Chapter Thirteen Ella
Chapter Thirteen
Ella
“The temperature has dropped noticeably,” I say to the girls as I re-enter the living room, shaking the snow from my hair.
I went to the shed to get the huskies. I couldn’t leave them out there. They rush past me and settle in front of the fireplace, drawn to the warmth. I can’t say I blame them. The shed was freezing.
“And the snow has started.” I gesture toward the window, where delicate flakes drift through the air, slow at first and completely harmless-looking.
“Tiero will have a conniption when he sees the dogs in the house,” Claudette laughs, but I wince at the thought of his reaction.
“I know. But the blizzard could last for days. How would we feed them?”
I sit down between my furry friends, running my hand over Luna’s thick coat as I stare out the window.
Clouds gather, darker now, heavier, swallowing what little light remains. The air feels charged, like everything is holding its breath.
“Just beam up at him with your sweetest smile and bat your eyelashes, and it will be fine,” Rhia says, returning from the guest room where she dropped Lex’s and her bags.
We decided it was safest for all of us to stay together in the main house. All the food and firewood are here after all.
“Wear your skinny jeans too,” Rhia adds. “Your ass looks amazing in them.”
“I can’t. They don’t fit anymore.”
“Hmm… something that highlights your baby bump then. I’ve noticed he stares at it every chance he gets.”
“Na, he just has to get over it,” I say, waving her off, but I still get up to change shirts.
When I return, Rhia is still by the window, staring out. Her worry is unmistakable. I join her, resting my head on her shoulder.
I twist my necklace between my fingers, my gaze drifting to the clock again and again. Tiero and Lex should have been back by now.
The minutes drag. The sky darkens further, the light thinning until everything outside turns muted and gray.
“Come on, guys, where are you?” I whisper, pressing my fingers to the cold glass.
The silence feels wrong. Rhia and I exchange a glance, unease settling between us.
The snow picks up, the flakes no longer drifting but spinning, faster, sharper, driven by a wind that is steadily gaining strength.
Within minutes, the world outside shifts. A white veil descends, swallowing the landscape.
“Why are they not back yet?” Rhia mutters, our eyes fixed on the forest they should emerge from.
I wish I had an answer. Instead, I take her hand and squeeze it, grounding myself as much as her.
I turn to our psychic friend. “Claude? Can you sense anything?”
I’ve avoided asking, afraid I might not like the answer.
She shakes her head. “Sorry, darling. I’ve got nothing.”
When she sees my face fall, she quickly adds, “And nothing isn’t bad.”
I’m doing my best not to stress about this, but what if she senses something bad and just doesn’t want to tell us?
I stare at her, searching her expression. She lifts her hands in surrender.
“Seriously, Ella. I promise I sense nothing. If I felt they were in trouble, I would tell you.”
Of course she can read my mind. Somehow she always can.
Outside, the wind picks up. The familiar landscape blurs, then disappears in the swirling snow, visibility dropping to almost nothing.
“They won’t be able to find their way home in these conditions. What are we going to do?” I half-shriek, but no one answers.
Why isn’t anybody talking to me?
Rhia is usually so vocal, but she’s gone completely silent. That alone tells me she’s freaking out.
“Hey, Rhi.”
She glances over, and I see it in her eyes. My fierce, fearless friend is scared. I pull her into a hug and hold on tight.
Lex has changed her so much, in the best ways. But it also means she worries constantly about him and his safety.
I let out a slow breath and glance at Claudette. Even she looks tense, and nothing usually ruffles her. Rhia is biting her lip now, her fingers tapping restlessly against the glass.
The wind howls, rattling the windows. We instinctively move closer together, my arms wrapping around both of them.
“We should lower the shutters,” Claudette says when a small branch hits the window and we all flinch. But none of us move.
The few trees still visible sway dangerously. We watch as another dead limb snaps and drops into the snow with a dull thud.
“What if they get hit by a falling branch?” I voice what we’re all thinking.
Rhia presses her face against the glass, trying to make out anything through the whiteout.
“They should have been back by now. I know Lex has handled plenty of tight situations, but this is getting serious.”
The last of the daylight fades, leaving everything outside dim and ominous. The once peaceful winter landscape feels hostile and unpredictable now.
I rub the back of my neck and start pacing along the windows. I can’t stand still anymore.
“Why did we let them go out there?” I ask. “Who cares about the decorations? There won’t be a wedding if Tiero doesn’t come back.”
I pace faster, my chest tightening, my breaths turning shallow.
“What if he doesn’t come back? What if he freezes to death out there?” The last words barely make it out, my throat too tight to push them through.
I squeeze my eyes shut, fists clenched.
Oh God.
I want to yell or throw something, but everything inside me is wound too tight. I can’t pull in enough air.
“He’s not cheated death his whole life to die in a blizzard,” Claudette says, trying to reassure me.
She takes my hand and pulls me down onto the sofa.
“You’re shaking,” she says. “Let’s do breathing exercises. You’re panicking.”
Damn right I am.
Who wouldn’t be, with their fiancé missing in the middle of an ice storm?
Spots dance in my vision. My limbs tingle as I struggle to draw in a full breath. Sweat trickles down my back. I’m too hot.
I fumble with my clothes, trying to peel off a layer, but my hands shake so badly Claudette has to help me.
I feel like I’m about to pass out.
My hands go to my baby bump, cradling it protectively.
I need to hold it together. For Peanut, for Tiero, and for Rhia.
“Look at me, darling, and take a deep breath in…”
I force myself to follow her lead.
Slowly, painfully, my breathing steadies. Not enough, but enough to keep me from spiraling completely. The anxiety still simmers beneath the surface, ready to surge again at any moment.
Outside, the wind tears through the trees. More branches snap and fall, swallowed by the storm.
“We need to do something,” I say, my voice tight.
“I agree,” Rhia says immediately. “What if they’re hurt? They’ll freeze to death if we don’t find them.”
“And you’ll freeze to death the moment you step outside,” Claudette snaps, her patience gone.
“How are you going to find them? We can’t even see the forest anymore.
Those two men are tough. They can handle this.
We can’t. Going out there is suicide. They’ve probably found shelter and are waiting out the storm.
They love you both. They will come back. Trust that.”
Rhia shakes her head. “What if they were on their way back and something happened? I have a bad feeling about this. I’m sorry, but I can’t just sit here and wait. Something is wrong.”
She storms to her room and returns moments later with an armful of thermals, already stripping to pull them on, determination written all over her face.
“Fuck,” I mutter, heading for my own room. I can’t let her go out there alone.
This is a batshit crazy idea, but two of us have a better chance than one.
“Lower the shutters, Claude,” I call over my shoulder as I follow Rhia. “We need to protect the house. We can’t see anything anymore anyway.”
Colorful curses fill the room as the motors groan and the shutters descend.
“I can’t let you do this,” Claudette calls after us. “What if they come back and you’re out there in the storm? Stay here and wait for them.”
“No,” Rhia fires back.
“She’s got a point, Rhi,” I say, even as dread coils in my stomach.
The thought of stepping outside into that storm makes me panic all over again.
“We don’t have a choice, Claude. We can’t let them die out there,” Rhia insists.
“Use your brain, Rhia,” Claudette snaps, stepping in front of the door. “What’s your plan? March blindly into the forest?”
“We’ll take the dog sled,” Rhia says.
“Think about Ella. Think about the baby you’ve already claimed as your niece. Do you really want to risk their lives?” Claudette plants herself in front of the door, arms crossed.
I’ve never seen her like this.
“You’re panicking, Rhia, and your idea is insane. I’m not letting you through that door,” she says, her voice final.