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)
“They’ll do that?” Bewilderment twitches in Kody’s features. “No one knows us. Why would they help?”
Oh, Kody. He’s so self-reliant and fearless that I sometimes forget he’s never left these hills. I wouldn’t call him naive. He’s more experienced and educated than the acquaintances I had in Sitka. But his cloistered life casts a shade on the intricacies of society.
“Not all people are evil. Most are inherently good.” I consider that statement and shake my head. “No, that’s not true. People suck, but the social norm is to be polite. On the surface. As long as you don’t threaten their identity and goals, they’ll do what’s expected and offer help.”
Jesus. I’m describing civilized humans like they’re a different species than Leo and Kody. But in many ways, they are.
“That’s fucked up,” Leo says. “Why would anyone pretend to be something they’re not? It’s dishonest.”
I don’t have an answer for that.
Kody picks at a fraying thread in the blanket. “Denver told us our entire lives that no one lives within hundreds of miles of Hoss. What’s the likelihood of encountering a populated area before we run out of fuel?”
“Not likely.” I make a face. “If we’re in the Brooks Range, our best bet is to fly south and look for Fairbanks.”
“That’s where you were born.” Kody looks at Leo.
He blinks. “Is that our only option?”
Anchorage, Wasilla, and Palmer have hospitals, but they’re all farther south.
I nod.
“You were wearing a headset when you arrived on the plane.” Leo studies me. “Did you hear Denver talking to anyone over the comms?”
“No. We were out of communication range when I woke.”
“If the comms work, we should be able to contact an air traffic control tower as we approach civilization. Maybe someone can guide us through the landing.”
My insides thrum with nerves. I dread the landing the most. I don’t care how much we study the flight manual. It won’t teach us how to put a plane on the ground without crashing it into smithereens.
“We’re getting ahead of ourselves.” Leo closes the book and sets it aside. “First we need to survive the winter. To do that, we need the pemmican.”
“Since we can’t take the snow machine…” Kody sighs heavily. “Frankie and I will be walking thirty miles there and carrying it all back.”
“Frankie won’t be going anywhere until she’s rested.” Leo touches his lips to my head, always putting me before everything else.
No one argues. Not even me.
My eyelids droop beneath the weight of a hundred polar nights. I don’t have the energy for another hike in the snow. Not tomorrow. Maybe not this week.
“You guys made that trip in three weeks.” I swallow, pushing down memories of what Wolf and I endured during that time. “Since we’re not stopping to hunt or make pemmican, we should be able to do it in half the time, right?”
“No, love.” Leo sweeps a hand up my arm and into my hair, his breath heating my scalp. “Now that it’s winter, the terrain is exceedingly more difficult. In snowshoes, you’re looking at an average pace of one mile per hour, accounting for icy slopes and the need for breaks to avoid fatigue and cold-related injuries. Best guess, it’ll take thirty hours to cover thirty miles. That doesn’t include prolonged rest periods, setting up camp, or any unforeseen delays such as bad weather or difficult navigation.”
Fuck.
As they discuss the logistics of the hike, I silently fret over my ability to survive it. Trepidation builds in my chest, and my rib cage feels too small to contain it.
It’s not just the journey ahead that troubles me. I also worry about the cold months that will follow, the escape, the landing, and most of all, finding our place in a world that has remained so far beyond our reach. A world full of regulations, legal systems, technology, people, social interaction, consumerism, media exposure, and…other women. So many women, so many options. How will Leo and Kody mentally and emotionally adjust to it all?
How will I adjust?
The one constant I can count on is their indestructible bond. A bond I’ve been privileged to become a part of.
Despite their differences—Leo’s possessiveness and fierce need to protect what’s his and Kody’s quiet strength, a shield against every enemy we face—they’re two halves of a whole, each complementing the other, always on the same side, never apart, no matter how many levels of hell they walk through.
As the fire burns low, its embers glowing softly in the darkness, their voices become the soundtrack to my thoughts.
I wonder at the paths that have led us here, to this moment of unity. How many times did I tell them I was too broken to love again, too scorned to trust another man, too fucked-up to try?
When I learned about Monty’s affair, I swore off the male population for good. To protect myself, I vowed never to be that vulnerable or susceptible to heartbreak again. No more romance. No more relationships.