Frozen Necessity (7 page)

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Colt got the snowmobile out of the shed and drove it to Jericho’s cabin.

His friend stuck his head out the door when he heard the engine approaching.

“Get your ride, we have a search and rescue to do.”

Colt was glad when Jericho didn’t argue, but just nodded and ducked back inside for warmer clothing. He must have gone out the back, because he came roaring around the side of the cabin in his skidoo.

“We are going to need more space.”

“I’ll go get Clint and meet you here in five,” Jericho said as he sped off north into the village.

Colt wished he’d gone with Jericho. He didn’t want to be left alone with his thoughts, and the startling burst of fear he’d felt when Geli had told him she’d contacted her friends.

That she was able to do that scared him. He didn’t want her to have any way to get away from him. He told himself it was because he owed her a debt of punishment, but part of him knew it was more than that. Letting the beautiful phoenix go was something he was unwilling—no,
unable
to do. He clenched his hands on the steering bars of the snow machine and the leather of his gloves creaked.

Had the phoenix come through from their dimension to come and rescue her? He wasn’t sure, but they weren’t taking Angelica away from him. He would go rescue them, because…Why the hell was he racing out like a knight on a motorized war horse to go save Eternals who were going to try and take her away?

He shook his head when he realized why.

Angelica had asked him to, and as much as he wanted to punish her, he always seemed to end up doing what she wanted him to anyway.

“Idiot,” he muttered to himself.

The roar of Clint’s snow cat sounded and Colt started the engine of his snow machine. The snow cat had a cab. They’d be able to squeeze at least two Eternals in there.

Colt stood up on the machine and pointed in the direction he was going, and then revved the engine and took off in the direction he had pointed out. He had a good idea where they were. He had grown up in these wilds. He knew every part of it the way he knew his face in a mirror.

He would go save the phoenix that had come to save Geli, and he’d lock them up in an unused cabin until he could convince them they were leaving without his mate.

She was marked. She was his. What he did with Angelica had nothing to do with these creatures that had come to fetch her back. She was his prize, his payment for what they’d done to him. He clenched his teeth at the memories, then sped up. He tried to stick to roads, not that any part of this territory had much in the way of real roads. They were more like paths made by the snow machines and other vehicles the inhabitants used to get around, and of course the game trails.

Jericho was close behind him, and the snow cat trailed a bit further back. It wasn’t as fast, but Colt knew that Clint would be able to follow their trail even if they were out of sight.

It took them two hours to find the cabin where Colt suspected the phoenix had taken shelter. The driving snow and whiteout conditions hadn’t helped. It was supposed to be a ten-minute trip.

Colt parked the snowmobile and swung off it, jumping to the ground, and regretting it when he sank knee deep in a drift. He cursed under his breath and pulled himself out. Jericho soon arrived and they had approached from behind the cabin, but they’d made enough noise, so why was no one coming out?

Were they even alive? Colt knew that Geli didn’t do well in the cold, and he suspected it had something to do with the fact that she was a phoenix. Fire was part of her makeup. He’d left her with two fires burning despite the fact that she could possibly contact someone else, just because he hated to see her hurting from the cold.

He called himself an idiot again and waded through the deep snow. Jericho was next to him before he reached the other side of the building.

As Colt stepped around the corner he caught a flash of something in his peripheral vision and ducked just as a large piece of wood came slashing past his face.

“What the fuck!” he yelled and grabbed the plank, jerking it out of the hands of his assailant. He turned to swing it and stopped it just in time as a short woman stepped between him and the man who had swung the wood.

Jericho braced himself for attack, too.

She held up her hands. “Wait! Sorry, we didn’t mean to attack.”

“Looked like he had every intention of putting a dent in my friend’s head, lady,” Jericho pointed out, glaring at the tall man standing behind the woman.

“I’m Scarlet, this is Archer. That’s Ath.” She waved a hand at a woman huddled in a ball as near to the fire as she can get. “And Laz.”

Colt lowered the piece of wood and dropped it on the snow. “Are you the ones Geli sent me to rescue?”

