by Anna Hackett
“Coat off. Let me see your arm.” Then she remembered her abandoned pack. “Dammit!”
“What?”
“The medscope was in my pack.” She met his gaze. “What have you got in yours?”
“Standard med kit.” He dropped down on the floor of the tent and shucked off his coat. Next, he unfastened the top of his jumpsuit, revealing a well-worn, gray T-shirt stretched over his broad chest.
God, was it wrong to feel a massive hit of lust when they were stuck in just about the worst situation possible?
Her gaze fell on the gashes on Rynan’s arm. Thankfully, they weren’t deep. “Looks like I’ll have to heal you the old-fashioned way.”
She pulled out the tiny med kit, and got to work. After quickly cleaning his wounds, she slathered them in antiseptic gel, and pressed a bandage over them.
“You’re freezing,” he said.
Her hands were shaking and she nodded. “It’s warming up in here, though.”
“Fix up Goldie’s wounds, then I’ll warm you up the old-fashioned way.” He raised a brow at her.
She smiled and turned to Goldie. Ry helped her turn the woman, who barely stirred. Goldie’s back was a raw mess and Elana’s gut clenched.
“Ry, she could have an infection. Who knows what those creatures are carrying on their claws?”
“We can only do what we can.” But his jaw was tight. “Clean the wounds and make her comfortable.”
By the time Elana cleaned Goldie’s injuries, squeezed every drop of gel she could find in the kit on the deep scratches and bandaged her up, she was feeling completely drained. She set a pressure injector against the woman’s neck to give her a painkiller. Goldie didn’t even stir.
Elana dropped back and huffed out a tired breath.
“Come here.” A deep command.
Ry’s strong arms wrapped around her and pulled her down on the sleeping bag. She leaned her head on his chest and absorbed the feel and smell of him. This was way better than any emergency heat blanket.
“We haven’t got many meds on us,” she murmured. “And most of our food supplies were in my pack.”
“Yeah.”
She swallowed. “So were the beacon parts.” They had no way to let anyone know where they were. They were stuck in never-ending snowstorms, with hungry ice beasts hunting them.
“Dare, Justyn, and the others will be searching for us. I know my brothers—” rock-solid conviction in his voice “—and they’ll work out what happened and find us.”
She pressed her cheek to his T-shirt, drawing him in. They just had to hope that Dare and the others would make it in time.
Strangely enough, for all their bad circumstances, she was damn glad to be held close in Rynan’s strong arms. To know that his strength was beside her in this.
One of his hands stroked her hair, and in moments, her eyes grew heavy and she dozed off.
After what felt like only a second, she snapped awake.
She blinked, fighting against the pull of fatigue. A faint beeping noise was coming from somewhere.
Against her, she felt Ry’s tense body. She saw his hand was wrapped around his laser rifle, and when she looked up at him, he lifted a finger to his lips.
Then he pointed.
She turned her head slowly…and saw the giant silhouette of something moving outside the tent.
Elana reached over and wrapped her hands around the butt of her laser pistol. She slowly pulled it closer and lifted it. When she checked the weapon, she noticed the charge indicator was nearly empty.
Dammit. She tilted the pistol so that Ry could see it. He slowly moved his laser rifle, and she saw his charge was low as well.
One problem at a time, Elana. Ry nodded his head, and she quickly read what he had planned. She moved up on her knees slowly, then got one foot under her.
He lifted a hand, ticking off his fingers. Three. Two. One.
They both charged up, firing. Laser fire shredded the side of their tent, and they both burst through the ruins, firing on the hulking creature.
This white ice monster was even bigger than the ones they’d faced earlier. It snarled, body jerking, snapping it’s ugly, misshapen jaws in their direction. Its sharp teeth were ragged spikes of ice.
Ry and Elana stepped forward, never letting up on the laser fire.
The creature stumbled back, let out a wild shriek, and fell over the edge of the cliff. They both moved to the edge, and in unison, leaned over and aimed down.
