Page 9 of Saved By the Soldier

"But you were in danger, why didn't you go down the mountain to Frank?"

"Because I wanted the photos of the Blue Wolves so badly. I've been in worse situations, and I thought I’d outsmartedthem, which I had because they didn't find me. So as soon as I woke up, I moved further up the mountain and ended up here."

"Do you think they know you're here? Will they come looking for you?"

"I've met Viktor Orlov and I can tell you that he’s like a dog with a bone. He won't leave until he's got what he wanted and he doesn't care how many casualties he has on the way."

"Had he caught anything?"

"Yeah, a bear. They said they were going to take it down the mountain and then come back up for the Blue Wolves. They’re looking for them too. But Luke, if they find them, they'll kill them. I just want to take photos of them. I'm not going to endanger them, they'll move on again and no one will see them for a long time."

"You should’ve told me this yesterday, Emma. I would’ve gone out looking for them and made sure they got off the mountain."

"I didn't think of it. I just needed a warm place to stay, and your cabin was so inviting that I totally forgot about them. It's like being in another world here."

"Okay, this complicates things a little. We’ll need to take weapons with us to track down the wolves, we never know if they’re going to be around or not. Is there any way they could have gone down the mountain with the bear and moved on somewhere else?"

"No, Viktor is not a man to give up on any mission. He is ex Russian military. He knows what he is doing. I'm not sure what to do, but yes he will be on this mountain looking for the Blue Wolves."

He's quiet for a while. He looks at me, and I can see his demeanor has changed. He looks like a soldier going on a mission. He stands and walks over to the fridge and pulls out some food for us to eat.

"Eat, we might not be able to stop for food, because however far we climb up the mountain we need to come down as well. We won't be camping out in this weather."

"Do you think we can do it?" I touch his arm to get him to look at me. "Luke, is it too dangerous then maybe we shouldn't do it."

He puts his hand over mine. "Emma, you've been waiting your whole life to do this. Don't back out now because of some snow." He laughs. "You've got me to help you. I know these mountains, I live here. If Viktor wants to come poach on my land, then he's got me to deal with. We’ll be fine."

My heart is racing. No one has ever backed me up with anything I've done. My friends think I'm risking my life on purpose because of my parents dying. That is not the truth. I've been like this since the day I survived the explosion and subsequent fire in my childhood home. Not that you'd really call it a home, more like a house.

I lean up and kiss him on the cheek, but he moves at the last second and I kiss him on the lips. The entire world stops turning for a split second.

I look down. "Oh my god, I'm sorry. I don't know what came over me." When I dare look up, he's looking down at me.

"Babe, there is nothing to be sorry about.” I think he's going to step away, but he doesn't. He puts one finger under my chin and tips it upwards. He leans down and kisses me. It's not just a quick peck on the lips, it's amazing and when I kiss him back, I want more. God what is this man doing to me?

We pull apart, and he smiles. "I wanted to do that when I lifted you into my bed. But I thought it was inappropriate."

"I would have let you, Luke." I lean up again and give him a peck on his lips. They are plump and all I want to do is to suck it into my mouth, but I don't. I step away.

"Come on, we need to get ready for our hike today. I just hope the weather holds off long enough to let us get a bit higher today."

We pack our backpacks with food, drink, and, of course, my camera. I see Luke putting weapons in his bag and his pockets. He is certainly prepared.

"Right, Emma we aren't going to risk anything with this hike. If I think it's getting too much then we’ll turn around and come back. I don't want you arguing with me." He smiles at me. "I’m always going to be looking out for your safety. Do you hear me?"

I smile at him and lean up and kiss him again. A part of me wishes we weren't going out right now, but the photographer in me knows I’ll get some great shots and they won't be just the wolves, if we find them. I intend to take a lot of pictures of the snow and the landscape. I'm so excited.

"Let's go," he says as he opens the door for me.

"Maybe lock it today. The next people in here aren't necessarily going to be as nice as me if Viktor is around here."

"Had planned on it." I watch as he locks the door and puts the key away safely in his pocket before zipping it up. He goes ahead of me, and I follow him.

The terrain is difficult to manage with all the snow on the ground, but I follow his path, so that is much easier for me. After about two hours, he stops, stamps the snow down. "Let's sit here and rest. It's also a beautiful view from here."

I turn around and am greeted with a spectacular snowy mountain range. "It's gorgeous." I sit and take a protein bar and some water. "Do you mind if I take some photos? This is beautiful."

"Of course not, I wanted to bring you here for the view." He takes his food and water out of the bag and then hands me my camera.