Read Storm Born for Free Online

gone so quickly from his face that I was sure I’d imagined it. I must have. Declan wouldn’t be afraid of a nobody like me. I was just another player on his field, ready for him to stomp on.  
    The truck pulled to a new stop and he looked over the side.  
    “Well, this is my stop, ladies. One of the docs said I took a good hit to the head and need to get it checked out.” He rolled his eyes, and I suppressed the urge to tell him there was no need to check his head– there was nothing decent inside of it. He looked at Piper. “Hottie, I hope I’ll see you around. Ginger…” Declan’s eyes flicked up and down my body, lingering too long on my skinny legs and insubstantial chest. “Well, I won’t be looking for you.”  
    Declan sneered at us and leaped over the side of the truck.  
    “God, he’s such an asshole,” Piper grumbled. She released me from her hold. “Are you sure you’re okay, Ava?”  
    I hesitated for a split second, only one more memory threatening to resurface. I turned to my best friend and smiled weakly. “Yeah. I’m good. It’s just… It was just scary, you know?”  
    Piper’s face twisted into a grimace, and she still looked beautiful. Not fair.  
    “Scary’s not the word I would use,” she remarked. “Pant-shittingly terrifying is better.”  
    I gaped dramatically. “You swore! You never swear!”  
    She held up a delicate finger. “First of all, you’re the one that never swears aloud, and second,” she lowered her hand, unease filling her eyes, “you have to admit it fits the situation.”  
    No argument there. I couldn’t imagine what she went through. I mean, blacking out in the middle of a hurricane? She was lucky to be alive. I wanted to tell her about… the other part of my little adventure, but Piper was going to have her own nightmares now.  
    Besides, I didn’t want to think about my last conscious moments in the hurricane. I wasn’t ready. Right now, I just needed to get home.  
    “Yeah, I guess it does.” I tried to smile, but it felt wrong on my face.  
    We sat in silence until the truck pulled to another stop. I stayed in the truck bed, wanting to look over the side, but too scared of what I would see.  
    “Ava,” prompted Piper. “We’re here.”  
    “I know,” I said. “Just… give me a second.”  
    She nodded and said nothing. I closed my eyes and sent out a silent prayer to any deity that was listening.  
    Please, please, please, let my family be okay. Please don’t take them away from me. I can’t be alone. I won’t know what to do. Please let them be safe. That’s not too much to ask, is it?  
    Knowing there was no point in delaying any longer, I opened my eyes and dragged myself to my knees. Piper let down the truck bed then turned and turned to face me. Her eyes dropped to my chest and she frowned.  
    “Where did you get that?”  
    Bewildered, I looked down to the spot over my heart where her eyes were locked.  
    Peeking out from the top of my tank top was a white, circular scar with jagged edges. Exactly the kind that would have been left if I’d been stabbed.  
    Panic welled in my chest again. I clenched my fists and my jaw, willing the memory away.  
    “Ask me later, okay?” I whispered.  
    Piper nodded slowly. Her hand rubbed over her own heart, as if guarding it. She looked like she wanted to say something, but chose not to. Silence was what we both needed.  
    Piper opened her arms and wrapped me in a hug. We both needed that, too.  
    “I’ll come see you as soon as I can, okay?”  
    I nodded and hugged her tight. I didn’t know what happened to her parents, and I couldn’t help her without knowing what happened to my own family. We had no idea what kind of state we would be in when we saw each other again. If we’d both be whole, or broken.  
    “Be safe, Piper.”  
    We let each other go and I slipped out of the truck bed onto my old street. I think the truck drove away, but I didn’t