CHAPTER twenty two : Beneath the Storm
The first warning of the storm came as a low tremor beneath the earth—so faint Mirabel almost mistook it for her own heartbeat. The night sky, only moments ago calm and wide, had begun to gather clouds like heavy secrets. Darkness pressed in from all sides, the shadows thickening, folding the forest into something smaller, tighter, almost watchful. Cole noticed it too. He always did. “Storm’s coming,” he murmured, his gaze scanning the far-off treetops that had begun to sway like uneasy dancers. Mirabel looked up, her breath catching as she watched the clouds churn. “How bad?” He didn’t answer immediately. He never liked to worry her. But the slight tightening of his jaw said enough. “Bad enough that we shouldn’t be out here.” The wind rushed across the clearing, sharp and cold, the
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