Chapter 192: Trapped Like a Rabbit in the Storm
Easter~
I didn’t sleep that night.
Even after locking the door and tucking Alexander into bed beside Rose, I couldn’t close my eyes for more than a second without hearing Natalie’s scream, or the echo of a boulder crashing through walls. The room smelled like dust and smoke. Every creak of the house made me flinch. I sat cross-legged on the floor, cradling my slowly growing belly with one hand and holding a knife I found on the floor outside in the other—just in case. I don’t know how long I stayed like that, staring at the door like it might burst open at any moment.
The fight didn’t stop.
Even when the sky outside lightened with dawn’s pale glow, the growls and crashes continued. Something or someone growled—low and feral—just outside the window around noon. Rose stirred in her sleep, whimpering softly, so I held my breath and didn’t move a muscle until whatever it was passed.
Then I heard the little voice behind me.
"Auntie Easter?"
It was Alexander. His curly hair stuck up in every direction, and his cheeks were rosy with sleep. "I’m hungry," he said, rubbing his eyes.
I blinked back the fear choking me and forced a smile. "I know, sweet pea. Rose too, huh?"
As if on cue, Rose woke up crying, her little hands reaching for me. My stomach twisted—not from hunger, though I hadn’t eaten in nearly a day—but from dread. I’d have to go back out there.
Alexander tugged at my sleeve, his big brown eyes wide. "What is going on? Why am I sleeping in your room? Where’s Mommy? And Uncle Jacob? And Tiger? And Foxy and Bubble and Eagle?"