Page 13 of Those That Are Lost (Hidden Vampires #2)

AURORA

T he difference a few weeks has made to the weather is impressive. Travelling to Wintica had only been a challenge because I was fighting my own mind. A few narrow pathways had seemed a little sketchy but they weren’t anything compared to this.

We left yesterday, heading north on a route Ty and Henry had planned.

I’ve been cursing them both the past hour as we battle icy wind on a mountain pass that feels more like it should be solely used by the goats that live here.

They can defy gravity I swear. The path itself is only visible by the fact it’s lined with a mind-bending drop.

I silently thank the gods the voice in my head, the one that torments me, is quiet today. There’s no doubt that falling would kill me, but luckily I don’t wish to die today.

We descend a particularly tricky part and are finally on a flatter plateau. The snow is deeper here, blanketing everything by several inches. Walking the next section will be harder in a different way but I sigh in relief at being off that track.

“Not much further today, we should be able to reach the valley on the other side of this plain before the sun dips too far. I’ve read there’s caves we can use to shelter in overnight,” Ty bolsters our tiny party.

Henry’s pulled his backpack off and is using it as a makeshift seat as he rubs his hands together, trying to warm his fingers. “I know I helped make this route but holy lords, I’m less fit than I used to be.”

Ty rolls his eyes. “I did warn you that a desk job would turn you soft.”

“It’s important work.”

“Still, I have decades on you both and am currently kicking your asses.” The smug smile splitting Ty’s face warms my entire body.

“Hey, I’m fit. It’s not the physical exertion I’m minding. It's the cold!” I bite back. There’s no malice in my voice; it’s pure indignation.

“Oh I know how fit your body is, Red.” Ty’s gaze sweeps my body, like he can see straight through my thick layers and is seeing the curves of my toned limbs.

My cheeks heat as my confidence flees. I don’t know how to handle him flirting with me.

“But you’re still complaining.” Ty adds, breaking the moment, lips curving up once more.

I’ve still kept my distance since the other morning.

We touch casually, and I feel like I can talk more openly to him, but I’ve not allowed him to sleep in my bed again.

Each morning I’ve woken to find him butted up against the bed and my own body on the edge of the mattress like we’ve been pulled together by our unconscious selves.

We’re close but he’s on the floor and I’m on the bed, a foot of distance. An important foot of distance.

Each smile I catch on his face, however, carves a strip off my resolve. I want to give in, give myself to him fully. Then the intrusive thoughts start and I retreat back from my walls.

“No need to brag. You’re seventy something, not centuries old,” Henry retorts. “We’re all still in our youth. ”

I see him rub his leg where the prosthetic attaches.

“Is your leg okay?” I ask.

“Yeah,” he says, face scrunched in a mix of pain and relief as he digs his fingers into his muscles. “This is probably the most I’ve ever travelled on it in such a short space of time. It aches a little but it’s not rubbing.”

“Can you manage another hour or so?” Ty’s jesting is replaced with genuine concern.

“Yes. Don’t you start looking all worried. I much prefer your pushy attitude because you’re right, I have let my fitness drop,” Henry tells him plainly.

“Come on then, city boy.” Ty reaches out a hand to pull Henry to his feet. “Let’s move before we lose the light.”

The next while is uneventful, the two males recall more antics of their time in army training. I note they don’t include any anecdotes of their active service and I don’t ask, happy to learn more about Ty’s life before the war changed everything he ever knew.

We’re about halfway across the open space when I step and hear a creaking sound beneath my boot. My stomach drops as I freeze.

“Ty, this is a grass plain, right?” I shuffle another step and hear more creaking.

Without a clear track, we’d been walking in a line; the two males bracketing me but with a few metres space between us. Ty stops, body swinging towards me as he picks up the sound that has me concerned.

“Yes, I’m sure. The map didn’t indicate anything else.” He starts to step towards me.

“No,” I loudly snap, throwing my hands up to stop him. “Don’t come closer.” If this is what I think it is, his added weight on the same section might be enough to plunge us both into what I’m sure is cold as fuck water below .

“Get down.” Henry’s commanding voice comes from behind me. “Get your weight more evenly distributed.”

I gently lower myself to a chorus of more alarming cracking sounds.

Taking slow, deep breaths, I manage to ease myself to my hands and knees.

Pausing, I gently dig through the snow as I confirm my fears.

