Page 31 of The Wolf I Sworn To Hate

Ellie laughed. “Sawyer is the same. But we didn’t come here to hook up with anyone.”

“We also didn’t come here to get snowed in, but here we are.” Marcie spread her hands out to emphasize her words.

“You hang out with Sean a lot,” Ellie said. “Are you two a thing?”

“No. We knew each other a long time ago. I used to live in Angel’s Creek where he owns a bar. I left to go to college. It was a coincidence that my brother wanted to come here for hisbirthday week at the same time that Sean and Sawyer decided they needed a vacation. He treats me like a sister, too.”

“I’ve never seen anyone look at his sister the way Sean looks at you,” Marcie teased. “Don’t worry. I’m not jealous. I don’t hate, I celebrate my sisters. If you can get him to look twice at you, then good for you.”

Xyla just smiled.

Ellie wiggled her eyebrows up and down comically. “You know, Darren and Tristan aren’t bad, either. They aren’t quite as hot as Sean and Sawyer, but they might be fun to flirt with. Maybe you should talk to Darren.”

Marcie grinned as she dealt the cards. “Maybe I should. It might make the time go by a little faster until we can get out of this place.”

“I think it’s kind of fun – maybe even a little romantic,” Ellie said.

“Maybe if you’re Poe,” Marcie retorted, referencing the famous author of horror stories.

“It’s not that bad.” Ellie looked at Xyla. “She always did have a tendency to exaggerate. That’s why she did so well in the drama department.”

Everyone laughed. They chatted about their lives and whatever else came to mind as they played cards until lunchtime.

After lunch, the sky quickly darkened as the heavy gray clouds covered the sun. The wind picked up, and Xyla watched as it seemed that some of the trees were going to have their limbs ripped off by the wind. She pressed her hand against the cold glass, feeling it vibrate beneath her palm.

The loud, roaring wind sounded as though it was trying to rip the boards off the building and find its way inside. A particularly strong gust hit the resort, drowning out all sounds inside.Everyone was very still, hardly daring to breathe, as they waited for the entire place to explode into a million splinters.

Xyla stared outside. Snow was blowing by the window sideways.

“A blizzard.” William sighed. “Did you all know that it doesn’t take much snow to make a blizzard? It is a blizzard when the wind blows the snow so much that it takes visibility down to zero.”

A few people murmured sounds to acknowledge William, but no one was interested in his trivia. The same thought was on everyone’s mind. Were they going to survive this storm?

As though reading their thoughts, William said, “Don’t worry. This place is very sturdy and we have weathered a lot worse storms than this.”

The wind and snow seemed to take his words as a challenge and whipped into an even greater frenzy.

“It won’t do us any good to sit and listen to the storm. Darren, name a song that has a drink in it.”

“Straight Tequila Night,by John Anderson.”

She pointed to Tristan. “Red, Red, Wine,by UB40.”

I’d Like to Buy the World a Coke,was Edward’s contribution.

After a minute, everyone got into the game and started calling out songs as fast as they could think of them.

They went around the room and when no one could think of another song with a drink, she asked for songs that named places. Everyone got so caught up in the games they forgot about the storm for a while – until the electricity went out.

Marcie squealed and several others groaned.

Howard stood up and headed for the coat rack. “Don’t worry, guys. I’ll figure it out.”

“I’ll come with you,” Sean said.

“Nothing is going to happen in the dark that wouldn’t happen in the light. Let’s keep going. We’re on names. Marcie started us off with,Linda on My Mindby the one and only Conway.”

“Delta Dawn, by Tanya Tucker,” Ellie called out.

---