Laurie’s Wolves(97)

“Four.” One man glanced at Corbin. “Three were right here behind the cabin. Zach was over there.” He pointed to an area that had been hammered by the avalanche.

Corbin inhaled sharply. He watched out of the corner of his eye as Laurie scrambled in the direction indicated. The snow was so thick and rugged, it was hard to maneuver.

The three men continued to dig in the area behind the cabin while Corbin raced after Laurie. Out of the corner of his eye, he watched as someone from inside the cabin climbed out the window shouting his intentions to help.

Laurie spun around in circles, waving her arms in the air. “Jesus. Where do we start?”

“I don’t know, babe.” Fuck. What a disaster. The chances of finding Zach buried alive in this snow were slim.

The chances of finding anyone were slim.

Screams at his back made him look toward the cabin.

“They have a hole. Holy shit. They’re all in there.”

All? Corbin’s heart raced.

A hand came up out of the snow and slowly a man pulled himself out with the aid of several others grabbing him by the sleeves. He gasped for air on his hands and knees as soon as he was free and then lifted his gaze toward Corbin and pointed. His voice was raspy. “Tree.” He nodded. “That one.”

Corbin turned around and heaved his feet through the snow to get to the indicated tree.

Laurie screamed into Corbin’s head as they made their way to the spot. “Zach. Dammit, Zach. Answer me.”

Nothing.

“Shovel,” someone shouted.

Corbin twisted around to see the top of a shovel sticking out of the snow.

“It was a marker. He was there when it hit. It was powerful though. Probably knocked him down the hill. Who knows how far.”

Corbin let his gaze roam in a line from the back of the tree down the mountain. It was hard to project where his mate might have come to a stop.

He grabbed the shovel and kept it upside down, poking the handle into the snow every few feet as deep as he could.

Laurie sat on her heels, rocking back and forth. “God. Please. Jesus.” She crawled forward as Corbin worked.

Another man came up beside him, and then two more. They all dug with their hands. One of them also had a shovel and began the same task Corbin had chosen. No need to dig with the blade until they encountered something under the snow.

As Corbin worked, Laurie crawled. She picked up her pace, still on her hands and knees, as if she had a particular destination in mind.

And then he froze and stared at the spot in front of her. The black aura was there, hovering in the air close to the ground. It was well-formed, more than he’d ever seen it, like a bear.

Laurie’s mouth was open, but she didn’t speak as she approached, faster now.

Corbin scrambled in her direction, the same destination—the smoky figure. Was it possible? Did the spirit come to guide them?

Laurie reached the figure first. She lifted a hand, and the aura disappeared in a flash, sucking in on itself until it poofed out of existence.

She started digging with her gloves, frantically.

Corbin reached her side. “Get back, babe. I’ve got it.” In silent agreement, they knew Zach was under the snow in this precise location. He reached down with the handle of the shovel and pressed it into the deep snow in the spot the aura had been.

And he hit something. He screamed. “Over here.” Frantically he flipped the shovel over and started to dig.

Another shovel hit the snow next to his and worked just as hard.

“Careful,” Corbin yelled. “About two feet.”

“Shit, man. How did you know?”

“Gut feeling,” Corbin muttered.

It took about five minutes to reach the first indication they might be right. Something dark colored. A ski jacket?

Corbin lowered himself to the ground and used his hands to brush the snow from the material.

“That’s him,” someone shouted. “He was wearing that jacket.”

Every man lowered themselves to the ground.

Movement made Corbin’s heart leap as a hand reached out of the snow.

“Zach,” Laurie screamed his name. “Baby, answer me,” she communicated silently.

“I’m okay,” he responded. “Get me the fuck out of here.”

Corbin had never heard anything so sweet in his life. He worked faster.

Finally they had his head uncovered, and Zach gasped for oxygen.

Corbin wiped the snow from his face. “Jesus. You scared the fuck out of us.”

“You and me both,” he mumbled. “I can’t move a single muscle.” Other than the one hand, he was still trapped.

It took about twenty more minutes to free him enough, and then everyone who could reached a hand in and hauled him out of the snow. He fell onto his back, heaving for air.