Finding Lenny

The Road to Truth Series

Quell T. Fox

This book contains adult/mature situations.

This is a paranormal reverse harem.

There is m/m action.

Copyright © 2019 Quell T. Fox

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof
may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever
without the express written permission of the publisher
except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

CHAPTER 1

Lenny

I have one memory of my mother, just one. Thank fuck it’s a good one. I think that’s why it was so easy for me to fall into her trap. I don’t remember things the way Maddox does, I only know what I’ve been told. I don’t have the negative feelings towards her rooted in me because I barely remember her at all. The memories that I do have are not my own.

When she found me on social media, I didn’t respond right away. I waited a day or two, not that it’s much better. I tried to wait longer. I tried to ignore her completely. But I couldn’t. I fell into her trap, because… well, because who doesn’t want to be loved by their mother? We all want acceptance.

She didn’t ask for money right away, but it didn’t take long either. But what kept me talking to her, what kept me so engaged, was that even after I gave her money, she still kept talking to me. She asked about my life, about what I’ve been doing. She even asked about Maddox. I told her about Friday, too. She seemed truly interested in getting to know me.

She doesn’t know about my powers. And she never will.

I caught onto her game all too quickly. Along with the help of Maddox losing his shit. That really put things into perspective for me. Once I stopped responding, she started with the negative remarks. She’d only been keeping in touch and pretending to be interested so she could get more out of me.

Maddox was right.

She’s money hungry. She doesn’t care about me, not really.

It hurt at first, but then it didn’t. I’m surrounded by people that care about me, why do I need more? Love isn’t about quantity. Family isn’t about blood. It isn’t about who you are related to. It’s about who is there when you need them. Who you love and who loves you in return. I have that. All of it. My own family. Maddox, Alec, Callan and Friday. They are my family and I am theirs. It’s all we have, but I know it’s all I need.

My only regret? The one thing that keeps coming back to me was the last thing that mom said to me. She’d continued to text me for a couple of days without me answering. I thought she’d get the hint if I ignored her. She didn’t. Finally I told her that I was done. I’d realized that I messed up, I made a mistake. I hurt the one person that has always been there for me and his feelings meant more to me than building a relationship with someone that didn’t want me. Even after that, she kept on for another two days. At that point her messages became cruel and almost threatening. But the last one… that’s something I can’t get out of my mind.

Charlene: It really is too bad that you won’t continue to speak to me and help me out. I was hoping that Leona would finally have a big brother.

Big brother.

She has another child. Another child that she kept. That she chose to raise. I have a sister.

How old is she? Does she know about me? What does she look like?

A million questions run through my head and none to be answered. I don’t know how it’s possible, but just knowing of her existence makes me love her. Leona, not mom. I have this deep urge to go to her, to help her, to save her. To make her life better. To make it as good as mine was. As good as mine is now.

But maybe she doesn’t need saving. Mom kept her. She chose not to give her up. Maybe she’s taken care of, maybe mom is in a better place. Or – and I don’t know if this is better or worse – maybe mom is lying all together.

Whatever it is, I still don’t respond. She’s not worth my time. Just like I wasn’t worth hers.

Friday

-FRIDAY-

“I have something that I need to show you guys. We’re going on a road trip tomorrow.” Maddox says, his grey eyes looking at me through the rearview mirror.

“Uh-oh.” Lenny rolls his eyes at me.

“Like a good thing or a bad thing?” I ask, not sure what to expect anymore. Especially from him.

“Good thing. Consider it a… surprise.” Maddox states dryly, taking a right turn leading us back to Callan’s house. We went out for dinner since we slept the day away (minus Callan, who went to work because he didn’t want to miss any more days) from being awake most of the night. Well, they had been awake most of the night, babysitting me. I slept and slept and slept. Alec actually referred to me as Sleeping Beauty. Sometimes I don’t know if I should laugh at his jokes, because even though they’re funny I’m not sure he means them to be. He’s so serious all the time and looks like he’d be offended by anyone laughing around him. So I chuckled nervously and walked away.

“Another surprise? From you?” Lenny asks, shocked. “Who are you and where is Maddox?”

“Shut it, Leonard.” Lenny kicks the seat in front of him, earning himself a death look from Maddox. “If there is a spot on my seat, you’re dead.” He grounds out.

“If I can get laid in this car without making a mess, I can sit in it without making a mess.” My cheeks warm, remembering the time Lenny and I took off in Maddox’s Jeep and ended up fucking on our way back to the hotel. And not before we almost did it right in the parking lot, too.

“It wasn’t your ass that rubbed against my seat. It was your shoe. Which I bet is loaded with shit. Do you even wash them?”

“He does have a point. The bottoms of your shoes are full of… well, just everything, really.” Callan adds in his teacher voice. I laugh quietly and rest my head back. We pull into the driveway and pile out. It’s getting dark, already. I’m refreshed and energized from sleeping so much that I’m not sure I’ll be able to sleep tonight. At least I can sleep on the road trip tomorrow. The guys won’t let me drive anyway. By the time I get behind the wheel I’m going to need road lessons all over again.

I walk into the house, though I guess it’s more of a wobble, my stomach is seriously bloated from the food I just ate. Or… shit. It’s about that time. Ugh. Normally I keep better track of this, but with everything going on I must have forgotten. I think back, counting the weeks and yep. It’s definitely about that time. I groan as I fall onto the couch, a bit dramatically, I admit.

“What’s up with you?” Lenny asks, unlacing his shoes. He picks each one up, inspecting the bottoms. When he doesn’t find what he’s looking for, he shrugs and places them on the rack by the door.

“I’m bloated.” I whine.

“You did eat a lot, try drinking some water.”

“It’s not that.”

“Okaaay.” He looks confused, then his eyes widen. “Oh. That. Uhm…”

“It’s fine. I’ll be fine.” I wave him off. “It hasn’t come yet, but I know it’s going to. It also explains why I felt like crap yesterday and was so tired.” I should have known this was coming. I take my pills every night, but things have been so hectic lately that I guess I didn’t realize which I was taking. I just make sure that I take them.

“Pretty sure that was the potion.”

“This made it worse. Trust me.” Lenny holds his hands up in a pleading motion, “I believe you. Stand down.” I swat at him. He jumps back, avoiding contact and jets to the kitchen. I kick my shoes off, leaving them where they fall on the floor and get comfy, hugging a pillow and grabbing the blanket from the back of the couch to cover myself. Callan comes down the stairs, picks up my shoes and places them on the shoe rack.

“I would have done that,” I mumble lazily.

“I know, but I don’t mind.” He places a quick kiss on my forehead, rounds the couch and heads down the hallway into the library. He mentioned earlier that he wanted to spend time doing some research. We need to find out if I really am the new Prophet, or if it’s something else. Normally, the person would go to the Prophet (we did), but since we think she’s the one trying to kill us (her husband, anyway) we can’t exactly go back and ask her that. It may be the exact reason why she’s after me in the first place. There is only ever one Prophet.

The coming of the new prophet, starts the demise of the current one.

So Callan says, and of course, I believe him. There just isn’t enough information to understand everything and that is the problem. I turn on the TV with the remote, flip through channels and stop when I see Ryan Gosling’s face. Perfect. The Notebook. Just what I need right now – something to make me cry. I click the volume button a few times, making it louder, and then put the remote down on the end table. I cuddle into myself and watch.

***

Maddox

“You got a minute?” Lenny asks me quietly. I’m digging around in the fridge, because even though I just ate, I need more. I don’t know why, but I’ve needed to eat nonstop today.

“Yeah, what’s up?”

“Quiet down!” Lenny says, in a hushed whisper, gaining us a look from Alec who is sitting at the dining table. I raise a brow at him. “Not from Alec, from Friday.” I straighten and meet Lenny’s gaze. “How are you doing since feeding from me?” He’s twitchy. He has something he needs to tell me. I know his tics are this point.

“Normal.”

“No more blood thirst? You think it was Friday’s blood?” Lenny runs his hand through his hair and then shoves it into his pocket.

“That’s what I assume at this point. I feel better after feeding from you, I haven’t thought about her blood… at all, really.” I go back to looking inside of the fridge. I know I shouldn’t be eating junk food, I’ve barely been to the gym, but I really need… something.

“Okay, well I’ve got some bad news then. I mean, I think it’s bad news. Well, it could, in some scenarios be considered really good news, but right now, it’s probably bad.” He rocks back and forth on his heels. I catch Alec staring at us from behind Lenny with curiosity.

“Jesus, Lenny! Stop babbling and just spit it out.” I snap. I love this kid, more than anything but sometimes he’s annoying as hell.

“Right, sorry. Uh, it’s shark week, dude.”

“What?”

“You know, shark week. Friday… she’s a woman, you know. Shark? Blood. Come on, man, you know what I’m saying.” Lenny explains, I hear a snicker from Alec who is looking at something on his phone and sipping from his bottle of beer.

“What’s your point, Lenny?” I ask, growing impatient. I don’t understand why I need to know this, or how he knows this.

“What if it makes you crazy? You said it was hard for you after you fed from her, what if this messes you up too? I just wanted to give you the heads up.”

“I feel fine.”

“She hasn’t actually started bleeding yet.” He says in a loud whisper, closing the distance between us. My eyes flick beside Lenny, Alec’s shoulders are shaking and I know he’s holding in his laughter at this ridiculous conversation.

“How the fuck do you even know this?” I place an arm on the center of his chest and push him back.

“She told me. All I’m saying is, be careful.” He says dramatically. He pats me on the shoulder and walks out. I look to Alec, who has a smirk on his face and he’s not even trying to hide it right now.

“Eat shit, dude.” His smirk turns to a full-on laugh. I turn around and look in the fridge again. I need something, but I just don’t know what it is.

CHAPTER 2

Friday

You know that dreadful moment, when you know that you’ve just ruined a pair of panties thanks to Mother Nature? Worst moment, ever. Right?

My moment? I’m lying on the couch with my legs draped over Lenny’s lap. He’s snacking on a bag of chips. The cramps started when I laid down and they’ve only gotten worse. Callan is still in the library, Lenny said he’ll probably spend the night in there. Alec and Maddox are still in the kitchen.

I feel that all too familiar gush that makes me scramble off the couch and run upstairs, hoping that my clothes will be salvageable. I make it to the bathroom, pull off my pants and panties and sit on the toilet while simultaneously soaking the panties in water.

Fuck my life.

What’s the big deal you say? Well, I’m running out of panties, that’s the problem. The guys have torn a few off of me, I think I left some behind at the hotels we’ve been at, so I don’t have many left. And, I don’t have any money. Yet! I would have gotten paid today, but we didn’t make it into work, so I didn’t get my check. I know the guys would buy me more, but that’s just not happening. I have a job now, I’m making my own money. I’ll be getting my own things from now on. I sit there for a while, when I realize I don’t have any fucking tampons. The tears form in my eyes and even though I know I’m being ridiculous, I just can’t help it.

Lenny

Maddox walks out of the kitchen just as Friday is running up the stairs. “What is that…” he trails off. He sniffs deeply, blinks and his eyes are black.

Fuck.

“Alec!” I shout, as I jump up and grab onto Maddox’s arm before he can run up the stairs. I have his arm, but unfortunately, I’m no match for him. He shakes me off, causing me to trip on the stairs and fall up them, yes up them. He’s gone before I even look up.

Damn vampires and their super speed.

“We have a problem!” I say loudly to Alec, who’s standing behind me laughing. His arms crossed over his broad chest, and in this moment I wonder why I have to be the smallest out of these guys.

“He won’t hurt her, he’s just going to tire her out.”

“Huh?” I ask, confused.

“He doesn’t want to hurt her, Lenny. He just wants the blood.”

Oh. Oooooh. I push myself up and cluck my tongue at Alec. “Got it.” I stand and brush myself off. “I’m going to fill Callan in.” Alec shakes his head as he grabs his beer from the table and sits on the couch. He picks up the remote and changes the channel just as my favorite part of The Notebook happens. You know, the part when they get off the boat and it’s downpouring? Don’t ask.

I enter the library. Callan is sitting at the desk with the laptop open and on. He has a stack of books piled on the desk to his left. He’s hunched over, looking through a folder filled with papers.

“Callan?” No response. I walk deeper. “Callan?” Still no response. This guy has selective hearing, I’m sure of it. I throw my head back and growl and walk all the way to him, tapping his shoulder. He looks up, his glasses down at the edge of his nose.

“Hm?”

“Got a minute? There’s something you need to know.”

“Sure.” He pushes his glasses up to their rightful place and closes the folder, placing it on the desk. He turns in his chair to face me fully. Interlocking his fingers and resting them on his lap. One thing I have to give Callan is that he always gives you his full attention. Once you have it, that is. It may take a moment to get it, but once you have it, it’s yours.

“Friday has her period, and Maddox just went a little berserk.” I say, his eyes crinkle into confusion, before they widen with realization.

“Ah, well, she’s going to be a busy girl this week I guess.” He leans back into his chair, laughing slightly. Why does everyone think this is funny?

I look him over, suddenly noticing how good looking of a guy he really is. Why haven’t I ever noticed it before?

“How are you and Alec so sure he isn’t going to hurt her?” I ask.

“Sometimes we forget how much younger you are than us. Now it doesn’t matter, but when we were younger obviously it was different.” He leans forward, resting his elbows on his knees. “This has happened before, with Maddox. Before he was able to handle his vampire, he would go nuts when women were menstruating. It was a difficult time because there is no way to tell who was and who wasn’t. We couldn’t just go up to them and ask, after all.” His cheeks pinken at the thought of having to do that, I’m sure. “But he could smell it. He had one girlfriend that was completely okay with him… you know. And well, when that week rolled around, he pretty much disappeared.”

“Huh. That’s… interesting.” Nodding my head in understanding.

“I think with Friday the feeling may be more intense. Especially since he mentioned it being hard for him to control himself with her blood. This should make for an interesting week.” He says on a laugh.

“So, we just let this happen? How long will it last for? What if he goes too far?”

“I doubt that will happen. Maddox has had great control for a long time, once he has his fill he’ll settle down and regain himself. Then we can talk to him.”

“If you’re sure…”

“I’m sure. You want to stick around and help me?” He picks up the folder again, opening it and adjusting his glasses to read through the papers over the black frames. He’s such a nerd. I swear our names were mixed up or something. He looks like the Leonard Wibbles, not me.

I take a look at the books, that I swear are written in Latin, scrunch up my nose and back away slowly. “No thanks, dude. You have fun.”

“Suit yourself,” he says, swiveling back towards the table.

Friday

I’m sitting on the toilet, completely overreacting about my five-year-old underwear being ruined, when the door to the bathroom crashes open. It slams against the wall, causing a crack in the tile and I know Callan is not going to be happy about that.

“You know you’re fixing that, right? What is wrong with you?” I look up and my breath catches in my throat. His eyes are completely black, he’s panting and looks like a rabid animal. He’s practically foaming at the mouth. “Maddox? Are you okay?” I ask, leaning back on the toilet. Not that there is anywhere to go, but maybe the extra inch will help. I almost call for help… almost. Maddox takes a deep sniff and his eyes bounce from the sink, to me.

Oh.

Oh shit.

“You smell fucking delicious.” His voice is deeper and huskier than normal.

“Uh, thanks?” I’m not a prude, I’ve never been against sex on my period. That shit feels bomb dot com. But I have a feeling that isn’t what Maddox is licking for… I mean, looking. Yeah, that’s not what he’s looking for.

He takes a step closer and I lean back further. I’m not afraid of him, not really. I’m just not so sure that I’m okay with what he wants. I know what he wants… am I okay with it? I mean, he is a vampire. So, that’s a thing, right?

