Cloudburst Ice Magic (6 page)

“Yep.” Her tone made him pause, but her
scarf covered her face and hid her expression. “You’re walking with
me and the others will follow. Randy will bring up the rear.”

“Good. Lead the way, Sinclair.”

Lily nodded sharply and strode off through
the snowy woods. Zach followed her, sensing anger from her in her
stiff movements, but he couldn’t find a reason for them.
Most
likely it’s the stress of the situation.
Everyone’s frustration
ran high during these kinds of events and until they reached
safety, it would be easy to lose equanimity.

The others trailed after Zach and his
shoulder blades itched with the sense of someone’s attention, but
he kept his focus on his mate as she led the way. The wind howled
through the trees and the branches creaked overhead. The snow
kissed his cheeks and he wanted to dance and celebrate with his
demonkin, but it would have to wait until he and Lily found some
moments alone.

Then he’d show his mate what made a true
celebration.

Chapter Seven

Lily’s anger and frustration warmed her more
than the exertion of plowing a trail through the snow to the Forest
Service shed.
How could he?
A little over a year apart, and
the minute Zach feasted his eyes on the flirty redhead, he turned
into every posturing male out there. Lily resisted the urge to
waste her precious energy on stomping through the knee-high drifts
of heavy, wet snow.

She’s not even aware of what he is and
was dumb enough to come out in a spring storm.
Lily clenched
her jaw as she picked her way closer to where she hoped the Forest
Service equipment shed sat. It would add insult to injury if they
missed it because she let her anger get the better of her.

What the hell is wrong with me?
Her
logical mind tried to insert some calm into the morass of her
churning emotion, but the primal part inside snarled and roared at
the intruder encroaching on her male.
He’s mine.
Her fists
closed inside her gloves and she pushed her body harder.

He’d said they were mates, true mates, back
when he pulled her out of her depression.
What the fuck?
Lily forced herself to calm down, taking a steadying breath.
It
was over a year ago. My memory might be a bit skewed.
But it
didn’t assuage her anger and she pushed on doggedly.

She almost swung at Zach when he touched her
shoulder to get her attention, but played the motion of as if she’d
lost her footing.

“Whoa. Are you okay?”

“Yeah.” She gave a short nod, trying to
ignore how good it felt to connect with him. “Thanks. Did you see
anything?”

“Not yet, but the smell of used oil is
coming from up ahead and a little to the right of our path.”

Lily scanned the winter world around them,
but everything looked about the same in the snow flurries. She
pulled out the map and tried to gauge where they were based on
slope angle. “Do you think we’ve come down too far?”

“No. I think we just need to angle a little
to the right and we’ll run into it.”

“Why don’t you take the lead? We can’t
afford to miss it for anything as stupid as ego.”

Zach cocked his head, but stepped around her
to lead them on. Irritation roared its protest at looking weak to
her competition, but when it came to life and death in the snow,
Lily admitted she’d rather survive embarrassed. She shook her head.
I’m not competing…am I?

Her back itched from the awareness of the
redhead behind her, but she grimly forced her focus ahead to the
trail. Zach’s broad back and tight ass made for a much more
pleasant view, and his measured strides lulled her into a relaxed
state. Her anger faded into the background and she followed her
mate with contentment.

Whoa. Hold the phone. Mate?
She
wasn’t an Ice Demon
. And the jury’s still out after he started
sniffing around Ms. Benedict.

Lily’s anger returned just as they trudged
around a small ridge. The Forest Service equipment shack loomed out
of the snowy murk, and her thoughts shifted away.

“Oh, thank God.” Lily caught the relieved
remark from Caroline just as the woman stumbled closer to the
door—and Zach. “Thank God you found it, Zach.”

Lily swallowed a snarl. The woman fawned
over Lily’s boyfriend and it didn’t help that he’d saved the day.
Especially since that’s his job. Dammit.

“I wouldn’t have gotten close without Ms.
Sinclair’s knowledge.” Zach snapped the padlock off the door and
shoved it open. “Let’s get everyone inside.”

