Bearing the Whiteout (Ice Bear Shifters Book 2) (3 page)

The next morning, Eric pulled up in front of Delaney’s cabin with a small trailer attached to his snowmobile. He hopped off the vehicle and opened the trailer for Delaney to store her duffel bag of clothes and camera equipment in the back. After locking everything down securely, he climbed back on the snowmobile and waited for Delaney to jump on behind him.

“Ready?” he shouted over the whirring of the engine.

“Ready!” she yelled back, wrapping her arms around Eric’s waist. She savored the feeling of being pressed up against him, wondering if he was enjoying it as well.

For thirty minutes, he drove through unmarked, icy terrain. Delaney had no idea where they were, or where exactly they were going as they drove further and further away from civilization. She hoped she had been correct in believing that Eric was a nice, decent guy, and not a serial murderer. If he wanted to engage in some foul play, there would be no one around to stop him, and Delaney’s body would never be found.

She shook off the morbid thoughts and mentally chastised herself for thinking up such gruesome scenarios. She focused instead on the raw beauty of the landscape as it sped by. The bright, white snow blanketing the dark green of the pine trees made a marvelous contrast. The pine trees started out tall and mighty, and gradually lessened in height the further away they got from town. Eventually, even the tiny, shrub-like trees disappeared, and Eric and Delaney broke out of the forest into a magnificent expanse of flat, white snow and ice. Even with tinted sun goggles on, the light was blinding. Delaney did not see any trail markings or landmarks of any kind. She had no idea how Eric knew where he was going, but he seemed confident as he zoomed over the frozen landscape.

After several more minutes, a small, hut-like structure came into view. Eric steered the snowmobile in its direction, and pulled to a stop in front of it. The hut was a dark brown color, and had a small chimney extending from its roof. It looked almost like a miniature version of a cabin.

“Here we are,” Eric said as he climbed off of the snowmobile, then extended a hand to help Delaney down. “Home sweet home for the next few days.”

“It’s so cute. It looks like a miniature house.”

Eric laughed. “Well, that’s essentially what it is. Have a look inside while I start unloading the trailer.”

Eric tossed Delaney a key ring. “It’s the small, brass-colored key.”

Delaney found the key and stepped inside. The place was small, but cozy. Two small beds were bunked one over the other on the far end of the trailer. A small door led to a single toilet, and a sink. There was a stove, a microwave, and small, plank-like table with a bench that would seat two. Cupboards lined the perimeter of the roof, providing storage space. Best of all was the heater. It was running, and the small hut felt nice and toasty.

Eric squeezed in behind Delaney, carrying a few bags of supplies.

“Do you like it?” he asked.

“It’s pretty awesome. Lots of creature comforts. Do you leave the heater on all the time, though? How is it already warm in here?”

“No, I don’t know if you noticed but there’s a satellite dish on the roof. We can actually get satellite internet and television out here. Or, you know, more frivolous stuff like make an emergency satellite call if there’s trouble,” Eric said, laughing at his own bad joke. “But anyways, the heater is hooked up to a satellite receiver, and I can actually turn it on or off from my internet connection at my cabin back in town. It’s really nice to arrive here and have the cabin be warm and ready to go.”

“I’d have to agree with that. It feels so good in here after that windy ride across the frozen tundra.”

“Well, don’t get too comfortable, yet. We have a big day ahead of us after I finish pulling the supplies out of the trailer,” Eric said, then disappeared back outside to finish unloading everything.

Delaney stepped back out as well, taking in the view. As far as she could see toward the north, there was only a blanket of white. In the distance behind her, and to the sides, she could make out the dark line where the pine forest began. The view directly to her side wasn’t too bad, either. She felt a little thrill go through her as she watched Eric pulling some sturdy metal boxes out of the trailer. His tall, muscular frame made quick work of the job, and soon he was closing the trailer and locking it down. Delaney told herself to stop staring, but she couldn’t turn her eyes away. He was such a man’s man. Strong, and full of life.

He looked up and caught her staring. “What?” he asked.