“Okay, Lestat. Calm it down.” I hold my palms up in the stop motion. “If this is happening, there needs to be some ground rules.” He cocks his head to the side, studying me. I’m not sure if he’s himself right now, or if he’s a different person. I don’t know how the vampire thing works – I should probably ask. I’ve never seen him lose control like this before. My stomach pools with heat at the thought of him losing control with me.

The look on his face makes me lose track of what I was saying. His muscles bulging, his eyes needy, his panting. The period horniness is distracting me. And the hot as sin vampire that’s in front of me – that wants nothing more than to lick me into a frenzy – is not helping. What was I saying…?

Oh, yes. Rules.

“Right, so rules.” I say, as Maddox takes a step closer. “Uh, rules.” I hold a finger up.

He smirks at me, his fangs showing. My heart speeds up.

“Rules…”

Thump, thump, thump.

He’s inches from me, his knees almost touching mine. He bends at the waist, levelling his eyes with mine. They’re so dark and glossy that I can see my reflection in them almost perfectly. They’re devastatingly gorgeous.

“The only rules anyone will be following are mine,” he growls. “And my only rule right now, is that you are mine.” He closes the distance between us, devouring my mouth with his. His tongue thrashes against mine. I moan into his mouth loudly. His hands reach for my shirt and he tears it open, allowing the cool air to claim my breasts. His fang scrapes over my lip and he sucks it into his mouth. Groaning at the taste of my blood.

“Let me… let me just.” I reach for the wipes blindly. Callan doesn’t have normal toilet paper, he has wipes. Fancy bastard. Maddox slaps my hand away and growls at me. Seriously fucking growls. He scoops me up, one arm around my back, the other under my knees and he walks into the bedroom and throws me on the bed. I land with an oomph and bounce a couple of times before scrambling towards the head of the bed.

“Maddox…” He looks over at me, his eyes dark and shadowed with need. I shut my mouth, not wanting to argue this. Fuck it. If he wants it, let him have it. I flop down on my back, giving in, and let him do his thing. He crawls onto the bed, looking over me like I’m his next meal. Which, in a sense, I guess I am. He is the hunter, I am the prey. He stops once his face is hovering over my stomach. He hooks both arms under my knees and spreads me wide, sliding my legs over his shoulders. He takes a long sniff before diving in. He licks, and sucks for what feels like hours. He fucking ravages me. It doesn’t stop. Even when I feel like I can’t take anymore, he keeps going. I lose track of the amount of orgasms I have. At this point I’m starting to feel numb. My throat is scratchy from screaming, my mouth dry, my fingers raw from gripping the sheets. The lack of breathing properly, moans and screams, have left me feeling dizzy.

How have the guys not come in here? I know they can hear me. Do they think this is a joke? This fucking vampire is going to be the death of me. I mean, it’s a good death, but still. I don’t want to die! I haven’t even fucked Alec yet…

I have to admit my cramps are basically non-existent right now, and for that I am thankful. My entire body is numb, which is also a help. But I am exhausted. He needs to stop. This needs to stop. I need to breathe.

And as if he can read my mind…

Oh wait, he can.

He looks up at me with a smirk. His eyes are back to their normal silvery grey color. They’re brighter now, like a brand-new coin. You’d think his face would be a hot mess, all Carrie like and full of blood. It’s not. Thank fuck, because that would have freaked me out a little.

He’s a vampire. I remind myself. This is what he does.

This is weird for me, but for him, this is his food. Ugh, that is so weird.

“Are you done? Because I think I may die.” I pant out in a raspy voice that doesn’t sound like my own.

“Then you’re going to have a very long week. Shall we plan your funeral now?” He says, sliding his tongue from my opening over my clit one last time, causing me to jump. I’m so sensitive that it hurts. I’m sore as fuck from him licking me. I didn’t think that was possible, but trust me, it is.

“Fuck you, are you full? Vampire.” I spit out, sitting up on elbows. I’m wobbly and shaky, but I’m trying to prove a point here, so I struggle to stay put. Even though every muscle in my body is screaming in protest.

“Not quite, but I am satisfied for the time being. Though, I meant it when I said you are going to have a very long week. Best to prepare now.” He grins at me.

“And if I say no?”

“Do you not remember what I said? My rules only. You. Are. Mine.” He growls it out, and for some crazy as fuck reason, my pussy throbs with want. Like fuck, girl, you were just feasted on for like two hours. Chill out!

I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t excited about the thought of Maddox wanting to lick me for an entire week, though I do think that I may die.

“If you plan on killing me, you better tell Alec to get his shit together. I’m not dying before I get a piece of that.” He laughs at my comment. Like, actually fucking laughs.

CHAPTER 3

Maddox

“You are doing me a favor, since you plan on killing me this week.” Friday tells me, sitting up and leaning her back against the headboard. Her breasts jiggle with her movements and I picture taking her nipples into my mouth again. I want her all the time on a normal basis, never mind now.

“Oh, I am?”

“Yes,” she says with a smirk. One that makes me want to grab her face and devour it. My monster is satisfied enough to be controlled. For now. I haven’t lost control like that in a long time, a very long time. I’m thankful that it was for pussy and not for murder.

“And what might that be?” I ask, pulling my shirt over my head in preparation for a shower. “You want pickles and ice cream or some shit?”

“Hmm, not exactly. I do need tampons though.” I pause mid pants pull down.

“You’re joking, right?” I ask, stepping out of my pants and throwing them to the corner.

“Not a chance, grumpy pants.” She stands from the bed, pulls clothes from her suitcase and heads to the bathroom closing the door behind her. I was planning on showering, but I guess I’m not now. She opens the door and pops her head out, “also, check if Callan has something for cramps, if not, I’ll need that too.” She shuts the door and a moment later I hear the shower. I scrub my hands down my face.

Get a girlfriend they say. It’ll be fun they say.

Fuck. My. Life.

If I’m doing this, someone is coming with me. There is no way in hell I’m going on my own when she has three other guys that should suffer as well. All or nothing, right? I put my clothes back on and go down to the other guys.

“Feeling better?” Lenny asks cheerily.

“Much, thanks for asking. Get up, you’re coming with me.” I walk towards the door, pull my shoes from the rack and step into them.

“Nah, I’m not in the mood. Make Alec go. Don’t you guys have like a hundred years of making up to do or something?” I groan. That is not what I need right now. But I am not in the mood to argue. I am feeling rather grumpy. Haven’t the slightest clue as to why.

“Fine, whatever. Alec!” I shout, not wanting to look for him.

“What?” He shouts back from the kitchen. “Get out here. I need you to come with me.” He walks out of the kitchen, still dressed, less his shoes.

“Where are we going?” He finishes off his beer and crunches the can.

“Store. Friday needs… things.” Lenny cracks up at my comment. He stops laughing and makes the whip sound. “Why are you even doing that?” I ask, incredulously. “Don’t act like you wouldn’t do the same.” He stops the antics and narrows his eyes at me.

“That is a good point, but it’s still funny.”

I shake my head and grab my keys from the hook on the wall. I head out the door, leaving it open knowing that Alec will follow. I know him well enough to know that if he weren’t coming he would have argued about it and told me to fuck off. He didn’t. That’s his silent yes.

I get into the Jeep and start it up, a moment later the passenger door opens.

Told ya.

I back out of the driveway and turn down the road towards the closest store. Alec reaches his hand to the radio. “Don’t even think about it.”

“What is your problem with the radio, anyway?” He asks, sitting back. I’m silent for a moment, deciding whether I want to share that bit of information or not. I don’t, but I know that I’m going to. Fuck. What is happening to me? I’ve become pathetic.

“I killed someone.”

“Join the club, bro.”

Oh, shit. I need to think before I open my mouth. I’m a real dickhead at the wrong times.

“A few years ago I was backing out of my driveway, radio blasted. I hit someone, full on ran them over.” I notice out of the corner of my eye that he’s interested, so I continue. “I didn’t hear them yelling, I only felt the bump. I assumed it was a tree branch, so I kept going. Obviously this Jeep could handle a fucking tree branch. I only realized it was a person once I made it to the street and saw them lying in front of my driveway. They were fucked up beyond all hell. I jumped out and immediately fed them my blood.” His eyes widen at the comment. “I had no other choice! I wasn’t about to go down for murder. I’d rather risk getting outed. Anyway, I made sure he had a pulse, watched him for a few and once he started to heal, I took off. Assuming, he’d appreciate living.”

“And that’s it?”

“The fuck you mean that’s it? That’s a big fucking deal.” I say defensively. I’ve never shared this story with anyone before, and now I’m regretting telling this asshole.

“He never came back? Looking for someone that ran him over? Ratted you out?”

“Haven’t heard a damn thing.”

“You lucky fucker.” He laughs. I look at him, raising an eyebrow. He smiles wide and I laugh in return.

“You’re such a douche.” I pull into the Genmart, one of the “get everything you need here” type of stores, park and get out. We enter the store and I head to the pharmacy area first, to grab a bottle of Advil, hoping this shit will help. I pass a stock of heating pads and grab one of those, too. In case the Advil doesn’t work completely. Next, tampons. Great.

Alec and I stand and stare at a shit ton of colorful boxes. It’s written in another language. Super? Regular? Plastic? What the fuck does this shit mean? I look over to Alec who shrugs and grabs a box that has all “sizes” included.

“I don’t know what size her pussy is, so just get them all.” I look at him like he’s a fucking fool.

“It doesn’t work that way, moron. Weren’t you engaged? How did you get by without knowing how tampons work?” I snatch the box from his hand and look it over. Seems to be good enough, it’ll have to do. I shove it under my arm.

“I’m sorry, do I look married to you? Obviously, that didn’t work out for a reason. Besides, I didn’t see you picking one.”

“I was trying to figure out what language it was written in.” I say as we turn and walk towards the food area. Alec laughs but doesn’t respond. Seems like we both have the same idea. She didn’t say she wanted ice cream and pickles, but I’m pretty sure that every girl likes ice cream during this inconvenient time of the month.

We simultaneously stop at the frozen section, in front of rows of ice cream. I look to him, “chocolate?” He nods, adding “but not just plain chocolate, you have to make it fun. You know, worth the calories and shit.”

“Good point.” We grab a carton of ice cream that’s filled with all kinds of shit. Chocolate, caramel, peanut butter bites and pretzel pieces. I let the door close, but then Alec opens it again, snatching up another carton. Strawberry cheesecake. I give him a questioning look.

“What? It’s fucking good, okay?” He says gruffly.

We walk towards the register when we pass the pajama area. I spot this pajama set that even I can admit looks comfortable. I stop in front of it, the material calling to me. I reach out for a feel.

“Dude, you have to touch this shit. It feels like a unicorn fart.” I have no clue why that shit just left my mouth, but it’s too late to take it back now.

“What the hell is wrong with you? What does that even mean?”

“I have no idea but trust me.” He touches it warily, but his face changes from doubt to satisfaction almost immediately.

“See? You get it now.” I smirk.

“That’s weird as fuck.” He says, still stroking the purple pants. He stops and flips through the hangers, pulling one down.

“That is for Friday… right?” He frowns. “Hey, I’m not judging,” I say, throwing my hands up – as best as I can with everything in them – in a surrender motion. “You can do what you want in your free time.”

“Obviously they’re for her, dipshit. Do you think I could fit my ass into a medium?”

“I’ve seen worse.” I shrug.

We get to a self-scan aisle. I throw everything onto the belt and scan the items. Alec disappears for a moment and comes back with his hands full of small bags of candy and different chocolate bars.

“Really? Is that necessary?”

“I’m the one that was engaged, remember? Yes, it’s fucking necessary.” Alec and I hadn’t been doing great when I found out he was engaged. Part of me thought he did it just to spite me. That was the point when I knew that he had given up on our Circle. On us. It’s not uncommon for Supernaturals to have relationships with humans before finding their bonded. Then there are some that choose to ignore their Circle all together, it isn’t easy to accomplish, but it’s possible. “Trust me, it’ll make her happy.”

Even though I had lost hope when I found out he was with Layla, he still came with us on the trip. He gave all of us – including Layla – the lame excuse of just needing a vacation, but that is what kept that little bit of hope inside of me. I knew that once he gave that up, it would be all over. He got shit for it, too. Layla was not a nice person. She was jealous and controlling. And ultimately a lying bitch. Alec being gone for three weeks was not a good time for her. Every night he’d spend at least an hour on the phone arguing with her outside. I’d heard the things she said to him – thanks to my heightened sense – and they weren’t very nice. Even though we weren’t close at the time, I still felt bad for him. He didn’t deserve what she put him through. And she sure as hell didn’t deserve to be with him. He has his issues, but he’s a great fucking guy. I knew then that they wouldn’t last. That he needed to get it out of his system. Let it run its course. He needed to figure it out on his own.

And he did.

“You’re trying to get laid. Well, fuck off. It’s my week.” He shakes his head and scans the rest of the chocolate. I swipe my card as he grabs the bags. “She did say she wanted to fuck you though.” I look at him out of the corner of my eye.

“Oh, yeah?” He asks, a half smile on his face, looking proud. This fucker never smiles. Not like that. I think he realizes his mistake, because he quickly wipes it off his face.

“What exactly are you waiting for?” I unlock the Jeep and open the trunk to put the bags into the back.

“I don’t know. I can’t explain it.” He knows, he just doesn’t want to tell me. I’m smarter than I look. People look at me and think I’m just an idiot gym rat, whose brain is filled with protein shakes and work out routines. They are highly mistaken. I’m sharp as a tack, but I thoroughly enjoy being underestimated.

I don’t even like protein shakes.

“Just because I act like I don’t care, and like I’m not terrified as fuck, doesn’t mean I’m not. Because I am.” I stand in front of him, face to face. “This is huge, for so many reasons. We’re in this together. All of us, it’s always been that way. What would be the worst thing that happens?”

“She dies. She leaves. She hates me.”

“She’s not your mom, your dad or your brother. I stuck around because it’s meant to be us. Besides, if she really is the new Prophet, we don’t have to worry about her dying any time soon. They have the closest thing to immortality.” He nods slightly but doesn’t respond. He stares over my shoulder for a few breaths before speaking again.

“I don’t think I can handle losing someone else. I know she isn’t my mom, dad or Aaron. And she sure as fuck isn’t you. Or Layla, or anyone else. I know that, but it’s still… I don’t know. It’s just a lot to take in so soon.”

“We knew this day would come.” We both get into the Jeep, shutting the doors in sync. I put the key in the ignition, start it up and drive towards the main road.

“Did we though? Because I think at least half of us weren’t so sure.”

“We did. If we didn’t, then we wouldn’t have kept looking. And you know that’s the truth.”

The rest of the car ride is silent. We pull up to the house, I park and we go inside. I tell Alec to bring Friday her stuff, because right now, he needs the praise. I’ve gotten laid plenty and will for the rest of this week. He needs the attention. He can have it.

CHAPTER 4

Friday

I’m lying in bed, convinced that my insides are falling out and/or just trying to kill me. If Maddox doesn’t hurry up and get back I’m going to murder him. Ugh, but I don’t really want to do that. He does give me orgasms. And orgasms are good. Though, I do have three other willing guys. Okay, two willing and one that’s a maybe… Still, I think I’d miss his rude ass.

A soft knock sounds on the door and a large figure comes walking in. Not the one I was expecting. But this one is holding a few bags in his hands, so it may be acceptable. I give him a questioning look.

“Is Maddox too afraid to show his face?” I cross my arms over my chest and lean back, trying to look as grumpy as possible, which isn’t difficult given the circumstances. Alec chuckles and shakes his head.

“I went with him and was chosen for delivery.” He went with him?

“I see.” He stands at the door, waiting. “Well, let’s see it then. I’ve been waiting long enough.”

Alec walks in and places the bags on the bed. “Why are there so many?” I ask. Both curious and excited.

