Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 119597 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 598(@200wpm)___ 478(@250wpm)___ 399(@300wpm)
Hands in his pockets, he lowers his chin in a nod.
My chest stings. I don’t want to go.
Leo strides toward me and clasps my hand as he passes, pulling me along. His sidelong glance and severe expression tell me he knows my mind. He understands my hesitation.
It’s not safe out here. The skies could open and unleash a blizzard when we’re miles from shelter. Wolves could pounce from the shadows and tear us apart before we fire a bullet. We could break a leg on the ice. The river could steal our supplies. We could succumb to the cold and lose our sense of direction.
If we got separated, I may never find my way back.
The world beyond Hoss is a realm where the moon reigns and the sun dares not linger. The cold is a beast that gnaws at my bones and seeks to pry apart my flesh with frostbitten claws.
I’m wrapped in layers upon layers, yet they seem as flimsy as gauze against the relentless chill. The snowshoes help navigate the deep drifts but require strenuous movement.
Strenuous for me, anyway.
It’s a long day of hiking where time loses all meaning. The only measure of progress is the slow, steady rhythm of our footsteps against the snow.
For miles, I follow him, the man whose heart beats in a rhythm I long to call my own. He moves with a purpose, a determination that I find both exhausting and exhilarating. There’s a lupine grace in his steps, a harmony with the elements that I struggle to emulate.
He carries his rifle with an ease that speaks of familiarity and readiness. I carry mine on its shoulder sling to avoid shooting off a toe.
Every now and then, he stops, scanning the horizon for signs of danger. I can’t help but admire the way his eyes narrow with focus, the way his body tenses, ready to spring into action.
The broad expanse of his back, the shifting of muscles beneath his fur coat, he’s built for this, drawing from an endless reserve of strength. Watching him, knowing he slows his gait for me, I’m filled with a warmth that defies the brutal wind.
He’s more than just a man I love. He’s my guardian, my guide, and my assurance that we’ll survive.
We haven’t spoken for hours, but I’m acutely aware of his every twitch and glance as he leads me through the darkness of midday. With the hills behind us, I know we’re hiking south, miles downstream from Hoss.
To our left, the river hems us in. I can’t see it, but the moment I hear it, I’m overwhelmed with thoughts of Wolf.
Will we find him washed up on the shore? Are pieces of his clothes tangled amid the rocks? Are his bones picked clean by predators?
I have distant pinpricks of hope, too, like maybe he survived the fall and found a cave. Maybe he’s living off fish and river water.
But there are no fish, and that fall…
It wasn’t survivable.
As we approach the cliff’s edge, I feel so heavy, anchored by a sadness that knows no bounds.
One glance at Leo, and I know he’s thinking about Wolf, too. Eyes glassy, he sniffs, drags the back of a gloved hand beneath his nose, and stares out beyond the treacherous ledge and into the abyss below.
A blanket of obsidian swallows everything except the faint glimmer of stars overhead. What is he looking at?
“Leo?”
He stiffens, straightens, and pins me with a sideways glare. “You love him?”
My breath freezes before me, a swirling cloud of the life that stubbornly clings within me.
Kody. He’s asking if I love Kody.
“Yes.” My teeth chatter, my trembling uncontrollable.
“And you love me?”
“You know I do.”
He turns to me fully and grips my shoulders, putting his frost-covered face in mine. “Then you will live. Hear me? You’ll survive for him and for me. No matter what happens, you’ll put your life first.”
“You’re scaring me.”
“Good. I need you to be aware and alert. Because if you fall…” He glances at the slope behind him and returns to me. “I won’t survive it.”
“You mean I won’t survive it.”
“No, love. My life begins and ends with you. You’re my forever.” He touches his brow to mine and whispers under his breath, “Please, God.”
“Are you praying?”
“To whomever will listen.”
“Okay.” I swallow. “So this is the dangerous part you were talking about?”
“Yeah. We passed the snow machine a half mile back. Down there.” He motions at the river below. “The incline behind me is the only way down, but it’s not safe. It’s steep and icy with no handholds.”
“How did you get the snow machine down there?”
“Very carefully. Listen, I’ve made this climb a hundred times, and I need you to do exactly as I say. The traction pattern from my snowshoes will score the ice, providing added grip for yours. Step where I step. Walk on the sides of your feet to create a ledge in the slope. And hold my hand all the way down. I won’t let go, Frankie. You will not fall.”