Gifted Connections 3

I set my log down for a second, so I could cup his cheek with my hand. Thanks, dear, but we’re almost done, and I don’t want to rest until everyone’s ready to rest.

Stubborn girl, he muttered.

If I grab a few more logs like this, I’m sure we should be good, I said confidently.

When we finally crawled back into the cave, Remy picked up a boulder and placed it over the opening.

“Now we can all sleep tonight and not have to worry about taking shifts. We’re pretty well hidden here,” he explained. “They’ll have to do some major climbing to come in the other way, and we can hear them long before they find us.”

“What happens if they smell our campfire?” Jaxson asked as he began helping Troy gather some kindling.

The guys had neatly stacked the wood off to the side. By my estimation, we could be stuck here for a week and still not run out of wood.

“If they do, we have two escape routes,” Jace remarked. “Although I think this snow will hold them off for a while.”

“There’s already at least an inch out there,” Troy agreed.

“You guys should take off your clothing and hang them up,” Drake told us as he jumped down from a rock shelf I hadn’t seen on my first inspection. “I have some five-fifty cord hung up. Your clothes will have time to dry out before we put them in our packs.”

We only had enough socks, underwear, and thermals for four days. We had planned to wear our pants and black sweatshirts a few times since it was our outer wear and didn’t touch our skin.

“Where did my pack go?” I asked as I sat down on a large rock. He didn’t have to tell me twice. I had a pair of flip flops calling my name. These boots needed to come off.

“My lady,” Drake said with a quirk of his lips, pulling aside a wool blanket a few feet away.

I was surprised how well Drake had set up everything. Our sleeping area was nestled in a natural recess in the wall. Blankets were draped like curtains between each sleeping area. Now I was glad we decided to pack them. Large boulders taller than I was separated the nook from the pool. It was close enough to the fire for us to feel the warmth but far enough away from the opening above us to escape any possible draft. His broom must have worked because the whole area was swept clean. Our packs were neatly lined up on another shelf roughly five feet up from the floor. It was a great deterrent, just in case our little friends had stuck around. Our sleeping bags laid side by side, ready for us to slip into. I looked at it longingly, but my priorities were as followed; undress, bathe, eat, sleep.

I ambled over to my pack and opened it up, withdrawing a clean sports bra and underwear. I pulled off my boots and hissed as I tried to take off my socks. The fiber had adhered to the blisters on my heels and toes. I could feel the skin tear as I removed my socks.

I stifled the curse that wanted to rip from my throat. It hurt a lot, and I was powerless to stop the sting of tears that burned my eyes.

“Let me see,” Noah said softly behind me.

I jumped, startled. I didn’t even hear him sneak up on me. He was down to his cargo pants and flip flops. We had all packed flip flops just in case. We knew our feet would need airing out each night.

His bare chest now reflected shadows from the fire that Troy and Jaxson had built.

I turned and held up my bare feet, reluctantly. He was going to be pissed.

“Dammit, Blake,” he cursed at me. “Why did you let it get this bad? You could have told us to stop at any time.”

“I was fine,” I muttered in shame and anger. “I’m not a delicate flower, and honestly, when I pulled my socks off it made it worse.” I grimaced at the large angry red and bleeding spots on my feet.

“We didn’t need to set the pace we did,” Jace said sternly from behind Noah. “Noah’s right. When we stopped to take breaks, you could have told us you were in pain, and Noah could have healed you.”

“I didn’t think it was that bad,” I protested once more. “It hurt, but I could manage. It was bad enough you guys carried my pack for me.”

“Your pack weighs at least forty pounds. You weigh…one ten. We all have you by at least sixty pounds. The extra forty pounds barely fazed us,” Noah said vehemently.

I stood up feeling irrationally angry. I knew they were right, but I now felt foolish for not speaking up earlier. I also appreciated their concern for me, but they were being a bit excessive with their protectiveness.

“Where are you going?” Jace tried to block my exit. “Let Noah heal them, Blake.”

“After I wash them off,” I insisted. “I wouldn’t want to get blood on him,” I muttered angrily. I hobbled towards the pool. Cursing my own stupidity because it took everything within in me not to cry.

“I don’t care about the blood, Blake,” Noah yelled at me. “Get back here!”

“Nope,” I said immaturely. “I don’t understand how me getting a few blisters turns into you both acting like I’m foolish. How it gives you to right to act so overbearing. You’re not my fathers, you’re my connections.”