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NAVIGATION THROUGH THE REST of the mountain pass was uneventful and we started across another vast tundra. As soon as the sun dipped behind the mountain range, Reyfyre stopped and scanned the flat landscape.
Nothing that would count as shelter stood out for miles, and he dropped his backpack before he glared at me. “Looks like it’s another shallow hole and sharing the sleeping bag again.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. At least on the mountain there had been areas with shelter.
“Don’t you give me the stink eye.” He pointed a finger at me and then slipped his snowshoes off and used one to start digging.
I sighed and followed suit.
We finished before the last of the light left the sky. Reyfyre rolled out the sleeping bag and scanned the landscape again. “We might have to do this a couple more times before we get to anything worthy of shelter.” He jumped in the hole and lined up his backpack and snowshoes against the walls before taking mine and doing the same.
He held his hand out to help me down before he took a seat on the fabric and rummaged around in my bag, pulling a fresh package of jerky out. He peeled off a quarter of the sticks and handed me the rest before digging into the measly dinner.
Soon I’d be pooping jerky. It was good, but I was starting to have a hankering for some fresh meat. Although, as I glanced around at the vast emptiness surrounding us, I realized this was about as good as it was going to get for a couple of days.
The sky above us lit with purples and greens, and my gaze shot to Reyfyre.
“Northern lights,” he muttered around a mouthful of food.
I finished my jerky and tucked the rest of the bag into my backpack. “It’s stunning.” I tilted my head back to take in the streaked sky dotted with stars behind the colored lights.
“Mhm.” Reyfyre stared up at the sky as he munched on the last of his jerky, and then he unzipped the bag and waved me in. He slid inside after me and laid on his back next to me so he could get a better view of the light show.
I shifted next to him, my eyes still on the sky. “At least sharing the bag will get us used to sleeping in the same bed and won’t make being in a shelter in New York City that much more awkward.”
His gaze turned to mine, and he made a noise of agreement.
“You’re still mad about the bear.”
His nostrils flared, and he looked back at the sky. “That was one of the stupidest things you’ve ever done.”
So, yes. Reyfyre was still aggravated with me.
Good lord, what else could go wrong?
As if the gods had heard me, low growls reached our ears.
“Fuck,” muttered Reyfyre, and he swiped his hand across the hole we dug. His magic sparkled just as two wolves launched toward us.
My heart thundered at their bared teeth and the vicious growls. It was fiercer than the wolverines had been, and I braced myself for impact.
They landed, skidding across Reyfyre’s magical barrier as if it were ice.
I gasped in a breath as more wolves congregated, scratching at the magic as if they could break it. They could clearly see us. I met at least three of their gazes, which seemed to send them into a frenzy.
“Go!” I yelled and pointed. As if just my tone had any power of persuasion over these animals.
They bared their teeth and snapped at me before digging at the wall Reyfyre held between us.
I huddled closer to Reyfyre, and he glanced at me as though I had committed a cardinal sin.
“Can’t you just magic them away?” I mean, one wolf would have been something we could intimidate, but an entire pack, and from the looks of them, a pack of ravenous wolves, we didn’t stand a chance against them without the magic Reyfyre wielded.
“No. I can’t. It’s bad enough that I had to use it to protect us from these beasts. If I sent them to another part of the tundra, that is much more traceable than this. They’ll tire and go away eventually.”
There were at least eight wolves that I could see. And despite being just skin and bones, they seemed strong enough to pull a sled. I raised my eyebrow at my internal dialog. “What about conjuring a harness and sled and controlling them? That could get us across this frozen wasteland faster.”
“Yeah. Let’s just lead Thor and Odin to my boat while we’re at it.”
“No need to get sarcastic. It was just a thought.”
“Well, wipe that shit right out of your head.”
His snarl made me stiffen, and I rolled so my back faced him. Reyfyre rolled the opposite way, and our backsides did not touch, which was quite a feat in the tight space. But the cold be damned. Neither of us were in the mood to share our warmth beyond what the sleeping bag already allowed.
I closed my eyes, trying to ignore the hostility radiating in the small space along with the snarls and howls from above. But I was too damn tense. My body needed sleep, but I didn’t think it would come tonight. Which would make us more sluggish and careless tomorrow.
That was, if we got out of this hole and freed ourselves from the wolf pack.