Chapter 48
Ice walked outside when a horn honked in front of their barracks. Hazard was there, leaning out of the driver’s side window of a green pickup truck. An excited grin brightened his handsome face.
“Ready to go?”
Ice nodded.
“Hop in. I have everything we need in the back.”
Ice got into the truck and settled back on the bench seat. “Do I get to know where we’re going?”
“Nope. It’s a surprise,” Hazard said as he put the truck in reverse and backed out of the parking spot.
Ice was fine not knowing where they were going. Since it was just the two of them, he took off his balaclava and tossed it on the middle of the bench seat as soon as they were off base. He rested his arm out the open window and let the breeze wash over him while Hazard drove. Late afternoon sun warmed his skin, making him a little drowsy.
Once they were outside of town, Hazard took a narrow two-lane road into a large, wooded public park. About a mile inside the park, the road began to rise in a gentle slope. They went up until they eventually reached a bluff overlooking the town.
Hazard swung around and parked with the truck bed facing the cliff. The area was grassy, with a guardrail at the edge of the bluff. The tree line stopped several yards behind them, giving them an unimpeded view of the sky above.
“This is a good spot,” Hazard said as he turned off the ignition.
Ice nodded in silent agreement before they both got out and went around to the back of the truck.
“This is probably one of the last good days to do this. Soon, it’ll be too cold.”
“I don’t mind the cold.”
“Of course you don’t, Iceman.”
Hazard gripped the tailgate, hopped up on the bumper, and stepped into the truck bed. When it was his turn, Ice grabbed the tailgate and with one jump, leaped over it into the back of the truck.
“Show off,” Hazard said with a grin.
“You like it.”
“Hell yeah, I do.”
Ice moved to get out of the way, perching on the side of the truck bed while Hazard spread out the thick blankets he’d brought. After that was done, he began unpacking the food.
“Looks good,” Ice said as he eyed the spread. There were sandwiches stuffed full of roast beef with a pickle on the side, potato chips — the good kind he liked, not the tasteless off brand chips they served in the mess, bottles of orange pop, and the peanut butter cookies from the kitchen for dessert.
“Glad you approve. I went to that diner off base. I thought you deserved better than mess hall food for your first truck picnic.”
“So, this is really a thing.” Ice lowered himself to sit with his back against the wheel well hump, an elbow propped on one raised knee.
“Yep.”
Hazard passed him a paper plate filled with food. Ice accepted it with a nod of thanks. His own plate in hand, Hazard sat opposite him. He stretched both his legs out so that they rested on either side of Ice’s.
“Eat up.”
Ice raised his sandwich and took a big bite. The meat was tender and well-seasoned and it was garnished with the perfect amount of mustard.
“Have you gone on a lot of truck picnics?” he asked before popping a chip in his mouth.
“Hmm. Maybe.” Hazard’s lips curled in a mischievous smile before he continued. “I had a boyfriend my junior year in high school and I went on a couple of truck picnics with him.”
“Only a couple?”
“Yeah.”
His smile turned brittle for a brief moment before relaxing back into its usual ease. Ice wondered what had caused the quick change, but didn’t interrupt his story to ask.
“We broke up after a few months of dating. And there hasn’t been anyone serious since I joined the Legion. What about you? Did you have boyfriends in high school?”
“No.” Ice shook his head. “I was very out of place when I was in military school. The only shifter there. I didn’t know where I fit in so dating was out of the question.” His time at military school had been a lonely experience. The one positive — it prepared him for life as a solo operator. “I focused on my training instead. Got top marks. Broke records. I was determined to prove my classmates wrong.”
“Prove them wrong about what?”
“That shifters can’t earn a star rank.”
Understanding filled Hazard’s expression and a hint of sympathy colored his scent.
“Ah. You had those kinds of classmates.”
“Yes.”
“Can I ask why you were in a military school instead of with your family or pack?”
Ice was quiet for a moment, taking the time to finish his sandwich while he decided if he wanted to answer. He hadn’t shared his family history with anyone in the Legion. He decided that he didn’t mind if Hazard knew his background.
“My parents died when I was five,” he finally said.
Hazard’s expression changed instantly, lips turning down in a frown of sadness. The hint of sympathy grew stronger, his omega pheromones attempting to offer him comfort.
“Royce. I’m sorry.”
Ice shrugged. “It was a long time ago.”
“True. But that’s still awful. Do you want to tell me what happened?”
“You want to know?” Ice was surprised Hazard didn’t let the subject drop. It wasn’t exactly a topic for a light, romantic outing.
“If you want to share it then absolutely,” Hazard said with a firm nod.
Hazard stuffed his trash in the diner bag, then crawled over to join Ice on his side of the truck. He sat next to him, warmly pressed up against his side.
“Tell me.”
Reassured by Hazard’s solid presence and calm interest, Ice spoke of his family’s tragedy for the first time in years.
“It was spring and my dad had come home from the Legion for a month-long leave. He and my mom wanted to go on a family vacation so we went on a cave exploration and rock-climbing trip. Since I was young we didn’t try anything too challenging. We did guided cave tours for day tourists and easy climbs that I could keep up with. Unfortunately, on the last day of our trip, there was a freak accident.”
Ice paused to gather his thoughts for the next part of the story.
“We were climbing a small mountain when an earthquake hit. It wasn’t a big one. But it triggered a landslide. Rocks came down and...”