Lily waited outside while the others
shuffled through the doorway after Zach. The scents of old oil and
dusty metal hit her nose as the wind stirred the interior. Randy
nodded to her as he passed, pulling out a flashlight to illuminate
the darkness. The room held old parts of a jeep, a few chainsaws,
and a chemical cabinet for oil and paint. An old woodstove squatted
in the corner near a grungy window and a small pile of wood sat
beside it. It wouldn’t last days, but it would be enough for a
night or two.

Lily closed and secured the door while Zach
poked around the woodstove and Randy got out the radio. She tried
to ignore how Caroline hovered around Zach, but her new possessive
streak flared, a low growl rattling her chest. She frowned at the
emotion and concentrated on starting some hot water on their little
stove. They’d need it even if Randy got through to base on the
radio.

What the hell is wrong with me? I’m never
possessive.
But the red-headed woman’s fawning over Zach’s
attention set her off and made her want to sink her talons into
Caroline’s throat.
Mine.
Lily gave herself a mental slap.
Jeez, get a grip
. She gritted her teeth and lit the stove.
The dull roar soothed some of her irritation and she took a deep
breath to calm down.

Randy’s low voice filled in below the
rumble, but she couldn’t make out the words. Zach found an old
lantern with kerosene in its reservoir and soon the pale light
filled the shed. It made the old equipment look rather exotic, like
an industrial exhibit in a museum. Lily would have appreciated it a
lot more if she’d been there alone. She let her gaze rest on the
others and watched Brad wrap his arms around Tammy as she leaned
against him. Lily wished she could be held in Zach’s embrace.

Let it go. Besides, he often said he prefers
red.

She stifled another growl as she set the
water on to boil. Randy ended the conversation on the radio and
settled beside her while Zach coaxed the fire in the stove.

“What’s the news?”

“Better than I’d hoped.” Randy held his
hands out over the cook stove to soak up the heat. “Visibility is
still a problem and the weather has revved up another notch, so no
helicopter.” He shrugged. “But the good news is this shed has been
mapped on a well known road with GPS coordinates so they know
exactly where we are. If they can get snowmobiles through the
weather, we could be out of here tonight.”

“Did you tell them about our lack of
stores?”

“Yeah. They know we’ll need food. They’ll
also radio when they get a team out.”

Lily scanned their party. “They’ll need at
least five machines to get us and the gear out.”

“I don’t know if they have that many in
working order. This storm has taken a toll on the gear.” Randy
grimaced. “Someone might have to stay out here tonight.”

Lily sighed. “I can. Just make sure I have
food and fuel, and I’ll be fine.”

“I can stay with you, Sinclair. It’s not
good to be alone.”

“No, you get your butt home to your wife.
I’ll be fine and I can wait. There’s no one expecting me at
base.”

“What about Zach?”

“What about me?”

Lily raised her gaze to the impossibly
beautiful blond man with ice green eyes and a deep yearning welled
up in her chest. She wanted to throw herself into his arms and weep
with relief. But the memory of Caroline’s seductive smile killed
her emotion.

“Randy says the base is aware of our
location, but the weather is still proving a problem. They’ll have
snowmobiles to come and get us, but they might not have enough for
us and our gear.” Lily gestured to the others. “I’ll stay here if
there aren’t enough machines for everyone. No one’s waiting on me
and he has to get back to his wife.”

“I’ll stay with you.” Zach gave her a half
smile.

“That’s not necessary. I can take care of
myself and there’s no need to have more people out here.”

Zach’s eyes narrowed as he tilted his head.
“It’s better to have more than one person out here in case of an
emergency. I’m happy to stay and back you up.”

“He’s right, Sinclair.” Randy squeezed her
arm. “I’ll make sure the hikers get down safely and the crew comes
back for you tomorrow.” He shrugged. “It could be a moot point.
They might have enough machines to take all of us.”

“We’ll see. If not, I want you to get back
to your wife with the hikers.” She shot Zach a look. “Zach can do
what he likes since he isn’t supposed to be out here.”

“Sounds like a plan.” Randy nodded, but a
frown creased his brow. “I’m going to check on the fire and get the
others comfortable. You okay?”

“Yeah. I’m good. Hot water will be ready
soon.” Lily gave him a patently false smile.

Randy nodded slowly and squeezed her arm
before he picked his way through the equipment debris, leaving Lily
alone with Zach.

