Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 113272 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 566(@200wpm)___ 453(@250wpm)___ 378(@300wpm)
She’d been sleeping on the chair since the mattress hurt her back.
Suddenly, the power went out and she let out another cry.
Shit.
She couldn’t see anything. Panic rose as she started to feel like she was suffocating.
Her breathing grew faster and faster. She hadn’t thought that she was particularly scared of the dark, but this was pitch black.
A whimper escaped her and she reached down, feeling for Horse. “You okay, Horse?”
He licked her hand and some of that panic faded.
“Arabella?” Eli called out. “Are you all right?”
“Y-yes,” she said. Crap. Her voice sounded so shaky. “I’m all right.”
“You don’t sound all right, baby,” he said soothingly. “It’s all right. I’m coming to you.”
Sure. Okay.
She heard him bang into something and start swearing.
Shit.
“Are you all right?” she asked worriedly.
“Yeah, how is it that you’ve got no furniture and yet I found something to bang my toe on,” he grumbled.
“It’s because you’re clumsy,” Kellan said.
“I’m not clumsy. It’s pitch black. Why is it pitch black?” he grumbled.
Oh no.
He sounded really annoyed and she couldn’t help but feel guilty.
“I’m so sorry,” she said.
“You do not need to apologize,” Kellan told her. “It’s the storm’s fault.”
Yeah, but they were here to help her. If they hadn’t come here she’d have been in the dark on her own.
Shoot.
Just the thought of it made her breathing grow faster.
“Easy, baby. I’m here.” Eli sounded really close, but she still jumped in fright when he placed his hand on her shoulder.
“Argh!” she cried.
“Shh, it’s just me,” he soothed.
“I know. Sorry.”
“Stop saying sorry,” Kellan ordered.
He really didn’t seem to like the word ‘sorry.’
“Where are your flashlights?” he asked as Eli moved his hand down to hers, taking hold.
Okay, she shouldn’t like the feel of his hand around hers so much. Should she?
“Come on, baby. Come with me and we’ll try to find them.”
A light flashed and Kellan held up his phone. “Or we can use this.”
“For fuck’s sake. My phone has died, why didn’t you tell me yours had battery life left?” Eli said.
“Because I wanted you to bump your toe, of course.”
Eli started muttering as she hid her smile. Sometimes it was hard to tell when Kellan was joking or not. He just said everything in that same deadpan tone.
“You’re an ass,” Eli grumbled.
“I’ve got my phone somewhere too,” she said. “I think it’s on the nightstand by my bed.”
“You mean by your mattress,” Kellan replied. “On the floor. No one should sleep on the floor, Arabella.”
Right.
Of course it wasn’t ideal. And her back definitely didn’t enjoy it.
But what choice did she have?
“Can you get her phone, Kellan?” Eli said with exasperation. “And we need to find the fuse box and see if that’s the cause of the power outage.”
“W-wouldn’t it just be the s-storm?” she asked, her teeth chattering as Kellan disappeared.
Well, she assumed he’d disappeared since the light was gone.
Eli wrapped an arm around her, hugging her tight. “Are you cold, baby? Or scared?”
“I d-don’t know. I didn’t think I w-was scared of the dark. B-but here I am. S-shivering in the d-dark like an idiot.”
“Hey, you are not an idiot.” He turned her to face him. Well, she thought he did. A hand cupped her chin, tilting her head back.
Then lips brushed against hers.
She froze. Had he done that on purpose? Did he mean to kiss her on the lips or had he meant to kiss her forehead?
“Am I interrupting something?” Kellan asked, returning with the light. She attempted to jump out of Eli’s arms but he just tightened his hold on her.
“No. Just keeping Arabella warm,” Eli replied, taking her phone from Kellan. “We’ll head into the bedroom and get her wrapped in some blankets. Can you handle the fuse box?”
“Of course,” Kellan replied before leaving.
“The storm sounds too dangerous for him to be out in it,” she said as Eli held the light so they could see as they made their way into the bedroom.
“He’ll be fine,” Eli told her. “There’s no storm nasty enough to take Kellan out.”
“Oh wow. You have the bedframe made already?” she asked.
“Yeah, we just need to lift the mattress on and get the bed made. Where are the spare blankets?”
“I saw some in the hall closet,” she told him. “But I can help get the mattress on the bed.”
“You will not,” he told her sternly. “You’re going to stay wrapped up and warm. Kellan and I will handle everything.”
“You don’t have to do that,” she whispered. “I can manage.”
“I’m not listening to any protests. Let’s get those blankets.”
By the time he had her wrapped up and sitting on the floor, Kellan had returned.
“Not the fuse box,” Kellan said. “Power has to be down due to the storm.”
“Damn, I figured,” Eli replied. “Help me with the bed.”
The wind was making a haunting noise outside that she found creepy. She didn’t know why she was so freaked out. She’d experienced storms before.