“It’s only fitting, considering we’re in Dakota.”
Blade laughed at that. “I guess. Might as well make your first kill as memorable as possible.”
When they were done eating, they continued on their way. The sun was high in the sky, beating down on them. It was terribly hot. Squinting her eyes, Dakota looked over to where Blade was riding a few feet ahead of her. His shirt clung to his back, outlining his muscled body. Dakota pulled her eyes away and looked up at the sky again. Looking at Blade in that way caused her stomach to knot and her skin to tingle. Such thoughts were better ignored.
“It’s so hot today,” she said, needing to distract herself.
“Yeah, I think it might be the hottest day I’ve felt this summer, but look at the sky—there’s a storm coming.”
Dakota followed his gaze. He was right, but Blade was seldom wrong. Clouds were gathering above them, gray and thick but still far apart.
“It might blow over,” Dakota stated, hoping that it would. She really didn’t want to get stuck in a thunderstorm.
“Doubt it. They’re moving in fast.”
They traveled in silence for the next couple of minutes, and every time Dakota looked up, the clouds were thicker. Thestorm wasn’t going to blow over. The bright blue sky that had looked down on them as they ate lunch was gone, replaced by dark gray, leaving only a few rays of sunlight to escape through the cracks. The wind was picking up, too, causing the long grass to rustle and the lonely trees to sway.
As they continued, the heat from the day faded, and soon enough, Dakota could feel the cold wind chilling her flesh. It was a good thing they had brought thick coats.
“We’re going to have to find cover,” Dakota stated as she positioned Riot next to Africa.
“I was thinking the same thing.” Blade pointed at some hills in the distance. “Those are our best option.”
The hills were far off, and Dakota hoped that they would reach them before it started to rain. Blade was right, though; it was their best chance to find shelter. There was nothing but open plains, except for a few lonely trees, in all directions.
They were halfway to the hills when the first distant growl of thunder roared. Dakota’s heart sped up. She had never been caught in a storm out in the wild before, but she had heard stories, and some of them didn’t end well.
“We’re almost there,” Blade assured her. It was as if he could read her mind. “Let’s speed up a little.”
Pushing Africa and Riot to go faster, they galloped toward the hills. There was more thunder, and Dakota could see lightning strike in the distance, but they were going to get to their destination before it started to rain. She just hoped that there was some sort of shelter to protect them.
“Keep your eyes open!” Blade yelled over the wind. He looked up at the sky. “We don’t have a lot of time.”
They made their way through the hills, following an overgrown and rocky path. On any other day, Dakota would have suggested a few spots they had passed, but they simply wouldn’t provide the shelter they needed.
“Over there,” Blade said, excitement clear in his voice.
Dakota looked where he was pointing and saw a dark notch in one of the hills. “A cave?” she asked, tilting her head to the side.
Blade nodded. “I think so. Let’s go see.”
As they got closer, the darkness they had seen took on form, and it was clear that it was, in fact, a cave. The mouth was partially obscured by rocks and boulders, and to its left, there was a lonesome tree clinging to the hillside. The wind whipped at it violently, and it swayed as if it was going to be ripped out of the ground at any moment.
Moving as fast as was safe on the rough terrain, they made their way to the mouth of the cave. Blade jumped down from Africa and immediately headed inside, leading Africa into the cave behind him. Dakota followed his lead and rushed in after them. The cave was dark and cold, but it was dry and big enough to provide shelter for them and their horses.
“This will do.” Blade let go of Africa’s reins and pulled his axe from one of his saddlebags.
“For a moment, I thought we weren’t going to find anything,” Dakota said as she followed him to the mouth of the cave.
“Never fear,” Blade said with a smile as he stepped outside. “I’ll always protect you.”
Dakota’s stomach contracted again, and she could feel heat rising to her face. It was a good thing it was so dark, or Blade might have noticed her blush.
Blade made quick work of the tree, chopping off branches and throwing them to the ground. When they had enough wood, they carried it inside. By the time they had the fire going, the sky had turned black. From where they sat, they could see lightning striking more and more often, and the thunder was so loud it caused the ground to shake beneath them.
A few minutes later, the rain arrived, slamming down on the roof. The fire was nice, but she still felt cold, so Dakota dug her coat out of her bag and pulled it on.
“Good idea,” Blade agreed, doing the same.
