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Chapter 7

Addie

It happened just before nightfall.

The sun was low, not yet completely devoured by the horizon. Pale pink light filtered through the car windows.

Fallon was right; we hadn’t moved an inch in the hours we have been here. Getting off the highway wasn’t an option, so we were forced to sit in the car and partake in Ryder’s ridiculous games.

At least I was having fun, though Calax looked as if he was seconds away from strangling the other man. For that, I wanted to strangle Calax.

I blamed it on the platonic tension I had talked to Ronan about when we had first met. Just the normal, non-sexual tension between seven brothers and one non-sister.

Like I totally didn’t notice Asher’s thigh pressed against mine, and I didn’t pay attention to Ronan’s hand lightly holding my own as he drew on my arm.

Nope. Not me.

Was I allowed to feel attracted to Calax, my almost-but-never-clarified boyfriend? Was I allowed to feel it for his friends as well?

“When we stop for the night, I want you to start self-defense classes,” Fallon said suddenly, snapping me out of my less than sisterly thoughts. Cheeks burning, I tried to smooth my features into a careful mask. The last thing I wanted them to know was that I was thinking about the sexual tension reverberating through the car.

“Sexual tension?” Asher stuttered, and I stuck my tongue out at him.

“Hadn’t meant to say that aloud.”

“But it’s cute that you did,” Ronan said, still bent over my hand. I haven’t been able to see what he was drawing. Whenever I tried to peek, he would swat my head away with a reprimanding “no.”

Ignoring them, I turned my attention back towards Fallon. He met my gaze in the rearview mirror, eyes smoldering.

He really was a scary man. Attractive, yes, but there was something innately dangerous about the way he moved and talked. He was a man of few words, but, when he spoke, you knew that the only option was to listen and agree.

“What type of self-defense?” I asked. “I only know the fall-on-my-ass maneuver.”

Fallon rolled his eyes, his standard response to my quips, but I thought I saw a hint of a smile gracing his features. I wanted to pat myself on the back.

“Tam will teach you,” Fallon said simply, and the man in question blushed scarlet. Tam had once told me that he was an MMA fighter. I found it hard to believe that my sweet, shy Tamson was able to fight another human being, but I had seen his skills firsthand when he had fought a Rager to protect me.

Granted, he had lost, but it was the thought that counted.

“Have the phones started working yet?” Calax asked, effectively changing the subject from my soon-to-be ass kicking. It was something we had noticed almost immediately when we had begun our journey: none of our phones had a signal. At first, when I had tried calling Nik’s foster parents from Fallon’s house, I had assumed that I just had bad cell reception. This theory was quickly debunked when the rest of the boys began to complain as well.

It didn’t get better the further we drove; no, it was apparent that the connection was dead everywhere.

“Nope,” Ryder said, popping the P.

Declan made an annoyed sound in the back of his throat, and I threw him a small smile.

“Hey, lazy pants. Did you sleep good?”

He looked adorable post-nap. His hair was tousled, and the seatbelt he had been using as a pillow had indented itself onto his cheek. His tired eyes flickered from face to face before resting on the immobile traffic.

“Yeah,” I answered his unspoken question. “We’re still stopped in traffic. Haven’t moved an inch.”

“That’s not true!” Ryder protested halfheartedly. “We moved approximately two point eight inches a half hour ago.”

I chuckled softly at his weak attempt at a joke. The mood had grown increasingly somber as if we all realized we were living on borrowed time.

There were too many things we needed to do, too many people we wanted to save, and we couldn’t afford sitting around doing nothing. Everywhere I looked, people were indolently lying outside their vehicles. A couple groups had a grill going and were selling cooked meat for a decent price. Others had set up makeshift tents, and one even had a campfire blazing.

Source: www.allfreenovel.com
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