Read Online Whiteout (Aurora Sky by Nikki Jefford - Free Book Online

at me.
    â€œRight here. In front of the fire,” I said, pointing to the ground.
    Dante chucked an armful of kindling over the logs. “This ought to keep us warm,” he said.
    â€œ I’m more worried a bout keeping us alive,” I said.
    Giselle walked over to one of the windows on the far wall near the breakfast nook and pulled a loose board off with her bare hands.
    â€œWhat are you doing?” I asked.
    Giselle set the plywood on the floor. “Let ting in some natural light. It’s like a cave in here.”
    â€œI thought vampires liked caves,” I said.
    Giselle frowned. “In Sitka we had a view of the ocean from our windows.”
    Rags to riches. Meet the Morrels . Now there was only one left—not counting Xavier. A .k .a. Jared.
    â€œHenriette always appreciated a room with a view,” Giselle said, staring absently out the window she’d uncovered.
    I wished she wouldn’t mention Henriette. It conjured up a disturbing image of the woman getting her neck snapped by Jared.
    I turne d away from the fire and pulled a sheet off the nearest couch, tossed it aside, and sat down. Tommy came over to check it out, tail wagging.
    I patted the cushion beside me. “Come on up, Tommy.”
    The golden retriever didn’t need any more coaxing. He leapt o nto the couch and sprawled out over the remaining space.
    â€œGet comfy while you can,” I said.
    Tommy flopped onto his side and I rubbed his belly.
    Dante rubbed his hands together. “What’s for dinner?”
    â€œFor you?” I asked. “The Spam special.” When Dante’s nose wrinkled, I shot him a smug smile. “Is the ham can not doing it for you anymore?”
    Rather than answer my question, Dante asked, “Was there anything left behind in the cupboards or fridge?”
    â€œThe frid ge is unplugged,” Giselle reminded him.
    â€œWe don’t need a fridge. It’s like a fridge in here,” I commented.
    Dante turned to me. “Give the fire a chance to get going.” He moved to the couch and hovered by Tommy’s head. “Move over, buddy.”
    T ommy closed his ey es.
    â€œToo stubborn for his own good,” Dante muttered. He pulled a sheet off a chair and moved it in front of the fire.
    Once Dante sat down, Tommy opened his eyes and repositioned himself, resting his head in my lap. I ran my fingers over his soft fur and s tared into the fire.
    Giselle grabbed a flashlight. “I’m going to see if there’s anything useful in the storage shed outside.”
    â€œGood thinking,” Dante said.
    Tommy lifted his ears briefly as Giselle walked away, but the comfort of the couch won over curiosity . He sighed , content.
    I followed the fire’s progress as it began digesting the dry logs Dante had fed into the hearth in ripples of yellow and orange flames . A log fell off the pile toward the edge of the fireplace and sparks shot out briefly. My body tens ed. Tommy lifted his head then lowered it back to my lap.
    Dante and I kept our eyes trained on the hearth as though watching a movie. As awkward as it was having Giselle around, it was just as awkward when Dante and I were left alone together.
    â€œSo we’re la ying low,” I said absently.
    â€œ Yup ,” Dante responded, dragging his reply out remarkably slow , considering it was a three - letter word.
    Silence followed, accentuated with a crackle and pop inside the hearth.
    â€œWe’re settling in for the long haul,” Dante said after a minute. “No more action. Not like last night.” He sounded wistful as he said the last part. Dante reached under his ass and pulled out the phone he’d taken from the dead vampire, thumbing over the screen.
    â€œNo texts. Guess he doesn’t want to leave b ehind any incriminating messages.” Dante held the phone closer to his face. “Not many contacts in his address book. Arlo, Jab, P ie rce… What