Page 30 of Always and Forever

“Tiero will have a conniption when he sees the dogs in the house,” Claudette laughs, but I wince imagining his reaction.

“I know. But the blizzard could be lasting for days. How would we feed them?”

I sit down in between my furry friends and pet Luna’s thick coat while staring out of the window.

More and more foreboding clouds gather, casting an ominous shadow over the landscape. The air is charged with an almost palpable energy, a quiet before the storm.

“Just beam up at him with your sweetest smile and bat your eyelashes, and it will be fine,” Rhia suggests and then adds, “Wear your skinny jeans too. 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 wave her off, but get up to change shirts anyway.

When I return, Rhia is still by the window, staring out. Her worry is palpable. I join her, resting my head on her shoulder.

Twisting my necklace between my fingers, my glance keeps wandering to the clock. Tiero and Lex should have been back by now.

As the minutes tick by, the sky darkens more, signaling the impending arrival of the blizzard.

“Come on, guys, where are you?” I whisper, my fingers pressed against the cold glass. The suspense is suffocating, and Rhia and I exchange glances filled with shared apprehension.

From my vantage point, I watch as the snowflakes twirl and spin in a frenzied ballet as the wind steadily gains strength.

Within minutes, the world outside transforms as a white veil descends, covering everything in a new, soft, powdery blanket.

“Why are they not back yet?” Rhia mutters, our gazes glued to the forest Tiero and Lex should come out from.

I wish I had the answer to that question. But as I don’t, I stay quiet, taking Rhia’s hand and giving it a squeeze. It’s as much for my benefit as hers.

I turn to our psychic friend. “Claude? Can you sense anything?” I’ve avoided asking her this question, fearing I might not like the answer.

She shakes her head. “Sorry, darling. I got nothing.” When she sees my face fall, she quickly adds, “Andnothingisn’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?

Staring at her, I scrutinize 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. She always bloody can.

As the wind intensifies, the familiar surroundings outside blur and then disappear in the swirling snow, visibility nearing zero.

“They won’t be able to find their way home in these conditions. What are we going to do?” I half shriek, but I’m met with only silence.

Why isn’t anybody talking to me?

Rhia is normally so vocal, but she’s gone completely mute, a definite sign she’s freaking out.

“Hey Rhi.” She glances over at me, and I read it in her eyes; my fierce, usually 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 with that comes also the constant worry for him and his safety.

Thank God, he left his most dangerous work behind and has a relatively uneventful job as an airplane recovery pilot these days. I say relatively because sometimes Freemont sends him into the jungle or other almost impenetrable areas to recover planes. And he himself has to judge if they’re airworthy.

I also got the impression from Aiden that sometimes Lex flies agents in and out of danger zones, and he’s not forthcoming with that kind of information to Rhia. And I totally get why. She can be quite the stress ball. When Rhia loves, she loves fiercely and with everything she’s got. That means she worries a lot about the people she loves.

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