by Ava Hardy
Gaia smiled at him as she nodded.
I missed anything else that was said. My mind kept going over what Gaia said when I started to make my way back to the SUV.
Time slowed down. I put my seat belt on automatically as my eyes stayed glued on the window. Gaia had disappeared back into the tree but her words hung in the air.
Chapter 10
We drove for hours and hours, and still we weren’t there yet. I was getting restless. I don’t think I was the only one. Blake was shifting around in his seat, moving it back and forth. There were a few times that we stopped and stretched our legs. Five minutes wasn’t nearly enough to get the blood flowing properly, only to force yourself back into the car for another long stretch of highway.
Chris had learned from local packs that we needed to head north. Many of the older pack members, and even the pack leader, had warned him against making assumptions that the element was close because of the defenders. There are some that act as decoys, causing those that have been searching to think they are on the right track. North was the unified answer and so we traveled. The green and brown landscape turned to snowy white, and the temperatures dropped significantly. Passing someone on the road was a rarity, and it was usually a truck hauling equipment and supplies to the northern cities. I didn’t know how they did it, as it seemed to be an incredibly lonely journey.
I rested my head against the back of the seat and stared out the window. Tall grass covered completely in snow. Trees white from frost and even more snow. Everywhere I looked, I saw snow. It was going to be really nice to reach the village we were headed to and see buildings, people, something other than the sterile white expanse . I felt completely out of my comfort zone and I was up for the challenge but I had never been away from the city life for so long. It was an odd feeling for me.
As I closed my eyes, I hoped that all the clues that Blake and Chris were relying on paid off. I hoped the element was here and we could find it with ease. Realistically, I knew it was going to be a challenge. The Defenders had proved to be a pain in the ass, and if they only got worse and meaner the closer we got, I had to stop kidding myself with the idea that easy was any part of the equation.
The SUV started to slow down. I opened my eyes and sat up to look through the front windshield. There was nothing but ice in front of us, stretched as far as I could see. Chris had warned me about these, stating that we might have to go across a few frozen lakes and rivers. The idea of falling in nearly chilled me to the core and I wanted to tell him to drive around. I didn’t care how many days it took. My eyes went between both men as they studied the ice for a moment and then Chris put the vehicle into park. We watched as he walked to the shore and then took a gentle step onto the lake. Inch by inch, he made his way out onto the ice and used his heel hit at the surface.
“What is he doing?” I asked in a voice that was barely above a whisper.
“Testing to see how sturdy it is,” Blake replied, not taking his eyes off of his friend. “It doesn’t matter how many big rigs go across or what another driver says about it. You need to test it out for yourself.”
I was terrified of what could happen with our vehicle. I couldn’t imagine driving a tractor trailer across the ice. Shuddering at the idea, I leaned back against my seat as Chris made his way back to us.
“She looks good,” was all he said before he put the SUV into drive and crept towards where the land road ended and the ice road began.
We eased onto the ice and several loud pops and cracks could be heard. I bit my lip to hold back the groan. The last thing I wanted was to distract Chris as he concentrated on navigating us across this ten-mile stretch. Slouching down, I turned so I could put my head down in the seat and not look at where we were going. I felt something touch my knee and realized it was Blake’s hand. Sliding mine into it, I felt a little squeeze and the comfort calmed me down a little.
“Kiera, you should sit up,” Blake said softly. “If we need to jump, you need to be ready.”
It felt like a rock just fell on me. There was no way I wanted to jump out of the car but knew I had to if I wanted to stand a chance of not being pulled to the bottom of the frozen lake. I hesitated for a moment and then sat up behind Blake. Being forced to let go of his hand when I moved, I was happy to see him reach back towards me between his seat and the door. My hand was holding his in an instant.
“Just look at me,” Blake encouraged. His voice was soft and soothing, almost sounding like Chris. I moved my eyes from the window and focused on Blake’s handsome features. His smile warmed my heart and I tried to pretend that we were anywhere but there.
I don’t know how long it took us to cross that lake. It felt like an eternity. I held my breath nearly the whole time and squeezed Blake’s hand just as long. Everyone in the car let out a sigh of relief when we made it across but Blake had to chime in and say he knew we had it the whole time. I don’t think Chris was buying it.
It didn’t take too much longer after we crossed the lake for the road to dead-end into a small village. There were people out and about, carrying things here and there. A forklift zoomed by with what looked like some sort of freezer on the front of it. It was the most people I had seen since we left Blake’s hometown.
One of the men came over to greet us and Chris explained who we were. As soon as my name was mentioned, the man pointed towards a main building. He instructed us to go talk to Nan. She would get us all squared away. Chris thanked him and then pulled his SUV over to park it out of the way.
