Bearing the Black Ice (Ice Bear Shifters Book 4) (4 page)

Hannah did not share in Alan’s peaceful outlook. As she hobbled along, hanging onto Alan’s arm, she grew more and more despondent with every step. Her back ached where the Blizzard had slammed her into the wall yesterday, and pangs of hunger shot through stomach. The sharp pains reminded her that their food supply was almost nonexistent. When it was gone, their already dwindling strength would go quickly. Hannah hadn’t missed the fact that Alan didn’t join her in eating a protein bar this morning, and she felt pangs of guilt shoot through her in addition to the pangs of pain.

This whole situation was such a mess. Such a goddamned, hopeless mess.

And making it even messier was the way her heart kept melting every time he looked at her. Maybe she was just hallucinating from the hunger, but she could have sworn that his attitude toward her had softened. His arm felt strong as she gripped it, and she clung to it not just for the extra balance it provided, but for the warmth and comfort it gave her.

They walked for several hours. Hannah’s entire body ached and screamed at her to stop, but she forced herself to keep moving. Alan seemed to sense that she was fading, because he finally stopped at one of the many rooms that branched off from the tunnels.

“I think we’re far enough away from the dead Blizzard now,” he said. “We should stop and rest for a while.”

Hannah nodded, and wearily sat down on a rock as Alan used his extra set of clothes to make her a makeshift bed. He handed her his water bottle, and she drank greedily. Maybe if she filled herself up with enough water, she could trick her stomach into thinking it wasn’t so empty. As she lay down on the crude bed, she let out a deep sigh. Things were not looking good. No matter how much they walked, they didn’t seem to make any progress. The tunnels seemed never ending. Hannah had no idea how far they went, but she knew from listening to the Blizzards talk that they stretched out for miles in a convoluted, underground web. They could keep walking tomorrow, but odds were good that their results would be the same as today. And after a few days with barely any food and no proper place to rest, they weren’t going to have the strength to keep going. At least, Hannah wasn’t. Alan seemed to be doing pretty well, still.

Within moments of laying down, Hannah’s teeth were chattering again. Alan, who had been sitting on a rock and sifting through his backpack, glanced over at her.

“You’re freezing,” he said.

Hannah shrugged and tried to look brave. What else could she really do?”

“Maybe you should shift, so you’ll have some fur to keep you warm,” Alan said.

Hannah shrugged again. “I don’t have much energy left,” she said. “I’m afraid if I shift I won’t have energy to shift back, and I don’t want to be stuck in bear form. If I’m going to die, I at least want to die looking like me. Looking human.” Her voice caught in her throat, and Alan ran his fingers through his hair, seemingly at a loss for words.

“Let’s huddle,” he finally said.

“Huddle?”

“Yeah, I know it’s a little weird since we barely know each other. But, whatever, we’ve spent a few days together in some pretty extreme circumstances. We’re not exactly strangers anymore. And we could use the body heat from each other to help stay warm. It’s stupid to sleep on separate rocks under these circumstances.” He ran his fingers through his hair again, looking really nervous.

Hannah tried to smile through her chattering teeth. “Okay,” she said. She felt warmer just at the thought of him laying next to her. Somewhat awkwardly, he walked over and gingerly laid down on the layer of clothes that made up her bed. The clothes didn’t provide much cushion, but at least they made a small barrier between the cold rocks and Hannah’s body.

Alan nestled himself up against Hannah, and wrapped his arms around her. He didn’t turn the flashlight off. Maybe he felt complete darkness would make the intimacy of the moment too great. Hannah didn’t care whether he felt awkward. The warmth of his body against hers felt like heaven. She closed her eyes and breathed in his scent. Even though he had been in the cave for several days, sweating and soaking up the dank atmosphere, he still smelled woodsy. A faint hint of pine clung to his sweatshirt, and Hannah figured that must be his usual scent. She wondered if she would ever have an opportunity to know him outside of this horrid cave. The sensation of his arms around her felt incredible. The security she felt in that moment overwhelmed her, and a single tear managed to escape from her eyes and roll down her cheeks. She hoped he hadn’t noticed, but the tear must have slid down onto his own cheek, because he pulled back his face to look at her.

“Hey,” he said, his voice soft and concerned. “Don’t cry. It’s all going to be okay, I promise.”

His sensitive tone only made her cry more. “It’s not that I’m worried about things not being okay. I mean, it sort of is, I guess. But, it’s just… It’s been so long since anyone has touched me for any reason other than to torture me. I forgot how good real, caring contact feels.” Hannah felt stupid as she said this, and an all out river of tears started streaming down her cheeks as sobs began to shake her body. She told herself to stop being so emotional. She was making a fool of herself in front of him. But she couldn’t stop crying.

