Page 14 of Mountain Summons

His breath was harsh as he adjusted his grip, steadying them both before moving. “We’re getting out of here, Lena. You just have to hang on.”

She would. She would hold on as long as it took. Her arms tightened around him. Because he wasn’t wearing a coat anymore, she could feel his thick shoulder muscles. “This is better than Dream Tristan,” she said dreamily.

“Dream Tristan?”

“Before you came … it’s a long story.”

A small sigh. “I look forward to hearing it, sweetheart.” He started walking up the slope, his steps sure and careful, even as the storm pressed in around them. The wind clawed at them, but Tristan’s body was warm. Solid.

She focused on that—the warmth of him, the steady rise and fall of his chest, the way his arms tightened ever so slightly every time she trembled. Lena tucked her face against his shoulder, trying to suppress another shudder. She had no idea how he was carrying her with such confidence over the uneven terrain, but she wasn’t going to argue. Even if her pride screamed at her for being a burden, she knew there was no way she would have made it out of here on her own.

Her foot throbbed with every step he took, the pain radiating up her leg in sharp, searing jolts. She clenched her jaw, trying to breathe through it, but Tristan noticed everything.

“Talk to me,” he said, his voice low, soothing.

She swallowed, forcing her focus away from the pain, from the cold, from the fear pressing in at the edges of her mind. “Okay. Um… Dream Tristan.”

A low chuckle rumbled in his chest. “Right. So what exactly does Dream Tristan do?”

Lena sighed, letting the memory of that warm, distant dream settle over her like a thin blanket. “He sits across from me in a bar. He buys me a drink. But not a beer. Maybe a hot chocolate. Something warm,” she murmured.

Tristan huffed out a breath. “When we’re home, I’ll make you the best hot chocolate you’ve ever seen, Lena. With whipped cream, and little marshmallows.”

“With marshmallows?” she asked softly. She was so cold. So, so cold.

“What can I say? I’m resourceful.”

“How did you find me?” she asked.

“I got lucky,” he said, easily. “Thankfully, your father was right about the area you’d been exploring.”

That wasn’t what she meant. “Your boss was screaming at you. Earlier. On the radio. About you ignoring a direct order.”

She felt him tense slightly beneath her, but then his hold on her only tightened. “I’ll take whatever punishment they throw at me later,” he muttered. “Getting you out of here is all that matters.”

Her heart did something strange at that—a slow, deep pull that had nothing to do with survival. Tristan’s boots crunched over loose rock, the wind howled through the trees, and, slowly, the sound of the river moved further and further away.

She pressed her cheek against his shoulder, trying to ignore the nagging worry clawing at the back of her mind. “Where are these caves?”

“Not far,” Tristan said, but she could hear the strain in his voice.

Her arms tightened around his neck. “Tristan, I?—”

“Don’t even think about saying you can walk,” he cut in. “We’re doing this my way.”

The climb grew steeper, and Tristan adjusted his grip, shifting her slightly higher against his chest. The moment her ankle moved, pain lanced through her again. She swallowed the gasp threatening to escape her throat, not wanting to add to his burden, but he seemed to know, anyway. His hold on her turned almost crushing. “I’m sorry. We’re almost there,” he whispered, his voice tight.

She exhaled a slow breath, nodding against him. She trusted him.She had to. And her eyelids felt heavy. Too heavy. The exhaustion was pulling at her again, whispering to her that she could just close her eyes for a moment, just for a second…

“Lena.”

Tristan’s voice yanked her back. His grip on her shifted, a gentle shake.

“No sleeping,” he ordered, voice rough. “Talk to me. About anything. Just keep talking.”

She wanted to argue that she was so tired, but the fear in his voice scared her into compliance.

So she forced her lips to move, her words slurred but there.

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