Page 24 of Wrecked By the Mountain Man
Penny shifts, murmurs something soft and unintelligible in her sleep, and slowly, over the course of the next few hours, I feel myself drift off.
But just as sleep finally pulls me deeper, a low, distant groan snaps me awake like I'm back in the desert all over again.
My whole body locks tight. Instinct takes over.
A second later, sharp cracks split the cabin’s silence, the sound of timber straining under pressure.
I ease out from under Penny, careful not to jostle her. It doesn't work.
She stirs in my sheets and murmurs, “Edward? What was that?”
Her voice is thick with sleep, trusting me enough to protect her while she rested.
I remember the last time someone trusted me enough to do that.
And it didn't end well.
“Stay here,” I growl, sliding off the bed and yanking on my jeans.
The softness from a few hours ago is gone, stripped away by the storm and the old wounded soldier inside me. By the time Penny blinks fully awake, I’m halfway across the room, pulling on my boots, shrugging into my jacket.
The wind is wild now, howling, clawing, trying to rip this cabin apart board by board. Each creak, each groan of the walls drags old memories to the surface—bullets whining, wood splintering, explosions shaking the ground.
My pulse spikes like it always does at night, but I shove it down.
Not now. Not with her here.
Another crack echoes through the cabin. This one is louder… closer and it's followed by an even biggercrack.
"Fuck," I grunt, moving towards the sound of something giving way.
I cross to the front window but I can't see anything beyond the white chaos. It's a blur of snow and mother nature's rage pressing against the glass so hard the panes are now bowing inward.
This isn't good.
Behind me, I hear Penny scramble from the bed, bare feet hitting the floor.
“Edward?” she calls, voice laced with panic.
“Stay back!” I snap, eyes never leaving the window.
As if the vibration from my voice are the final thread, a crack races across the glass.
“Edward, move!” Penny screams, right as the window finally spiderwebs completely and gives in.
The glass explodes inward with a deafening crack, a wall of icy air slamming into me like a battering ram. Snow and shards of ice lash my skin.
I throw an arm up, bracing against the frame, planting my feet. Cold rips through me, cuts sting across my temple, but I don’t give ground.
I hear her cry out my name again, her voice breaking, but I don’t look back.
I can’t.
If I falter, if I move, she takes the hit. And I won't let that fucking happen.
I square myself against the blast, every muscle straining, until at last the initial surge of air ebbs to a furious howl.
The cabin is chaos—blankets whipping, papers scattering… shit going everywhere. The temperature drops in an instant, the air thick with pure Arctic mist. Penny shivers violently in the doorway, fear covering on her face.
