Bearing the Black Ice (Ice Bear Shifters Book 4) by Sloane Meyers Page A

I’m sure they’ve discovered the dead Blizzard patrolman who attacked you by now. But, odds are, they think we’re lost or starved over on the other side. We still have the element of surprise. Let’s use it while we still can.”
    Hannah looked long and hard at Alan after he finished his attempt at a persuasive tirade. For a moment, he thought she might agree with him. But then she broke the silence by shaking her head at him and snorting in disgust. She took off back down the tunnel in the direction from which they had come.
    “You’re crazy,” she called out over her shoulder.
    Alan sighed, and started following her. He had to think of a way to convince her to try his plan. Of course it was risky. But there wasn’t exactly a safe option available here. He followed her in silence, trying to come up with different ways to word his pleas that might appeal to her more. But no matter how he planned to phrase it, the end result was always obvious. They were going to run through a den of Blizzards. Either they would escape or be torn to pieces. There wasn’t much of a middle ground here.
    As it turned out, however, Alan didn’t have to convince Hannah of anything. She could demonstrate her stubbornness quite forcefully sometimes, but she wasn’t stupid. She must have mulled over Alan’s suggested plan and the other available options during their trek back, and come to the conclusion that Alan’s plan was their only real choice. As they settled back at their base camp to eat their raw vegetables, Hannah spoke softly.
    “Okay,” she said.
    “Okay?”
    “Okay, let’s try your plan. Tomorrow night.”
    He looked up at her and nodded, then went back to chewing on his bell pepper. No further explanation was necessary. They were throwing all their chips on the table tomorrow, and hoping to win big.
    Later that night, as they snuggled down into their rock bed for the last time, Hannah sighed deeply and squeezed her arms around Alan so tightly that she nearly cut off his circulation. He would have liked to make love to her here one last time, but she was nervous and clearly not in the mood.
    “Hey,” he said, looking down to nuzzle her nose with his nose. “It’s going to be okay. I have faith that we can pull this off.”
    “I just can’t believe that after all we’ve suffered and overcome, it’s going to come down to this. One mad, crazy dash through the middle of hell.”
    “I know. But just think of it this way—win, lose, or draw, this will all be over tomorrow.”
    She sighed, and buried her face deeply into his chest. “It just seems like there should be some way to get out of this mess without running straight into the waiting jaws of our enemies.
    He kissed the top of her head and held her close. “I know. But, sometimes, the only way out is through.”

Chapter Nine
    Late into the next evening, Alan and Hannah made their way back to the Blizzard’s main den. They left Alan’s back pack behind, since it would only slow them down, and they wouldn’t be needing it after tonight. Whether or not their plan succeeded, this was it.
    They made most of the walk in silence, but Hannah obviously felt terrified. She kept thinking up scenarios for why things wouldn’t work out.
    “What if there are more guards tonight?” she asked.
    “Then we’ll wait for another night.”
    “What if that door to the entrance is locked?”
    “I’ll bash right through it.”
    “What if it doesn’t lead to an exit?”
    “Then we’re probably screwed. But just keep running. And whatever you do, don’t look back. Don’t stop if they catch me or if I fall. Just run for your life.”
    By the time they were close enough that they needed to stop talking to avoid being heard by a Blizzard, Hannah’s questions had exhausted Alan. He tried to remain patient and understanding. He knew that she was trying to work through her fears over facing possible death at the hands of a large horde of Blizzards. But her nerves were