He felt a frown crease his brow. He was expecting women, no men, and he didn’t think there were any men in the other realm, from what he’d heard Geli say.

“Geli?” Ath stood up. “If you mean Angelica, then yes, but no one has ever called her Geli.”

“Well, I do.” Colt jerked his chin up as if daring her to object to the nickname he’d given his mate.

Ath looked at him as if she was trying to read his mind, and smiled. “Okay, well we should get going. I’d kill for a warm bath.”

“Follow us,” Jericho said and led the way back around the fallen cabin toward the snow machines and the snow cat.

“Do you greet all your rescuers with violence?” Colt asked as they trudged through the snow.

Archer answered with a shrug. “I didn’t know who you were, and I wasn’t going to risk my
She.
I’ll hit first and ask questions later.

“So you are lycan. Who is your
She
?” Colt was curious.

Archer smiled at Scarlet as he yanked her out of a deep snowdrift.

“Never mind. Question answered.” Colt was still curious about the others, but he would ask questions once they were back in the village.

The women were loaded into the cat, and the men climbed on behind Colt and Jericho. They made better time back to the village. It looked like the blizzard had started to blow itself out.

Chapter Seven

Angelica spun towards the door as she heard the booted footsteps on the planking. Colt was back. She wrung her hands, stopping herself from racing towards him. She wouldn’t give him the satisfaction of seeing how eager she was for news about her friends, or that she had missed him. She had admitted it to herself, grudgingly—she had missed Colt while he was gone. The lack of his presence had worked on her nerves. She’d jumped at every sound and felt…lonely. She hated to admit it, but she’s never felt as alive as when she was interacting with the stubborn ice-bear. He made her feel vibrant, and colors seemed brighter when he was around.

The husky at her feet let out a whine. The animal knew it was Colt, but he stayed by her side. The dog had come scratching at the cabin door about an hour earlier, and she felt too guilty to leave him outside, so she'd let him in. The canine had stayed by her side the whole time. Angelica reached down and scratched him behind the ear.

"Good dog." She didn't know which one it was. She would have to ask Colt.

The door opened and he stepped into the cabin, pulled off his coat and shook the snow out of his dark curls. She watched his hair caress his skin and had the urge to go brush it out of his face. The play of his muscles under his button down shirt was obvious and made heat shoot through Angelica. The male was attractive on every level, to every one of her senses.

“Did you find them?” Angelica forced herself to focus on her friends, getting sidetracked by how attractive Colt was would not help her now.

He didn’t answer as he hung his coat on a peg near the door.

He spoke to the dog. "What are you doing in here, Disco?"

Angelica got impatient and took a step toward him. “He was whining by the door, so I let him in. Colt—"

“Yes.” He pinned her with his green gaze, and Angelica felt a shiver race down her spine.

“We found your friends.” He glared down at the dog, but then looked back at Angelica.

“And?” Angelica started wringing her hands again.

“They are safe in a cabin in the village. But—”

She didn’t let him finish. Angelica ran and threw herself into his arms, grabbing his face between her palms to kiss him. He had gone and saved Ath and the rest, and he’d done it even though he hated her.

She’d given him no choice but to catch her, and she felt him grab her backside and hold her in place against him.

His lips were soft and cold from the temperature outside. She wanted to moan at the decadence of the contrasting sensations. Angelica only meant to give him one kiss, but without thinking, she leaned in again and moved her lips over his, wanting more of the kiss.

Colt groaned a deep rumble from inside him and opened to her, letting Angelica delve her tongue into his mouth and taste the freshness of him. He tasted like snow and mint, and she deepened the kiss further, slanting her head to feed her hunger for him.

He started kissing her back, and soon they were both panting. Colt started walking, carrying Angelica in his arms. He reached the couch, and without breaking the kiss, he turned and dropped her onto it so he was sitting down and Angelica was straddling him.

Angelica got a fright and tried to break the kiss, but Colt thrust his hips up and his hardness hit her sex, making her groan. She rubbed against him instinctively and kissed him harder.

