Death Cache (25 page)

Gage knew Tern cared for him. He saw it, felt it with each long look she sent his way.

He didn’t say anything to Tern as he took the filled bladder and hiked beside her up the hill toward Nadia and Robert.

Robert still lay in the position they’d left him. He couldn’t be hurting that bad. The jerk just didn’t want to help make camp. He was milking it.

Nadia had been busy gathering dry wood scattered across the hillside. An avalanche must have wiped out this area years ago, littering the ground with lots of broken bits of trees.

Gage built a fire, doing his best to make it smokeless. He stood, stretched, and noticed a rock cropping a hundred yards or so above of them. There was a ledge that made a natural shelf. He’d bet there was a cave under the ledge. It would keep them out of the elements for the night and give them cover in case they were being followed by an outside force.

“I’m going to hike up there and check that out,” he said, pointing to the rock cropping.

“What about bears?” Nadia asked. “Couldn’t that be a den?”

“Yeah.” He was more worried about their killer lying in wait than bears.

Tern handed him his rifle without making eye contact. “Toss in some rocks before you stick your head in there, in case it’s occupied.”

Guess she wasn’t worried about him, but then he figured even if she did love him, she’d still hand him his rifle and tell him to be smart when poking his fool head into caves. The woman was as tenacious and resistant as any bear he might encounter. She expected a mate to be a man, to go out and hunt, protect, and provide. She would never sit back and let a man beat on her, or wait for whatever nibblets of affection he was willing to divvy out.

No, she expected everything from him, but then she’d give everything of herself in return.

The realization staggered him.

Everything Tern had to give would be a thing to experience and treasure. Could he handle that without losing who he was?

The thoughts pounded around in his head like a hail storm as he climbed to the outcropping. It looked deserted, but he’d bet it was the winter home to some large animal. He threw in some rocks as Tern suggested and waited. For good measure, he repeated the action. Silence greeted him. He crab-walked inside and gave his eyes time to adjust to the darkness. The space was roughly eight feet by ten. Big enough to shelter the four of them. Their body heat would keep them warm without a fire, unless it snowed again. There were small animal bones attesting to the spot being a favorite. But they were dry and dusty so he figured the owners wouldn’t begrudge them squatting for the night.

He returned to the others and found Robert in fresh dressing, hot water on the fire with Nadia feeding the flames more wood. But no Tern.

A shiver of warning slithered up his spine. “Where’s Tern?”

C
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WENTY-
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IX

“Chill, man,” Robert said from his reclined position. “She’s only been gone a few minutes. She probably had to answer the call of nature.”

Gage wanted to strangle the man. Then Tern appeared, safe and sound, her stride confident and sure. He shook with the need to scoop her up in his arms and then shake the living daylights out of her for scaring the shit out of him.

“Where the hell have you been? How many times do we need to go over this? You don’t take off alone, and if you need to be alone, you tell someone where the hell you’re headed. Shit, woman, you want to be next with a knife in your chest or your head cut off and displayed on a stump!”

“Whoa, dial it back, Gage,” Robert said as Tern paled. “She’s obviously fine.”

“I was just over that knoll, within shouting distance,” Tern explained. “I noticed some arctic hares, figured they’d make a nice dinner.”

He spotted the dead rabbits hanging from her grasp by the ears. His heart had a harder time slowing back to its normal rhythm. “Don’t do that again.”

She stared at him and then nodded. “I won’t.”

He heaved out a breath. “Good. You need any help with those?” He pointed to the fresh kill she’d supplied.

“No, I got it.”

“Fine. The cave will make a good shelter for the night.”

“Good.”

They nodded at each other until he swore and had to turn away. He went over to Robert and knelt down next to him. “Listen up,” he kept his voice low, “that wound of yours is nothing but a scratch. I expect you to do your share. You should have made sure Tern was protected while I was gone. Don’t make me suspect you being behind this, because I won’t hesitate to leave you here as food for the wild animals that roam this mountain.

“What the hell?” Robert blustered, cradling his arm.

“You know what I’m talking about. You want Tern to fawn over you, I get it. But she isn’t the type of woman to find that attractive. So man up or be left behind.”

“You really are a son of a bitch.”

“Damn right.” Gage returned to the fire to find Tern once again gone. “Where—”

Nadia pointed.

Tern was just above them picking some greens. He’d have to put a leash on her in order to settle down his blood pressure. At this rate, she was going to give him a heart attack.

He kept her in his peripheral vision as he scanned the rest of the desolated area. They seemed all alone on this deserted mountainside. Down in the valley, a migrating herd of caribou grazed peacefully. His stomach rumbled. What he wouldn’t give for a caribou steak. But they wouldn’t be able to consume a whole caribou before it started to spoil. Rabbit wasn’t his favorite. They were usually gamey and greasy to boot, while not having a lot of meat on their bones. Plus he’d owned a rabbit as a child, and it made him feel a little sick every time he partook of one.

Tern rejoined them, ignoring him while she skinned the hares, rinsed, and stuffed them with the plants she’d picked. He tried not to show his wince as she skewered them with a stick. She set up a type of spit for the rabbits to be turned, handed one over to Nadia while she manned the other.

She was a handy woman. He’d expected to take care of her. Not the other way around.

It was peaceful while they waited for dinner to cook. The acrid smell of the fire soothed while his stomach grumbled with each sizzle of fat the meat dripped into the flames. The lush freshness of the wilderness, peppered with hidden dangers, made each sensation sharper, sweeter. The sky with its puffy clouds seemed close enough to touch if he jumped. They were near the top of the world here. If they weren’t in a fight for their lives, he’d be resting back with his hands behind his head and reveling in God’s backyard. Instead, apprehension pumped hot in his blood, waiting for the devil to slink out the shadows.

