Page 48 of Lost in Barbarian Space

He would see how she went. If her leg was too bad, he was carrying her, her protests be damned. He looked around, but saw no features, no shelter, just snow.

He wasn’t going to mention the wolves.

Honor held her Sync close to her face. “I can see the storm about to hit. We’re just on the edge of it.” She looked up at him. “It’ll last for several hours, and we can’t be topside in it. It looks like there’s an entrance to an ice cave a klick that way.” She pointed and took a step.

He saw her wince. He slid his arm across her shoulders. “Your leg is hurting.”

“Not enough to stop me getting out of here. It’s damn cold.” Her voice was laced with determination.

His brave warrior. “Then let’s go. I’d prefer it if I was the one keeping you warm.”

“Get me out of this snow, warrior, and we can keep each other warm.”

Together, they started walking.

CHAPTER TEN

Honor concentrated on moving through the thick snow. They hadn’t gone far when her Sync iced over. The screen flickered and died. Dammit.

“It’s too cold for my Sync. I’ve lost the map. We’ll have to look for the entrance to the caves visually.” God, they’d be lucky to see anything in these conditions.

The cold was beginning to seep through her suit. It was designed to withstand the cold…but not the conditions the storm was bringing. She shivered.

Suddenly, Colm tugged her toward him. He pulled her in under his coat and wrapped it around them both. The shock of heat made her moan. The fur was warm, and the warrior even more so. She let it sink into her.

“This will slow us down,” she said.

“I won’t have you cold.”

The implacable will in his tone made her smile. “Thanks.”

They kept walking, the snow getting deeper, and the temperature dropping more. It was hard going, and with every step, Honor’s leg burned.

She wasn’t sure how much farther they’d gone, when she realized her eyelids were starting to droop. She shook her head and fought to stay conscious.

But the lethargy was sinking in, and she was losing the energy to fight it.

Her next step made her stumble and she fell to her knees in the snow.

Suddenly, she was scooped up into hard arms, the fur resettled around them. She was too cold to complain. She snuggled into Colm’s chest. “I have a confession to make.”

He made a small sound that rumbled through his chest.

“I like you holding me. My father never did. He was always trying to toughen me up. Running obstacle courses and sparring against my brothers.” She knew her father loved her, but he was a military man. “Snuggling and cuddling have never been part of my life.”

Colm’s arms tightened around her.

“I bet your family was perfect. Strong warrior father, caring mother, loving family.” It seemed Markaria had perfected strong family units.

Silence. She felt Colm’s body go stiff. She frowned and blinked her heavy eyelids. What had she said wrong?

“My father was a warrior.” Colm’s voice was almost as icy as the snow around them. “My mother was an artisan. She made jewelry.”

Silence again, and Honor felt the terrible tension in his body grow.

“What happened, Colm?” she asked quietly.

“My father…got sick. It made him angry, short-tempered, dangerous.”