“Uh, nothing. Just, you know, thinking it was a little unfair for me to sit here and let you be the one to unload everything,” Delaney said, quickly trying to deflect attention away from the real reason she couldn’t stop watching him. He smiled and shook his head.

“Don’t worry. I’m about to put you to work. Carry this, and this. Your camera stuff is packed in it. And follow me,” Eric said. He handed her a huge backpack and a small metal box. Delaney shrugged the backpack on. The straps were a little snug against her large parka, but she managed to make it work. She grabbed the box and scurried off after Eric, who was already heading north on the ice, lugging along a huge backpack and box of his own.”

“Where are we going,” she asked, slightly breathless as she caught up to him.

“To the sea ice. I know it’s hard to tell right now, because everything looks the same under several feet of snow, but the shelter is on dry land. That way it doesn’t have to be moved in the summer. We’ll go out to the ice, and I can make a hole with my hand auger.”

“What’s an auger?”

“It’s basically a large metal tool that looks like a giant screw, I can use it bore through the ice. Then we’ll fish through the hole. You can take pictures of the whole process, if you want.”

“How will you know when we’ve reached the sea ice?”

Eric gave her a funny sideways glance. “I can smell it.”

Delaney thought he was joking, and laughed. “No, but seriously.”

“Seriously. I can smell it,” Eric said, then started walking faster, as if trying to get ahead of Delaney and away from her questions. Delaney decided to keep her mouth shut for a little while.

After thirty minutes of brisk walking, Eric seemed satisfied with their location. Delaney wanted to tease him and ask if it “smelled okay,” but she didn’t want to piss him off. In the distance, Delaney could see the water now. Patches of loose ice floes bobbed in the water like puzzle pieces that didn’t quite connect.

Eric pulled a giant, metal tool that looked like a screw out of his pack. It must have been the auger. Delaney wriggled out of her backpack and found her camera.

“Do you mind if I take pictures?” she asked.

“Knock yourself out,” Eric replied. Then he started cranking the ice auger around and around, drilling down into the thick whiteness. Delaney watched him through her camera lens, snapping shot after shot of him as he bored into the ice without even breaking a sweat. He looked like he was drilling through slush, not through solid, rock-hard ice. Delaney shook her head in amazement. Eric’s arms were strong. Scarily, superhuman strong. He finished the hole in just a few moments, and stuck a tape measure down into the frigid water.

“Eight inches,” he said, seeming pleased. “Plenty thick enough to be safe.”

He pulled out various fishing supplies, setting up a line and baiting it. Delaney snapped pictures as he prepared everything and explained the process to her. Finally, he pulled out and unfolded two folding chairs. They had been folded down to take up almost no space in his pack. Delaney was impressed by this whole operation. She took a seat in one of the chairs when it was completely unfolded, and Eric sat in the chair next to her.

“Now what?” she asked.

“Now we wait,” he said. “Sometimes the fish bite right away, sometimes you wait all day before finally getting something, and some days you just get nothing. We’ll try for a few hours today, then head back. I want to make sure we get back to the shelter in time for you to get your sunset photos.

Delaney nodded, and settled down further into her folding chair. Eric didn’t seem to be much in the mood for talking, so she silently watched the ice floes bobbing in the distance. The wind had died down now, making the air almost eerily silent. A few minutes later, the silence was broken by the sound of soft snoring, and Delaney looked over to see that Eric had closed his eyes and fallen asleep. Delaney rolled her eyes. So much for the chance to get to know hunky Mr. Outdoorsman better today. Apparently a nap was more exciting than a chance to talk to her.

But Delaney couldn’t blame Eric too much for drifting off, because when she sighed and closed her own eyes, it was only a matter of minutes before she drifted off to dreamland, too. Some time later, she awoke with a start to the sound of loud beeping. Disoriented, she sat up straight and almost fell out of her chair and onto the ice. Eric also looked a little dazed, but he recovered quickly. He reached out near the hole he had made and grabbed the fishing line. After a few moments of struggle, he pulled a large silvery fish out of the water and onto the ice. It flopped around like crazy for a few moments, then Eric put it in a giant, insulated zip bag he had brought.

