once it reaches about thirty to thirty-five below, you can expect to begin experiencing symptoms in human form if outside for an extended period of time in little to no clothing. Add another twenty-five degrees or so for bear form.”
“What temperature do you think that water is?”
“Cold,” came the response, but they figured out what he had meant.
“Firewood,” Jared ordered, and they split up, gathering some firewood.
As Uriel watched, Jared also directed them to build the fire closer to the trees, after he found out where the water line ended.
“They can learn,” he said to himself and sauntered over to join them.
That wasn’t entirely fair. The trainees had come a long way since first coming to the Valley and being selected for the process. But there was still quite a journey ahead of them. Uriel had gone through ten years’ worth of training. They were trying to do the same with these men in six months, and they likely didn’t even have that long. It was going to be rough. Many important lessons had to either be skipped completely, or taught in such a fashion that they immediately stuck with the trainees.
It didn’t take the shifters long to have a blazing fire going. Uriel wasn’t concerned about their bodies—shifters were far more resilient than that—but the clothing they had been soaked in could have posed a problem. It was unlikely, but he didn’t want them thinking they were completely immune to cold either. Whether they would ever find themselves exposed to such cold temperatures in modern society was also unlikely, but better to be prepared.
Besides, he had been testing to see if they would make the fire on land or not, now that they knew it was a pond.
“I really prefer it when Gabriel sends us out to do winter training on our own,” Justin grumped as Uriel got close.
“What, you mean when he sends us out to the middle of nowhere and then forgets to call us for two days?” Jared asked, and they all laughed.
Uriel could laugh now, but at the time, he hadn’t. He and Kierra had just been ambushed by the other platoon of trainees at the cottage, and they had kidnapped her under orders from Nash, a former senior liaison for the LMC and now-imprisoned criminal.
None of the Stone Bears had known whether Jared and his team were loyal to them, or to the unknown enemy, so Gabriel had packed them off on a bogus training mission in the middle of the forest somewhere. In the aftermath that followed—dealing with Nash, the revelation that their enemy had at least one powerful bat shifter working for them, the interference and subsequent forced fleeing of Valen Kedyn—Gabriel had forgotten about the team for over forty-eight hours. They had finally called him, having gotten sick of sitting around and waiting for him to arrive.
“What was that all about anyway Uriel?” Jared spoke for the group. They all looked up at him.
“A test of your patience,” he replied. “And you all failed.”
The assembled group rolled their eyes as one in his direction. It was the standard excuse that the three Stone Bears had been giving since the incident occurred. Everyone knew it was a lie, but Uriel and his comrades weren’t willing to explain everything just yet. Not until they had verified the loyalty of their trainees.
Looking around, Uriel decided that they would camp there for the night, and he set the men to building shelter purely out of the snow and ice.
It was going to be a long seventy-two hours until he could see Sydney again. He wondered if he could get away with texting her…
Chapter Six
Sydney
If there wasn’t a fresh coating of snow on the ground that hadn’t been cleaned just yet, Sydney was positive she would have been skipping from her car to the office.
Uriel is back today!
There were butterflies inside each of the knots her stomach had wrapped itself into, and her fingers drummed constantly on the steering wheel on her way in to work as she anticipated seeing him for
“What temperature do you think that water is?”
“Cold,” came the response, but they figured out what he had meant.
“Firewood,” Jared ordered, and they split up, gathering some firewood.
As Uriel watched, Jared also directed them to build the fire closer to the trees, after he found out where the water line ended.
“They can learn,” he said to himself and sauntered over to join them.
That wasn’t entirely fair. The trainees had come a long way since first coming to the Valley and being selected for the process. But there was still quite a journey ahead of them. Uriel had gone through ten years’ worth of training. They were trying to do the same with these men in six months, and they likely didn’t even have that long. It was going to be rough. Many important lessons had to either be skipped completely, or taught in such a fashion that they immediately stuck with the trainees.
It didn’t take the shifters long to have a blazing fire going. Uriel wasn’t concerned about their bodies—shifters were far more resilient than that—but the clothing they had been soaked in could have posed a problem. It was unlikely, but he didn’t want them thinking they were completely immune to cold either. Whether they would ever find themselves exposed to such cold temperatures in modern society was also unlikely, but better to be prepared.
Besides, he had been testing to see if they would make the fire on land or not, now that they knew it was a pond.
“I really prefer it when Gabriel sends us out to do winter training on our own,” Justin grumped as Uriel got close.
“What, you mean when he sends us out to the middle of nowhere and then forgets to call us for two days?” Jared asked, and they all laughed.
Uriel could laugh now, but at the time, he hadn’t. He and Kierra had just been ambushed by the other platoon of trainees at the cottage, and they had kidnapped her under orders from Nash, a former senior liaison for the LMC and now-imprisoned criminal.
None of the Stone Bears had known whether Jared and his team were loyal to them, or to the unknown enemy, so Gabriel had packed them off on a bogus training mission in the middle of the forest somewhere. In the aftermath that followed—dealing with Nash, the revelation that their enemy had at least one powerful bat shifter working for them, the interference and subsequent forced fleeing of Valen Kedyn—Gabriel had forgotten about the team for over forty-eight hours. They had finally called him, having gotten sick of sitting around and waiting for him to arrive.
“What was that all about anyway Uriel?” Jared spoke for the group. They all looked up at him.
“A test of your patience,” he replied. “And you all failed.”
The assembled group rolled their eyes as one in his direction. It was the standard excuse that the three Stone Bears had been giving since the incident occurred. Everyone knew it was a lie, but Uriel and his comrades weren’t willing to explain everything just yet. Not until they had verified the loyalty of their trainees.
Looking around, Uriel decided that they would camp there for the night, and he set the men to building shelter purely out of the snow and ice.
It was going to be a long seventy-two hours until he could see Sydney again. He wondered if he could get away with texting her…
Chapter Six
Sydney
If there wasn’t a fresh coating of snow on the ground that hadn’t been cleaned just yet, Sydney was positive she would have been skipping from her car to the office.
Uriel is back today!
There were butterflies inside each of the knots her stomach had wrapped itself into, and her fingers drummed constantly on the steering wheel on her way in to work as she anticipated seeing him for
Similar Books
