“Thanks,” she said, accepting his care, “Sorry, I snapped at you. I don’t take being hurt well. Everyone knows that.”
“I’ll remember that,” he grinned, “for next time.” The blood slowed and finally stopped.
“Is my nose horridly swollen? Do you think it’s broken?”
He carefully examined the injured organ. “I don’t think so. It’s not too bad—really!” Nathan was careful not to let on that the area around her eyes was going dark. She was beginning to look like a raccoon and would have two nice shiners by tomorrow. He doubted she would be pleased with the comparison. Good thing he didn’t have any mirrors around.
“You’re looking like you want to laugh again,” Riley commented suspiciously. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing,” he lied. “I was just thinking about how you looked when you went down—before I knew you were hurt, that is,” he hurriedly explained. “Maybe you’d better lie down and rest for awhile, just in case.”
Resting did sound like a good idea and she went willingly. She was still not totally acclimated to the new environment and was easily tired, and it had been a long day. She was asleep as soon as her head hit the pillow.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Having made his decision, the time following Jonas’ forceful extraction of Nathan and Riley’s whereabouts from Miles was filled with activity. Specific members of his former Black Ops team were contacted and, if they were willing and met his criteria, were instructed to proceed to the Montana facility as soon as possible, where he would be awaiting their arrival. In the meantime, he contacted the Council of the nearby Blackfoot Indian tribe to put forth his plan. After receiving their approval, he carefully made his selection of those willing and physically able to become a part of the venture, choosing only those in their mid 20’s to late 30’s, an equal number of each sex, and each having some specific craft or skill in which they excelled, such as bow stretching, flint knapping, arrow fletching, tanning skins, weaving, tracking, ancient weaponry or the like—crafts which would aid their survival in a hostile environment. By the time he had completed this selection process, sixteen men and women, including himself, had been chosen to take part.
They were all gathered at the facility, awaiting departure. After briefing them on the “mission” as he called it for want of a better name, all were nervous but none had opted out. They were as eager as he was to step into the past. It was an exciting prospect and none were willing to be left behind.
Miles had been forcibly taken to the lab and one or more of the Black Ops team were always inside the lab with him as he worked on the necessary calculations, oftentimes long into the evening hours each day. He was watched carefully and his every move questioned. Jonas was anxiously awaiting the final result, growing more restless with each passing day.
Supplies were readied, and informative classes into the animal and plant life they would perhaps encounter were held each day. Those members who were not previously with the Black Ops team were also instructed on hand-to-hand combat and use of the available weaponry. By agreement, only weapons which were historically available to early humans would be taken. They all forced themselves to excel in everything; it might be a life or death situation and no one wanted to be the weak link on the team.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
A week later, another winter storm blew in, more violent than the previous one, drastically dropping temperatures and showing no signs of letting up soon. Cold air seeped through every crack in the shelter, and even with the fire going round the clock, the temperature inside the cave area was cool. The wind whistled piercingly outside the confines of the shelter and the air was rent with the sounds of breaking and crashing tree limbs. Snow blew in gusts, swirling and churning as the storm progressed.
Venturing outside was out of the question, visibility was limited to only a few feet and getting lost in the storm was a very real possibility. Worried that the firewood would not last until Nathan was able to replenish their stockpile, they kept the fire small and Riley, who was cold all the time in any event, was forced to dress in several layers to stay warm even inside the cave. Though insulated from the worst of the storm, unless they could bring in more firewood soon, the prospect of freezing to death was a very real concern. Fortunately, Nathan had been able to take care of his livestock before the worst of the storm hit and, unless the storm lasted longer than he expected, they would survive until he was able to get through to feed them.
Riley shivered in her bed, not generating enough heat to warm up the skins and because she was so cold she couldn’t relax. She could see her breath misting in the air inside the sleeping chamber and the tip of her nose felt frozen. Demon, the traitor, had deserted her to cuddle up to Nathan—apparently he was warmer than she was—leaving her to try to keep warm alone. She pulled a skin over her head, her teeth chattering in response.
“Are you cold?” Nathan’s voice softly whispered.
Riley lifted up the skin, just barely enough to reply. “I’m freezing over here.”
“Demon and I are really warm, almost too warm,” he lazily replied. “I’d forgotten how much heat he puts off.”
Riley fumed. Here she was freezing to death and all he could tell her was how warm he was. “Well, I’m happy for you,” she grumbled. “I don’t suppose you could convince him to come back over here.”
Nathan chuckled. “I don’t think so. He seems pretty content where he’s at.”
Riley squirmed around, trying to adjust the covers for better coverage, but every time she covered one spot up, a new spot opened up. No matter what she did, she couldn’t get warm.
“Yeah,” Nathan commented smugly, “It’s really warm over here. We’re doing fine.”
Riley ground her teeth in agitation, trying to still their chattering. She peeked out of the skin, the room lit by the glow of one small candle. Nathan and the dog appeared quite comfortable; the dog was even snoring softly. Gathering up her courage, she jumped out of bed and made a beeline across the room, leaping into Nathan’s bed and snuggling down in the middle before he had a chance to protest.
