I pull the woman closer, sharing what little body heat I have left, and look up at the darkening sky.
The storm’s getting worse.
No one knows exactly where I am.
And night is coming fast.
I close my eyes for a second, and whisper into the wind. “Come on, boys. Find us.”
The mountain gives no answer.
Only the howl of the storm.
THREE
SADIE
The world comes back in pieces.
First the cold. It’s still there, deep in my bones, but not as sharp as before. Then the pain in my ankle, a dull, steady throb. And finally the warmth. Real warmth. Not the weak shelter of pine branches, but actual heat pressing against my side.
A man is carrying me.
His arms are strong and steady beneath my knees and back. I can feel the hard muscle of his chest through his jacket. My head lolls against his shoulder. I try to lift it, but my body refuses. Everything feels heavy. Slow. Like I’m moving through deep water.
“You’re safe now,” he says, voice low and calm, cutting through the wind. “I’ve got you.”
I blink slowly. Snow swirls around us, but we’re moving. Fast. His boots crunch through the drifts with purpose. I catch a glimpse of his face when the beam of his headlamp swings acrossit. Strong jaw. Dark eyes focused ahead. He looks like he was carved from the mountain itself.
A low, rhythmic thumping grows louder above us. I tilt my head back and see lights cutting through the storm. A helicopter. Its rotors beat the air, sending snow flying in every direction. The man adjusts his grip on me and keeps walking toward the clearing where it’s landing.
“Stay with me,” he says. “We’re almost there.”
The helicopter touches down with a heavy thud. The side door slides open. Two men jump out and run toward us. One carries a medical bag. The other has a blanket ready.
The man holding me hands me over carefully. “She’s hypothermic. Twisted ankle. Possible frostbite on her fingers. She was conscious a few minutes ago.”
They wrap me in the blanket and help me into the helicopter. The man who carried me climbs in after us and sits right beside me, one arm still around my shoulders like he’s afraid I might disappear. The door slides shut. The rotors spin faster. We lift off, the ground falling away beneath us.
Inside the cabin the noise is loud but the air is warm. Blessed warm. I can finally breathe without the cold stabbing my lungs. My body starts to shake as the heat hits me. The man beside me pulls the blanket tighter around me.
“You’re safe,” he says again. His voice is steady. Certain. “No one is going to hurt you here.”
I look up at him through half-closed eyes. “Who… who are you?”
“Thorne,” he answers. “Thorne Prescott.”
I swallow, my throat raw. “Sadie,” I whisper. “I’m Sadie Calloway.”
He nods once, like my name matters. Like he’s filing it away. His eyes never leave my face, watching every flicker of expression, every shiver that runs through me.
The helicopter banks gently and heads toward the mountain. Through the window I see nothing but white and dark shapes of trees. The storm rages below us, but up here we’re above it. Safe. For the first time in days I feel safe.
The man with the medical bag kneels in front of me. “I’m Eli. I’m going to check you over, okay? Just stay still for me.”
I nod weakly. His hands are gentle as he checks my pulse, shines a light in my eyes, and carefully examines my swollen ankle. He works quickly but with care, wrapping it in a temporary brace.
“You’re lucky Thorne found you when he did,” Eli says. “A few more hours and this would have been much worse.”
