Page 183 of Firestorm
“Baby?” I tried again.
Skye whimpered, burying her face in her hands under me as we lowered to the ground. She was awake, but something was wrong. Very wrong.
“Skye?” I leaned back onto my knees, but Skye pulled away from me, curling up into a ball on the ground. Rafe dropped down next to me, his shadows pushing debris away to give us more space.
“What’s wrong, baby?” I asked, pulling her hair out of her face. “I’ll fix it, just tell me.”
“C-coat,” she stuttered.
“Can you hear us, Skye?” Rafe spoke next, reaching out then drawing his hand back like he wasn’t sure if he was allowed to touch her.
“What’d she say? She’s cold?” Dani asked.
“She’s saying…coat? Are you cold?” Rafe asked, his eyes scanning the trashed room like he’d find a sweater hanging on a hook.
“She saidcoat? Oh! Fuck! Skye!” Willow’s shrill voice cut through the silence and Skye’s ragged breathing. Willow shoved at my back, forcing me to the side as she wiggled between me and Rafe.
“Willow, what the fuck?” Rafe growled.
“Watch it,” Mia warned. She and Rafe glared at each other while Willow pulled Skye into a hug.
“She has PTSD,” Willow said. “Her parents were killed in the Gulf Capitol Massacre. She was there that day, she saw the whole thing. That’s what coat means – you know what, who cares. She doesn’t do loud noises.”
“She freaked during a thunderstorm once. She wouldn’t wake up no matter what we did,” Mia murmured.
Rafe froze.
PTSD.
Massacre? Loud noises? Thunderstorms?
Why didn’t I know any of this? I should have known this. I should have known everything about her.
“Skye, it’s Willow. Come on, Skye. You’re safe. Aiden is here.”
Rafe scrunched his nose slightly, annoyed he wasn’t being mentioned, and I held back a very inappropriate laugh. I couldn’t wait to get to know the prince better. Something told me he’d be incredibly easy to fuck with.
“Aiden,” Skye whimpered.
I pushed Rafe out of the huddle completely, laying myself down next to Skye and pulling her to my chest.
“I’m right here, baby.” I said. Skye clung to me, her quivering lessening only slightly as she breathed me in. I couldn’t smell very good. I mean, yeah, she’d showered me, which was weirdly hot, but then I’d been sweating when Dani showed up, and now we were in a pile of rubble from a fucking explosion of some kind, and–
“Skye, should I call Zephyr?” Willow asked.
“Zephyr,” Skye said hopefully, her eyes opening. “He’s here?”
Rafe tensed behind me.
“No, baby. I’m here. We’re at school.” I said, tucking some hair behind her ears. Iwishedher brother was here. He’d know how to help her.
“Shit,” Skye whispered, wiping at her face to hide the tears streaming down her flushed cheeks.
Even in a pile of rubble while having a mental breakdown, she wasbeautiful. I almost told her, but she’d definitely smack me. And as much as I enjoyed that idea–
Screaming sounded from the hall, and Skye’s breathing grew ragged again as she trembled against me.
“They’re here,” she whimpered.