But Alan didn’t seem fazed by her outburst. “Shhhh,” he whispered in her ear, pulling her closer and holding her tighter. He stroked her long black tresses and buried his face against hers. Hannah slowly calmed down, her sobs fading into sporadic shudders. She forgot to feel self-conscious, and she buried her face against his chest. He felt so good. His arms were so strong. His chest was so sturdy. He was the most magnificent bear she had ever seen. And no matter what happened in the next few days, at least she had this one last gift. This chance to feel him holding her, and comforting her. In spite of the bleak circumstances, Hannah sighed happily.

The next thing she knew, his lips were on hers. Tentatively at first, as though he was asking if this was okay. She felt a thrill of warm heat run through her as he pressed his mouth against hers, and she returned the soft kiss. The fact that she didn’t pull away seemed to bolster his confidence, because he deepened his kiss. He slipped his tongue gently between her lips, and let it slide over her tongue. She pushed back with her own tongue, daring him to go deeper. He didn’t need to be asked twice. With his body pressed against hers, and his hands holding the back of her head, he kissed her deeply, passionately. She felt his erection growing against her. He was large, and hard as the rock on which they were lying. Her shivering ceased, and her lack of energy was forgotten as he let his warm hands run down from her head, to her neck, past her shoulders and down to the small of her back. He paused there, rubbing delicious little circles into her aching muscles and sending chills up and down her spine.

“I want you,” he whispered into her ear. She could feel herself growing moist between her legs as the husky tone of his voice sent a tingling sensation up and down the length of her body.

“I want you, too,” she answered, pushing her groin against his solid erection as encouragement. He hesitated for just a moment, pulling back to look in her eyes.

“Are you sure? And are you sure you’re feeling up to it?”

Hannah looked him straight in his deep, violet eyes. A yellow glow burned around the edges of his irises, and Hannah smiled. She had heard about this phenomenon. Rumor had it that when a Northern Lights bear was turned on by a woman, his eyes would glow yellow. Apparently, that rumor was true.

“I’m sure,” she said.

Slowly, gently, Alan rolled her onto her back. He carefully started pulling down her sweatpants and underwear, going just far enough to expose her dripping wet vagina. She shivered as the cold of the cave hit her bare skin.

“As much as I would love to see you fully naked right now, I’m going to leave you mostly clothed for the moment,” he said. “I don’t want you catching pneumonia thanks to me.”

Hannah chuckled, but didn’t argue. As much as she would love to have his bare body plastered against her bare body, she knew he was right. They had to be careful to stay warm.

In the next instant, Alan pulled his own pants and underwear down, putting his massive dick on full display for Hannah. She moaned at just the sight of it. It stood at attention above her, its generous girth in full view. Alan was ready for her, and she was ready for him.

“I need you,” she gasped out, surprised at the urgency in her own voice. Waves of passion were flooding over her as she tore her gaze from Alan’s huge penis and focused on his glowing eyes once again.

Alan straddled her, and Hannah gratefully realized that he was careful not to push down on her body with his own weight. Her body was still sore and tender from the Blizzard attack. Alan smiled down at her, then closed his eyes and tenderly slid into her bit by bit. His huge width pushed against her inner walls. He stretched her in ways she had never been expanded before, and touched her in places she had never been touched before. She moaned as he moved deeper into her, his unbelievable length filling her entirely. Her inner bear roared with pleasure as she felt him filling her.

The electricity of his body connecting with hers filled the air so thickly that Hannah almost felt as though she could reach out and touch it. For the first time today, she didn’t feel cold. His warmth enveloped her. The passion of his embrace overtook her. The blissful pressure built inside of her as he slid up and down, sending tingling sensations to the outer reaches of her being. Then, like a slow, intense earthquake, she found her release. The tremors poured over her one after the other as her body responded to his movements. Her inner muscles clenched hungrily around his dick. The earthquake continued for several long moments, growing stronger before it slowly started to wane.

Hannah was vaguely aware of Alan’s face scrunching up as he moaned and found his own release, shooting a warm stream of passion into her. But all she could really focus on was the amazing feeling of ecstasy between her legs. She shuddered with delight as an occasional aftershock rocked her body. What a perfect moment in the midst of a dire situation.

Alan slowly pulled out of her, his eyes glowing yellow and his face looking truly peaceful for the first time since Hannah had met him. He gently tugged around her sweatpants to pull them up so she would be fully clothed again. Then he replaced his own pants before leaning over to kiss her.

“Wow,” he said. “You’re incredible.”

Hannah giggled. “So are you.”

“I try,” Alan teased, and then kissed her again before making a dramatic show of rolling off of her and onto his back next to her. He rolled a little too hard and his arms slammed into the rock wall next to them, and he yelped at the force of the impact.

