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CHAPTER4
PENELOPE
“What the hell?”Elijah’s body goes rigid and he opens the curtains to peer out.
But it seems the only light anywhere is from the moon. My skin prickles and a cold chill runs down my spine the way it does when anything is out of place. I take a step toward the door and grab the handle. Before I can turn the knob, Elijah pulls me back.
“Stay behind me,” he says, a hand resting on the gun on his hip.
“No way, it’s just a power outage. I’m fine.” Ever since Conrad shook my sense of self, I’ve been forcing myself to do things even when they are scary. And this is just a simple power outage. I can handle this. I crack the door open despite Elijah’s protest and look into the hall. All I find are tiny white dots in my vision as my eyes try to adjust to the sudden blackness, and the creaking sound of other doors opening.
“I wonder if the guys are back up in their rooms or still downstairs... I can’t believe I don’t even have my flashlight... I’ve got my phone though.” Elijah seems to be talking to himself, then he turns to me. “A power outage. Strange, I would’ve thought a place this far out of town would have a large backup generator.
“We do. I’m not sure why it isn’t kicking on.” I shake off another icy chill and try to keep my tone casual.It’s just a power outage.“But I’m a manager here and this is part of my responsibility. So I will march down there and get to the bottom of this.” But my feet threaten to cement themselves to the floor and I swallow hard.
In the darkness, I feel Elijah step closer to me and take silent comfort in the way his frame towers over mine. He places a hand on my hip and I revel in the warmth. “Hey, don’t worry about it. It’s a power outage and the lodge is filled with cops. We’re fine. I know you’ve got this. But is there anything I can do to help?”
The kindness in his voice threatens to break me. But instead, I pull myself together and exhale. I’m being silly. “That’s really nice of you, Elijah, but I don’t think there’s much you can do. I just don’t understand why—”
As if the building can hear my thoughts, the backup generator kicks in, and the emergency lights come on. I shake my nerves out of my fingertips and blink several times as I look around. The little lights lining the halls still leave us in eerie darkness but the system is working as it should be which means no one has tampered with it.
I take comfort in the knowledge that these things happen. Still the shadows seem to cast off from every direction, and the usual welcoming vibes of the lodge have been replaced by something brooding and ominous.
Or maybe I’m going insane. Definitely one or the other.
Elijah smirks. “Ah, I knew it’d kick on in a place like this. See, we’re all good. But I’m guessing our dinner plans may be delayed a bit. But that’s fine with me. I was in the middle of something. Oh, that’s right, I believe I was about to kiss the most beautiful woman in the world.” He puts his hands on my shoulders.
A rush of butterflies hit me. His flattery is nearly enough to distract me from the issue at hand. But I can’t shake the feeling that something isn’t right. “That sounds intriguing… very intriguing. But I’m thinking I should head down to the lobby and see what the heck is going on. I wonder how long it will take me to get an electrician way out here.”
Between the thought of kissing Elijah and the power outage, my heart has a hard time slowing to a normal pace. Then Elijah wraps his arms around me and I melt into his embrace. His massive arms pin my head to that perfect spot on his chest and all of a sudden there’s no way I can think of anything but kissing him.
Everything is okay and I’m not going to let my paranoia ruin a good thing. I’m going to give in to the moment with Elijah. I deserve this.
Our lips meet as he brings his face down to mine, the little bit of stubble on his chin swiping across my cheek as he moves. His scent fills my nostrils as we stand there, and his hand cups the side of my jaw as my lips begin to gently part. I don’t know if I ever imagined what kissing Elijah would be like, but I’m certain it wasn’t like this. His kiss on my lips is better than anything I could have imagined.
Time stands still for us as his tongue dances with mine. I’m lost in his embrace. His hands tangle in my hair. Electric tingles run up and down my body.Is this how it could have been all along? Was this meeting between us meant to be? Is Elijah home for me? I wish I could take all the years of wandering and dating terrible people and give them to him.
But then, in the silent perfection of the moment, a blood-curdling scream rings out and my heart stops.
