free chapter 6/7

Dani

Ryker picked up a bow from next to the back door, strung it, and threw a bag thing of arrows over his shoulder before we left.

It was cold as hell, but the sweaters helped a lot. The temperature between yesterday and today was like two different seasons, and here I was stuck in winter. My chest was warm, and my face felt like an ice pop. I kept my fingers snugly inside the long sleeves.

As we crunched through the snow outside, I stared at the arrows, bobbing up and down on his back. He had a few old scars, not a lot. He must either be very good at avoiding fights with bears, or good at fighting bears, or just good at not getting scars. The string of his bow dug lightly into his shoulder as we walked.

"You use a bow?" I asked. I had already seen his claws, there was no point in hiding them now.

"Cleaner kill. When I kill something with my bare hands there isn't always a lot of meat left." He shrugged.

I shivered. "Okay, noted."

We walked down a gentle slope to the more open span of what might have been a meadow under all the ice. He was still shirtless, which I couldn't wrap my mind around, as we walked over crisp snow down a narrow path between the rows of tall grass. My breath clouded in front of me and I tried to sink into my layers of sweaters more to cover the lower half of my face.

I seriously considered trying to conjure a small flame to warm my face. No one would know from all the way out here, right? I pulled my fingers from the end of the sweater and stared at them a moment. But I never bothered to learn more than the basics of magic and I hadn't practiced in years. I sighed and pulled my fingers back in the sweater, deciding not to try.

We walked a pretty good distance. I was lost, and saw no sign of life. How Ryker knew there was a bear I had no idea, all I knew was that I was miserably walking through the Russian wilderness in four sweaters and pajama pants.

I didn't notice when Ryker stopped, he was silent and still. I ran into him, smacking my nose against his solid back. It was my own fault for not paying attention, but as I rubbed my nose I realized how warm it was right next to his skin. Warmer than my flame had gotten it. Warm like the loft in the cabin.

"Are you sure you're not some kind of fire demon?" I asked.

"Shh."

He crouched down near the grass and pulled up a tuft of brown fur. He sniffed it for a moment, and released it a few feet off the ground, letting it drift away in the wind. "That's the one we're looking for."

"You're looking for a specific bear?" I asked, skeptically. "Did you name it or something?"

"There is an older male that's been wandering around the area since he woke up from hibernation. He has had more than enough years of contributing to the population, and he is the one we're after. I'm not going to kill a female or younger, healthier male right before mating season."

"Oh," I said. "I don't know anything about bear conservation."

"Lucky for the bears that I do then," Ryker said, and began walking once more.

I sighed, my breath clouding in front of me, and followed. I tried to keep as close as possible to him, trying to steal his warmth.

We went on like that for probably another fifteen minutes before Ryker stopped walking again. The scenery hadn't changed much, but the sun was slightly higher than it had been when we left.

I followed Ryker's gaze to a brown form, sleeping in the sun. The bear must be napping off some breakfast, because he was sleeping next to a pile of carrion that it had picked clean.

I averted my eyes and tried not to be sick. I like my meat cleanly cut and hanging in a butcher's window thank you very much. I don't need to see it in bloody piles on the snow.

Ryker gestured for me to step back, which I did happily.

He pulled back the bow, muscles in his back bunching as he locked onto his target. He held it for a heartbeat, then released the arrow.

I watched it fly through the air, landing with a sick thwack in the bear's throat.

I let out a small shriek, which might have annoyed Ryker but at that point there was no more sneaking up on the bear.

It was pissed as hell.

The arrow stuck in its thick hide, but hadn't pierced enough to take it down. An angry roaring gargle shook the air around us and Ryker ran forward. I on the other hand, ducked down as low as I could in the snowy landscape.

Ryker rushed forward enough to get another clean shot. He drew another arrow, pulling the string back and letting it go until it went clean through the bear's eye this time.

Now it was a bloody mess. Bright red splattered the ground and more sickening cries from a pissed off and possibly dying bear rang through my ears. I don't know, I don't know how killing bears with arrows work.

Ryker didn't stop there though, he tossed his bow down and ran forward, ready to meet the bear head on.

The bear was ready though, he stood to his full height, taller than Ryker. The bear swung a massive paw at Ryker's head as he approached.

Ryker easily dodged the bear's huge claws, but to be fair the bear was half blind at this point. Ryker grabbed a hold of the arrow shaft in its neck and shoved hard, until it pierced cleanly through the throat. The blood spurted like something from a cheesy slasher movie that I didn't think was physically possible. Ryker, still holding the arrow shaft, yanked it forward with the assistance of his own sharp claws that were now protruding from the ends of his fingers. The arrow came out, pulling bits of disgusting insides out with it.