Making sure to grab my jacket, I got bundled up before climbing out and going to catch up with Chris and Blake, who were already headed inside. I could still see my breath as I stood near the door of the village’s store but welcomed the heat from the space heaters as we walked towards the front counter. The shelves were a little bare here and there but I was surprised to see that the store was pretty well stocked. An older woman’s voice forced me to turn my head and see who was talking to Chris.
Introductions were made, and we were given a key to the only vacant house in the village. It was a small single bedroom cottage behind the main building, built for visitors or those who delivered goods but didn’t have a warm place to spend the night. She promised us it was clean; she made sure of it. I thanked her before following the boys back outside. Between the both of them, they got all our luggage and carried it down the cleared path to what would be our home for the next few days.
As soon as we were inside, I went straight to the bathroom. We had been driving since predawn hours and I was tired of having to pee alongside the road. It took another trip before all of our stuff was brought in. Chris had made sure that we had plenty of supplies, especially food. Originally, I had wondered what all the food was for, but it became clear pretty quick when we kept heading further and further away from civilization. I’m glad he was thinking ahead. I would have hated to dip into the town’s supply just because we weren’t prepared.
“I’m going to go for a run and see if there is anyone to talk to,” Chris said as he stood near the front door. That was his way of telling us that he was going to shift and run for a few hours. I didn’t blame him; he had been behind the wheel for days and probably needed to get rid of some energy.
Blake was at the fireplace, getting it started. He glanced over his shoulder and gave Chris a nod. “I will probably run in the morning. I hear the leader here is a good man.”
I raised my eyebrows curiously as I listened to them. “Do you mean...”
Chris nodded. “This village is a pack. You’ll be safe here.”
I matched his nod and then looked towards Blake to see if he had anything else to add. Silence settled over the living room and Chris took his leave. I watched him out the front window before I moved to close the curtains. I wanted to keep all the warm air inside and it felt a little more private. I never did like that feeling as if I was on display.
Taking a seat on the couch, I smiled as the fire got roaring good and Blake moved to
sit beside me.
“What a day,” he groaned as he stretched out his legs and then turned his head to look at me. “How are you holding up?
I shrugged, not really having much to say.
“Oh come on.” He smiled as our eyes met.
“I still feel like this is a dream. You, Chris, the Elder, Gaia, those Defenders. I can’t believe this is my life right now and I keep waiting for that moment my alarm clock goes off and I’m reminded not to eat spicy food before bed again.”
Blake laughed, and I had to laugh with him. It felt really good to sit and laugh over something as silly as having strange dreams after eating weird food. My eyes stayed on him, taking in how happy he looked. Something told me he didn’t laugh as much as he should and I would guess it had something to do with his career. Firefighters don’t always see happy endings when they respond to calls.
“You love what you do, don’t you?” I asked out of the blue.
He nodded his head and glanced down at his hands, his smile shifting a little. It wasn’t as bright and happy as it once was, but still showed. “There isn’t anything else I’d rather be doing. Being a Gifted is a huge honor and I will do it to the best of my abilities. For a long time, I never thought that my chance of showing what I was capable of would happen so when I passed all my tests and was hired on...it was probably the greatest day of my life.”
“Why would you have any doubts that you wouldn’t make it?” I asked curiously, shifting so I was facing him better. My hand moved to rest on the back of his neck so my fingers could play with his hair. I made sure that I didn’t take my eyes off of him; I didn’t want to miss a moment.
His focus stayed on his hands that were resting in his lap. Every now and then, he would fidget with his fingers but other than that, he was motionless. “I was really sick growing up. The doctors had no idea what was wrong with me. I went to both kinds,” he explained. “My parents feared it was something to do with when I was born. My brothers were strong and healthy but yet I was a weak pup, the runt, so to speak.”
I couldn’t believe that this tall, muscular man was ever the runt of the litter. He was one of the strongest-looking men I had ever laid eyes on, but I didn’t interrupt him.
“Everyone feared that I wouldn’t live to see past childhood, and yet when I hit my teens, I was still going strong. I wanted to play sports like my friends so I started to work out. I started to eat a bit healthier and I gained twenty pounds. I put on a lot of muscle and I started to grow. Every day, I hit the gym. Morning and night. I lifted weights, I was on the treadmill. I didn’t care what it took but I was going to bulk up and be on the team. Ever since then, I’ve worked out in some way, shape, or form. Nobody can explain my change in health but there were a lot of questions as to why I was chosen to be a Gifted.”
Blake turned his head and looked at me with a faint smile. I was smiling back at him, so happy to hear that he turned his life around.
“Well...” I said expectantly, with a wide-eyed look.
“Well what?” he questioned.
“Did you make the team or not?”
Blake’s laughter filled the room as he nodded. His arms reached out and pulled me into his lap. I was against his chest, my arm now around his neck, and it felt extremely comfortable being so close to him. He rested his chin on my shoulder and I felt his warm breath on my neck as his laughter slowly died down.