Several other creatures were trying to scale the rock wall.
“Fire,” Ry ordered.
They did, picking off some of the creatures. The animals turned tail and dropped back to the ground. They loped away and dropped into the snow.
Elana let her arm fall to her side. “They’re hunting us.”
He nodded, lifting his rifle to his shoulder. “I think they’re tracking us by heat. When they saw you shoot that one beast with the flare, they dived on it in a frenzy.”
She sucked in a breath. “We can’t lower our body heat, so where does that leave us?”
“Screwed.” He turned his grim face to the mountains above. “Pack up. We need to move.”
Together, they crossed quietly back to their tattered tent. As Elana woke Goldie, the woman complained feebly, before breaking into another coughing fit.
Worry churned in Elana’s gut. Goldie needed proper medical attention, more than Elana could give her with a simple med kit. “Come on, Goldie. I promise you a hot drink at the end.”
Goldie nodded and that was when Elana saw a white film forming on the woman’s eyes. Something was really wrong with her. Worry eating at her, she helped Goldie into her coat.
Ry packed up their supplies, including the ruined tent. It was the only shelter they had. He pointed to a narrow path that would take them higher up into the hills, and they set off.
They walked. And walked. And walked some more. A stiff breeze howled continuously past them, and even though it wasn’t snowing, they were all cold and miserable.
It felt like they’d been walking forever. Elana was beginning to worry about the fact that she couldn’t feel her toes anymore. She raised her head against the wind to peer ahead. She blinked.
“Is that what I think it is?”
“Yes,” Ry said, hands on his rifle.
It was the entrance to a cave.
They reached it, and stepped inside, out of the wind. The cave was made entirely of ice. Elana’s mouth dropped open in awe. If she wasn’t so cold, she would have been better able to appreciate just how beautiful it was. The walls looked like gentle, undulating waves of blue.
Ry took the lead, moving cautiously and keeping his weapon up.
“You don’t think those…beasts live here?” Goldie murmured.
“No,” Ry answered. “They live in the snow.”
Elana didn’t mention the fact that other, hungry, alien animals could call these caves home, though.
Soon, they lost what natural, murky light they had, and Ry clicked the light attached to his rifle on. The tunnel widened, and sloped downward.
“It’s getting warmer,” Elana said.
Ry nodded. “Thermal energy.”
As they moved deeper, the ice walls began giving way to rock. Elana glanced up and gasped.
The entire roof was filled with icicles—amazing blades of ice in varying shades of blue.
“Wow.” Goldie lifted her gaze as well, some of the stress falling away from her face.
As they continued on, the tunnel got wider and flatter. The amazing icicles above changed color, until they were a mass of blues, purples and greens. Elana realized they were also giving off a faint light.
The sight was truly beautiful.
Finally, their small group stepped out of the tunnel into a wide cavern, the entire place bathed in light from the luminescent icicles. Mist rose up from the floor in gently billowing clouds, and Elana blinked in surprise.
Then she realized it was steam,
coming from a chain of linked thermal pools.
“I wonder what’s causing the light in the icicles?” Elana said.
Ry shrugged. “Some sort of chemical reaction, or it could be biological. Come on. Let’s find a safe place to stop for a bit.”
Elana nodded. Goldie needed to rest. The woman’s face was white and haggard.
Ry picked a spot by the back wall, and Elana smiled briefly. He’d picked the most easily defendable spot in the cavern.
She helped Goldie sit, and got her a hot drink. They only had a few drink packets left.
“I’m going to scout around,” Ry said, his face set like stone.
She nodded. He was worried, she could tell. She stared at his broad back as he wandered deeper into the cavern and disappeared from view.
Suddenly, despair slammed into Elana. She wasn’t usually one to indulge in pity, but they were in a truly horrible situation.
Lifting her chin determinedly, she opened a packet of food. “You need to eat something, Goldie.”
The woman shook her head and pushed the packet away. “Not hungry.”
