When Hudson found her, she was lying listlessly on his living room floor, Koda stretched out at her side. She’d long since screamed and sobbed herself hoarse, and her eyes had no tears left. She was exhausted, dehydrated, distraught beyond belief.

She didn’t even hear him come in, didn’t know he was there at all until he placed a hand on her arm and gave her a gentle shake. “Tali?” he murmured.

She sat up so fast their foreheads collided, and she gave a cry of pain. “Are you okay?” he asked quickly, gripping her shoulders. She’d never managed to pull off that pretty crying thing and she knew she must look insane—puffy eyes, blotchy face—and his eyes widened with worry. “What’s going on? Where did...where are they?”

“Hudson, he’s gone. He’s gone to-to try to fight Caid. He’s-he’s probably already dead,” she said flatly.

She’d accepted it; she didn’t know how long ago.

“No. No, Tali. Come on. Sit up. Get up. Talk to me. When did he leave?”

“I don’t know,” she said again, numb and weak. She didn’t want to talk to him. She didn’t want to look at him, or think, or be a person. She wanted to crawl away, to bury herself in the snow and just stay there forever.

“Tali,” Hudson said more insistently, scooping her up by the waist and forcing her onto her feet. He planted her there and gripped her shoulders tight to keep her standing, forcing her to look at him. “Come on. Talk to me. When did he leave?”

Her brain was fuzzy, swirling. “I...after nine. It was after nine. And you still weren’t back. And he’d had enough. I begged him to wait. I said you’d be back. But he wouldn’t. He left. Just after nine.”

“How did he go?” Hudson asked.

“As the bear. He left as the bear. I think he broke your door…” she said vaguely, and Hudson made a noise, clearly annoyed by her inability to prioritize information.

“Forget the door,” he said. “Come on.” He pulled her by the hand toward the hallway. “There’s still time. We can still get to that dumbass of a boyfriend of yours before he gets himself killed. Let’s go.”

“What?” she stammered, her feet following his tug automatically while her brain struggled to catch up.

“I promised I’d take you to him in the morning, didn’t I?” he muttered angrily. “I didn’t think he’d be stupid enough to go charging back up the mountain again so soon, but there’s a chance we can make it in time to stop this. Or at least—” He faltered. “For you to see him. He shouldn’t have done that,” Hudson said quietly. “He should have waited. I was coming back. I just...needed some time.”

“I know,” she said, the cold air waking her up, bringing her back a bit. “I told him that. I told him to wait, that you could both figure something out together. But he wouldn’t listen. He’s so torn up, so hell-bent on revenge. Nothing I said mattered. I told him you’d be back, but it didn’t matter.”

“That’s my fault,” Hudson said bitterly. They’d reached his snowmobile in the driveway, and he lifted her onto it like she weighed less than a feather. “The kid has no reason to trust me after I hung him out to dry like that. Hang on tight. I’ll get us there as quick as I can.”

He climbed up behind her and then they were off, zooming away across the snow, Tali’s heart racing as she hoped and prayed they wouldn’t be too late.