I tightened my arm around him and moved my other arm to go around his neck as well. We stayed there, silent and holding each other for a long time. Blake eventually moved back so he was against the couch and I turned to straddle his waist. My head rested on his shoulder and his arms went back around me. The heat I felt coming off of his body was warming me up and I could feel a desire building deep within my core.
“We’re never going to let anything happen to you,” Blake whispered as he started to rub my back, and I believed him. They weren’t just words to me anymore.
Lifting my head just enough, I looked at him with a soft smile. He brought his hand up and cupped my face, his thumb rubbing over my cheek. I could feel my heart beginning to race as the sensation of butterflies fluttered in my stomach. I had no idea how he was making me feel so relaxed and yet so turned on at the same time.
Blake leaned in just enough and caught my lips in a sweet kiss. His hands pulled me tighter against his body. I wanted to melt. I could feel his tongue sliding over my lower lip and I instinctively opened my mouth to allow his tongue to touch mine. I continued to kiss him back, trying to match the movements he made and I could feel the passion growing between us. I wanted to go further, see what it was like to do more than just kiss but my lungs screamed for air. I pulled back a little, out of breath and a bit flushed.
Our eyes met and I could see everything he was feeling. He wanted just as much as I did but he was resisting. I didn’t know why but the kiss to my forehead told me I wasn’t going to find out tonight. My head automatically went down to rest on his shoulder and I took one final deep breath to bring me back down to earth. His hand ran comfortingly over my back and I closed my eyes, soaking in the moment and his touch.
Chapter 11
“Tell me why we’re hiking through the woods again?” I asked, teasing Chris as I tied up the laces on my boots. I shot a glance over at him as I finished up, sending him a smirk before I went back to getting ready.
“It’s just a day hike so you’ll be back before dark and curled up in the warm bed, sprawled out comfortably as Chris and I are forced to sleep in front of the fire on the floor,” Blake teased back, getting himself ready to go as well.
“Nobody said you had to sleep on the floor.” I laughed for a moment and then pulled my wool stocking cap down over my ears.
The information that Chris had gathered the day before from locals said that the element might be east of their location and the only way to get anywhere heading that way was to go on foot. Chris promised that we’d walk till midday and then turn around so we were home before it got dark. Nobody wanted to be stuck outside when the temperatures dropped to below freezing.
Nan had been wonderful, cooking us a hot breakfast. She brought it to us an hour before the sun rose and insisted that we fill our bellies with a home-cooked meal. I tried to convince her to stay and join us but she said she had work to do before the store opened up. I sat with the boys, my boys, and we enjoyed the meal together in silence. Before things got too hectic with us leaving, I went over and made sure to let the old woman know how much I appreciated everything that she was doing for us. Her kind voice told me that everyone was there to help, to protect the collector and make sure we all lived to see another day. Her words hit me so hard that I felt tears in my eyes. It was the first time I spoke to someone outside of my little group of two that confirmed we weren’t just doing this for ourselves.
“Are you all set to go?” Chris asked me and I nodded. Blake moved to join us at the door. We took a moment to look at each other, thinking in our heads about everything and trying to decide if anything was forgotten. Chris eventually opened the door and I stepped out into the cold early morning air.
The sun was slowly rising on the horizon but wouldn’t be full in the sky for at least another hour. They weren’t calling for anything other than clear skies and cold temperatures, which we could easily deal with. It was the perfect conditions for a hike through the woods.
Letting Chris lead the way, I followed along behind him and waved to a few locals that were watching us as we trekked down the makeshift main street. With all the layers on, I felt like the Stay-Puft Marshmallow Man, but thankfully I was able to move. I hoped that I wouldn’t have any problems with a day of hiking. I warned them that I had never hiked so much or been outdoors more than a few hours. With words of reassurance, I felt like I could do this. I was going to do this.
“Do you think we’ll find the element today?” I asked Chris a mere five minutes into our hike. There were no paths to follow, no markers or signs that said to go this way
or that. Blake and I were following along behind our unofficially appointed leader, knowing that he would guide us in whatever way he felt was appropriate. Blind faith perhaps, but I was confident in Chris and felt he was the best one for the job. He studied maps during downtime, spoke with locals and other pack leaders. He gathered data and analyzed it in his head. His social skills, at least with me, needed work, but he was stock full of knowledge. If anyone could find the element, it was our Chris.
“I hope so,” Chris said honestly, moving so we could walk between some trees and get out of the snow. It was nice to have a solid surface under my feet and I went to lean against the trunk for a little break.
“We’ve barely started,” Blake teased, and I waved my hand at him to shut up. They had their warning and now they had no room to complain.
Pushing on, we walked in a single file line for a long time. There were logs to climb over and the guys would help by pushing me over or catching me on the other side. We passed over creeks, both frozen and some still sending water towards the lakes. Every now and then, we would run across a wild animal. They never stayed around long and I assumed that they were actual animals instead of shifters. Sometimes I would ask and I would get told that it was a human.