Once we hang up, I put onThe Baking Challengeto distract myself from the deafening cracks of thunder. When vivid streaks of lightning flash through the sky, and the wind rattles the windows and shakes the trees, I pull the blanket tighter around me, hoping Landon’s right about this storm.
It’s an hour before the power goes out.
I’m not afraid of the dark, but the dancing shadows, howling sounds, and overall tension in the air set me on edge. Using my phone flashlight for guidance, I creep out of my room and hesitate at the top of the stairs, peering down into the black abyss.
“Eli? Lemon?” I try. “You guys down there?”
I’m about to take my first step when a hand lands heavily on my shoulder. I can’t help it. I scream. I scream really fucking loud. A hand clamps over my mouth, and I drop my phone down the stairs, my heart outright sprinting.
“Jesus Christ, it’s me,” Landon snaps, his hands squeezing my shoulders, forcing them to relax.
Eyes wide, I try to get my panting under control. “You scared the shit out of me. I nearly fell down the stairs!”
“Well, who the hell else would it be?”
“I don’t know, an axe murderer? Rapist? Cannibal?” I mutter. “Could’ve been anyone, really.”
“Right. It’s more likely to be an axe-wielding, flesh-eating rapist than the person who actually lives here.”
“I mean, you don’t spend a lot of time at home,” I point out, “so kind of.” Landon takes a deep,so-help-mesort of breath, which I ignore, and his hands slowly move away from my shoulders. “Should we go find some flashlights or some candles or something?”
Landon sighs, slow and deliberate. “Follow me, andpleasedon’t fall down the stairs. I don’t feel like cleaning blood off the hardwood.”
“Wow, real nice picture you painted there,” I mumble, but take extra care with each step, holding onto the railing the whole way down. I locate my phone at the bottom of the stairs and turn it over in my hands, searching for scratches.
“Thank God,” I breathe, finding none, and follow Landon into the kitchen.
He starts opening drawers, pulling out candles, lighters, and flashlights. As he strikes a match, my ears register the extremely obnoxious sucking sounds coming from the living room, and I instantly cringe. Landon must hear them, too, because he pauses and gives mewhat the fuckkind of look, one I immediately return.
“You two better not be fucking on my couch,” Landon calls, as he lights the candles. A giggle comes from the living room, followed by muffled whispers. “It’s one of the only things Melanie left,” he adds, almost to himself, and I study his sullen expression in the candlelight.
“Why’d you let her take everything?” I ask before I can stop myself. Talking about Mel always puts Landon in a foul mood, and the last thing I need is for him to be pissy during the storm.
He blows out the match and shakes his head. “I don’t want any of her shit. Don’t need the reminder.”
“That makes sense,” I say, nodding, and then jump a foot in the air as a new round of thunder rumbles through the sky, shaking the walls, the windows, and my confidence. I glance around nervously. “Do you, uh, think this house will be okay? It seems pretty bad outside.”
“It’ll be fine. It’s seen worse. Stay away from the windows if you’re that concerned.”
I stare at the massive floor-to-ceiling glass panes encircling the kitchen.
“This entire house is practicallymadeof windows,” I cry, but when I glance back at Landon, he’s already heading toward the staircase, flashlight leading the way. Grabbing one of the candles off the counter, I hurry after him. “Wait, where are you going?”
He pauses on the stairs, glancing back at me. “To my office. I have to finish something.”
“But we don’t even have Wi-Fi anymore.”
“Don’t need it.”
“But…aren’t you scared of the dark?”
He laughs. Landon Blair gives a non-drug-inducedlaugh. And it’s a damn sexy one, too. “No, Violet. I’m not afraid of the dark.”
“Alright,” I say, biting my nail and staring into the dimly lit interior of the home. “Well, don’t worry about me. I’ll be fine down here.”
“I’m not worried,” he says with a smirk. “You have Eli andLemonto protect you.”
“Funny.”