“We found some other things we thought you may like. Though, you need to hurry up and open one of them because it’ll get ruined.” I narrow my eyes at him, but then start to dig through the bags.

Everything that I asked for, and so much more. A smile appears on my face at how thoughtful my two assholes really are deep down inside.

“You guys got this stuff yourself?” I ask.

“Yep.”

“Lenny didn’t go?”

“Nope.

“Callan?”

He shakes his head with a smirk. He’s not even offended, something that I do appreciate about him. These guys are amazing. I couldn’t ask for anything more. Alec helps pull things from the bags. He holds up the ice cream, “want some of this now?” I nod my head eagerly. “I’ll be right back.” He disappears out the door as I empty the rest of the bags. The heating pad is going to be so helpful. I pull it out of the box and place it on the bed beside me. Next, I dump the chocolate and candy all over the bed, picking up a Kit-Kat and tearing it open. I break off a piece (because that is the only acceptable way to eat it) and shove it into my mouth.

When I get to a pair of pants, I’m a little confused. I mean, they are super soft, but why pants? So random. I lift them up and rub them on my face, of course that’s the exact moment that Alec decides to walk back in.

“I’m not a genius or anything, you could ask Callan to be sure, but I don’t think that’s how you use those.” He says, placing the bowl of ice cream on the end table beside me. The bed dips as he takes a seat by my feet.

“They’re mine, I’ll do with them what I want.” I continue rubbing them on my face, because they feel like a cloud.

“Actually, I forgot to take them out. I bought them for myself.” I bark out a laugh. “What? You don’t think I’d look good in them?”

I offer them to him and say, “okay then, put them on.”

He stares at me for a moment, and I know he isn’t going to do it. Lenny, absolutely. I may even be able to convince Callan to put them on, but no way in hell is Alec doing this.

He stands from the bed, leaving the pants hanging in my grip. His hands slowly make their way to the button on his jeans. He flicks it open and unzips his fly. My eyes watch as his fingers move along his waistband and slide his pants down his legs. My eyes stay glued to the rather large bulge in his black briefs. He steps out of his pants and my eyes move to his leg – the one that is covered in beautifully colored tattoos, and rather muscular. Drool worthy. My eyes move back up and I follow his hands as they reach under the hem of his shirt. He pulls it off over his head and drops it to the floor. His eyes looking down to meet mine.

Holy. Fuck.

The artwork peaks out from above his waistline and disappears around his back. His stomach is defined and delicious. I would love nothing more than to run my tongue all over his abs. My eyes travel higher, raking over each line of muscle on his stomach and then his pecks. I take note of each and every scar that I see, and there are so many. I’d focus on them more, if the growing bulge wasn’t taking my attention. I refuse to look down at it directly, so I continue looking up. His arms are large and his shoulders broad. Curving down to his thin waist. His face is blank, not looking at anything in particular. I feel like I’ve been staring at him for hours and moments all at the same time. I’m actually not entirely sure how long it’s been…

“If you rip them, you’re in trouble.” I choke out. I throw the pants at him, clearing my throat and pulling myself from my fantasy of fucking the hell out of him. Period and all, I don’t even care. I reach for my bowl of ice cream, needing something to busy myself with and to cool me down. It’s hot as hell in here. He takes a deep breath after catching the pants. He steps into them and I feel the laughter already. He pulls them up with a struggle. They’re stretchy, but he’s rather large. They don’t make it up all the way, stopping halfway down his ass. He looks over his shoulder at his bum and laughs. I laugh too. I try not to choke on the ice cream that’s in my mouth. I swallow quickly and don’t take another bite until I’ve got the laugher under control.

“Well, I guess since they don’t fit, you can have them.” He shrugs.

“Uh-huh.” He pulls them off, placing them on the bed and pulls his pants on. He picks up his shirt, sliding one arm in when I say, “you could leave it off.” His expression doesn’t change, and he doesn’t speak. Instead, he drops his shirt to the ground. He leans down on the bed and picks up the heating pad. He moves closer to me and reaches between the bed and end table. One hand is placed on the bed for leverage, while the other is reaching behind the table to plug it in. I can’t help but drool over his arm. His scrumptious looking arm that is merely inches from my face. A sound comes from the back of my throat and I quickly clear it again in hopes to cover it up. I shove another spoonful of chocolatey goodness into my mouth.

Maddox is big and goes to the gym often. He’s strong and in shape. But his body type is different than Alec’s. Alec would be a big guy even if he didn’t work out – which I can only assume he does. No way he looks like that for nothing. If Maddox didn’t go to the gym, he wouldn’t be scrawny by any means, he’d be an average sized guy.

Alec straightens, grabs the pad and turns it on. He offers it out to me, but instead of taking it, I roll the blankets down. I told you, I get horny when I have my period. Alec seems to think about what he’s doing before he acts, but it doesn’t take him long to reach over and place the warm pad over my lower belly. I don’t miss the fact that his fingers brush along the area right above my pelvic bone as he pulls away. I can’t be sure it was purposeful though. He points to the bowl in my hands, “eat it before it melts. And don’t get any on the bed or Callan will have both our heads.” I choke out a laugh as he walks out the door. I pull the pants closer to me and push them under my arm so I can feel the soft material. The ice cream helps in cooling me down, because even though a short time ago I thought Maddox was going to kill me, I would have let Alec do the same thing right here, right now.

CHAPTER 5

Friday

-SATURDAY-

I wake up the next morning to someone spreading my legs apart forcefully. Rough fingers run over my clit as a possessive growl sounds from under the sheets. I realize then what is going on. I scramble out of bed and run straight to the bathroom.

“Jesus, Maddox! You need to at least let me clean up first.” I scrub my hands over my face and clean myself up. He is out of control. I woke up two different times last night to being devoured by his mouth. I feel like there is sand in my eyes from the lack of sleep. I thought he’d had enough, but clearly, I am severely mistaken. I turn the shower on and wait for it to warm. I’m already naked – thanks to Maddox – so as soon as the water is hot enough, I step in.

“No.” A hand grabs my upper arm and pulls me away from the steamy water. Maddox pushes me against the wall by the door, his hand going straight between my legs. The crack in the wall that he caused yesterday pinching at the skin on my lower back. My arm is pinned between the wall and his body, his other hand is wrapped around my throat, squeezing gently. His eyes move down as he watches his fingers work me into an orgasm. My eyes flick to his, which are completely black again. He breathes deeply and his head rolls back on his shoulders. “Your smell is intoxicating.”

His fingers plunge into me. After building me up and stopping at the exact moment I’m about to come for what feels like forever, he drops to his knees, pulling one of my legs over his shoulder. His tongue finds my swollen clit and he licks me savagely. My hands fist his hair as I moan out his name. He runs the flat part of his tongue from my entrance to my clit, over and over again. I’m so close, but he won’t let me get any further. He won’t let me hit that crescendo that I am so desperately in need of.

His hands find their way to me again. His thumb rubs over my clit, as he leans his head back to watch me. He slides a finger into me, then two. I meet his eyes for a moment before my head falls back to the wall, but I feel his eyes still burning through me. His fingers move faster and faster. I’m panting and breathless all at the same time.

“Come for me, baby. Come all over my fingers.” He sinks his teeth into my hip, and I shout out his name and come around his fingers. Just as he told me to. The sharp but pleasant pain of his bite is what finally did it for me. He pulls his mouth away, licking at the puncture holes as he looks up at me under his lashes. I slide down the wall and rest on my butt, catching my breath. Maddox scoots to the side of me, his shoulder brushing mine.

“You really are going to kill me.” I breathe out.

“I warned you,” he says, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. “Perk of being with a vampire.”

“Who said it was a perk?”

“Oh, please. Don’t play stupid. I know you enjoy this entire situation, whether you admit it or not. You like that I’m willing to lick and fuck you while you’re on your period. You like that I take control and that I’m rough with you. You like that I make you come when I want you to come.” His eyes dig into mine. He’s right, but I don’t say that. “Better yet, you love it. All of those things. It’s not like... it’s love.” His words hold something extra. He isn’t talking just about the sex. He’s talking about something else. Something more.

The dark flecks in his eyes catch my attention. Floating around in a pool of liquid silver. They’re mesmerizing. Like a spinning coin. I move forward and bring my lips to his, curling my hand around the back of his neck. I open my mouth to deepen the kiss. His soft tongues slides across mine and I let out a breathy moan.

“I love you.” I whisper into his mouth. His response is to kiss me further. Harder. Deeper. If this were someone else I’d think they were trying to shut me up. But I know better. I know this is Maddox’s way of telling me that he loves me too, because I doubt he’ll say it out loud. But I don’t need to hear it, because I know. I can feel it. He pulls back and I stand up, leaving him alone on the tile floor. “I really need to shower now.” I turn and step into the still hot water. I was worried it would be like icicles at this point. I stand under the hot spray, letting it soak my hair and run down my back. I’m almost positive that I hear the words “I love you too” mumbled out of a certain vampire’s mouth before the bathroom door is closed tightly… but I could be mistaken.

***

An hour later Maddox is chauffeuring us to our “surprise”. Lenny thinks Maddox is dropping us off at the farm. You know, the same farm that your pets go to when you’re a kid. He thinks Maddox has finally lost his marbles. I can’t say that I disagree entirely. He has been abnormally calm lately – which most would agree is more worrisome than yelling.

“So, now that I’m feeling better. Do you think you guys can tell me what happened when you met up with Callan’s friend?” I’d asked them about this a few times yesterday, but no one wanted to talk about it yet. They wanted to wait until I was in a better state of mind… or something like that. I think I’ve been fine, but what do I know?

“It’s nothing that we didn’t already know.” Maddox replies.

“Then why couldn’t you have said that yesterday?” I cross my arms and tilt my head, feigning a smile. Inside, I kind of want to explode.

“I was afraid the not knowing would add more stress to our current situation. Not having an answer to something, in some cases, is worse than getting bad news. Bad news is a definitive answer, it’s the unknown that poses a problem.” Callan takes a breath, turning to face me in his seat. It is now a known that when we are in the Jeep, Callan sits in the front. Maddox hasn’t grunted or growled about it in quite some time. “Everything that I have found through my research was validated by Elias. We are positive that you are the new Prophet.” He says, taking the lead on the conversation as usual. I love how take charge he is with certain topics. It’s kind of hot. “Not that I need validation, but it makes Maddox happy.” He winks at me and I just about die.

“What does that mean?” I ask, gathering my wits. My life has been knocked around, thrown about and all twisted up in a matter of weeks. I’d thought I was human only a short time ago, and now… now I’m a Prophet? These boys are so distracting with their good looks and charm, that sometimes I forget the craziness going on around us. Which isn’t something that I should be doing right now. I need to focus.

“Well, with Evenia still around I’m not entirely sure. That I need to do some more digging on, but I will find out. You can bet on that. Elias did mention wanting to run some tests on you, to see if he can find out why your powers didn’t show. Was it something natural? Situational? Chemical?” His voice trails off as he gets lost in his head.

“What kind of test?” Maddox asks roughly. Callan answers after a brief pause.

“Blood work to start. Elias should be able to get information from that. We will know more after the results. Whether we will need anything further or not.”

“I’m all for it. If it’s just blood work, I think it’ll be okay. If he needs more, we can figure it out from there.” I add. Callan nods, picks up his phone and texts someone. I assume it’s his friend.

His phone dings seconds later. Picking it up quickly, he enters his passcode and says, “he will be by my house Sunday afternoon.” He places his phone on his lap.

“When are we leaving anyway?” Lenny asks. “We’ve been at Callan’s for over a week now, and I thought we agreed on moving around? I miss my stuff.” He stares out the window blankly. I didn’t think that it must be hard for him, or for the others, to be away from home for so long. It’s been easy for me because home has never been a comfortable place. Not even a safe place most of the time.

“We’ll discuss that tomorrow,” Maddox says with a finality that makes us know not to push the subject. Which I think is odd given the simple matter of moving, but this is Maddox we’re talking about. My phone dings, and I pull it from my pocket. I don’t know why I bother bringing it with me, or why I’m worried about how I’ll pay the bill that’s due next week. I barely use it, no one keeps in touch with me. I don’t have any friends to speak of. Everyone that I need is around me. Maybe I should get rid of it? Yeah right. I can see how that would go over with Maddox. He’d probably throw a fit. If he doesn’t know where I am or who I’m with at all times, it’s like the world is going to end. Never mind if I didn’t have a phone for him to check up on me with.

Shitbag: I miss you. Can you please forgive me?

“Oh, Christ on a cracker!” I shout out, dropping my phone to the floor. I get looks from all different directions. I sink lower into my seat and smile sweetly. “Sorry?” Lenny reaches down and hands me my phone without looking at it.

“Let me guess…”

“Guess you’re not as intimidating as you thought.” Alec says mockingly. “Give me that.” Alec pulls my phone from my hands, opens the camera up. He rolls up his sleeve to show off his bulky bicep, throws his arm around me, making sure to flex and snaps a picture. “Come on, you have to smile or it isn’t going to work,” he says. I smile as much as I can through the awkwardness. We try again, and the picture doesn’t come out half bad, and Alec’s arm looks fucking huge.

He sends him the picture, along with the words “not interested” and a smile face that’s wearing sunglasses. My eyebrows shoot up. I want to laugh but I’m so stunned that nothing comes out.

I wait for a reply, but I don’t get one. After five minutes I decide to put my phone away, assuming he saw the photo and thought it wise to not respond. Smartest thing he’s ever done. This is now the second guy to send him a photo, only this one has his arm around me. He’s probably shitting himself. In fact, I hope that he is. I wonder why he’s still trying. What makes him think that I’d be so willing to forgive him when I haven’t tried to talk to him? It doesn’t make sense. He’s either desperate or lonely. Probably both.

I rest my head on Lenny’s shoulder and look out the window as we drive down the highway. Alec is squirming around on the side of me, like he’s getting antsy. We have been in the car for a while. I reach for his hand without thinking and interlock our fingers. He instantly calms, and let’s his hand relax into mine. I surprise myself with the balls that I have sometimes. But I blame this on the good deed he just did for me. I feel Lenny smile against my head and he pats my leg twice.

“Are we almost there?” Lenny asks with a yawn. I don’t know how he can be tired. He gets more sleep than any of us.

“Almost,” Maddox replies.

We drive for another twenty minutes before we pull off the highway. We drive straight for what feels like forever on a road that is surrounded by nothing but trees. Can you imagine breaking down on this road in the middle of the night? No fucking thank you. This would be a good place to murder someone though… no witnesses.

No. Maddox isn’t going to kill us. That doesn’t even make sense.

CHAPTER 6

Friday

After driving for what feels like an entire month, Maddox finally turns onto a street that has a bit more life to it, but not by much. There are a few rather large houses, but they are spaced pretty far apart. Where the hell are we?

We’re driving down another lengthy stretch of trees when Maddox slows down and turns left onto a driveway that I would have overlooked. We pass through an open wrought iron gate that is attached to a tall, cream-colored brick wall. The wall disappears into the woods on either end. A house creeps into sight as we drive up the curved driveway. We stop in front of a three-car garage that is attached to a rather large house… which is attached to another house.

The house is beautiful. Cream-colored brick to match the wall by the road. Single and double arched windows place here and there, encased in white that matches the front door. Flower beds live at the bottom of the windows across the first floor. It doesn’t seem a gardener has been by any time recently, since they’re bare, but still in good enough shape to be used. The yard is wide and empty, aside from the trees that surround it and the few bushes place along the perimeter of the house.

“Where are we? I didn’t agree to visiting grandma today,” Lenny says. I give him a weird look. “Forget it, it’s a joke that isn’t even funny anymore.” Okay. I decide to let that one go, not wanting to get into it because I don’t know if I can handle that explanation.

