Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 47822 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 47822 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 239(@200wpm)___ 191(@250wpm)___ 159(@300wpm)
That maybe I’d finally found a reason to stay.
Chapter Eight
Crush
The alert cut through my sleep like a knife, vibrating against the wooden coffee table with an urgency that had me instantly awake. I fumbled for my phone, squinting against the harsh blue light that sliced through the darkness of the kitchen clock. Three-twelve AM. The weather alert flashed its warning across my screen, and my stomach knotted as I read the details. A Pacific storm had shifted course overnight, gaining strength and barreling straight toward us.
I sat up, my body tensing as I scrolled through the alert. Severe winds, heavy rainfall, possible flooding, and downed trees and power lines on mountain roads. A storm watch was in effect with the expected upgrade to a storm warning within the next couple of hours. The windows rattled with a sudden gust, as if the wind had heard my thoughts and was announcing its early arrival.
“Fuck,” I muttered, running a hand through my hair. I glanced at Byte, a dark shape on the other side of the sectional couch, his breathing still steady with sleep. Didn’t surprise me he slept through the alert’s squawk. The man could sleep through a nuclear blast. (True story, and during an underground test someplace he shouldn’t have been. But that’s classified.) Outside, the wind whistled through the pines, a high, eerie sound that made the hairs on my arms stand up.
The radar image on my phone showed the storm front, a violent swirl of red and purple pushing steadily inland. We were right in its path, tucked up here in the mountains with limited access roads that could quickly become death traps in heavy rain. I tapped through to the emergency alerts. Flash flood warnings for several counties, including ours. Storms didn’t happen up here often, but when they came off the Pacific, all bets were off.
I swung my legs over the side of the couch, the wooden floor cold against my bare feet. In the loft bedroom, River slept, unaware of the danger building outside these walls. River, who’d trusted us enough to come on this wild adventure. River, who’d opened herself to us just hours ago, revealing her fears and her past with a vulnerability that had stolen my breath. There weren’t many women brave enough or strong enough to show their belly the way she had to us. No man I knew was that strong. Probably because we were all Alphas and it went against our baser natures. Whoever termed women as the weaker sex was not only a dick, but dead fucking wrong. It took strength I couldn’t even imagine, to do what she’d done. I wanted her with every fiber of my fucking being. Not for sex, though she was the finest woman I’d ever seen, but to have the right to protect. I wanted her to be my old lady so every man in the fucking whole of Grim Road would know she was to be protected right up there with all the other old ladies and the kids.
My protective instincts surged, almost overwhelming in their intensity. We needed to keep her safe. The conversation from earlier stuck in my head, though, intruding on that burning need to keep her from danger. The house was sturdy. I mean, if a big-ass tree fell on it we’d be fucked, but the structure was sound. The roads out, however… That situation was a whole other bucket of piss.
I crossed to Byte’s bed and placed a hand on his shoulder, shaking him gently. “Hey,” I whispered, keeping my voice low to avoid disturbing River. She was in the loft, but the house had an open floor plan so the loft had a safety rail instead of a wall. “Wake up.”
Byte’s eyes opened immediately, that same instant alertness we’d both developed years ago. Took a physical touch to wake him, but it was creepy how awake he was when he opened his eyes. “What’s wrong?” he murmured, already reaching for his own phone.
“Storm coming,” I said, showing him my screen. “Pacific system changed direction. It’s gonna hit us hard in a few hours.”
He sat up, squinting at my phone as he took in the information. “Shit,” he muttered.
“Mountain roads could be washed out before midmorning. Assuming there are no trees down blocking the road, we’ve got a window to get out if we leave soon, or we can hunker down here and ride it out.”
Byte glanced toward the narrow stairs leading to the loft and River. “What do you think?”
I moved away from him to sit on my side of the couch next to him and kept my voice to a whisper. “Cabin’s solid. Maggie’s had it retrofitted for earthquakes and storms. We’ve got enough supplies for a week. Generator if the power goes.”
“But?” Byte prompted, knowing me well enough to hear the hesitation in my voice.