“It’s ice. This is a lake,” I inform the guys, keeping my voice soft like even a sharp tone will crack the surface completely. I know they can hear me anyway.

“Red.” Ty brings my gaze back to him. “You’re going to be okay. We’re going to get you off this ice.”

I slowly nod at him.

A shadow appears from his feet and glides across to me. Its weightless presence as it comes to rest in the space between my chest and the treacherous ground, soothes some of the fear coursing through my veins.

“Can you ease your pack off?” Henry instructs.

I feel the shadow almost push against my torso as I slowly wiggle the straps off my shoulders.

The slight solidness to it allows me to not fully lean on each hand as I get it off my back.

Ty remains quiet, but I feel the power pour from him as he focuses completely on holding the shadow in a more corporeal form.

I ease the backpack to the ground beside me and wait for Henry’s next instruction.

“Okay, good. You’re going to have to crawl slowly and listen carefully for any more cracking sounds. Try to come towards one of us.”

“Can’t I just make a run for it? I’m pretty fast,” I argue. Surely our vampire speed will outmatch the ice breaking.

“No. Any speed will add impact to your footfalls. You’re more likely to go through.”

“Fine.” I huff. Moving at a snail's pace, I slowly start crawling. It’s painfully slow as I move several metres, dragging my backpack along, but I breathe a little easier when I don’t pick up any more shifts in the ice below me.

The guys keep level with me as I take a diagonal line towards Ty. I chose him without thinking. And I feel the shadow beneath me gain strength as I close the distance between us. I also notice the sweat on Ty’s face at the exertion of power but he doesn’t falter for a second.

I start to feel confident that I’m away from danger when the ground underneath me gives out.

Ty is there in a second, and strong arms are gripping my elbows as my lower half is submerged into the coldest water I’ve ever felt.

I hear yelling, I sense fast movement but only focus on his hands gripping me, the black band I feel around my torso yanking me out of the water.

Ice crumbles away under both of us as Ty tries to shoot backwards.

I seek solid ground, my feet trying to step up onto the ledge several times but it just keeps breaking more.

“Don’t let go,” I plead. “Please don’t let go.”

“Never, Red. Hold on,” Ty shouts above the noise.

I hear Henry’s voice above the chaos, shouting instructions. I can’t focus on anything but gripping the material of Ty’s coat and praying it doesn’t rip.

We scramble for what seems like minutes until finally, thankfully, Ty makes another attempt to pull me clear of the water and my knee finds solid ground. We fall with the momentum, Ty’s back colliding onto the more solid ice and me landing on top of him.

We’re both panting hard and neither of us relaxes our grip on the other.

On instinct, we both hold our next inhales and tense as the water underneath us sloshes against the ice we’re still laying on.

The noise dies down and I don’t pick up any further creaking.

I slowly release the air in my lungs and hear Ty do the same.

Our eyes lock and I see the utter fear swimming in his deep blue irises. His grip doesn’t ease with his left hand but his right comes to gently push loose strands of damp hair off my face.

That’s when the shivering kicks in. I’m so cold, soaking wet, and laying on snow and ice in freezing temperatures.

“Are you injured?” Henry’s voice comes from somewhere beyond our position on the lake. I look up to find him standing a good twenty metres away.

Ty twists slowly left and right, scanning the little of me he can see. I give him a shake of my head as another shiver wracks my body. “I don’t think so, I’m just cold.” My teeth chattering as I speak.

“Nothing’s obviously broken,” Ty calls back, craning his head back to spot his friend.

“Good. Can you move without breaking more ice? I’m at the shore. You’ve not got far to go.”

We move slower than I had on the first attempt at this.

Detangling ourselves from each other, we slowly crawl towards where Henry is standing.

I have to rely on my body doing as I ask because I sure as shit can’t feel it.

I do notice as my clothes start to freeze, however, sending my core temperature even lower.

Finally, we reach Henry, and Ty helps me to stand. My teeth are chattering so violently now I think I’d snap my fangs clean off if I extended them.

“We need to get you out of this wind and start a fire,” Ty says. I can only nod. A fire sounds wonderful.

“Here, I managed to grab your bag.” Henry passes Ty his rucksack. “I’m afraid yours went into the water, Aurora.”

Apart from the fact it has clean clothes, I can’t bring myself to care.