“Jesus!” Nathan complained. “You’re killing me! Your feet are like ice blocks!”
Riley busied herself rubbing her feet up and down his legs, leaching his warmth greedily. The dog huffed at her intrusion but refused to give up his spot, forcing her to take whatever room she could from Nathan’s space. His spot was all warm and snugly and she grinned in spite of herself.
“Are you ever going to lay still?” He grumbled. “Or better yet, go back to your own bed.”
“No freaking way!” She retorted. “I’m finally warm and I’m staying put!” Wiggling around, she finally came to rest beside Demon, her backside snuggled into Nathan’s warmth. It was perfect!
Nathan held his breath, barely able to move. Riley had managed to acquire half his covers with her endless squirming. He could feel her slowly relax and then drift off to asleep. Unless he wanted his butt to turn blue from cold, he was going to have to move closer to gain some advantage with the covers. Inching over carefully, he spooned himself around her, intrigued by the sensation of being close. He searched his memory, trying to remember the last time he had been with a woman, either in passion or for comfort. It had been Emily. There had been no others since their first meeting so long ago.
His mind skimmed over those precious times. They had met in college and had fallen in love almost immediately. Marriage followed and they had been happy together. When the time came that he joined the Black Ops, she had stood behind his decision, even though she was alone much of the time. His stomach tightened in grief, a lump forming in his throat. Being alone was the reason she had died. He had not been there to protect her. Cuddling closer to Riley, he made a silent vow to protect this woman, no matter what.
A whisper of a smile quirked his lips as her face came to mind. They had become friends in the short time she had been here, given their unfavorable beginnings. Her personality was one he could appr
eciate—funny, intelligent, and overly curious—all the things that made for a good companion. It didn’t hurt either that she was a natural beauty, although calling her a natural beauty right now was almost tongue-in-cheek. The shiners and the swollen nose she had gotten the day of the snowshoe adventure had almost cleared up, but blue traces still shadowed the areas below her eyes. He had decided it was better that she didn’t know about them and since there were no mirrors, he was able to keep up the charade. With those light thoughts and comforted by her warmth, he finally fell asleep.
Riley opened her eyes, Demon had jumped off the bed and was nervously pacing, waiting for one or the other to wake up and let him out. She cautiously turned over, careful not to disturb Nathan if he was still sleeping. Face to face, his eyes were wide open, twinkling in amusement.
“Are you getting up or should I?” He grinned.
Riley edged back, unhappy at losing her warm spot, but unwilling to push the moment any farther. “I vote for you,” she quipped, “and my vote counts as two.”
Nathan frowned. “And why is that? I am, after all, the president of this consortium.”
Riley chuckled. “You might be the president of the consortium, but I am the Emperor of the North. I think that overrules your minority position.”
“Who elected you?”
“Emperors aren’t elected! They’re born into royalty. I was born, therefore I am!”
He scratched his head in confusion, grumbling at her feminine logic as he crawled out of bed. Riley averted her eyes, she had forgotten he slept nude. How could she have forgotten that last night? At the time, it hadn’t seemed to matter—all she could think about was getting warm. And to think she had slept pressed up against him all night long!
Nathan paused uncertainly, realizing too late that Riley was wearing his robe as a nightgown. Grabbing a skin from the bed, he covered up until he could get his pants on.
Riley lay there watching him dress, his skin smooth over the bunching muscles, his shaggy hair messy from sleep, his face shadowed by a two day growth of beard. He looked like how she imagined an early mountain man might have looked. Grabbing a tunic, he pulled it on and followed Demon into the living area. She could hear him stoking the fire up before letting the dog out. Cold air drifted in and she snuggled farther down into the skins until they were back in the shelter.
Nathan was whistling softly and from the sounds of things, he was starting breakfast. It was time to drag her lazy butt out of bed. Wrapping a number of skins around herself, she made a quick trip to the toilet and then dragged her clothing on as quickly as possible, shivering in the morning air. She smoothed her hair into a quick braid and stepped into the living area.
“It looks like the storm is moving out. At least it isn’t a blizzard anymore,” Nathan said. “As soon as breakfast is over, I’m going to try to get to the animals and make sure they are doing okay and then drag in some extra firewood while I can. Maybe we can have a little more heat,” he flashed a smile as she sat down at the table.
Yes, indeedy, Riley thought, this is the life! A man who did all the chores while she sat there and looked beautiful!
“Your eyes have almost cleared up,” Nathan commented casually as he set the table.
“My eyes? What’s wrong with my eyes?”
Nathan coughed. “Uh, nothing, they’re fine.”
She eyed him suspiciously, small incidents popped up in her mind, specifically, those moments when he turned away, laughing for seemingly no reason. She could count at least ten times when that very thing had happened. Her mouth twisted derisively as she considered. “My eyes went black, didn’t they?”
He looked away guiltily. “Not entirely black! There was some bruising—but it’s almost gone.”
“And you let me walk around with two black eyes where anyone could see me and never said a word!”
“The eyes were not nearly as funny as the swollen nose,” he quipped.
“I must look like an idiot!” She was so embarrassed.
“Like who else besides me was going to see you?”