His kneaded her ass, pushing her down on his erection and Angelica thought she would burst into flame. She rocked against it again and he moaned into her mouth.

Colt raised his hands, sliding them up her sides and around. cupping her breasts. He scraped a nail over one nipple through the fabric of her robes and Angelica gasped into his mouth, rubbing against him harder.

He took control, tugging her robe up around her waist so he could get his hands under the fabric, finding her breasts and started kneading them.

He broke the kiss, pulling the material up higher and flicked his tongue over one of her nipples.

Angelica hissed and arched into his mouth, offering her breast up to him. She wanted more, and he gave her more when he pinched one of her nipples and nibbled on the other, then sucked it into his mouth.

“Oh, God.” she panted, rocking down on his erection again. She had to have more—she needed him inside her.

Angelica raked her nails over his shirt and reached for the button of his jeans. She stumbled to unfasten it and reached for the zipper.

Colt stiffened under her and shoved her away.

Angelica landed on the floor on her butt, her breath knocked from her and her thoughts in turmoil.

“What the…” She didn’t get to finish her sentence.

Colt rose from the couch, buttoning his jeans and giving her a glare that would have frozen anyone else.

“I almost forgot who you were.” he hissed at her. “I won’t forget again, so don’t ever touch me again, Angelica.” He stomped towards his bedroom, shutting the door, leaving her on the floor and still confused.

Humiliation flooded Angelica as she realized he’d rejected her in the most hurtful way possible. He’d been all in, kissing her and touching and then he’d up and tossed her onto the floor as if she was garbage. She wanted to storm into his room and tell him he was an asshole. She wanted to hit him for making her feel like dirt. She wanted to hurt him, but mostly, she wanted to finish what they’d started.

Angelica sighed in defeat. Colt had a hold on her she wasn’t sure she could break, and it had nothing to do with their bonding as mates. She wanted him, in every way possible, but he didn’t want
her
. The look he gave her was one filled with hate and disgust.

When they had watched the mortal world, the women in her dorm had often discussed the fact that men would have sex at every opportunity.

Yet, Colt didn’t want her. Sure, he had responded to her, but that was just him being a guy. When she’d tried to take it further, he’d pushed her off him. Did he find her that revolting?

Angelica felt something warm roll down her check and raised her hand to touch it. Her fingers came away wet and she realized she was crying.

“Fuck no!” She got up off the floor and straightened her robes, her hand brushing them off, as if she could wipe the humiliation away with her touch.

She was not going to sit here and cry over a male.
No way in hell
. Colt had said her friends were in a cabin in the village. She was going to go find them and get the hell out of Alaska and away from the temptation that was Colt, and the pain that was his rejection.

She went into her room and took the bear skin off the bed, wrapping it around herself for extra warmth. She made sure she had the signet ring she’d found in the old house. It was hers. She wasn’t going to leave it, and she refused to feel guilty about taking the bearskin. She hadn’t come there willingly, and she wasn’t prepared to freeze.

“I can help you find your friends, Angelica.” Michael’s voice whispered in her ear, but he didn’t become visible.

“How?” she asked. “Never mind. I don’t care how, just take me to them.”

Angelica felt his presence move away and turned to see a shimmer in the air. She pulled her room door closed and followed the flicker to the front door, opening it with exaggerated care so she wouldn’t alert Colt to the fact that she was leaving. She hesitated. If she left, she was never going to come back, never see him again. She made sure she closed Disco in the cabin and swallowed the pain of never seeing Colt again, then walked down the stairs without looking back.

The snow wasn’t as deep between the cabins, so she didn’t struggle too much, but seeing the shimmer that Michael was using to guide her wasn’t as easy. The sun had come out, and it was blinding on the fresh snow. Angelica tripped on something under the snow and caught herself with her flattened palms. She sank up to her shoulders in the snow, cursing. Spitting out snow, she got to her feet. She was going to dust the snow off her robes when she saw the blood on her palm.