“You need the energy—”
“Later. I’m an old, rich lady used to getting her way.”
Elana dropped down beside her, noting that Goldie’s eyes were whiter than before. “That’s what you like people to think. But I think you’re a brave woman, who lives her life on her own terms. I admire that.”
“I always wanted adventure,” Goldie said, her voice thready. “I wanted to find something special, something that I loved, and made me feel alive.”
God, that was exactly how Elana had always felt.
“I didn’t want to be an heiress, or the dutiful daughter attending parties and marrying the ‘right’ man.” Goldie smiled, her gaze distant.
“Sounds like you’ve been doing that.”
“I shocked everyone with my antics.” Glee filled her voice. “Wouldn’t change a damn thing, either. Do wish I found the right man, though. One who loved me just as I am.”
“You just get comfortable, Goldie.” Elana wrapped the emergency blanket around the woman’s shoulders, and then checked her pulse. It was faint.
“I wanted a fabulous Earth treasure named after me. The Goldie Dangent Hoard.”
“And you will,” Elana insisted.
Suddenly, Goldie reached out and grabbed Elana’s hand. “Whatever happens, promise me you’ll find the treasure.”
“We’ll find it together, Goldie.”
The woman shook her head. “This was my last trip, Elana. My final adventure.”
Shock speared Elana’s gut. “What?”
“I have Praxta Syndrome.”
Elana’s head jerked back. A highly contagious, incurable disease that destroyed the organs.
“Don’t worry, I’ve been having the latest, high-tech meds for years to keep it at bay and I’m not infectious. Caught it gallivanting around the Distra quadrant.” A sad smile. “But I’ve been deteriorating, and in another few months I’ll be bedridden.” A sad smile. “No more handsome, energetic, young men in my bed.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“I’m not. I’ve loved my life. I have no regrets.” Her grip on Elana’s hand tightened. “Don’t be afraid to find what’s really important. Don’t waste time with frivolous nonsense or protecting your pride.” With a small smile on her lips, Goldie’s cloudy eyes closed, and she leaned back against the rock wall. “Unless it feels good.” She opened one eye and winked.
Elana swallowed a laugh. “You rest now.”
When she stood, she spotted Rynan standing by a nearby thermal pool. He was staring into the water, his hands on his hips.
Drawn like metal to a magnet, she moved over to him. Goldie’s words echoed in her head. Don’t be afraid to find what’s really important.
Chapter Twelve
Rynan sensed Elana move up beside him.
“How is she?” he asked.
“Resting.” Elana let out a huge sigh. “She’s not doing well, Ry. She has Praxta Syndrome.”
“What?!”
“She’s been taking meds, so she’s not contagious, but the strain her body is under is clearly letting the disease win.”
Shit. They’d already lost two people, and he didn’t want to lose any more, especially not funny, lively Goldie.
And he sure as hell didn’t want to lose Elana.
A heavy guilt crashed over him. He was in charge of security, and it was his responsibility to keep them all safe. He’d failed. Big time.
Just like he’d failed his brothers so long ago.
“Hey, I know that face.” Elana reached up and touched his jaw. “You are not responsible for this.”
He pressed his cheek into her palm. “Things aren’t looking good, Elana.”
She nodded. “I know. But we’re in this together. Whatever we have to do, we’ll do it together.” She glanced past him at the cavern. “Do you think we’re safe from the creatures here?”
“I don’t know. I’ve looked around, and seen no signs of animals living here. No food scraps, scat, or nests.”
“Okay, that sounds promising.”
“Let’s get some rest.” He fingered her hair. “You look tired.”
She smiled. “I have a very demanding boss, and I also have a very demanding lover.”
His arm slid around her, his hand curving over her hip. “Yes, you do. And they both have lots more plans for you.”
Feeling lighter than he had in the last while, he moved back to where Goldie was resting.
“Why don’t you grab a quick nap?” Elana suggested. “I’ll keep watch. It takes a lot for you to look exhausted, and you passed that a few hours ago.”
