" A crash of thunder shakes the storage room, startling us both. Another one follows on its heels, causing Beau to lift his head and howl. I scoot over to his side, scratching him behind one ear. “It’s okay, buddy. We’re safe in here.” I hope, I add silently. “Look at Sadie. She’s not being a scaredy-cat. Oops, sorry, guys,” I toss over my shoulder toward the cats. “Just a figure of speech. How’s it going over there in the USS Enterprise?”
“You always talk to them like that?” Ryder asks me, his voice a little shaky.
“Pretty much.” I look at him sharply, noticing how pale he’s gotten. A muscle in his jaw is working furiously, and there’s a thin sheen of sweat on his forehead. “Are you okay?”
He doesn’t get a chance to answer. Another clap of thunder reverberates throughout the small space, followed by a horrible cracking sound and then a terrifyingly loud crashing noise.
I rise to my knees, looking toward the door that leads out. “What the hell was that?”
Ryder reaches for me, his fingers circling my wrist in a manacling grip. “You can’t go out there, Jemma!”
I struggle to release myself. “I’ve got to see--”
“No! There’s a goddamned tornado out there. Shit!” He pulls me toward him, and I practically fall into his lap.
He’s shaking, I realize. Trembling all over. “What is wrong with you?” I ask him.
“What’s wrong with me?” His voice rises shrilly. “You’re the one trying to go out in a tornado. You’ve got to wait till the sirens quit.”
“I know. But crap, that sounded like something came through the roof.”
I scoot away from him, putting space between our bodies. I can smell him--soap and shampoo and the clean, crisp-smelling cologne he always wears. I can smell something else, too--fear. He’s terrified.
Of the storm? "

― Kristi Cook , Magnolia (Magnolia Branch, #1)