“Well, I don’t know, but somebody could have!” She paused for effect. “Although that might not be too bad, I could always say you’re beating me.”
“And if you did find someone to tell that little tale to, they would probably commend me for my expert handling of my very uncontrollable woman,” he commented dryly.
Without considering her choice of words, Riley blurted out. “Am I your woman?”
Nathan stopped and stared. Her face flamed red, seconds ticking by as she waited for his answer. “I, uh, I didn’t mean that like it came out,” she apologized. “I only meant it as a general comment.”
He didn’t know how to answer her without causing further embarrassment. He turned to finish gathering utensils as he considered her remark. “Unless you want to join the others and be one of their women, I guess you could say you were mine.” He paused, waiting for her response.
Groping for some sort of intelligent but tactful reply, Riley mimicked her favorite presidential sidestep. “I don’t think I’m prepared to comment at this time.” Hey, it worked for them!
Amused, Nathan’s lips tightened in a quick grin. Relief washed over her. She would have to be more careful unless she was prepared to advance their presently comfortable relationship.
“And if you plan on sleeping in my bed tonight,” he warned quietly, “don’t wiggle around so much. I’m a man. I only have so much control.”
Riley’s mouth dropped open, her mind visualizing his subtle meaning. “I...I think I’ll be warm enough tonight,” she stammered, stuffing food into her mouth, as she avoided looking at him.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
Nathan left the safety of the shelter to check on his animals. Time seemed to drag while he was away and Riley could find few things to occupy her mind. He had become such an integral part of her life, at least this life, and without her normal day-to-day activities, she was finding the forced solitude hard to bear. She missed her books, they had been her friends through the years and they provided the stimulation her active mind craved. She debated dragging on her outerwear and stepping outside for awhile, finally opting to face the elements. Once again, she layered on the outer clothing, preparing to go out, which was as far as she got. The huge rock blocking the entrance was beyond her limited ability to move. Nathan made it seem so easy, but the sheer size of the rock defeated any attempts she might have made.
Another idea surfaced. The exit through the pool room would be the better choice. Armed with the hated snowshoes, and grabbing her trusty candle, she once again entered the dark recesses of the tunnel, carefully edging her way down. It was less intimidating now that she knew which direction the pathway meandered. Finding her way was much easier this time. Reaching the outer door, she was able to figure out Nathan’s locking mechanism and forced the door open.
Snow blocked the opening and a large mass fell into the tunnel, but there was still room enough for her to crawl out. She floundered in the deep snow but managed to tie on the unwieldy snowshoes. The storm was still in progress, but the wind had died down considerably and visibility was not a problem. Taking stock of her surroundings, she plodded through the snow, careful to take the direction she assumed would swing her around to the front of the cave where she would await Nathan’s return and enjoy some time outside. The whole thing seemed so easy.
At least two hours later, she was still fighting her way through the deep snow, no closer to finding the frontal area of the cave than she had been earlier. Nervously she scanned the surroundings. She was getting farther and farther away from where she believed the cave to be and it had started to snow again, lightly but enough to cover her tracks. Reality set in, she had to make a choice now to turn back before it was too late. Daylight would last only awhile longer and she needed what light still remained to backtrack.
Whatever she decided, Nathan would be furious with her. First of all, she had left the exit open and unprotec
ted, and secondly, because she had left the shelter alone. That alone doomed her in his eyes. He repeatedly reminded her about the dangers of venturing out alone, and she had rashly ignored his warnings. By now, he should have returned to the shelter and realized she was missing and, hopefully, he was searching for her. If she could stay on track, she would at least be able to find the rear exit.
A small animal dashed across her path, reminding her of the other dangers inherent in this place. The huge saber toothed cats could be lurking anywhere and God only knew how many of the giant bears roamed this area. Her throat dry, Riley picked her way back, following her earlier path as closely as she could in the fast dimming light. A crashing noise caused her to stop dead. Fearfully she turned around, bracing herself for the worst. The forest reached out for her, dark and imposing, tree branches waving, the falling snow blurring her vision. Her senses went on alert, urging her to run, adrenalin pumping through her veins. Hairs stood up on the back of her neck. Something was out there and stalking her, waiting for the right moment to pounce. She backed away, fully expecting whatever it was to leap out. Wildly she looked around for something to use as a weapon. Snow covered everything except tree limbs too high for her to reach.
“Nathan!” she screamed. “Help me!” Whatever it was, it crashed through the trees towards her, moving swiftly and ominously in her direction. She tripped over a stump and fell to the ground face first, unable to find even a small handhold in the deep snow, waving her arms wildly, trying to grab onto something to gain leverage, choking in fear. She could feel the presence of a large animal standing over her, his hot breath fanning the nape of her neck. She cringed, waiting for the creature to strike a killing blow.
“Are you making snow angels?” Nathan asked quizzically as Demon nudged her with his nose. He pulled her to her feet, dusting her off. “How many times have I told you to stay in the shelter unless I’m with you?” He growled angrily. “Demon and I have been searching for you for over an hour. What would prompt you to do such a stupid thing?”
Riley's Journey Page 8