“Where are we, Maddox?” Callan asks, looking to the driver.

“This is the surprise?” Lenny asks, doubtingly. “Does a stripper live here?”

“Hey!” I shout, shoving Lenny.

“I’m just kidding, Cupcake. I wouldn’t look at a stripper if you paid me. The only one I want to see naked is you,” he kisses my forehead, sweetly.

“Keep kissing me and maybe I will strip for you,” I tell him. He smiles brightly and kisses me again.

“Like this?” I giggle.

Maddox clears his throat loudly.

Jealous vampire.

“This, Lenny, is going to be our new home.”

A mixture of whats and huhs fill the car. I don’t understand, either. “You bought us a house?” I ask with disbelief.

“Kind of. Aside from owning the bar, I also flip houses. Not so much anymore, but I used to. I bought this one quite a few years back, before we met you, and for some reason, I never got rid of it. Something told me to hold on to it, and now I know why.” He takes a breath, trying to release himself of any emotion, I’m sure. Because we all know Maddox can’t have feelings. “This house is big enough for all of us. It has five bedrooms. The master bedroom alone is half the size of Callan’s entire upstairs. The other bedrooms are almost as big. The garage can fit a few cars, plus there is a full guest house off to the side. It sits on three acres of land, though most of it is covered with trees. The neighbors aren’t too close but are close enough. And, we are almost perfect distance from everyone’s work.”

“Are you serious?” I ask breathlessly.

“As a heart attack, babe.”

“But…”

“Don’t say anything yet. Anyone. I know what you’re all thinking, I do. But let’s go look at it. This isn’t final, I mean, it doesn’t have to be. I could still sell the place if we don’t think it’ll work, but I think this will do us all some good. There’s a lot of benefits to this.” Maddox shuts the engine and gets out of the car. The rest of us are frozen in place. Callan is the first one to move. He nods his head slowly before making his way out of the car. I look between Alec and Lenny and shrug, nudging Lenny with my hip. He sticks his tongue out at me and opens the door. Alec opens his next.

Maddox opens the front door by entering a code. I didn’t know that was a thing! I walk into a large foyer/living room. The wall ahead of me is home to a large brick fireplace. A wall of tall windows and a sliding glass door is to the right of that. From what I can see, the backyard goes on for what looks like forever. To my left is a staircase. Halfway up, the stairs end on a landing that overlooks the living room. They turn in the opposite direction and lead to the second floor. I see appliances through the door to my left, I assume that’s the kitchen. This place is gorgeous. There is no way this can be for me. For us. We can’t live here. This is too much. But at the same time, the thought of us having a place that is ours practically brings tears to my eyes. A home for us, for all of us. One place where we will be together, always. Not worrying about going back and forth. No more living out of a suitcase. Oh, I’ll have my own room!

“Come on, I’ll give you a tour.” Maddox grabs my hand and pulls me to the left. We walk into an updated kitchen, the other guys following behind. “The appliances are all new, but we could get different ones if Callan wanted.” The marble grey counter tops match the stainless-steel appliances. By the fridge is a long cabinet with glass pane doors. The cabinetry is all white, and I instantly worry about how dirty it will get.

We walk through a connecting door and go into the next room. “The house hasn’t been furnished in a while. When I bought it this was used as a sunroom, but I think it would make a good dining room. It’s big enough to put a table here for all of us.” Maddox stands off to the side, waving his arm across the middle, showing where the table would be placed. This room has floor to ceiling windows along the walls and I see why it would be a sunroom, but dining room it will be. We pop out to the right, by the stair landing. There are shelves built into the wall and I imagine placing photos of me and the guys there. The one of us from the ropes course place would look perfect on the top shelf.

We enter the next room that is across from the landing. High ceilings and built in shelves. Minimal windows. A library for Callan. It’s bigger than his current one and would easily fit everything, plus more. I watch as he walks around and slides his finger along the wooden shelves dreamily. He’s sold.

“This is the main room which we would use as living room.” Maddox explains, exiting the future library. “That area over there,” he points towards the door, “I think should be left open. Couches and TV over here by the fireplace, but we can figure it out.” He stops in the corner by the sliding glass doors. My jaw drops as I look more closely out back.

“Is that…” I start.

“A lake, yes. It’s beautiful, right?” Maddox smiles. No. He’s grinning. He’s proud of what he chose, and he should be. I haven’t seen half of this house yet and I’m in. I am all fucking in. I turn around to see Lenny opening a door.

“Whoa,” he says. I hurry over, curious to see what he’s found. It’s a large bathroom, and by large I mean fucking huge. There is a shower that could fit me and the guys plus more. A smaller area that’s blocked off by a privacy wall that has both a urinal and a toilet. There is a tub, that looks more like a hot tub in the opposite corner. Plus a long counter that has three sinks along it with a mirror that takes up the wall. Lenny looks over to me, smiling. I bite my lip to stop myself from screaming with excitement.

“Upstairs first. Then guest house.” Before going upstairs, Maddox points to a door by the bathroom and tells us it’s the door that leads to the garage. “There is a laundry room through there as well.”

We walk up the stairs and walk into an open area. There is a lot of room up here, even with the five bedrooms. Maddox ends up in the first room on the right. “The four main bedrooms here are all set up the same. This size with a small bathroom. Each has a stand-up shower, toilet and sink.” The room also has a small walk-in closet with built in shelves. We leave the room but I make sure to pop my head into each of the other rooms, just to look. The master bedroom sits by itself between two open areas. “These areas I figured would be set up as common areas, or another living room, whatever we wanted really. Lenny can take one for his video games for all I care.” Hearts burst out of Lenny’s bright blues at the comment. Now he’s sold.

“Now, the master bedroom.” He says with a smile. We walk into the room, and it’s bigger than I could ever have imagined. Maddox doesn’t say anything but stands against the wall with a smirk on his face. The walls are white, the curtains are dark. A large bed covered in shiny black sheets sits against the far wall. It’s bigger than any bed I’ve seen before and would fit all of us comfortably. It must be custom made – I assume Maddox did that. My dream come true. All of us sharing a bed.

There is a large walk in closet, bigger than the others. One wall is lined with shelves while another has built in drawers in the bottom. Whoever built this closet must have had a lot of clothes. There is no way I’ll be able to fill this even a quarter of the way with what I own. Back inside the room I walk to the only other door I haven’t been through. Opening it I see there is an attached bathroom as well. This one resembles the one downstairs, just not as spacious. Everything is white and dark grey, like most of the house. The shower is long, with multiple heads. A toilet in the corner behind a privacy wall. A large clawfoot tub sitting kiddy-corner. The counter holds a sink with drawers underneath. On one end it turns into a vanity, with matching chair and all.

I feel like I could spend the entire day just in this room. I don’t want to leave, but Maddox is eager to show me the guest house. The guys are also excited to see it. They’ve been quiet as far as I can tell. I’m not really talking, but a lot of excited noises keep leaving my mouth unexpectedly. Maddox smirks every time they do, because he knows that he’s got me. Hook, line, sinker. I’m not entirely sure about the guys though. Lenny looks thrilled, Callan looks interested but Alec looks a bit reserved.

We walk back down the stairs and through the kitchen. When we get to the dining room we exit out the secret door to the left. Secret because if you don’t know that it’s there, then you don’t know that it’s there. It blends in with the windows. Super smart idea. We walk down a short hallway and Maddox enters another code and holds the door open for all of us to walk through.

The guest house has a more rustic feel, where the main house is more contemporary. It’s quaint and perfect. There is an open floor plan. The kitchen to the left while the living room area is to the right. A small table would fit perfectly between the two. The stairs are straight ahead and lead up to a loft. That must be the bedroom.

“I figured Friday could stay here, since she’s been complaining about wanting her own place.” I cringe at his use of the word complaining because I have not been complaining. “I’m still not okay with her being this far, but at least she would have her space. This door locks from both sides. Plus, there are enough bedrooms upstairs for all of us in the main house if she chose to stay there at any point. This house is big enough that we wouldn’t be up each other’s asses daily. And the master bedroom is big enough for whoever decides to share the room.” Maddox scratches the back of his neck, and I think this is the first time I’ve ever seen him not look 100% confident in something he’s said or done. I smile at him, hoping to reassure him. He blinks and walks towards the stairs. We file up into the bedroom. It’s the perfect size for me.

“The only bathroom in here is through there,” he points to the side. “It’s nowhere near as big as the one in the main house, but it’s decent.”

“This is beyond words.” I say, popping my head into the bathroom. It is a bit bigger than average size, but Maddox is right, it’s nowhere near as large as the others. It still has a stand-up shower and separate tub though, which I can always appreciate.

“This is a rather nice house. I’d be okay living here. That back room would be perfect as a library.” Callan says confidently.

“Who votes to give Fruitcake the back room for his library?” Maddox asks, looking between us all.

“I’m in,” Lenny says happily. “This house is huge. Plenty of room for us and all our crap.” I raise my hand, knowing that room was made for Callan. Maddox gives me a slight nod.

Alec is the only one that looks unsure.

“The garage is yours, man.” Maddox says.

“Well, I can’t pass up an opportunity like that, now can I? You’re sure this is equal distance from all locations?” Alec asks, making his way back down the stairs, looking over his shoulder as he reaches the bottom.

“Almost down to the minute.” Maddox smiles and follows after him.

“So, this is it then? We’re really going to live here?” I say, grabbing onto Lenny’s hand. I squeeze it tight, trying to contain my excitement.

“I can have everything moved in this week.” Maddox turns to face me as I hop down the stairs.

“We’ll share the cost of that.” Callan adds, sliding his glasses up the bridge of his nose. It’s something he does often, and it’s cute every single time.

“Fine.”

Now I know why Maddox didn’t want to talk about where we would be staying. Is this really a good idea? All of us living together under one roof? Actually, it’s two, but still. The guys are finally getting along, the past few days have been great, but will moving in together ruin everything? Is this too fast?

“Whoa, hey, Princess. Relax. What’s going on?” I look up to meet Callan’s worried emerald eyes. I didn’t realize I was projecting that much, but my emotions are always written all over my face.

“This is just a lot.” I admit, chewing on my bottom lip.

“If you don’t want this, you can say no.” Maddox says, a hint of disappointment in his tone. “No one will be upset with you.”

“It’s not that. I do want this, but that’s what worries me. It’s so soon. You guys just started working out your crap, what if moving in together like this will ruin everything? What if you guys can’t stand being with each other?” I tell them the truth, because there is no point in lying about it or hiding it.

“I don’t think that will be a problem. Lenny and Maddox have basically lived together forever, and they are fine. We all have our own space if we need it, yet we have plenty of common areas to share. I was promised my own area, as was Alec. We are the ones that struggle with that the most, and that was resolved before it became an issue. This will be good for us, and we will make it work.” Callan tells me as he takes another look around the kitchen, opening cabinets and drawers.

“Way to go, Mad. This is great.” Lenny goes up to Maddox and pulls him into a hug. Maddox grunts but doesn’t reciprocate. Which doesn’t shock me.

“How about we take a couple of nights to think this over? I need you all to be sure that this is what you want.” I can’t have them agreeing to give up their lives to move into a house for me. Yes, I want this. But I need them to want this too, and for the right reasons.

“We are–”

“Please?”

Maddox lets out a sigh before agreeing. I look to the others who also nod their agreements. It will give them time to think about it away from the house. It may seem like a great idea while we are here but taking time to think it over will be good for all of us. We make it back to the main house when Alec tells us that he’s going to check out the garage, while Callan goes back to his future library to fawn over it some more. I’m sitting on the counter in the kitchen, looking around and taking everything in. Lenny is leaning against the counter beside me, while Maddox is against the island across from us. This is really happening? Not too long ago I was excited about leaving the hotel to go to the guys’ houses. Now we’re buying a house together? “I’m going to check out that guest house again. And if you expect me to live here, I’m contributing towards the mortgage.” I need a minute to think. Alone. It’s hard to think clearly standing so close to Maddox. He keeps looking at me like he wants to eat me. I hop down, my flip-flops slapping on the floor.

“Did you not hear me? I said I flip houses, as in, I bought this. It’s paid for.” I groan all the way to the guest house. No matter how hard I try to contribute it never works out. Every time I try to sneak in a payment towards something, I’m denied. It’s cute in a way, I like that they want to take care of me. At the same time, I’m used to relying on myself and it’s hard to give up that control.

This guest house is the perfect size for me. It’s partially furnished. I can’t tell if the furniture here is old or if Maddox added it to make it look more welcoming. Though, I can’t imagine Maddox leaving someone else’s mattress for me to sleep on. What I love most about this guest house, are the exposed beams on the ceiling. The craftsmanship is absolutely stunning. It’s not something that would look good in the main house but is perfect here.

I go up the stairs again wanting a better look around. The queen-sized sleigh bed sits in the center of the wall, with an end table by each side. A tall dresser on one wall and a bookshelf on the other. I’m admiring the view outside of the window. There’s an old, weathered barn in the back not far from the house. The lake is more visible from here and it’s gorgeous.

“Hey.” I turn to find the youngest of my boys standing by the bed, looking shy. I walk up to him, slide my arms around his waist and rest my head on his chest. His arms go around me, and his touch makes every ounce of anxiety go away. “You okay, Cupcake?” I nod my head, breathing in his scent. He always smells sweet, like candy or pastry. I know it’s because he’s always eating such things, but I like to think it’s more than that.

“I needed this hug more than I knew.” I look up to him, and he smiles down at me. I stand up on my tip toes and press my lips to his. He starts to pull away, but I wrap my hand around the back of his neck, not wanting him to stop. He moans into my mouth, his hands moving to my ass. He pulls me into him and I feel his hardness against my belly.

“I don’t care about your–”

I kiss him to shut him up and push him onto the bed. He raises his eyebrows at me, and I smirk in return. My hands move to the button on his grey skinny jeans. I undo it and the zipper. His cock bounces free and I take it into my hand. My fingers glide across the silky-smooth steel of his cock. I feel myself growing wetter, but I can’t do that now. It’s too messy and there’s nowhere to clean up. I bring my mouth to the tip of his cock. The bead of precum that’s gathered on the tip is salty on my lips. I swirl my tongue around the crown and wrap my lips around him. Lenny moans and thrusts deeper into my mouth. His hand twisting into my hair. I bob my head, taking in as much as I can. Lenny meets each one with a thrust of his own. His fingers tighten in my hair, holding my head in place.

“If you don’t stop I’m going to come,” he tells me. I moan around his cock and take in as much as I can, continuing to bob up and down until the hot spurts of his come hit the back of my throat. He holds my head still as he pumps his release into me. Groaning deeply. I swallow it all, sit up and smile at him.

“Why are you so perfect?” I shrug and smile proudly. Lenny thinks I’m perfect. “I love you.”

“I love you, too.” I say. “Let’s get going before we’re found.”

“We should just stay here and hide out away from the others.” His comment stirs up a thought that I’ve had a few times. Should we have a schedule? Part of me thinks it’s too formal, while the other part thinks it would be fair.

“What do you think about doing a family night?” I blink up at him. “And maybe setting a schedule so we all have time together? You know, to be fair.”

“I think that could work.” Lenny kisses my forehead. “But I also know some of the guys don’t like being told what to do.” He has a point. I can’t imagine trying to tell Maddox what he can and cannot do on a certain night. Even though the guys have their issues, I have never been one of them. The schedule seems to work out on its own, so maybe we just leave it as it is.

“That is a good point,” I nod. Lenny gets up from the bed, holding his hand out to me. I take it and he pulls me up and into his arms. He gives me one last squeeze before we walk back to the main house, hand in hand.

