed, since the cave, although warm, was certainly not the kind of place to take your clothes off.
Linda looked over her shoulder at Gina and Joaquin who slept in each other’s arms, both for warmth, and because they genuinely loved each other. A pang of doubt crept over Linda. If she and Craig were not true mates, would they have those same feelings for each other? Would they have found each other and fallen in love?
Yes. Her bear’s answer was loud and firm. Fate brings us together, but only because we are perfect for each other. We would be perfect for each other even without fate knocking us over the head with the mating bond.
Linda knew her bear was right. Her feelings for Craig went past lust. In the short time she’d known him she had learned to admire and respect him. He was brave, courageous and loyal.
And as sexy as hell, her bear interjected.
And as sexy as hell, Linda agreed.
So what are you holding back for? her bear asked.
Linda looked deep inside herself to answer that question, but before she could, her breath was taken away by the beautiful scene before her. “Wow.”
“If we weren’t in such a perilous position I’d agree,” Craig said as they stood side by side and gazed on the wintery white scene before them. The heavy snowfall had given the mountain a kind of purity, which the bright early morning sun reflected off of from a clear azure sky. As she breathed out, a cloud of vapor filled the air. It was so very cold, and so very perfect, as if it could shatter at any moment.
“At least the snow has stopped.” Linda stepped away from Craig to stand out in the open. She cast her senses out wide, trying to figure out if there was anyone close by.
“We’re quite alone,” Craig told her.
Linda turned back to face him. “Why do you think that is?”
“I presume our course is obvious. We must pass through this valley and out the other side on our way to Bear Creek. We’re unlikely to deviate from our course since to do so would cost us valuable time.” He gave her a crooked smile. “Or maybe it’s because with that damn sled our tracks are so wide an eagle could spot us from a mile away.”
“So what do we do?” Linda asked.
“What we’re expected to do. We must get out of this valley and going back is not an option. If anyone comes for Gina, we’ll fight.” He took out his cell phone and checked for a signal. “We just have to hope we can fend them off or that help comes in time.”
“The one good thing is if our trail is wide, then a search party would also find us.” She shrugged. “It’s too nice a day to think of only the bad in the world.”
Craig pulled her back toward him and wrapped his arms around her. “And that is why I love you.” Linda ducked her head and hid her face as tears misted her eyes. “Hey, what’s wrong?”
“Love. I’m not used to it.” She felt self-conscious as he looked at her. “My grandma and Gina are the only two people who ever loved me.”
“That will change.” He stroked her cheek and tilted her head up to face him. “My family is going to love you, too.”
“They might not, they are not affected by the mating bond. They have a choice.”
“Does that mean you wish you had a choice?” Craig asked.
“No. I didn’t mean it like that.” She took a deep shuddering breath and let it out to cloud the air. “You mentioned going back into the Army. If I’m the thing that stops that from happening, then they might resent me.”
“Never.” He kissed the tip of her nose. “Especially when we provide their first grandchild. They would pick a new addition to the family over the Army any day.”
Linda was comforted by his words, but she would love to be comforted by his mouth and fingers…and every other part of his body. “Since this is the first time we’ve been alone…”
“See, we are so on the same wavelength.” He scooped her up in his arms and carried her to the sled which was half-covered in snow. Carefully lying her down, he dragged the fabric of the parachute over their bodies, so they were hidden from the world, just as the snow hid the grass and the trees under its frozen blanket of white.
“I like this length, too.” She slid her hand along his thigh.
“I like that you like…” He groaned as she stroked his hardened length. “Do you have any idea how much I want you right now?”
“I have a very good idea,” she whispered in his ear, sending shivers down his spine.
Craig captured her mouth with his and kissed her hard and fierce, while his hands slid under her jacket and inched upward. “Damn it.” Too many layers of clothes lay against her skin, skin he wanted to touch and stroke and kiss. Her mind reeled at the thought of all she longed for and her fingers quickly undid the buttons of her jacket and tore it from her shoulders.
“Naked?” Craig asked.
“Naked is always best.” Linda teased as she yanked his shirt from his pants.
“I thought you told me to wear lots of layers to keep warm.” He tore her sweater over her head.
“I’m the only thing you need to keep you warm.” They were naked from the waist up, skin to skin on the cold metal sled with only the parachute keeping them warm. But that was all they needed, the heat created by their need for each other burned hotter than any furnace.
Craig slid his fingers across her skin, inching upward until his hand cupped her breast. She groaned as his thumb brushed her nipple. Linda explored the hard contours of his body, every curve, every scar. “Were you shot?” Linda’s fingers traced the ragged edge of a pitted scar.
“Stabbed.” He looked down at his chest, while his hands continued to work their magic, stimulating her skin until the ache deep inside her was too much to ignore. She wanted him inside her.
She pressed her lips to the scar, her tongue flicking out to lick it, as if she could erase all the hurt and pain he must have experienced. “I’m sorry.”
“Don’t be. It was the catalyst that led to me leaving the Army. I suddenly realized I didn’t want to die in a foreign country without experiencing life outside of the Army. I wanted a family so badly and I knew I couldn’t put her…you…through the fear of me not coming home.” He kissed her cheek. “That might make me a coward, but I’d served my time for my country. I’d made the world a safer place and now it was my time. I suppose it showed me that it wasn’t the life I would have chosen for myself.”
Linda turned her head and captured his lips with hers. “I think you’re the bravest man I’ve ever known. To make a decision to leave when your family wanted y
ou to stay a soldier.”
“Let’s not talk about the past. I want to think about the future, our future, and the babies we’re going to make.” His fingers threaded between their bodies and he unbuttoned her pants before sliding them down over her hips. “I’d like to make a baby with you right now.”
“That’s some kind of a promise.” Linda nipped his shoulder as Craig slid his fingers along her thighs and then brushed against her mound. Her muscles tensed in expectation as he slipped a finger inside her.
“A promise I aim to keep.” Craig lowered his head and grazed her nipple with his teeth, the sensitive bud hardened, and he rolled his tongue around and around until Linda thought she’d explode.
“Then keep it. Make love to me.” Linda tugged at his pants and with his help he was soon completely naked, lying next to her in a snow-covered valley high in the mountains. Even without the massive footprint in the snow this was the most surreal thing she’d ever done. It was like the adventures she’d dreamed of as a child. Only this was real. Craig was real. And the feelings she had for him were definitely real.
Craig eased her backward onto the hard, cold metal and parted her thighs. “Are you sure? We could wait until we’re somewhere more comfortable.”
She giggled and buried her face in the crook of his shoulder. “You say that now?”
He gave a boyish grin. “I hoped you might say that.”
“So you manipulated me?” She put on a shocked voice, knowing they wanted the same thing and had since the moment they met. They were mates, procreation was as natural as breathing.
“I was going more for seducing you.” He slipped between her thighs, his hardness pressing against her. With a long contented sigh she reached down and stroked his hard length before guiding him inside her.
Craig groaned as he filled her, the friction between their bodies almost too much as her arousal threatened to peak too quickly. Linda bit down on her lower lip, willing herself not to climax too soon. Perhaps Craig was suffering the same problem to, since he stilled inside her, their bodies joined in a moment of oneness.
Survivor Bear (Bear Creek Protectors Book 2) Page 11