The next thing Hannah knew, the room filled with what sounded like glass shattering. A thousand tiny cracks appeared in the wall next to Alan, spreading like a viral web until the whole height of the wall was covered and it started to buckle under the pressure of the cracks. Hannah screamed and covered her face as a thousand tiny, glittering shards started raining down on them. For what felt like an eternity, the noise continued. When it finally stopped, Hannah cautiously sat up, pushing off the little broken pieces that covered her like a blanket.

“It’s ice,” Alan said, his voice filled with wonder. Hannah ran her fingers through the thick layer of ice shards. She looked at where the wall had been, and saw the mouth of a very large tunnel. The air coming from the tunnel was still cool, but it was much warmer than the air in their current room.

“Oh my god,” Hannah said. “It’s a Black Ice wall.”

“A what?”

“A Black Ice wall. I overheard the Blizzards talking about them one day. One of the reasons the cave is such a maze is that many of the main, connecting pathways were supposedly covered with ice walls in a flash flood that occurred down here years ago. The walls were just thick enough, and the temperatures always cold enough, that they never melted. But you can’t really see them, because they take on the color of the rocks behind them.”

Alan looked at Hannah with a hopeful expression on his face. “This tunnel is much bigger than the other tunnels we’ve seen. Maybe it leads to a way out.”

Hannah nodded, and smiled. “Let’s go exploring.”

Alan hesitated. “Are you sure you’re up to it? You don’t want to try to rest a little more first?”

Hannah grinned. “Trust me, the possibility of actually getting out of this cave has reenergized me. Let’s go.”

Alan and Hannah gathered up their supplies and set off down the large tunnel. Despite the hunger gnawing at his stomach and the exhaustion nipping at his heels, Alan felt lighter than air. The events of the last day seemed surreal. After sleeping with Hannah, he had no doubt that they were meant to be life mates. No one would ever replace Tessa, but Alan finally felt he had found someone who could help him move past the tragedy of his past.

Hannah’s spirit sparkled. Despite the tough circumstances they were enduring, she didn’t complain. She soldiered on, often with a smile on her face. She was stubborn, but tough. His admiration for her grew with every additional moment they spent together.

Alan desperately hoped that this new tunnel would lead them out of here. He couldn’t bear the thought of finally finding love again, only to lose it to the unforgiving maze of Black Ice Caverns. The further they walked, the more promising things seemed to be. The temperature was slowly increasing, which he hoped meant they were getting closer to the surface. He knew that the temperature above ground had been several degrees warmer than the temperature down here.

Alan glanced at his watch. In the darkness of the cave, he had completely lost track of time. His watch read 3:30 in the afternoon. Alan’s exhaustion had overtaken him so much that it felt more like 3:30 in the morning, but the “P.M.” notation was clearly displayed next to the time, indicating it was afternoon. Alan wanted to stop and sleep, but the promise of escape seemed so close.

As they continued walking, Alan’s joy at the rising temperature turned to concern. The temperature had continued to go up. It was too high. He was starting to feel like he was experiencing a warm day in July, even thought it was actually the latter part of September. Hannah seemed to have noticed the change, too. She looked over at him with a questioning look in her eyes.

“That’s weird, huh?” she said. It was more of a statement then a question. Alan just nodded without any further comment.

As they rounded a series of sharp corners in the tunnel, light flooded their eyes and the source of the heat suddenly came into view. In front of them was a huge, open space in the cavern. The ceiling of it looked like clear glass, and it was covered with only a light dusting of snow, allowing brilliant sunlight to shine down on Alan and Hannah. After days of only a dim flashlight, Alan found himself squinting at the bright light. The warm temperatures seemed to be supporting a large variety of plant life in the cavern. There were haphazard rows of berry vines spread all over the place. A vegetable garden had been planted against the far left corner, and the plants were covered with a colorful bounty. Lush green vines grew on all of the walls, covering the great heights with their flowery, leafy beauty.

“My god, it’s like a giant greenhouse with a roof of ice. It’s beautiful. Stunning, really,” Hannah said, her face filled with awe at the sight before them.

“It is beautiful,” Alan said. “And I guarantee you the Blizzards know it’s here. This is likely one of their main patrol routes. Let’s load up my backpack with as much food as we can and get out of here.”

Alan’s comments seemed to snap Hannah back to reality, and she started heading for the vegetable garden. Alan followed her, slipping his large backpack off of his back and setting it on the ground with the zipper wide open. They loaded the pack with zucchini, cucumbers, tomatoes, bell peppers, green beans, and carrots. He knew that the produce would spoil quickly, but he loaded up as much as he could fit, anyways. Maybe the cooler temperatures in other parts of the cave would help it stay fresh longer. He didn’t bother to pack any berries, but he did hungrily stuff them in his mouth by the handful. He ate blueberries, strawberries and blackberries in copious amounts. Their sweet flavors burst on his tongue, and he slowly felt his hunger subsiding as he greedily filled his stomach. Hannah followed suit, downing berries as fast as she could. When they had both eaten their fill, Alan nodded, and shrugged his backpack back over his shoulders.