Apart from his brothers, there was no one else he trusted to watch his back while he slept in enemy territory. A quick doze would help clear his head.
He pulled out a sleeping bag and settled down. But instead of sleeping, he watched Elana. She leaned back against the rock walls, holding her almost-dead laser pistol. The minutes ticked by, and he watched her as she watched the beautiful glowing ice crystals above.
He must have drifted off, because the next thing he knew, he was jerked awake by a long, mournful howl that echoed through the cavern and reverberated off the rock walls.
“The ice monsters are back.” Elana was standing, her weapon up.
He pushed to his feet and grabbed his rifle. “You see them?”
“Not yet. They still sound a long way off.”
“We need to move.” He wanted higher ground, and somewhere more defensible than this little corner of the cavern.
Elana nodded and moved over to Goldie. Ry shoved their gear back in the pack.
“No.” Elana’s harsh whisper.
He spun, and saw her kneeling by Goldie, her fingers pressed to the woman’s neck. Goldie’s eyes were open, her face sheet-white, and her mouth agape.
Fuck. It was like a punch to his gut.
Elana’s sorrow-filled eyes lifted to his. “No pulse.”
He saw that Goldie’s eyes were covered in a white film and she was clutching the Viking coin in her hand. The crazy, wild woman who’d lived her life on her terms was gone.
Ry pressed his hand to Elana’s shoulder. She gripped his hand, and together, they grieved quietly for the woman.
“We have to go,” he said quietly.
“We can’t leave her here. Those creatures…”
“Not leaving her,” he said, his voice gritty. “You take the pack and I’ll carry her. We’ll find somewhere to bury her.”
Elana nodded. Ry lifted Goldie’s body and they set off.
They moved somberly out of the cavern and into a new set of tunnels.
Suddenly, Elana stopped, her eyes widening. “Ry, look.”
The walls were engraved with ancient rock art. They both paused, studying the images.
They were earlier, more simpler versions of what they’d seen in the ruins. The images depicted a cold, but livable climate.
Clearly, the world’s climate had changed at some point over the centuries. He stared at the people in the art, going about their lives. Beside them were small creatures…just like the ice dog they’d seen at the ruins. He cocked his head. Actually, they also sort of resembled the ice monsters that had attacked them, just smaller. But these creatures were standing with the people and looked domesticated.
“They look similar to the creatures that attacked us,” Elana said, echoing his thoughts. “But tame.”
“The ones out there definitely aren’t tame,” he said.
“Maybe the ice monsters ate most of the small ice creatures.”
“We’ll probably never know. Let’s keep going.” He carefully hitched Goldie’s body more securely in his arms.
They moved on and entered into another cavern. This one was larger than the previous one.
“Oh, wow.” Elana’s gaze was straight ahead.
A large waterfall tumbled over some rocks and down into a big thermal pool. Steam hung in the air.
“Look up there.” He pointed to a ledge above the waterfall. “That’ll be a safer spot for us to bed down for a bit. We can see anything that enters.”
She nodded, then pointed to a pile of stones nearby. “And we could use this…for Goldie.”
He gently laid Goldie’s body down by a stone pillar. He made sure the Viking coin was tucked securely in her hands. He and Elana worked quickly, covering her body completely with the stones.
“Wherever you are, Goldie, keep having those adventures,” he murmured.
He saw tears in Elana’s eyes and pulled her close.
“Come on,” he murmured. “We need to rest.”
It only took a few minutes to climb the rocks beside the waterfall. At this height, near the roof of the cavern, the temperature was pleasant, and a wide thermal pool eddied at the top of the waterfall before the water washed over the rocks to the pool below.
But the best thing about their hiding place was that Ry had a perfect view of the rest of the cavern.
Ry pulled out his small security drone. It was a small ball that fit into his palm.
“Surprised this is still going after being out in the cold.” He tossed it into the air and the small drone buzzed away to keep guard.