Ice stopped. He didn’t want to picture the full memory of that terrible day. He cleared his throat and skipped ahead. “My mother and father shielded me with their bodies. I’m sure that’s the only reason I survived.”
“Your poor parents,” Hazard said in a voice thick with sadness. “They must have loved you very much.”
Hazard reached out for one of Ice’s hands, lacing their fingers together. He rubbed his nose on Ice’s shoulder, scenting him with soothing pheromones.
The scenting worked. It comforted him and kept his mood from becoming too heavy.
“I remember that they did.” The memories of his parents were faded but the love he’d felt from them remained strong, tucked away deep within him.
“What about your relatives?” Hazard asked. “You’re not from the shadow lands so why didn’t your pack take you in?”
“We weren’t on pack lands when it happened. We weren’t even in this country. Since my grandparents were deceased on my mother’s side and my paternal grandparents were deemed unfit, my father named his Legion buddy Walsh as my legal guardian. He was notified of the accident and came to get me. After my parents’ funeral, he installed me in an east coast military school instead of leaving me with my pack.”
Hazard dropped a kiss on his shoulder. “Guardian or not, he should have sent you home to Mystic Storm. I don’t like that you grew up as the only shifter surrounded by humans.”
“Walsh is human. He probably didn’t understand how pack dynamics worked and that someone would have taken me in to raise.” He shrugged. “What’s done is done. And I have you to teach me about all the shifter knowledge I missed out on.”
Hazard gave him more sweet affection, pressing a gentle kiss to his jaw.
“I’ll teach you about everything you need or want to know. I promise.”
“Like truck picnics.”
“Exactly,” Hazard agreed with a laugh. “But one day you should go home to your pack. See what it’s like there. You obviously didn’t want to lose all your connection to them since you embraced the tattoo tradition.”
“Maybe I will. One day.” He’d thought about it several times over the years. But that was a trip that wasn’t going to happen any time soon. “Okay, I’ve bared my soul. It’s your turn.”
“I’m an open book,” Hazard said as he spread his arms wide. “What do you want to know?”
“Why did you and your boyfriend break up?” His curiosity had been piqued earlier. Now was as good a time as any to satisfy it.
“Peer pressure.”
“What does that mean?”
Hazard sighed. “His friends were making fun of him for dating an omega like me. I’d hit my growth spurt and started to fill out so it was obvious I wasn’t going to be the typical dainty omega. They teased him that he might as well be dating an alpha since I was so big.”
“They sound ignorant.”
“They were. There’s nothing wrong with an alpha alpha relationship despite what some people believe. But the teasing got to my boyfriend and he dumped me. I was devastated. Hated myself for the way I looked. I drastically cut back calories, but starving myself wasn’t going to make me slender and it damn sure wasn’t going to change my height. That made me even more upset. My parents were worried, but nothing they said got through to me. I was a teenager going through my first breakup.”
Hazard laughed and shook his head. “There’s nothing more dramatic on this earth. Once school ended, they sent me to east Texas to spend the summer with my dad’s brother and his wife. My uncle is a big omega too. And my aunt is an alpha in charge of running their family logging business. While I was there, I got to see their relationship dynamic. They’re both strong, take charge types. My uncle was in the Legion and is almost as tall as her. And she loves him. She’s proud of him and isn’t threatened by his strength at all.”
Ice could hear the fondness for the couple in Hazard’s voice. He clearly cared for them.
“Watching my aunt and uncle together helped me realize that I would find someone who wanted to be with me the way I naturally was. But what helped get over my heartbreak the most was my uncle taking me to spend time on base. That year was the first wave of omegas joining the Legion. I thought they were all amazing. Every one of them was as bad ass as any alpha or beta, no matter their size.”
Thanks to that trip, I learned to accept myself. I went back to school that fall, confident, secure in my body, and determined to join the Legion after graduation. Unfortunately, my ex’s buddies started up harassing me again. I ignored them for a few weeks. But one day I finally got fed up with them. I used some of the fighting techniques my uncle had taught me and kicked the ass of the biggest, most obnoxious alpha in the group. They left me alone after that.”
Ice nodded in approval at the use of violence to put a stop to the bullying. “And the ex?”
“He tried to get back with me. Said he was sorry and he wasn’t going to listen to them anymore. I told him to fuck off.”
“Good. He sounds like a weak, pansy motherfucker who didn’t deserve you.” Ice didn’t like that Hazard had been hurt, but he was proud of the kid he’d been standing up for himself.
Hazard snorted a laugh. “He didn’t.”
They grew quiet after that. Sitting in comfortable silence, they watched the sun sink below the horizon. Darkness reached them first, then spread across the town below. The moody purple of the sky eventually faded to black. Stars began to twinkle overhead and the last crickets of the year sang in the grass.
Ice caressed Hazard’s arm and brushed kisses over the softness of his hair while Hazard’s fingers played over his chest. As they cuddled, a sweet scent drifted up to his nose. Ice smiled to himself before he spoke.
“There is one thing you don’t have to teach me.”
Hazard hummed in question. “What’s that?”
Ice whispered his response against Hazard’s ear. “How to tell when you’re aroused.”
“I don’t?”
“Nope. It’s a natural skill. All I have to do is breathe you in. That special sweetness to your scent lets me know exactly what you want.”
“I’ll take it off the syllabus then.”
Ice laughed. Tucking a finger beneath Hazard’s chin, he tilted his head up to face him. “You ready to teach me about the making out part of this picnic?”
Hazard nodded. “Yes.”