Chapter 11 Elara
ELARA
Elara had been about to take off her coat when the lights went out.
One moment, the warm glow of the bedside lamp. The next, complete darkness. She sat frozen, coat halfway off waiting for it to kick back on.
It didn't.
She fumbled for her phone, turning on the flashlight. The beam cut through the dark, revealing her room in sharp angles and deep shadows. Outside, the wind howled louder than before.
She grabbed her sweater and headed for the door. The hallway was pitch black. She moved carefully down the stairs, one hand on the railing, phone light guiding her way.
"Diana?" she called.
No answer.
The main floor was empty. Elara swept the light across the sitting area. The fire in the hearth had burned down to embers, casting barely enough glow to see by.
She needed candles. Matches. Something.
The front door opened, letting in a blast of cold air and snow. Elara spun, raising her phone light.
Alaric stood in the doorway, snow covering his shoulders.
"Power's out across most of the town," he said, closing the door behind him.
"I noticed." Elara lowered her phone. "Where's Diana?"
"At Miriam's. They're checking on the older residents, making sure everyone has heat and light." He crossed to the hearth and added wood from the stack beside it. The fire caught, spreading warmth back into the room. "Storm knocked out the main line. Won't be fixed until morning at the earliest."
"So we're stuck in the dark."
"For now." He straightened, brushing ash from his hands. "You can't stay here."
"Why not? Diana said I could."
"Diana's not here. And this place is too big to heat properly with just the fire. You'll freeze by midnight."
"I have blankets."
"Not enough." He moved toward the stairs. "Pack what you need for the night. You're coming with me."
"Excuse me?"
He stopped, looking back at her. "My cabin has a wood stove. Smaller space, easier to keep warm. You can stay there until the power comes back on."
"I'm not going to your cabin."
"Yes, you are."
"You can't just order me around."
"I'm not ordering. I'm telling you what's going to happen." His voice stayed level, but something in his expression suggested he wasn't negotiating. "You want to freeze out of stubbornness, that's your choice. But I'm not leaving you here to deal with that in the morning."
Elara crossed her arms. "What if I don't trust you?"
"Then don't. But trust that I'm not interested in explaining to Diana why I let her guest turn into an icicle because you were too proud to accept help."
The fire crackled in the silence between them.
"Fine," Elara said finally. "But if this is some elaborate plan to intimidate me into leaving town, it's not going to work."
"If I wanted to intimidate you, I'd have better methods than inviting you to my cabin." He gestured toward the stairs. "Five minutes. Bring whatever you need."
Elara climbed the stairs, using her phone to navigate. In her room, she threw clothes and toiletries into her bag, grabbed her notebook and laptop. When she came back down, Alaric was waiting by the door, a lantern in his hand casting warm light.
"Ready?"
"As I'll ever be."
Outside, the storm had intensified. Wind drove snow horizontally, stinging her face. Alaric's truck sat at the curb, engine already running. He opened the passenger door, and she climbed in, grateful for the blast of heat from the vents.
He got in the driver's side and pulled away from the inn. The headlights barely cut through the white wall ahead of them.
"How far is your cabin?" Elara asked.
"Edge of town. Ten minutes in good weather. Twenty in this."
They drove in silence. Elara watched the town pass by through the window. Dark buildings, snow piling against doors, the occasional flicker of candlelight in windows. Everything looked different without electric light. Older. More isolated.
She glanced at Alaric. His profile was all sharp angles in the dashboard glow. Strong jaw. Straight nose. The scar that cut across his jaw caught the light. His hands gripped the steering wheel with easy confidence despite the conditions.
He'd rolled up his sleeves at some point. She could see the muscles in his forearms shift as he steered. Could see the tendons move under his skin.
Stop looking at him.
But she couldn't quite make herself stop. There was something about him in this moment. Focused. Competent. The kind of man who knew exactly what to do in a crisis and didn't waste time explaining it.
Infuriating. That's what he was. Infuriating and bossy and too sure of himself.
Also tall. Built. The kind of shoulders that made her wonder what they'd feel like under her hands.
She looked away quickly, heat rising in her cheeks.
This was bad. This was very bad.
She didn't do rugged mountain men who gave orders and expected them to be followed. She definitely didn't do rugged mountain men who watched her like she was an inconvenience.
"You're staring," Alaric said without looking at her.
"I'm not."
"You were."
"I was looking out the window."
"Sure you were." The corner of his mouth twitched. Almost a smile. Almost.
Elara turned her attention back to the storm. "How much farther?"
"Almost there."
The truck slowed, turning onto what might have been a road or might have been a trail. Trees closed in on both sides, their branches heavy with snow. After another minute, a cabin appeared through the white. Small. Dark wood. Smoke rising from a chimney.
Alaric parked and killed the engine. "Stay close. Path's slippery."
He came around to her side, opening the door. She grabbed her bag and stepped down. Her boot immediately slid on ice. His hand caught her elbow, steadying her.
"Careful."
She pulled free. "I'm fine."
Inside, warmth hit her immediately. A wood stove in the corner radiated heat, and lanterns on the walls cast a golden glow.
The space was sparse. A kitchen area with rough wooden counters. A table with two chairs. A couch facing the stove. A loft visible above, accessible by a ladder. Everything functional, nothing decorative.
"It's not much," Alaric said, closing the door behind them.
"It's warm. That's all that matters." Elara set her bag down. "Where do I sleep?"
He nodded toward the loft. "Up there. I'll take the couch."
"You don't have to do that."
"I'm not giving you the couch."
"I could just go back to the inn."
"No." The word came out flat. Final. "You're staying here where it's safe."
Safe. That word again. Like she was something fragile that needed protecting.
Or something dangerous that needed containing.
Elara wasn't sure which bothered her more.
"Fine," she said. "But I'm making coffee in the morning."
"Don't have coffee."
"Of course you don't." She looked around the cabin again. "This is going to be a long night."
Alaric shrugged out of his coat, hanging it by the door. Without it, she could see the way his thermal shirt fit across his chest. Could see the way his jeans hung low on his hips.
She looked away quickly. Again.
This was definitely going to be a long night.
And not for the reasons she'd originally thought.