CHAPTER 7

Friday

-SUNDAY-

I’m lounging on the couch, scrolling through social media, the TV sounding softly in the background when the doorbell rings. I look up, curious as to who it could be. “I’ll get it,” Callan calls from the library. A moment later he emerges from the hallway and stops at the door. This better not be his needy neighbor again. I was wrong about that woman, she’s an odd one. She’s stopped by almost every day since that first encounter, needing this and that. It’s kind of annoying. Of course, Callan always helps her out. First it was sugar, then an egg and so on and so forth. I can’t be mad at him though. As much as it annoys me, it’s who he is, and his big heart is one of the things I admire most about him.

Callan opens the door and a man’s voice sounds, which I am thankful for. Even once a day is too much for that nasally voice to be heard. I can’t remember what her name is, and to be honest, I don’t care.

“Come on in, Elias.” Callan says. A moment later a tall, middle aged man is standing by the couch, staring down at me. His face lacks emotion. His hair is dark and so are his eyes. I look up at him and raise an eyebrow. He’s hunched over a bit, hovering. His face hard as stone.

“Uh, can I help you?” I ask, because who does that?

“This is her, isn’t it? I can tell.”

“Yes, uh, this is her.” Callan clears his throat, rushing to my side. “Friday, this is Elias. My friend that I told you about, he’s here to run the tests.” Callan’s voice shakes slightly. I look to him and give a small reassuring smile which he returns.

“Right.” I sit up, narrowing my eyes at Elias. He’s strange. I can’t exactly tell why, and it isn’t in a bad way, he just seems like one of those weird people. And I mean this in the best way possible, but I see how him and Callan are friends. Because Callan is also an oddball. But he’s my oddball.

“We can go into the library. It will be best, more private.” As soon as I stand, I notice Alec and Maddox looming in the dining room doorway by the stairs. Their bulging arms crossed over their wide chests. I swear Maddox is purposely flexing. They look like two bouncers standing outside of a night club, ready to throw out anyone that looks at someone the wrong way. Yeah, those are my guys.

“If anything happens to her, you die. I hope you know what you’re doing.” My jaw drops. Elias swallows hard and I see the beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

“I… uh, I–” he stutters.

“I assure you that he does, stop being bullies.” Callan scolds, but I can’t help but smirk at their antics. The big tough guys that they are. I follow Callan and Elias into the library. The sweat on Elias’s forehead is now fully visible. “Don’t worry about them. They are harmless.” Callan assures him. “They’re just protective.”

That statement is partly true. I wouldn’t say that they are harmless. I’m confident Maddox could and would literally tear someone limb from limb if they harmed even a hair on my head. But there is no need to correct Callan in front of his friend. Especially one that is going to be drawing my blood. Besides, I’m sure that Callan knows this and he’s just trying to keep his friend calm.

“Yes, well, I-I can see why.” He gives me a nervous smile and places his briefcase on top of the desk. I take a seat in one of the armchairs and watch as he opens the case. He pulls out the supplies to draw my blood. There is a needle, tubes, gauze, and some other things. Getting blood taken has never bothered me before, and it surely doesn’t now. He picks up the items and places them on the end table by the chair. He looked terrified a moment ago, but now that he’s working he’s giving off this confidence that I can appreciate. He kneels in front of me, taking an alcohol wipe and wiping the crook of my arm. It’s cool and smells awful. The smell of rubbing alcohol has always made me queasy.

“Are you okay?” Callan asks, taking a step closer to me. He probably thinks I’m squeamish around blood, or don’t like needles or something.

I smile. “I’m fine. I just don’t like the smell of that.” I point to the pad. Callan nods and smiles in return. He stands by Elias, watching with interest. Elias works quickly, taking four small tubes of blood. I study his features. They’re strong and prominent. A square chin, sharp nose and high cheekbones. He isn’t attractive in the normal way, but I could see how some would find him so. When he’s done, him and Callan chat for a bit. I catch that it’ll take a few days for the results to come back. Their chattering voices fade off as my attention turns to the room. No matter how many times I come in here, it never gets old. I’m excited to see what the library in the new house will look like.

If we do decide to move into the new house, I’m going to miss this room. I’m sure the new library will be great, but this room is just so perfect. I know Callan will make the other just as nice, if not better. But there is something about this room that is magical. Every time I set foot into it, I’m in awe. The high ceilings, the floor to ceiling shelves. The large window down the end. It’s remarkably simple, yet beautiful.

After walking Elias out, Callan comes back into the room and kneels in front of me, similar to how Elias was only moments ago. Only this time it’s more intimate. Callan rubs his hand over my outer thigh and knee, he looks up to me and smiles. “We should hear from him in a few days. He’s confident that he will be able to find something that will help us.” Callan’s eyes remind me of emeralds, bright green and full of wonder. I lean forward and press my lips to his, catching him off guard. He sighs into my mouth and kisses me back. I slide my tongue along his bottom lip. I break the kiss and run my hand down the side of his face.

“Thank you, for everything that you’re doing for me.” I say quietly.

“You don’t have to thank me,” he tells me, his cheeks turning a shade of pink. And I get that, but I do have to. I’m thankful and I want him to know that. It doesn’t matter how often we are together. I will always thank him – and the others – for all that they do and have done for me. I tell Callan that I’m going back to the couch to relax. My cramps are starting up again and I’m suddenly tired. When I get to the doorway, I turn back to Callan who is now sitting at the desk, his fingers moving swiftly over the keys on his laptop.

“Hey, quick question,” I say, and he turns. “I heard there was a no sex rule in the library?” He looks confused for a moment, but then his eyes brighten.

“That rule applies to everyone, except you and I,” he winks at me and I just about melt. I bite my bottom lip, nod once and head back to the couch.

“You up to going out for dinner?” Maddox asks, popping in from the dining room. I shrug and tell him that it doesn’t matter to me. I’d prefer to stay here and order in, but I know it isn’t all about me. Him and Alec have been in the dining room working on something together. I think it’s stuff for the new house but I’m not entirely sure. I haven’t asked. I’m not going to worry about it now. We can figure out what we are going to do with the house when we cast our votes on the move. Along with everything else that we would need to figure out, like what to do with their houses and their belongings. Okay, not thinking about it.

Lenny is outside in the back yard working with his magic. He told me that if he doesn’t use it enough he gets antsy, and sometimes he needs to let out some energy. I was going to go out with him, but it’s raining. I attempted to go out anyway, but I was scolded by Maddox worried that I’d catch a cold. Callan tried to argue his point, but when he got the death look from Maddox he zipped his lips immediately.

Callan has spent all his free time researching information on what becoming the new Prophet means. He hasn’t come up with much. Apparently it’s one of those top secret things and information isn’t available. What he has told me, is that there are a few Prophets in the world in different areas. The earth is divided into four quadrants, each one has their own Prophet. To think that I’m going to be responsible for a fourth of the world’s Supernatural people is unbelievable. How do you handle that much information? Callan assured me that with the amount of Supernaturals per quadrant, it really isn’t that bad. And he said that most handle situations on their own. People make appointments to see the Prophet when they are having major issues, but it won’t be as bad as I’m thinking. “You’ll be busy, but it shouldn’t be overwhelming.” That’s what he said. The majority of responsibility for the Prophet is to watch out for any major disasters or any rises in power anywhere. To be a guide for Supernatural future.

Anyway, once the new Prophet gains their powers, they are supposed to start an intense training program with the current one. To strengthen their powers and learn everything needed to take over the huge responsibility. When the training is completed – which could be at any point, but usually lasts a couple of years – the current Prophet is supposed to “retire” and could possibly pick up a seat on the Council. The thought of taking years to come into my power worries me. But, once again, Callan is there to be logical and make me feel better.

“Prophets that train when they are younger are going through a schooling process. It’s not all about powers, but also about history. That is not something that we need to worry about. Of course we don’t know how the training process for you will go at this point, but I assure you it will not take years. You are a quick learner, I can see that already. Once you get the hang of your powers, you’ll do admirably.”

I guess Evenia wasn’t ready for retirement. Once the new Prophet is ready to take over, there is supposed to be a grand celebration, with everyone from the quadrant invited – to celebrate the coming of the new prophet and the retiring of the old. I can’t even imagine how many people that would be. I think of a music festival, or something of the like.

Obviously things are not working out the traditional way in any sense. I’m not sure how I am supposed to learn how to harness my powers, or even learn what being a Prophet means. I have what Callan tells me, but he only has what he knows. He’s able to gain knowledge but only on available information. There isn’t much information available, and that’s the problem.

I’ve yet to tell the guys about the visions I had. The one with Lenny and Maddox and the one about my mom, with that guy that could see me – which was weird as fuck. The more I think about it, the more it confuses me. I don’t remember seeing that man when I was younger, but that memory was familiar. Who is he? I think to myself that it’s a huge possibility he’s another one of Evenia’s husbands. Who else would it be? I’ve been wanting to see a photo of her and them, but since I haven’t admitted this to the guys yet, I haven’t come up with a reason of why I want to see them. I’d look for it myself, but I’m not sure how they search specifically for Paranormal stuff. I tried Google, but nothing pops up. I must be missing something.

I realize now that with everything falling in to place for us, there are a few things we need to get off our chests and out in the open. The visions being one and also what happened with Alec. We need to tell the other guys about it. It may set us back but I’d rather be honest than keep a secret. I need to find time to talk to Alec about that and how he wants to go about telling Lenny and Maddox. It’s just as much his decision as it is mine. I also keep thinking about what he said, and I wonder when he’ll finish telling me about his mother. I’d rather have this stuff out in the open before we move in. Let everyone make an informed decision after they have all the facts. It’s only fair. Tomorrow should be a good day for this since we already have a meeting scheduled. Maddox and his fucking meetings.

I’m looking forward to going back to work tomorrow. Last week was disappointing, with me only going for a day. Alec agreed that for tomorrow we’d work a shorter day just so we can be home more with the guys. I appreciate that more than he knows. I don’t need to be there a full day, they run perfectly fine without someone there. He admitted that I’m working more than Geneviere was. When I made a fuss, telling him that he was giving me special treatment, he rolled his eyes and walked away. I didn’t know how to respond to that, so I stood there confused until Lenny pulled me onto the couch with him and smothered me with kisses. Either way, I appreciate the opportunity and I’ve told Alec that every chance that I get.

I make a mental note for tomorrow.

Discuss the house and our concerns around it.

Tell the guys about both of my visions – ask for a photo of Evenia’s husbands.

Alec and I admit what happened – I have to speak with him about this.

That’s it, that’s my list. If Maddox is going to make us attend these stupid meetings, I’m going all out with an agenda.

We agree on Italian for dinner tonight. There is an Italian restaurant not far from here that Callan is fond of. We pile into Maddox’s Jeep and he drives us to the restaurant. Everything is going so well, perfect even. We’re all getting along, eating dinner, talking and chatting and laughing. We’ve all had a few drinks. We’re relaxed and overall having a really good time.

I expect the night to stay that way, but I am so very wrong.

CHAPTER 8

Friday

When I exit the bathroom for the third time – I’ve had quite a bit to drink – I walk out without giving a thought to anything around me. I’m feeling a bit tipsy, my belly is full and the only thing on my mind is Maddox, Lenny, Callan and Alec. I step out of the room, down the short hallway and head back towards my guys.

“Friday? Is that you?”

I stop dead in my tracks. That voice.

No. No fucking way.

It’s amazing to me how you can drink, feel tipsy, buzzed, whatever it may be, but as soon as something life altering happens, you sober right up. Instantly, like a switch has been flipped. Well, this is one of those moments. I turn slowly, towards the woman standing there that I hadn’t noticed seconds ago when I walked out of the ladies’ room. Like I said, all I want to do is get back to my guys. And now, I want nothing more than to have them with me this very second.

“Holy shit, it is you!” I freeze, my jaw clenched. I have no idea what to say, or what to do, so I do nothing. “Come give your mama a hug.”

No. No, this cannot be happening to me.

My mother stands only a few feet from me, looking exactly as she did the last time I saw her… however many years ago that was. I haven’t spoken to or seen her since I ran away when I was sixteen. To be honest, I’m surprised she recognizes me, let alone remembers me. She looks the same, but something about her is different. She doesn’t look good, by any means. You can see it in her hair, her skin and especially her eyes that she has years and years of drug and alcohol abuse under her belt. But she looks… clean. I can’t even believe it.

Like a zombie, I walk forward and hug the small, frail woman in front of me. Her hair is still blonde as ever, I’d expect to see some greys at this point, but I don’t see even one strand that isn’t perfectly blonde. My guess is that she finally decided to dye it. My hair is naturally dark, yeah, I add the red hue because I like it, but my dark hair must have come from my father – whoever he is.

“Never in a million years did I expect to see you here. How the hell are you?” She talks to me like I’m an old friend or colleague, not like I’m her long lost child that she hasn’t seen in well over ten years. The one that has hated her for as long as I can remember, the one that ran away from her while I was still in high school because I couldn’t stand to be in the same house as her anymore. The one that would rather have slept on the street in a dark alley than spend another night under the same roof as her. Bile rises in my throat and I choke it back.

“I’m fine. How are you? What are you doing here?” I say as kindly as I can, keeping my composure. I’m not an actress, but I can play nice when I want to. I don’t want to, but my kind nature tells me that I should at least be polite. Not something I inherited from her.

“I’m in town visiting a friend,” she says proudly. Her voice sounds the same, only a bit raspier than I remember. I assume she hasn’t quit smoking cigarettes and by the smell of her, I’m sure I’m right about that. “We should catch up, you know. I’d love to go out for lunch or something. My treat.” She smiles and I notice her teeth look better than they did. She must have had work done on them. Where did she get that money from?

I give her an odd look, because even though I know this is my mother, this isn’t my mother.

“Damn, Friday. I know what you must be thinking about me, and I’m sorry. I really am. I know I did a lot of fucked up things, and I know apologizing isn’t going to make any of that better, but know that I am as sorry as can be. Let’s plan for lunch so we can catch up, yeah? Here, let me take down your number and I’ll give you a call.” She pulls out a small notepad and pen from her knock off purse that’s hung over her elbow. She hands it to me and I take it hesitantly. I think of writing down the wrong number for a moment, but how childish is that?

I haven’t talked to this woman in years, maybe she has changed. I’ve never been one for second chances. Example: cheating boyfriend. Once you fuck up with me, you’re done. But she’s my mom, and maybe she does need another chance. My heart squeezes knowing that Lenny must have had this same inner battle with himself. Lucky for me, my decision isn’t going to matter to anyone but myself. Maybe me leaving has changed things. Just as I hand her the notepad back, Lenny turns down the hallway. “Friday? Everything okay? You’ve been gone a while.” He stops beside me, sliding his arm around my waist, kissing the top of my head.

“Oh my… is this your boyfriend?” Mom asks. I look to Lenny, his eyebrow raised in question.

“Yeah, this is Lenny.” He gives her a wide smile and offers his hand out to her. She takes it and smiles just as big. “Hi, I’m Allison. Friday’s mother. I must say, you are one handsome fellow.” Lenny stiffens beside me at her use of the word mom. I get it Lenny, I really do…

None of the guys are in the dark about my mom. We all have mommy issues, we’ve talked about it many, many times. “Nice to meet you,” he says. Still stiff beside me. His hand falls to his side. “Everyone is waiting, shall we go?” I nod my head slowly, still shocked about what is going on. My mom? In Indiana. I mean, we didn’t live too far from here, but still. What are the chances?

“I’ll give you a call, Sweetie. Enjoy your night!” And with that, she turns and heads into the bathroom. I blink a few times before turning to Lenny. I slide my arms around his waist and take a moment to hug him. I suddenly feel over emotional and confused as all hell. What is going on?

“Is it just me? Or was that weird as fuck?” He asks as we walk back to the table.

“Definitely weird as fuck.” I nod in agreement.

I take my seat and it’s all eyes on me.