Robert fought his way to his feet, and ambled over to the campfire. “Sure smells good, Tern.”

“Thanks.”

She didn’t spare him much of a glance, making Gage chuckle inside. She wouldn’t go for a man who wasn’t her equal, and Robert had proven he wasn’t in her realm. Except he had taken a bullet for her.

Clearly, Tern didn’t want to encourage him.

“How are you feeling, Robert?” Nadia asked.

“Better,” he muttered his eyes never leaving Tern.

Tern removed a hare from the fire and cut into the thigh joint with her knife. It must have passed her inspection, for she handed it off to Robert. He, grabbed it with his fingers, swore as he tossed it back and forth, swore again as he pulled the wound on his shoulder, before finally grabbing the thigh with the corner of his shirt.

“Sorry,” Tern said, biting back a smile. “It’s hot.”

“Obviously,” Robert muttered, moving back to where he’d been reclining.

Nadia laughed and tried to cover it with a cough. She pulled her rabbit from the fire and offered it to Gage to cut off a piece. He did so because he was hungry and at this point it didn’t matter what he ate, as long as it silenced his gnawing stomach. One bite and his saliva glands flooded his mouth. “Damn, this is good.” And it was. “How’d you get rabbit to taste this good?”

“It’s only because you’re hungry,” Tern said.

He failed to correct her because he was already tearing another bite from the thigh bone, not feeling one bit of guilt for his former childhood pet. They ate until there was nothing on the small bones of the hares.

“Tern, you should open a restaurant,” Robert said, licking his fingers.

“I’ve already got a business I’d like to get back to,” she said.

“We should bunk down and get some sleep,” Gage said. “The cave above will provide us shelter and cover for the night.” Not to mention give them some temporary darkness. The arctic sun blazed as bright as if it was noon rather than close to midnight.

Gage stamped out the fire, smothering it with sand before trekking up the hill after the rest of them.

“It’ll be a mite cozy in here,” Robert said, peering inside the cave.

“Yeah, and no offense,” Gage said, “but I don’t want to cozy up to you during the night. So boy, girl, girl, boy.”

“Fine by me.” Robert grinned.

Nadia and Tern eyed each other, did that silent communication thing women did, and seemed like they were about to object to the sleeping arrangements. While the temperature was currently pleasant, this was Alaska. Mother Nature changed her mind on the weather like a diva.

“It snowed yesterday,” Gage reminded them. “We don’t need anyone getting sick because they’re being stupid.” It went without saying that the only one of this group he was sleeping next to was Tern.

They crawled into the cave—Robert first, Nadia next, then Tern. Gage took the opening so he could keep watch. They had each packed their sleeping bags, tying them to their backpacks, and now unzipped them, laying them out on the floor of the stone cave, pulling the sleeping bags over the top of them.

They settled in to sleep, and Gage figured he’d drop right off. No such luck.

In the tight quarters, he could smell her. Fireweed and rosehips. She lay on her side, her back up against his. The heat from her body had him sweating with the need to turn over and spoon her from behind. Instead he pulled back the sleeping bag and let the arctic air cool him.

Not that it did a lot of good.

The view in front of him was priceless, but he’d pay anything to be back in Fairbanks with Tern tucked into her own bed safe and sound.

An eagle flew with deadly stealth over the valley below, hunting for prey. He heard a scattering of animals in the woods as they also hunted for prey.

And wished to God he knew who hunted them.

C
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EVEN

Tern awoke, blinking in the shady darkness. The inky cave roof above her twinkled with quartz as though some mythical creature had tossed stardust and it had embedded within the rough stone. She smelled damp earth and sharp grasses. At some point during the night, she’d kicked free of her sleeping bag. Heat buffeted her from one side along with the musky smell of man.

Gage. She cuddled into him, her body curling around him, and sighed with pleasure.

Her gaze connected with Gage’s magnetic evergreen eyes and need shivered through her. A smothered groan and answering moan came from behind her.

Were Nadia and Robert having sex?

Gage nodded as though reading her mind.

Are you freaking kidding me?
Now? The rustle of their sleeping bags became rhythmic, and so did their sighs and muffled grunts.

First Lucky and now Robert.

Wait. Nadia had already gotten it on with Robert right after Lucky was killed. She’d sure loosened her inhibitions.

Tern didn’t want to move, but she couldn’t stay here facing Gage. Not with him watching her. He’d see too much.

She shifted to dislodge her leg from where she had wrapped it around his hip, but his hand grabbed the back of her thigh and pulled her in tight against him. He rocked his thick, hard erection against her sex, and it was her turn to swallow a moan. His eyes glowed in the dimness, much like a wolf scenting his mate.

She couldn’t do this, couldn’t react sexually when two people were having sex next to her.

She was going to kill Nadia. And Robert. So much for Robert being in love with her.

Gage’s eyes never left hers as he slipped his hand under her t-shirt, and his fingers danced over her ribcage to her breast. He palmed her breast, daring her to object.

She would not participate in an orgy. But then was it an orgy when you didn’t change partners? Or were orgies just about group sex? She wasn’t up to date on sexual fetishes.

Nadia and Robert were getting serious and didn’t seem to care if they were discovered, by the sounds of it. They were past keeping quiet. Gasps and moans echoed off the walls of the cave.

Gage caught her nipple with his finger, sucking in his breath finding it as hard as the pebbles they’d swept away to the far corners of the cave before they’d laid out their sleeping bags. He rolled her nipple between his thumb and finger, flicking the tip with his thumbnail. She closed her eyes from the pleasure of the small prick of pain. Biting her lip, she tried to keep in the illicit sounds demanding a voice.