Chapter Four

The crack of lightning in the sky was getting closer and closer when I heard the boom. It was still miles away, but heading in fast. The storm was definitely coming in, and was it a doozy! I watched the radar a few times. There were bands of weather, too. So, we weren't going to have a one and done. Nope. That would be too easy. Instead, we were going to get hit over and over again. Good times. At least I had a few moments to sit in my chair by the bedroom window and watch the show until the next crisis hit.

Two cabins that were meant to leave today ended up choosing to stay in order to avoid traveling in the storm. The wolf family hadn't quite made it here yet but let me know they were on their way, making us full for the night. And even though it meant more work for me in the short run, I was glad the families chose to skip checkout. I'd rather people stay longer and be safe than travel through what was coming or what was already here, for that matter.

The rain pelted the roof. Had I not looked out the window to verify, I'd have thought it was hailing, it hit so hard. It had been a long time since we had torrential downpours like this. Like maybe never.

My phone buzzed. I looked down to see it was cabin eight asking for a bucket. Normally, a bucket could mean many things, from their kid wanted to play with mud to they wanted to tie-dye something. With this kind of downpour, there was a leak, and it was raining in their cabin.

I grabbed some tarps and a couple of buckets and waded my way through to their cabin. Their youngest child sat on the porch, staring out toward the sky. She couldn't have been much more than six and watched the sky with wonder.

"I heard that that means the goddess is bowling." She beamed up at me.

"If she is, she's doing a really good job. I think that last one was a strike." It was still a distance away, but the ground shook with the force of its impact. "Are your parents inside?"

"Mom is. She's trying to catch the water."

That was so not what I'd wanted to hear.

Inside, sure enough, there was a leak. It wasn't a huge one, but that didn't mean it wouldn't get worse. I put the bucket underneath and pushed the furniture a tad more out of the way. With the wind coming in, this wouldn't be enough, but it would be a start.

"I hate to ask this of you," I said to the mama raccoon, "but any chance you could help me get this tarp over the roof?"

It was pre-cut to fit the task at hand. Sadly this wasn't my first time at this rodeo. Had the weather been perfect, I could probably have finagled it up there on my own, but it wasn't, and I didn't trust a ladder to stay where it needed to be. This was a two-person job.

"Absolutely. Fur or skin?"

"Fur."

I explained the plan, and we went outside where she shifted and carried the tarp up to the roof. Once she was there, she pushed it so half hung down the other side of the slant, low enough for me to get it situated. I tacked it where it needed to be while she held her side firm. Then, when I was done, she climbed back down with the edge of her side, and I tacked it down. It worked really well, and had I waited even five more minutes to get there, I wouldn't have been able to get it done. The lightning was only about a mile away now if one Mississippi worked.

"Thank you so much. I'll mark down that you get a free day. Or something." I always had to put the disclaimer or something because sometimes my boss approved things; others, he didn't. Worst-case scenario, I'd buy them something for their kids.

"You don't have to do that. Things happen, and you've been so nice to us." She and her wife had come with all three of their little ones to spend the week. They were some of our regulars and, in my opinion, made the best cobbler this side of the river.

"Did you want me to make you something warm to drink? You're drenched," she offered.

"You're not particularly dry." She'd been on the roof too. Sure, there was some super-power-auto-drying-shifter thing when she shifted back to her human form, but that didn't negate that she'd been on the roof only minutes earlier.

"Drier than you." She chuckled, and just then, the door clapped open and in came her mate, carrying a couple of huge bags of groceries, the other two kiddos by her side.

"The roads are getting bad," she said. "I probably should've gone out earlier."

Her mate grabbed one of the bags and told her about the bucket. The kids listened to their sibling tell them the tale of roof-repair magic their mom had done.

I had assumed the roads already were shit and hadn't planned to drive anywhere in this rain. It was still good information to have. Knowing this, I was doubly happy that everyone was hunkered in for the night. After graciously accepting their offer for a cup of cocoa, I headed back out into the storm and back to my cabin in the hopes that I could stay in there until the storm let up. Knowing this place, that wasn't going to happen, but a guy could dream.

When I was little, I loved to watch storms through my bedroom window. I learned someplace that electricity didn't play well with glass and got it into my head that behind the window was the safest place to be. And it was safe, as long as the lightning didn't actually strike the house or a nearby tree. It just wasn't the super-hero armor I thought it was at the time. So I settled back in my chair.

With all the wind and falling black walnuts, I thought someone was at my door a few times. They never were. Still, I got up and checked each time, not wanting to leave someone out there if they needed something. My phone was currently working, but that didn't mean everyone's was and, if they were at my door, they must mean it.

I expected to find no one there, just like I had the past couple of times. Instead, I swung it open to find myself staring into the eyes of the sexiest man I'd ever met. His eyes were the color of sapphire, something I didn't even think possible, and a dimple on his chin had me forgetting I was supposed to be greeting him.

"I'm looking for the management."

I stared.

He asked again.

"Oh yeah, I suppose that's me, Arvin. What can I do for you?"

"I'm Stone, and I was flying, and the storm…my dragon preferred I come down here and look for a room."

"Room. Yes. Dragon." Was I making sense? Of course not. How could I be expected to think with this dragon god standing in front of me.

"Excellent."

Lightning struck a tree not far behind him and I instinctively yanked him inside. The tree didn't fall in our direction, but it could have.

"I'm sorry. I got distracted. Can I help you find someone?"

"Yeah, the storm can be distracting."

It so was not the storm.

"I was hoping you had a vacancy."

Right! He already said he wanted a room. "Oh no. I'm sorry. We're all booked up."

He turned to leave.

"No. Stop. Don't go out there. It's only going to get worse." And something inside me told me I'd regret it the rest of my days if I let him walk out that door. It didn't make sense. He was some random guy—a shifter at that. We probably had nothing in common and, yet I felt an undeniable pull from him.

"If I can fly ahead of the storm, I might be able to—"

"Stay here," I blurted out. "Stay here."

"I thought you had no cabins left."

"I don't. I mean, we don't. I mean…it's dangerous out there. You can stay in my cabin. It's fine and no charge." I didn't want him to think I was attempting to fleece him out of money.

"I would pay." He set his bag down. That was a good sign, right?

"Let's not worry about that now. Let's get you settled in. It looks like this storm is going to be a doozy."