“Catch number one of the day,” he said proudly. He looked over at Delaney and laughed at her confused face. “Sorry about the beeping. I tend to fall asleep a lot out here, so I rigged up an alert to sound if there’s pressure on the fishing line. That way I don’t miss a fish.”

“No offense, but this seems kind of boring. You sit out here for hours, usually by yourself, and you get a fish or two, maybe. What’s the appeal?”

Eric shrugged. “I tend to have a lot of heavy thoughts on my mind. I like to come out here and have a chance to think. A chance to clear my head. You get to think a lot when you’re all by yourself fishing at a hole.”

“Heavy thoughts?” Delaney pressed. But Eric didn’t answer her. His face suddenly looked concerned. He looked around, and his look of concern grew. His expression registered a mixture of confusion and disbelief.

“How long did we sleep?” he asked.

“Um, I’m not sure. Why?” Delaney asked, trying to keep the fear out of her voice. Whatever was bothering him was clearly a big deal. His expression grew darker by the second. He pulled his gloves and parka sleeve back and looked at his watch. Whatever time he saw didn’t seem to help his confusion any. He stood and slowly sniffed the air in all directions. Delaney felt her apprehension growing. He was acting so weird, almost like a wild animal. And even though he wasn’t saying anything, something was obviously wrong. He breathed deeply in all directions, then suddenly stopped. He swung his face around with a savage look in his eyes.

“Shit,” he said, his voice filling with anger. “Shit, shit, shit. I told Neal they weren’t all gone for the season.”

“Who wasn’t all gone?” Delaney asked. She was starting to feel all-out panicked. Why wouldn’t he tell her what was going on. She turned and looked in the same direction as Eric. She almost fainted at what she saw.

Several hundred feet away, a massive, white bear stood on its hind legs, pawing the air. As Delaney watched in horror, the bear dropped to all fours and bared its teeth, letting out a huge growl. Even from a distance, Delaney could see its black eyes glittering.

“Oh my god, Eric. A polar bear,” she said, her voice shaking. “Please tell me you have a gun.”

“I don’t have one here, but the bear is by himself. He won’t attack me when he’s alone.”

Delaney looked at Eric like he was insane. So much for him being a handsome, rugged outdoorsman, wise in the ways of the wild. “What do you mean he won’t attack because he’s by himself? In case you haven’t noticed, he’s a little bigger than you. And his teeth are
definitely
a little bigger than yours.”

Eric frowned, but didn’t look at Delaney. “He won’t attack me alone. He doesn’t stand a chance. But we have bigger problems than that bear.”

“Oh, goody. Really? Because I’m not sure what could be more frightening than facing a giant, angry polar bear while unarmed.”

“We’re out to sea,” Eric said quietly.

“Out to sea?”

“Look over there,” Eric said pointing in the direction of the bear. Elise followed his finger and her heart dropped at what she saw. There was a gap, about twenty feet wide between the ice they were on and the ice the polar bear was on. The ice they were on had separated from the mainland. Delaney looked around, trying not to panic further. She forced her mind to slow down and think clearly. The worst thing you could do when you found yourself facing unexpected trouble in the wilderness was panic.

“We should walk east or west,” she said. “We can probably find a spot where it’s still connected and cross over. Of course that still doesn’t solve the problem of the angry bear over there.”

Eric shook his head. “No. The ice is all disconnected. I promise you. It was too thick to have separated on its own like that. It’s too early in the season for an ice floe this close to the mainland to have separated. The bear purposely cut us out to sea. He used a wide radius, so we wouldn’t hear him doing it while we slept. So we’re on a very large ice floe, but an ice floe nonetheless.”

Delaney let out an exasperated sigh. “The bear did it? Are you out of your mind? I thought you were some experienced outdoorsman, and you’re sitting here telling me a polar bear deliberately set us out to sea.” Delaney looked over at the bear warily. He was on all fours now, but he had an eerily human expression on his face. He almost looked like he was laughing, which was weird.