“What’s going on, Lily? Why wouldn’t you
want my company?” A frown creased Zach’s silver brows.

“Why don’t you ask your sultry red-headed
companion over there? I’m sure she’d love it if you made sure she
gets home safe.” Lily hadn’t intended to put so much venom in her
voice, but her anger overrode her good sense.

Zach grimaced. “I have no connection to her.
I came here for you.”

“Yeah, I can see that.” She gritted her
teeth to hold back her unreasoning anger.

“Hey, princess, talk to me. I can feel
you’re upset, but I don’t know why.” He stepped closer and tried to
take her hand. But Lily turned out of his reach, presenting him
with her shoulder.

“You don’t know why? All right. Let me make
it really clear.” She faced him, tilted her head, and gave him a
coy smile. “‘Oh, thank God, Zach. You found it. You saved us. How
can I ever thank you?’” She batted her eyes at him before they
narrowed. “That give you enough of a clue?”

Zach snorted. “She’s just grateful to get
out of danger.”

“Yeah, you just keep telling yourself
that.”

He frowned. “I did point out it was you who
got us here.”

“Oh, I know you did, but you saved the day
when it counted because of your superior nose. I can’t compete with
that. Besides, I don’t have broad shoulders and a century of
experience.” Lily glanced over his shoulder and snorted. “But hey,
I’m sure she’d be fawning over me if you weren’t here. Here she
comes on the prowl again, so I won’t get in the way of your
well-deserved adulation.” She pushed past him as she snagged her
pack. “Excuse me. I need some space to put the sleeping bags
out.”

Lily acknowledged her cop out, but she
couldn’t stand listening to more of Caroline’s flirty repartee with
Zach.
Not without throwing up, at least.
They had limited
space in the shed and she wanted to be as far from the redhead’s
efforts as possible. She was too tired to fight and wanted time to
think everything through. Maybe it would be a good thing to be
stuck in the mountains alone with Zach. She ignored the yearning of
her heart as she focused on the gear.

Chapter Eight

Zach shivered in the blast of anger washing
through him from Lily as Caroline joined him beside the camp stove.
She gave him a warm smile as she held her hands out over the
heating water pot. Zach nodded to her, but didn’t smile. Lily’s
anger scorched him from across the room.

“Have you heard any news of our getting out
of here?”

Zach fought the urge to frown, wondering why
Caroline would ask him instead of Randy or Lily.
Because she’s
flirting, you moron
. “Mr. Montesque got through to base and
they’ll be sending snowmobiles for us. There’s a good chance you
and your friends will be home safe tonight.”

“Oh, thank God.”

Better to thank Lily Sinclair
.

“Yes. You’ve all been really lucky.” The
water churned in a slow boil and he turned off the stove.

“Thanks to you.”

Zach shook his head as Lily’s sarcastic
words slid through his mind.
Oh, thank God, Zach. You saved us.
How can I ever thank you?
“No, thanks to Ms. Sinclair and Mr.
Montesque. I merely backed them up. They’ll get everyone to safety
with the team coming tonight.” He poured some of the water into a
cup and handed it to her.

“Thanks.” She sipped the water and sighed
with relief. “It’ll be good to get back to civilization and real
warmth.”

“I’m sure.”

Zach would’ve preferred to be outside in the
screaming snow and wind than stuck inside with his angry mate or
this woman. He reached down to unzip his pack to give him some time
to figure out what to do about both.

“Hey, so, when we get back down to the
lodge, how ’bout I buy you a drink in thanks for saving us up
here?” Caroline gave him a hopeful smile over the rim of her
mug.

And there it is.
A spike of fury from
Lily ignited Zach’s irritation over Caroline’s determined ignorance
of his mate’s efforts. Zach covered it with a brief smile. “Thank
you for the offer, but I won’t be accompanying you down
tonight.”

“What? Why not?” Caroline’s eyes grew to
anime-size in her shock.

“It sounds as if there won’t be enough
snowmobiles for everyone and their gear.” Zach pulled out a thermal
blanket and his heat packs. “Getting you and your companions off
the slopes is paramount, but a couple of us must stay behind until
tomorrow.”