“Are you okay? You look like you’ve seen a ghost,” Callan questions.

“Something like that,” I whisper. A million thoughts and questions run through my mind. Everything seems so… wrong. Why now? Why here? Is it a possibility that this is a coincidence? Or is it something more? That guy in my vision… my mother knew him. Could she have known about this? No, no way she knew. Nothing makes any sense.

“…Friday?”

“Hm?” I ask, snapping back to reality. I don’t know who it was that called my name, because everyone is still staring at me. I was too lost in my own head to place the voice.

“Are you all right?” Maddox asks, placing his forearms on the table. “Lenny told us what happened.” He did? How did that entire conversation play out without me knowing? I must have been dazing off longer than I thought.

“I’m okay, just confused. This doesn’t seem to make sense.”

“It could just be a coincidence.” Lenny says, browsing through the dessert menu.

“I guess.”

The waitress comes over and takes our dessert orders. We all order something. I’m not much in the mood to eat after encountering a ghost from my past, but unfortunately my period is controlling my life and the chocolate lava cake was too tempting to pass up. I devour it and I don’t regret it for a second. What I do regret, is how my perfect evening went to shit in a matter of minutes.

CHAPTER 9

Friday

-MONDAY-

I wake up before my alarm. Lenny stayed with me last night, and he’s still snoring away. I tossed and turned a lot of the night, my mind a continuous rollercoaster. Threatening to slip off the rails and never return to the station. To say the least, I didn’t sleep well. I slip out of bed and into the shower. Hot water cures all. Thankfully, my period seems to be done. It only last longer than a few days a couple times a year. I’m glad this time was not one of those times. Part of me will miss Maddox wanting me so savagely, but lucky for me, it’ll come back again next month. I say that with slight sarcasm, because I’m not sure if the pros of Maddox being a beast like that outweigh the cons of it. I take my time in the shower, knowing that I have plenty of it. When I’m done washing, I take a few moments to lean against the wall and enjoy the hot water pounding on my neck and back.

I get out of the shower and get dressed quickly. I choose a light pair of jeans and a grey blouse. I throw on my grey boots to match. I pull my phone from the charger and put it in my back pocket. After I give Lenny a quick kiss (without waking him) I walk out of the room, enter into Maddox’s room – who is also still sleeping – and give him a kiss, too. It’s rare for me to find Maddox asleep. Him and Callan are usually the first ones awake. As far as I’ve been told, Maddox doesn’t require a lot of sleep, and most nights doesn’t sleep much at all. It’s a vampire thing. I know Callan is awake already, he’s always up early and I can only assume that Alec is too, if not only because Callan is downstairs making noise. Unintentionally, of course.

The hallway is dark along with most of the downstairs, other than the light coming from the kitchen. I pop in and see Callan standing in front of the stove, flipping French Toast with one hand and looking through his phone on the other.

“Good morning,” is whispered into my ear, causing me to startle and shriek. Callan jumps because of that, his phone dropping to the floor. It lands face down and I pray that he has a screen protector on that thing, because if not, it’s a goner for sure.

“Fuck, I am so sorry!” I shout, rushing to Callan. He picks up his phone, and the screen is shattered. “Callan, I’m so, so sorry.” I continue to apologize, but he’s smiling and brushes it off. Telling me that it’s fine. On closer inspection I realize that he does in fact have a screen protector on his phone, thankfully. “Do you have another?”

“I should. If not, I’ll stop and grab one after work. No big deal, stop worrying. Sit down, I made breakfast.” I turn around and glare and Alec, who is red from holding in his laughter.

“I’m glad you find it funny. You scared the begeezus out of me!” I shout through clenched teeth.

“What can I say? I’m a scary fellah,” he shrugs. Alec walks into the kitchen and I’m just now noticing that he has nothing on other than a pair of black basketball shorts. My eyes take him in. From his large calves, all the way up to his thin waist and wide shoulders. I squint my eyes, trying to get a better look at that tattoo on the back of his head. It’s interested me from the first time I noticed it. I can’t imagine how painful that must have been. The one on the back of his head looks like some type of bird, a raven perhaps. It’s wings are spread out and it looks to be in pain. I haven’t gotten too close to inspect it. Which is true for most of his tattoos, all I know is that they’re colorful and there’s a lot. Mostly, because he keeps his distance.

With this house thing, he’s the one I worry about most. But we’ve survived this long and he seems okay, so maybe we can survive forever?

“If you think you’re being subtle, you’re not. I can feel your eyes burning through the back of my head.” He says without turning to face me.

My cheeks warm and I instantly look away. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.” He turns to me, a smirk across his lips. “Sure you don’t,” he says. Callan comes over and places the food down in front of me. A moment later he returns with syrup and whipped cream. The guys have recently learned of my love for whipped cream and the need to put it on almost everything.

“Your coffee will be done in a few.” Callan turns and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t staring at his butt. I can’t deny how perfect it looks in the pants he wears to work. I run a hand down my face before cutting my food, pouring syrup on and then whipped cream. Callan is so extra, he added powdered sugar and strawberry for garnish. He’s too cute. He brings me my coffee, and they both sit at the table with me and we eat.

“What do you normally do for your birthdays?” I take the last bite of my French toast. Wishing I had more but knowing that I ate enough. I’ll make myself sick if I tried to eat another.

“We haven’t celebrated our birthdays since we were twelve,” Alec answers wryly. He finishes off his coffee and places the black mug on the table, crossing his arms over his chest and staring directly into my eyes. It’s a bit much, so I look away. “Why?”

“Maddox’s birthday.” I say cheerily.

“We’re not usually together on our birthdays,” Callan adds. “Personally, I don’t do anything. And I think that’s true for the other guys as well. Though, Maddox and Lenny are together most of the time, but I’m not entirely sure what they do.”

I nod, realizing that if I want to plan something, I won’t get any help from them. I don’t want to do anything crazy, maybe a cake and some birthday sex. I’m sure that’ll make Maddox happy. I can ask Callan for a recipe and make him a cake. I’ve never done that before, but I’m sure it can’t be too difficult. His birthday is tomorrow, I don’t think he has any plans. Maybe I can convince one of the guys to keep him occupied for a while so I can make it after I get home.

Callan clears off the table, throwing everything into the sink and then washing them. Alec is scrolling through his phone while I finish my coffee.

“Crap! I forgot to make lunches for today.” I stand and move towards the fridge ready to bang out some sandwiches.

“Don’t bother, we’ll go out.” Alec states. It’s not a question.

“Are you sure? We’re already leaving early.” I remind him. He takes his job seriously and I don’t want him slacking off for me.

“It’s fine. I was planning on bringing you to cash your check anyway.” He says with a small smile. My check. The very first check that I’ve gotten in years. And I forgot all about it. “We can go for lunch after that.”

I smile and look to Callan, “don’t worry about me. We have a cafeteria and the food isn’t half bad. It could be better for the price, but I know it could be worse. Besides, I am capable of making my own lunch.” Callan dries his hands on the dish towel, hangs it up on the stove handle and grabs his bag for work. He comes over to me, gives me a lingering kiss on my lips before pressing another to my forehead. “I’m a big boy. I’ll see you later,” he says quietly.

“We should get going too.” I nod, run upstairs to grab my purse and I’m back down in a minute. Alec is waiting by the door. We go straight to work today, no stopping since we already had our coffee. We end up being the first at work. I get settled behind the counter and look through the program on the computer, making sure that I remember everything that Alec explained to me last week. Alec and I are chatting about plans for the day when Jazz walks in.

“Morning,” he says, heading around the counter. He pauses in front of Alec, “you ever talk to your friend about my band playing at his bar?” I can only assume he’s talking about Maddox.

“Not yet, I can do it today. I’ll let you know what he says tomorrow.” Jazz nods and continues to the garage. Alec looks at me, “Maddox is never going to let him play there, and I don’t have the heart to tell him.” Alec doesn’t have the heart to tell someone something? That doesn’t seem right. He’s dark and broody, not caring.

“Why won’t he?”

He raises his eyebrows at me. “Are we talking about the same Maddox? If it isn’t his idea, it doesn’t happen. If it doesn’t benefit him, it doesn’t happen. Besides, he’d take one look at him,” he points through the glass window at Jazz who is already working on a car, “and laugh in his face.” From what I’ve seen of Jazz and heard from Alec, he’s a good kid. He’s at work on time, early actually, and doesn’t waste any time starting his duties. He deserves a chance.

“Let me talk to him.” Alec laughs humorlessly.

“You think you can get him to say yes?”

“I’ll bet on it.” I say, poking him in the arm. I don’t miss how firm his bicep is. Or how I want to touch it again with my entire hand… or mouth. I slide my hands under my thighs so I don’t have any accidents. Too much, too soon.

“Fine, if you lose, I’m taking you to dinner.”

I giggle at that, “how is that a loss?”

“Doesn’t matter. What do you want if you win?” He rests his forearm on the countertop and relaxes a bit, a smile still lingering on his lips.

I bite on my lip while I try to decide, “if I win… you tell me about your mom.” His eyes widen for a fraction and I think I’ve gone too far. Then acceptance falls over his face. He takes a deep breath and offers me his hand.

“Deal.”

He’s either positive that Maddox will not say yes, or I’ve just given him the push he needed to open up. Either way, I’ll take it.

***

The morning goes by quickly, today is much busier than the last day I was here. Alec did warn that Monday’s were the busiest days. For lunch, we decide to go back to that diner we went to last week. It’s one of Alec’s favorites and their food is good. I agreed to his offer immediately. We stop to cash my check before lunch. I open an account while we are there because I don’t currently have one. My check is a whopping $127.41, which I am not in any way, shape, or form complaining about. It’s only for one day. It’ll look a lot better at the end of this week. But the best part is, it’s mine. Every last penny is mine. I worked for this money. I earned it by myself. I almost didn’t want to cash it. I almost wanted to frame it and hang it in my bedroom. I realized how strange that was, so I decided that cashing it was the best option.

We take our time eating lunch, we chat about our childhood a bit. Alec asks questions about my mom and we talk about how strange it is that she’s showed up. She hasn’t texted or called me yet, and part of me thinks that she won’t. A big part of me hopes that she lost that little notepad and has no way of getting in contact with me. Maybe she hasn’t changed at all. I tell him more about how I left, where I stayed and what I did. Alec didn’t want to talk as much about his childhood, but he talked about some things, mostly his brother, but I still haven’t found out what happened to him or where he is. I could tell we were reaching a touchy subject, so I changed it, not wanting him to retreat behind his walls again. I’m slowly chipping away at his walls, and I don’t want them brought back up over something that isn’t relevant to this conversation.

I killed my mother.

The words still ring in my head every now and then, wondering what exactly that means. I remind myself that he will tell me when he’s ready and pushing the subject will not help anyone. And if I win this bet, I at least know that he will have to. Alec is a man that sticks to his word. I know that without having to be told. If it was too much, he wouldn’t have agreed, right? Maybe he needs a little push, a little urging. It’s hard to tell with him. Some days he’s still quiet and to himself, other days I catch him talking and laughing.

“We need to tell Lenny and Maddox what happened at the hotel. I hate keeping things from them.” I take a sip of my water. “I know they aren’t going to be happy, but it needs to be done. I don’t want the progress we’ve made to be lost, but it may be worse further down the road if we don’t talk about it now. Things are going well with us all, but we promised not to lie to each other, and that includes keeping things from one another.” Alec nods his head in agreement but doesn’t say anything in response.

When lunch is done, we go back to the shop for a few hours before heading back to Callan’s. When we get in, Lenny is lounging on the couch and Maddox is outside in the back smoking a cigarette. I’ve noticed how much he’s cut down, and I know it’s for me, though I doubt he’d admit it. I appreciate it just the same. I’m not a smoker, never have been and I’m not a fan of it, but who am I to tell him what to do? It’s his life and he’s a grown man. I head upstairs first to change. I’m one of those people that has to change as soon as I get home, because I hate wearing real clothes. I’d much rather be in leggings or pajamas.

Callan gets home a little while later with a brown bag filled with grinders. He places them on the counter and we all head into the kitchen. Lenny lays out paper plates, Callan puts the sandwiches on a platter. Maddox mixes drinks for those who want one, while Alec gets non-alcoholic drinks for myself and Callan. Me? I just sit at the table and watch, because none of my guys will let me do a thing. So, I sit there and smile to myself like a fucking weirdo, because I am the luckiest girl on the planet. We’ve easily fallen into this routine. One person does this, while the other does that. It’s so… natural.

In that exact moment, my phone dings. A number that I don’t recognize pops up. I open the message. It’s mom, asking me to go for lunch tomorrow. A heavy weight starts to form in my stomach. It starts with her, then I remember everything else that I have to tell the guys tonight and it grows heavier. I worry they’re going to freak about Alec, that the progress we’ve made will be lost. I put my phone aside for now and decide that I will talk to her after I talk to the guys. Right now, they are my first priority. They always will be.

CHAPTER 10

Friday

After dinner we stay around the table, knowing that we have things to discuss. It’s meeting time. I roll my eyes at the thought. The guys are doing their own things. Callan is reading through a notebook, I’m not sure if it’s work or personal. Lenny is picking at the food in front of him while playing a game on his phone. Maddox is reading through something on his phone while drinking a beer. Alec is picking at his nail, a beer placed in front of him, but it’s left full. He hasn’t taken a sip.

“I have a few things that I want to bring up, but I figured we should discuss the house first. Did everyone think about this? How it would affect them and all of us?” I start talking, wanting to get this over and done with. That weight still lingers in my stomach and I need to do something before it gets overwhelming. Busying myself with talking was the easiest thing I could think of.

Maddox gives me a curious look before smiling at me. He looks happy today, brighter. Then I remember… it’s Monday and he must have fed while I was out. “Look at you, taking the lead. I’m proud, Friday.” I narrow my eyes at him, unsure if I should accept his compliment for what it is or find out why it was given. I decide on the former, not in any mindset to cause unneeded stress to myself by upsetting Maddox.

I have no idea what to say to that, so I continue on. “Who thinks that we should move into the house together? Raise your hands.” And to my surprise, we all do. Every single one of us. No hesitation, no delay. It puts a smile on my face immediately. “Does anyone have any concerns that they want to bring up?”

It’s quiet for a few moments before Callan speaks up. “I think we may all have small reservations about this, as we would with any big change, but I feel they aren’t big enough to mention at this point. I think we all know now that if we have an issue, we can bring it up and discuss it. We can work through what we need to. Besides, the house is a great fit. We still have our own space, and Maddox was right when he said it is a perfect distance from our jobs. I checked, and it’s almost down to the minute. Good job, Maddox.” He looks to Maddox, giving him a genuine smile. Maddox stares back, smirking. I smile again, my chest filling with warmth. Callan looks to me and winks, which makes my insides melt.

“Does anyone else have anything to bring up before I continue?” I look around and everyone shakes their head no, but Alec’s eyes linger on me long enough for me to know what he’s thinking. I clear my throat before going on. “I know I probably should have told you this sooner, but everything was a little crazy and I just wanted to be normal for a day or two. At some point on Thursday – I’m not even sure if I remember when, because I barely remember that day at all – I had visions.”

“What do you mean visions?” Maddox asks, placing his forearms on the table and leaning forward. Alec copies the motion while Lenny leans back and looks more relaxed. Callan is sitting with his back straight, hands folded and placed on the table.

