Killian shifts off of me and then curses. “The powers out.”
“I’m up.” Basil slowly sits. He places his hand on my hip and squeezes. “Are you okay, omega?”
“Yeah.” I tuck the blanket under my chin. “What was that horrible noise?”
“It sounded like something broke downstairs.” Basil rubs his face with the palms of his hands.
“I’ll go check.” Killian gets out of bed, taking all his warmth with him. “I think it might have been the oak tree coming in through a window.”
“Goddammit,” Tristan curses as he stumbles around in the dark. I squint, barely able to see the alpha’s outline as he pulls on a pair of sweatpants. They’re clearly not his, showing a solidthree inches of ankle. “I meant to trim the branches back. I’m sorry, Kill.”
“It’s okay,” the pack alpha says. Lightning flashes and for one brief second, I can see all three alphas up and dressed. “I’m sure there’s not much we can do tonight if the window is broken, but we should probably check it out.”
“I’ll go and look at the breaker.” Basil pushes something into his pocket. Probably his phone. “I don’t want the air unit to flood.”
All three alphas leave the room, their heavy feet almost completely drowned out by the unyielding rain. I want to whine and beg them to come back. The pitch black, coupled with the raging storm, makes everything feel…dangerous? Maybe that’s not the right word, but everything definitely feels off.
Jeremy rolls toward one side of the bed, making the bed gently rock. A drawer opens, and something clicks. A lighter. I watch as the beta clicks it again, creating tiny little sparks. The third time he does it, a flame bursts to life.
“This will help.” He lights two wicks inside a glass jar. “There we go.” He hands me the candle. I lean forward and sniff it. Artificial vanilla fills my nose and I grimace. “Yeah,” Jeremy says as if expecting my reaction. “It’s scented. I got rid of pretty much everything that had any kind of perfume before you arrived, but I didn’t think about replacing the candles. I know omegas aren’t a fan of fake scents.”
“I’m not complaining,” I say, leaning into the flame’s warmth. I’m not cold, but the heat feels good against my cheeks.
Loud pop cracks from somewhere downstairs, followed by the sound of glass shattering.
“What was that?” My voice rises, and Jeremy wraps his arm around my shoulders.
“Who knows.” He sounds completely unbothered, but I’m not as confident. “Can you feel anything in your bond? My connection is too weak,” he reminds me.
I stare at the flames flickering in my hands, concentrating hard. “Basil is worried and Tristan is annoyed.” I squint, trying to feel our pack alpha. “I think Killian is blocking me out.”
Jeremy rolls his eyes. “Figures.”
Heavy footsteps stomp up the stairs and my unease grows. “Is that Tristan?” I whisper to Jeremy, and he nods. The sound continues down the hall, and I turn to the door, waiting for our alpha to appear.
But the moment the door opens, a sharp crack splits the air, and something heavy hits the floor.
“What was that?” I scrabble up onto my knees, trying not to drop the candle.
“It’s fine,” Jeremy says as he squints at the crack in the door, but I can hear the uncertainty in his voice. He has no idea what it was either. “It’s only thunder.” He gives me a weak smile, clearly trying to reassure me.
“Withoutlightning?” I point out, and a shiver of fear cuts through me. “There’s something out there.” I stare at the pitch-black doorway. “I can feel it.
“Okay.” Jeremy places his hands over mine, holding the candle with me. “I’m going to check on the boys.”
“No!” I yell, refusing to let him leave.
“There’s no need to worry,” he says, cupping my face. “There’s nothing out there.” He leans over the candle and kisses my cheek. The flames illuminate the bottom of his pale face, making him look almost menacing for a moment. “Go into your nest.” He pushes the blanket off of him. “I’ll be right—” His words are cut off as he’s sucked into the darknesses.
Trying to process what just happened, I blink repeatedly, unable to see anything other than the flames dancing directly infront of my face. “Jeremy?” I hold the candle out, trying to see around the room, but everything is so dark that I can’t even see the door. “Jeremy?” My voice rises and deep fear sets in.
Not sure what else to do, I slip off the bed, taking the candle with me. My toes touch something soft, and I bend to see what it is. It’s one of my mate’s T-shirts. I quickly pull it on, not wanting to stumble around in the dark, completely naked.
Lightning flashes, and I open my eyes wide, looking for Jeremy. For one quick second, I see the beta sprawled out on the floor in the middle of the room.
Then everything goes dark once again.
“Jeremy!” I rush to him, holding the candle up high. The flames cast long shadows, making it hard to see anything on the floor. “Where are you?” My feet finally touch his side and I drop to my knees. “Jeremy?” I set the candle next to his head, then turn his face toward me. He’s unconscious with something black coating the side of his face. I touch it, trying to figure out what it is. It’s slick like oil but turns sticky as I rub it between my fingers. “What the hell?” I whisper, then sniff it.