I closed my eyes, trying hard to immediately forget the sight of it. Ew ew ew.

More sounds, shuffling and sliding through the slush underfoot. I peeked to see Ryker dragging his kill behind him unceremoniously.

"All done," he said.

"That was a lot faster than I thought it would be," I muttered.

Ryker raised an eyebrow. "Did you want me to make a show of it? It's less unpleasant for the bear if I do it quickly but next time I can drag it out I suppose."

I shuddered. "No, definitely not. I don't think I want a next time, I just want you to take me to the hot spring and leave me there until it's time to go to Moscow."

"Didn't like your first bear hunt?" He smirked.

"It was awful," I grumbled.

"It was dinner. Welcome to the food chain. Let's go." He picked the bear up, throwing it over his shoulder, and walked back the way he had come as if he wasn't casually balancing hundreds of pounds of fresh meat.

"I'm not big on cooking things I saw die," I said.

"Then don't cook it."

"I'm not eating raw meat," I said.

He paused. "I know for a fact that humans eat raw fish, what's the difference?"

"Are you talking about sushi?" I asked. "That's definitely not the same thing."

"You'll eat plants but not perfectly good meat?" Ryker asked, still leading the way back to his cabin.

"Not if it's raw," I snapped. "And I'm getting sick of just meat. Don't you eat anything else?"

"Nope," he said, letting the last letter pop in the air.

He handed me his bow and the arrows that weren't sticking out of the bear. It was pretty heavy, but I carried it anyway.

Most of my focus was on not stepping on the dripping blood from the bear Ryker carried in front of me. I was not about to slip and land face first in something's blood. All in all it was a pretty quiet walk back. For someone who wanted me to come along for company, he didn't talk much.

I thought about Moscow as we crunched through the snow, following our footprints back the way we had come.

I didn't trust Ryker as far as I could throw him, but he did keep me alive in the Siberian plain for the last day, so I guess that's worth something. But I'd put money on him being in a shady line of work. Whoever he wanted me to talk to for him, I was going to ask some questions of my own.

And Gavin, I hadn't even met Gavin yet, but why couldn't he talk to this mystery person for Ryker? I'd have to reserve judgement until I actually met the guy, but if he was as big an asshole as Ryker then I was going to have to make this as quick a transaction as possible. Get info, meet contact, get out.

I was successfully lost in thought enough that I wasn't internally bitching about the cold when the trees around the cabin came into view.

Ryker walked us up the small hill and shrugged his kill onto the ground next to some tables behind the cabin. He rinsed his hands off in a spring next to it and turned back to me.

"You can unstring the bow and leave it inside. Then I'll point you to the hot spring." He pulled out a knife from a cabinet under the tables and gestured to the back door.

I looked down at the bow and tried to bend it like he had when he first strung it. I pushed and pulled it in several different positions. I strained every muscled I had, but it wouldn't budge.

He sighed and took the bow from me. "When did humans stop using bows? Don't you at least know how to string one? Last I knew they were still used for sport."

"I'm assuming when guns became available they were the preferred tool over bows," I huffed. "Why bother taking the string off if you are just going to put it back on later?"

He swept a hand over his forehead, pushing the hair back and out of his way. "Down the hill, the path to your right, left at the stump. I'll be there after I clean this up."

I didn't have to be told twice. I walked as fast as I could without slipping down the hill. I saw the steam rising before I reached the spring itself. I was giddy with excitement.

At the edge of the water I stripped off everything. Four sweaters, a dress, pajama bottoms, boots, two pairs of socks, and my underwear. I dipped my body into the blissful water, registering that this was where I first landed from the botched teleportation spell.

"I was literally one minute from the stupid spring, and he makes me go on a bear hunt first?" I grumbled.

But when I sank into the water and onto a bench that had been built into the side, I didn't care anymore. I laid my head back and sighed. My muscles felt like they were going to melt right off my bones.

"Shit, this is good," I moaned into the afternoon sky. I was happy to lay back, watching the clouds drift by slowly overhead. The rising steam heated my face and the rest of me which was sunk into the water was blissfully warm. Almost too hot to stand, but I didn't care.

I yawned. It was probably bed time back home, despite the sleep I was able to get when I finally went up to the loft last night. Despite whatever sleep I managed to get, I was tired.

I just closed my eyes for a moment, a brief rest.

I knew it was a mistake when I did it, but oh well.

I was finally warm.

And I fell asleep.