“I had two. The first one happened when I was upstairs with Lenny. I touched him and it was like I was placed into one of his memories. The memory was… it was the night that you found him.” I make eye contact with Maddox. His jaw clenches. I know this isn’t something he likes to bring up. Seeing Lenny neglected, dirty and starving is not something I like to think about either. “I saw you walk him to your house. I saw you call Alec. I saw Alec and… Aaron. I saw quite a bit until it disappeared.” I look at Alec, whose face gives nothing away. If he feels something about that, I can’t tell. “Then the other was a memory of my own, I guess. It was later on that night, after I fell asleep on the couch. It’s not something I remembered, but it was too familiar to not be one of my own memories. It was me watching myself. I vaguely remember what happened, but the weirdest thing was that someone in there spoke to me. In Lenny’s memory, no one could see me, but in my own, for some reason they could. Well, one person did. I’m not sure if that’s normal or possible, but it happened.”

“Who was it?” Callan asks, pushing his glasses up his nose and refolding his hands.

“I’m not sure, exactly, but I have an idea. He looked slightly familiar, but I don’t remember knowing him from when I was a child. I think… I think it’s one of Evenia’s husbands. Can anyone get me a photo of them?” Callan pulls out his phone immediately, a moment later he’s sliding it across the table towards me. I swallow before picking it up and taking a look. I glance down at the photo of the woman that should be training me. The one that should be on my side and preparing me for my future. She’s sitting in a high back, red chair, with her three men standing around and behind her. She’s wearing a long, gold dress, her legs crossed and fingers resting on her chin. One husband sits on the arm of the chair to her right, he doesn’t look familiar. The man standing directly behind her is huge. He must be The Whisper, the one that broke into the house. But the last one, the one that’s standing to her left with his hand resting on her shoulder. That’s the guy. I’d remember those eyes anywhere.

“That’s him. That’s the guy that saw me. He spoke to me.” I say, pointing him out to Callan.

“That’s Gerard. He’s a Vampire, but that doesn’t explain why he would be able to speak with you through a memory. He must have gained some of Evenia’s powers, or it was a spell. But how would he know when to be there? Especially if it was a real memory of yours, how did he know you’d be projecting there that exact moment?” Callan asks the questions, but we all know better than to answer. We all know he’s asking himself more than anyone else.

“In the vision he was talking to my mother. She didn’t seem happy that he was there, she seemed scared. But she let him in. If this guy really does know my mom, I have a feeling that she isn’t here by coincidence.” They all nod in response, but no one speaks. “But I think I should play it cool with her. She texted me a little while ago, but I wanted us to talk before I answered her back. I need to see what she wants. See if she’s here to be with me, or against me. I need to know how she fits into this, if at all. Keep your enemies close, right?”

“Maybe she’s a Supe and you didn’t know,” Lenny offers. I shake my head, doubting that entirely.

“That is a possibility, but we’re missing something.” Callan says, stroking his chin with his thumb and forefinger. He’s got the tiniest bit of hair there, like he forgot to shave yesterday. I love the way it looks.

“I agree, I think she should scout.” Maddox says. “You should talk to her, see what’s up and we’ll go from there. Just keep us in the loop so we can work this out together. I have a feeling that things are about to get much worse.”

We’re silent for a few moments before Alec clears his throat. I look up to meet his eyes. “I have something that I need to tell you guys.” He says, looking between Maddox and Lenny. “I know you’re going to be pissed for quite a few reasons, but just remember that it’s over, it’s taken care of and everything is fine, okay?”

Lenny’s eyes are narrowed on Alec, while Maddox has his lips pursed, arms crossed over his chest. He doesn’t look happy and he hasn’t even heard anything yet. I have a feeling this isn’t going to go over well. Callan already knows, so we don’t have to worry about him getting kicked out, but who knows how Maddox is going to react. Lenny will be upset, but Maddox, he’s going to flip his lid. I start to bite at the inside of my cheek, worry getting the better of me.

“Remember after the explosion? The uh, the marks that Friday had on her face and neck?” He asks, his voice staying strong. If that were me, I’d be losing it. Crying, or choking or something. He’s got balls. “Part of that was because of me.”

The guys look confused for a moment, and then Maddox speaks. “Explain.” He says through clenched teeth.

“Remember when–”

“It was a nightmare, wasn’t it?” Lenny asks quietly. He understands. He gets it. Alec’s eyes shoot to him and he nods slowly. Maddox’s chest rises a bit faster, his breathing getting heavier. I swear his eyes were black for a second, but when he blinked they were back to their silvery grey. Looking at Lenny, I see sadness written all over his face. Which doesn’t make any sense to me. Why is he sad? Is he sad for Alec? Because that’s just… wow, that makes my heart ache.

“And you didn’t tell us why?” Maddox asks gruffly, arms still crossed over his chest. He hasn’t yelled, or killed Alec yet, so I guess that’s a plus.

“I didn’t want to tell you.” I say, tucking some hair behind my ear. “There was a lot going on at the time. Callan was the one that came in and stopped it. He helped and took care of the situation. We took care of it. We weren’t where we are now. It wasn’t long ago, but we were different. Then there was a lot happening and to be honest, I kind of forgot about it.” I explain to them.

“You kept a secret?” Maddox asks Callan. His response is to lift a shoulder. Maddox huffs out a breath, that could be considered a laugh. “I guess you’re right. It’s over now, nothing we can do about it. It was only the one time?” Alec, Callan and I all nod. “How do you know it won’t happen again?” This question is aimed towards Alec.

“I don’t and I didn’t. I asked Callan to stay with her. I was dealing with a lot of shit, I was stressed, but it only happened the one time. I’ve been feeling… better. You know the nightmares only get bad when I’m stressed. I should have said something before, but I was too fucked up to realize until it was too late. I was stuck in my own head, confused about everything. I’m just glad that Callan was there, before… before it was too late.” Alec looks up, and his eyes are glossy. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say it was with tears, but that doesn’t make sense. I can’t imagine Alec crying, not that there is anything wrong with that in any way, it just doesn’t seem like something that would happen.

“No more secrets,” Maddox says. “That was the deal. Anyone else have something that they want to share?” I notice Lenny fidget out of the corner of my eye, and my head turns to him. Unfortunately, that causes everyone else’s heads to turn, too. Lenny looks guilty, and I instantly feel bad for outing him. “Well, spit it out.” Maddox says impatiently, running his hand through his hair. He sounds like a disappointed father waiting for his son to explain why he was suspended from school.

“Well, it’s not exactly a secret. I was going to tell you guys, I just didn’t know if it was a big deal or not.” He runs his fingers through his hair before leaning forward onto the table. “I have a sister.”

Everyone has the same reaction, even Callan, which is shocking because he’s the one that keeps his composure all the time. Jaws drop, eyebrows raise.

“A sister? Your bitch of a mother reproduced again? That’s pitiful.” Maddox spits.

Lenny shrugs a shoulder and sits back in his chair. “I’m not sure how I feel about it yet. I’m not even sure if she’s telling the truth. She got mad when I stopped talking to her – obviously. I think she may have said it to get me to respond, but I didn’t. So, I don’t know for sure.” He takes in a deep breath. “It’s been messing me up. If she is real… how is mom treating her? How old is she? I want to meet her.” He’s slouched in his chair, his eyes shadowed with sadness. I hate seeing Lenny like this.

“Don’t worry, Lenny. We will figure all of this out.” I place my hand over his and give him a reassuring smile. He gives me a half smile back and lets out a long sigh.

CHAPTER 11

Friday

-TUESDAY-

We agree to move as soon as possible. Meaning, this weekend coming up. I love the idea. The thought of having my own space and a place to put my things. A place that I can call my own. Though, I know for sure I won’t be spending much time alone. I like the idea of having my own little house, but I know that I’ll be lonely. After being with them every day, I’m not sure I’d like being without them. Yet, I know alone time is important and they won’t be far off. If it were up to me, we’d spend all our time together, but I know that’s probably not a good idea. These guys just started getting along again, pushing them together is not going to help that situation. I know it’ll all work out. We’ll make it.

The guys agreed (without me, by the way) that we would be buying new furniture to furnish the house. I think that’s a bit ridiculous but arguing is pointless. They’re going to take the bare minimum from their houses and get rid of the rest. Which in part, makes me feel guilty. They’re giving up everything for me. A part of me worries that they’ll resent me for it at some point in the future. That if this doesn’t work out, somehow I’ll be to blame. I know I need to trust them in making their own decisions, trust that they know better than me. Because they, after all, are the ones inside their heads.

A fresh start.

That’s what Callan said. It’s what I’m looking forward to.

I’m meeting mom for lunch today, in about an hour, actually. She only met Lenny. As far as I know she doesn’t know about my other guys. So, when Alec and Maddox are in a booth not far from us, she won’t know any better. She’ll just assume that two fine as fuck guys are out for lunch. At least, that’s what I hope.

I spend the next hour taking care of customers and sorting through papers. I’m finally getting into a routine of things, and I’m finding ways to spend the down time. Now that I’m a bit more comfortable with the computer and being here in general, it’s been easier to start organizing. I don’t know what most of the papers are, but I file the like ones together, figuring that’s better than nothing. I don’t know how long Geneviere has been out, or if this clutter is from her or the guys. My bet is on the guys. I’m hoping that it’ll stay organized now that I’ve spent time on it. I’m filing my last stack of papers into the filing cabinet when Maddox walks in.

“This place is nicer than I expected,” he says, staring at a popular Bruce Kaiser painting. I love the vintage look and color usage in his paintings. There are only so many things to look at in the waiting area. I got curious about the photo one day and Googled the artist’s work. I can say that I’m a fan of his style.

“You’ve never been here before?” I ask, raising an eyebrow. Not entirely sure why that surprises me. Why would he have come here? He gives me a look but doesn’t answer the question. “You can drive my Jeep to the diner, I’ll ride with Alec. That way she doesn’t catch us together at any point.”

“Good idea,” I say, cleaning up the counter and fishing out my purse from underneath the desk. “What’s Lenny up to?”

“He was playing video games when I left. I’m sure he’s still doing that. So juvenile.” I shake my head and go through the door and down the short hallway to get Alec. He’s sitting behind the desk, sorting through papers himself. He spent the morning going through the boxes, filing and purging. He’s kicking himself in the ass for letting it get this bad back here. I offered to help him but he said he’d rather sort through it himself first. I can help him once he knows what he’s looking at.

“Ready to go?” I’m leaning against the door jamb. He looks up from the stack of papers in front of him and nods. He stands and walks by me, his lemony scent hitting my nose as he does. I follow him back to the front. Maddox hands me his keys when we reach the vehicles. I grab ahold of them, but he doesn’t let go.

“Please, don’t hurt her.” The worry in his voice isn’t lost.

“Did you just say please?” I ask, shocked. He grunts and walks off, leaving me with the keys. I don’t tell him how excited I am to drive this Jeep. I’ve always loved Jeeps. I slide into the driver’s side and adjust the seat and mirrors to suit me. Being behind the wheel of this thing is a little intimidating, I’m not going to lie. I’m used to driving small cars. This is so much different.

We head to the same diner that Alec and I have been going to, figuring that it’s a place we are familiar with. Mom said it was an hour drive for her, but she didn’t mind. Which is one indication that she has ulterior motives. Maybe she’s changed, but no one changes that much. Maddox’s words ring in my ears.

People don’t change.

Something that he is clearly passionate about. I’ve always believed that myself, but I also believe that there are exceptions to every rule. However, my mother is not one of them.

We are sure to leave a few spots between us when parking. I walk in first, and I’m seated in the same booth Alec and I were in the first time we came here. Mom hasn’t showed yet. The boys walk in a few moments later and get seated to where I can see them. Behind mom’s back. I don’t know why I keep referring to her as mom. She hasn’t been a mother to me, but calling her Allison also seems strange. I guess it’s more out of habit than anything. We agreed to meet at 1:00PM and it’s 12:57PM. She was never one to be early, or even on time. I don’t bother looking through the menu, already knowing what I’ll order. Instead, I play a game on my phone to pass the time.

I peek up at the boys every few minutes, hiding the smile that wants to make an appearance – worried that mom will walk in at the exact moment and think something is up. Though, maybe she’d just think I was ogling the sexy guys two booths down from us. I feel Maddox’s eyes on me often, but when I look up, he isn’t looking at me. I think that I’m imagining it, but I know better. Of course he’s staring at me – he’s Maddox.

Mom shows up twenty minutes late and I’m not surprised in the least. I place my phone face down on the table, fold my arms in front of me and give her a cheap smile. I’m playing it friendly, but not too friendly. I can’t give away too much, though she doesn’t know me, so how would she know if I am being too friendly? You don’t exactly form your personality by the ripe age of sixteen. At that point you’re still being overrun and controlled by hormones. Something, that for guys, never changes. Not even with age.

“Friday,” mom smiles. Her voice raspy, but kind. “I’m so happy that you were able to meet me.” She says, sliding into the booth across from me. I don’t miss the fact that she does not apologize for being late. Typical. I feel eyes on me again, but I won’t give them away by looking. As much as I want to, because damnit Maddox looks so good today. He’s wearing a pair of very well fitted dark jeans and a white t-shirt. I know, it’s nothing special, but let me tell you, he looks damn good in white. The black ink and tanned skin against the crisp white shirt is overwhelmingly attractive. Alec, of course, looks just as delicious. Yet, opposite, in his black shirt and light jeans.

Seeing them both together, makes me wonder how they’d be in bed together. Not that I ever think that would happen. Callan is one thing, Lenny, well that’s obvious. But Alec and Maddox? Yeah, okay.

Hormones… apparently, they still control me too.

Back to the matter at hand…

“Of course! We haven’t seen each other in such a long time, it’ll be nice to catch up.” I say as the waitress comes over and takes our drink orders. The waitress gives me a kind smile, no doubt recognizing me from the past few times I’ve been here. I get water as usual, and mom orders an iced tea. I’m surprised she didn’t ask for one from Long Island. “So, why are you here, mom?” I fold my hands in front of me and place them on the table. I push myself to keep the smile plastered on my lips, as hard as it is, because she doesn’t deserve it.

I swear her hand twitches, but I could be mistaken. I am getting a vibe that she’s nervous. And that is clue #2.

“Friends. I know some people here and I visit every now and then. It isn’t too far from home, you know.” She takes a short sip of her iced tea. She’s lying. I’ve never known her to have any friends. Guys she fucked, yes. Guys she bought drugs from, yes. But friends? Nope. “What about you? What’re you doing here? Did you move here for that boy?” She draws out the last word, like it’s a juicy piece of gossip that she can’t wait to sink her crooked teeth into.

“Something like that.” I keep it short and simple. I’m not getting into detail with her. I don’t trust her as far as I can throw her, which I guarantee you isn’t far. I am not strong, by any means. I look up and catch the waitress at Maddox and Alec’s table. She glances at me for a moment, wondering why I’m here and Alec is there. She looks back to Maddox and nods her head in understanding. Claire throws her head back and laughs and then saunters off. She’s a woman in her late thirties, very sweet, with three children at home and no husband. She works as many shifts as she can, since her mother helps out with watching the kids. She likes to chat with her customers and I swear she has a thing for Alec.

“How long has it been?” Mom fishes through her purse and pulls out her cell phone. She checks the time and throws it back inside. “Since you’ve known him, I mean.” She looks up at me, her lip twitching.

“Oh, we’ve known each other a while. I only recently moved here though. We met online.” Her eyebrows furrow at my explanation. “I know, crazy, but so many people are doing it now a days. A lot of people find the loves of their lives through the internet. You should try it!” I tell her. She waves her hands at me like that’s the craziest thing I could have said. I hate lying, even for a good reason, it’s never been my thing. But I have a feeling that telling her the truth isn’t a good idea. She’ll want to know more and I don’t want to give her more. The simpler I can keep this, the better.