Several tunnel openings dotted the giant greenhouse room, and Alan chose one across the room from where they started.

“That was incredible,” Hannah said. “Do you think they built that room, or did it occur naturally?”

“I’m not sure. My guess is it’s a natural occurrence. That seems like it would be really hard to manufacture artificially. Although if anyone could manage it, the Blizzards would be the ones I’d place my money on. They’re cunning like that.”

The further away they got from the large room, the colder the cave became again. Several smaller tunnels and rooms branched out from the main tunnel, but Alan thought sticking to the main path gave them the best odds of finding a potential escape route. He also realized it gave them the best odds of running across a Blizzard, and he stayed vigilant about sniffing the air and listening for unusual sounds. After a few hours of walking, they came to what appeared to be a dead end. Alan walked around the end of the cave, slamming his palms against the walls as hard as he could to make sure there weren’t any more secret pathways hidden by black ice. Everything here appeared to be solid rock, however.

Alan rubbed his forehead against his brow, trying to decide what to do. A glance at his watch told him that it was now 6 p.m. They had been walking for just over two hours.

“Let’s go back to the greenhouse room,” he said.

“But you said yourself that the greenhouse will be heavily patrolled by Blizzards.”

“It will be patrolled, yes. But we’re not going to stay in the greenhouse itself. We’ll choose one of the smaller offshoot tunnels and find an out of the way room where we can spend the night. The warmer it is, the better. We’ll be more comfortable, and the Blizzards won’t want to hang around a warmer area too long. It will bother their heat-sensitive side too much. I’m afraid that if we hang around in the colder areas of the cave, we’re going to eventually run into more of them.”

Hannah nodded, and started following Alan back in the direction they had come from.

“What do we do from here?” Hannah asked. “I mean, as long as we fly under the radar enough that the Blizzards don’t figure out that we’re here, we’ll be okay. There’s plenty of food and warmth near the greenhouse. Not dying of starvation is an improvement, but I’d still like to escape from here, if possible.”

Alan laughed. “Oh, don’t worry. Getting out of here is my top priority. For one thing, it’s not safe as long as Blizzards are roaming around. And, for another thing, I’m still worried about my clan member, Ryker, and his soon-coming cub. I need to get back to help protect them.” Then Alan lowered his voice and gave Hannah a sultry look. “Besides, I’d like the chance to give you a proper fuck, without freezing temperatures, sharp rocks, and roaming Blizzards getting in the way.”

Hannah bit her bottom lip, and Alan leaned over to plant a kiss on her forehead. The sparks of chemistry when their skin met could have literally ignited a fire. Alan let his hand slide to Hannah’s lower back and gave her a gently push forward.

“Let’s go, gorgeous,” he said. “I’ll explain my plan while we walk.” Hannah nodded and started walking, and Alan began outlining his idea.

“As you saw, there are several main tunnels branching off from the main room. We just determined that there’s no escape route in this one, as far as we can tell. But one of more of those main tunnels must have a path to the surface. The Blizzards obviously must live near that entrance. It puts them reasonably close to both the outside world and a huge food source. We’ll explore a different tunnel every day until we find one with an exit. In the meantime, we’ll have food and warmth. Simple.”

Hannah rolled her eyes at him. “Yes, simple. What could possibly go wrong, other than the entire Blizzard clan figuring out where we are and chewing us to pieces down here.”

Alan shrugged. “Details, details. Besides, do you have a better idea for a plan?”

Hannah sheepishly shook her head no, and Alan smirked at her as they continued walking. They kept making their way back through the tunnel, until they estimated they were about a fifteen minute walk from the main greenhouse room. Taking a random side tunnel, they followed it until it predictably dead ended into a small, rocky room.

They set up camp for the night, laying out the extra clothes to make a bed. They feasted on raw vegetables, which felt decadent after nearly starving on meager portions of protein bars. As soon as they were done eating, they lay down on the makeshift bed. Although the rocky floor still offered little in the way of comfort, at least they weren’t nearly freezing to death anymore.

As they lay down together, Hannah snuggled up against Alan’s chest and he put her arms around her.

“How are you feeling?” he whispered to her in the darkness, brushing strands of hair behind her ears.

“Much better today. I think I’m on the mend,” she whispered back.

“I’m so glad to hear it,” he replied, then wrapped his arms tighter around her. He couldn’t stop the passion flowing through his body from causing an erection, but he didn’t make a move to undress her. There would be time for that later. Right now she needed her rest. They actually had a realistic chance of making it out of here, but they needed to be ready for whatever obstacles they might still face.