We chat for a bit after we finish eating. If you can call it that, mostly it’s her dodging my questions and digging for more information on me. I go with the flow, not wanting to raise suspicion. I realize that I’m not here to get to know my mother, that chance was lost long ago. I came to find out why she is here and how she found me. When the check comes, I let her know that I have to get back to work, and she gets fidgety. I act like I don’t notice. Instead I stand, hug her good-bye and walk out without another glance. Not wanting to give her the opportunity to stop me. She clearly didn’t get what she came for – I still don’t know what that is. I drive out of the lot and meet Maddox and Alec at the spot we agreed on – the gas station a block down. Alec parks his truck behind me, Maddox gets out and meets me at the door. He gets in while I walk around to the other side. We don’t say much on the ride back. I assume he heard most of the conversation anyway.

I finish my work day as I normally would and then drive home with Alec. Callan is working on stuffed peppers when we get home and it doesn’t take them long to finish. Before I know it, we’re all sitting around the table, eating dinner and talking about our day.

Callan and Lenny are curious about how lunch went. Maddox, Alec and I fill them in. There isn’t a lot to fill them in on, but Callan shares my theory of her not getting what she planned on. I wish I knew what it was.

I stay with Callan to finish cleaning up the kitchen. “Did you get it?” I ask him quietly, dropping dishes into the sink. The sleeves of his crisp, white button up shirt are rolled up to his elbows. Like that isn’t sexy enough, he’s doing the dishes. Yep, he’s doing housework. He nods his head, gesturing to the fridge. I wrap my hands around his arm as I stand on my toes to kiss him on the cheek. He blushes slightly. I bounce to the fridge and open the door.

“Bottom shelf, towards the back. Brown bag.” He tells me. I duck down and move a few containers out of the way. Callan did a good job making sure that Maddox wouldn’t find this. I pull out the bag and close the fridge. I place it on the counter by Callan.

“Candles?”

“In the bag,” he says with a wink.

I pull the small cake out of the bag. It’s simple, but that’s all I wanted. I’d prefer to have made him one myself, but I couldn’t think of a way to get him out for me to do that. He is way too stubborn. I promise myself that next year will be better for Maddox. And to plan ahead for Callan’s, Lenny’s and Alec’s birthday. I know they don’t usually do anything, but that’s changed. Now they have me, and I am all about birthdays. I pop the top off the cake as quietly as I can, though we all know how that goes. I place the three and the two candle beside each other, towards the top of the cake.

It isn’t a traditional birthday cake. The label said it is carrot cake and I assume that’s because Maddox likes it. Callan would know better than me. He turns the water off and dries his hands on the dish towel. He opens the drawer on the side of the stove and pulls out a lighter. He lights the candles one by one. I take the cake in my hand, using the other to shield the candles. When we step into the living room, Callan and I start singing Happy Birthday. Lenny joins immediately, grinning from ear to ear and clapping along. And even though Alec only sings a word every now and then, I love that he’s participating. Maddox does his best to remain stoic, but I see the corner of his lip twitching.

I stop in front of him, bending down so the cake is level to his face. Lenny is on the side of him looking as excited as a kid in a candy store. I’m sure it’s more about him getting cake than the celebration of Maddox’s birthday. Alec is on the couch looking amused. “Make a wish!” I say, grinning a mile wide. He takes in a deep breath, thinks for a moment and then blows them out. I wasn’t expecting him to play along, but he did.

“Happy birthday,” I tell him before planting a loud kiss on his lips. This time, I get a real smile.

Maddox comes to bed with me that night. My plan is to give him the best birthday sex he’s ever had. But for the first time he doesn’t try to ravage me. We lay together silently, and he holds me until we fall asleep.

CHAPTER 12

Friday

-WEDNESDAY-

Alec and I get home from work, and I have to say, the more time we spend together the more I like him. I mean, I kind of always have, but my feelings are growing. And fast. He’s funny and quite a bit odd once you get to know him. It’s a nice surprise.

Callan is on the phone in the library and Maddox and Lenny aren’t here when we walk inside the house. They left for home this morning to start packing. They must still be there. Alec heads upstairs to shower since he spent a lot of his day working on cars – he’s a bit dirty. One of the guys was out sick and instead of putting more work on the other employees, he took over the work. He said organizing the office can wait – he still didn’t want me helping.

I head into the kitchen to see if Callan started dinner, and if not, then I plan to. I’m digging through the fridge looking for something to make when I feel an arm slide around my waist. I lean my head back onto a shoulder, and by height alone, I know it’s Callan. He bends forward and kisses my neck. “I never thought someone could feel so good,” he whispers into my ear. I let out a small sigh and spin in his arms, resting my head on his chest. I breathe him in and squeeze. We stand there for a long moment, without anyone saying anything. “I think we should order something.”

“We spend so much money ordering food,” I say. “It’s a waste when we have plenty here to make.” I sweep my arm around the kitchen.

“You should stop worrying about our money. If we didn’t have it, we wouldn’t spend it, you know.” He kisses the tip of my nose.

“I know, it’s just… I don’t know.” I bury my face into his chest.

“It’s because, and I mean no offense by this,” he places his hands on my shoulders and gently pushes me away so he can look into my eyes. “You’re used to not having money, and you’re worried about not having it again. We will not have that problem. Ever. Trust me. On Maddox’s money alone we could live the rest of our days never working again, never mind with the money the rest of us have on top of it.”

“I’d be lying if I said that makes me feel better.” He laughs before walking away, pulling his phone out of his pocket to order something.

Maddox and Lenny show up at the exact time the pizza guy does. “Pizza! I’m starving,” Lenny shouts. But not before giving the delivery boy a hug. Yes, a hug.

Ever since the pickle we got ourselves into with the Chinese food, Lenny has checked everything we’ve ordered to make sure it wasn’t spelled or laced with something. I can’t wait for the day that I can shove pizza down my throat without Lenny waving his hands and chanting over it. I think he’s doing it to be dramatic, I doubt he has to be that animated with it, but of course we let him do his thing – no questions asked.

“You’re always starving,” we shout in unison, ignoring his antics with the pizza boy.

We grab our food and drinks and sit around the table. In the middle of the meal, Callan’s phone rings and he excuses himself. Maddox and Lenny are talking about a few bands that have inquired about playing at the bar. Maddox requires live demos from them before agreeing to let them play. “Anyone can make themselves sound good on a CD when they have all that equipment. Do you know what technology does now a days?” That is such a Maddox thing to say, I think.

When Callan comes back to the table his brows are furrowed and he’s wearing an unfamiliar frown on his face.

“Everything okay?” I ask, a lump forming in my throat. The pizza that I’m chewing turning to clay in my mouth. I manage to swallow and then take a long sip of my lemonade.

“That was Elias, he has the results from the blood samples he took.” He takes his seat, placing his phone down by his plate.

“And?” I ask, not sure if I want to know the answer. His mood makes me think that I don’t.

“And,” he says, taking a quick breath. “There were minor traces of Rycin Root in your blood.”

“What’s that?” I ask quickly.

“How much is minor?” Maddox grinds out.

“A little over 7 percent. Meaning it hasn’t been consumed in about…”

“Four weeks?” Alec asks.

“Four weeks.”

I look to the guys who all share the same expression; shocked. “Is someone going to fill me in?” Lenny gets up from his chair, kneels beside me and gives me a hug. My hands start to sweat and tremble. I’m worried that this is poisonous and I’m going to die.

“It kind of is,” Callan says. Oh, I guess I said that out loud. “Poison that is. But I assure you, it will not kill you. Basically it’s poison for Paranormals. It destroys our powers. Makes them weak and sometimes makes them go away all together.” Callan explains. Lenny stands and goes back to his seat across from me. It’s not our usual sitting arrangement, but I’ve noticed lately that Alec takes the seat to my right, which is normally where Lenny would be.

“So that’s why…” Callan nods his head slowly. Everyone’s expression changes to sympathy and sadness. “Who?”

“Someone you were close with, that you were with frequently. It has to be consumed weekly for a long period of time to get rid of your powers all together. This would explain why they never showed, and still haven’t. There are still traces in your system and your powers may not show until it is completely gone.” Callan’s voice is calm and steady. He would have made a fantastic doctor. I know giving bad news to someone is not ideal, but a big part of a doctor’s responsibility. Callan would be excellent at it.

“How long will that take?” Lenny asks, staring at his pizza longingly. I know if this weren’t a serious conversation the slice would be long gone, and he’d be working on his forth… no, fifth slice.

“Most of it is gone now, it’s that little bit that seems to linger the longest. But she must be really powerful. If she’d been given even a small amount each week and there is only that small percentage left, something inside of her is fighting it. I’d say another week or two and it will be gone completely. Elias said he would repeat the blood work in another two weeks.”

“Someone I was with every week? There was never anyone consistent. When I was younger it was my mom, then one of my friends that I lived with for a while, and then boyfriends.” I lean back in my chair and cross my arms lazily.

“Either a lot of people are in on this and it’s bigger than we think, or you’ve been being watched since you were small and didn’t realize.” Callan says seriously.

“Don’t you guys have like, Paranormal police or something?” I ask, throwing my hands up and letting them rest on the table.

“Paranormal police?” Maddox chuckles the words out and I glare at him. So does Callan.

“We have a Paranormal Council.” Callan brings his attention back to me. “Paranormals are chosen to sit on the Council after they’ve retired, but I don’t think they’ll be of much help right now. We don’t have much to go on and they don’t deal with day to day things, such as this. We would need something big to happen for us to gain their attention.”

Something big? Because an explosion, being given a sleeping agent, having your bar broken into and now poisoned isn’t big? I don’t want to know what it will take to gain their attention.

***

Lenny

After dinner we go to the living room and watch a movie. We make sure to pick something funny to lighten the mood. The conversation over dinner was exhausting. I know those conversations are important, but I think we should make sure to have them before or after we eat. I felt like a jackass still wanting my pizza, but I wasn’t lying when I said I was starving. I was sitting at the table trying really hard to focus on everything that Callan was saying, but it’s like the pizza was talking to me.

Eat me. I will.

You know you want this cheesy, gooey deliciousness. Yes, pizza, I do.

What are you waiting for? Shut up, pizza. You’re being rude.

I’m getting cold. Don’t worry, I’d eat you if you were frozen.

I must sound like a crazy person, but I swear I’m not. I just love food. Once the conversation died down, I was finally able to eat the slice, glad that it stopped taunting me. I also ate two more just to prove a point.

No pizza taunts me and gets away with it.

It doesn’t take long for Friday to fall asleep – which doesn’t surprise me. The girl could fall asleep standing up. Which in a sense is funny, in another it’s sad. Why is she able to fall asleep so easily? Is it simply because she’s that tired? Or is it because she didn’t have a choice of where she slept when she was younger? Is she used to it?

That thought breaks my heart. I had a rough childhood, but I always had a bed to sleep in. Even when I was with my mother – not that I remember much, but I remember enough. My room was small but I had a bed and toys and a giant Mickey Mouse poster on the wall by my bed. I’d love to see it now to see how big it really is. Things are always bigger when you’re young, because you’re small. But as you grow, you realize they weren’t big at all.

I don’t remember when my mom left me, I don’t remember Maddox taking me in. Part of me believes it’s because I choose not to. I was old enough to remember, but I don’t. There’s a reason for that. I do however, remember a lot of good things about Maddox. Things that when I was younger were not so good, but now I appreciate them more than anything.

Maddox never let me stay up late. He never let me have too much sugar and he didn’t let me sit too close to the TV. He always made sure I ate my vegetables and flossed my teeth. He taught me how to shower, to shave and how to take care of my hair properly. He was the best big brother that anyone could ask for. He was tough, but he meant well.

One of the reasons Maddox and I never made our relationship known was because of this. I bet a lot of people would think it was weird. He raised me, isn’t he like a brother or like a father. Kind of, but no. When we were young, yes, maybe it was like that. But as we got older, not even close. Our relationship dynamic changed. He soon turned into my best friend, the one I could go to for anything. That on top of our bond from being in the same Circle, it’s like it was inevitable for us to end up together. It’s not weird at all, not even a little bit. How many people fall for their best friend? If anything, it’s normal.

I would do anything for him, for any of these guys and for Friday. Those feelings have always been there, but I think I forgot about them. I think we all did. Even Maddox and I went through a rough time. I knew about my feelings for Maddox well before they were acted on, though I never admitted it. Not even to Friday when she’d asked about Maddox and me. At that point I wasn’t ready to talk about it. I know now that I need to go back and make that known. Not for any real reason, I know she’ll understand, but mostly to get it off my chest. To admit it. To speak it out loud and make it real.

I don’t think there was an exact age that I fell in love with Maddox. It grew from a love for a big brother to a love that I have for a man that is amazing beyond words. Once you get to know the real him, that is. That’s what I love about him most. The fact that on the outside he’s rough and tough. The asshole that people avoid. The guy that fucks girls just to say that he can. The arrogant jerk that flashes his money around. But inside? The real Maddox is nothing like that. The real Maddox does everything for a reason and will do anything for the people he cares about. I’m living proof of that.

I was never jealous when he was with girls, and I enjoyed my fair share as well. Our relationship together has always been a strange one. At one point we both had girls over the house at the same time – sometimes guys for me, because I knew I was attracted to both guys and girls from a young age. That was always normal for me. We’d never shared a girl together before, not until Friday. After the first time Maddox and I got together, the girls slowed down. We’d still go out on dates and bring them home every now and then, but we both changed after being together. It was like something inside of us clicked. Like we knew it was meant to be us and everything was going to fall into place. We knew nothing with the girls would work out anyway, it was always for fun. We knew we belonged to someone that we hadn’t met yet. We never lost hope. Plus we knew worst case scenario, we’d have each other.

It’s cliché but, there’s a method behind his madness. And only the most special people get to see that. And to be important to Maddox, that’s a big deal. He doesn’t let a lot of people in, he’s guarded and sometimes I think he doesn’t have feelings at all. Though I know the truth. The truth is he spent his entire childhood raising a child. He spent the best days of his life, being a parent to someone he didn’t have to. And not only for just me. He took care of his mother, even though it was the last thing he wanted to do. He paid the bills, he put food on the table, but he never kept her supplied. He’d spend the night cleaning puke and throwing cold towels on her face before getting her the drugs she needed.

I think he thought she’d change. She always said she would. She never did.

I had a good life, I can’t complain. I had a few rough years throughout school, but who doesn’t? All in all, I have no complaints. The only thing I would change, if anything, was to have met Friday sooner. And for none of this stuff with Evenia to be happening. For us to all be together, happy and comfortable. But everything happens for a reason, and I guess I’ll find out our reason soon.

I lean my head back on the couch, take a look around and smile. To see Alec, Callan and Maddox in a room together, so close together without fighting. That’s a dream come true. Never mind adding Friday to the mix. That’s the unattainable goal. The one that you’re told to aim for, but you know you’ll never reach it. Everyone strives to reach for the stars, but it’s not realistic. The fact of the matter is that some people are never going to reach the stars. Actually, most won’t. But that’s okay. If everyone did, it wouldn’t be special. I, on the other hand, I got those stars. Four of them to be exact.

CHAPTER 13

Friday

I wake up on the couch in a super awkward position. My neck is stiff and my arm is numb. The room around me is dark, other than the dull flash from the TV. I blink my eyes a few times to clear away the blurriness. Once my eyes adjust to my surroundings, I notice that I’m not alone. My guys are asleep down here with me. Callan and Maddox are on the couch beside me. Maddox is leaning on the arm of the couch, sleeping in a similar position that I woke up in. Callan is in the middle, sitting up, his head leaning against the back of the couch. Alec is on the recliner with his feet up and Lenny is sprawled out on his belly on the floor by the couch. I can’t imagine any of them are comfortable.

So, all of them sleeping together is a possibility... does this count as together? For some reason unknown to myself, I feel refreshed. Like I slept the entire night and not only… I don’t know, a couple of hours? I stand up, careful not to step on Lenny or knock into Callan. I tip-toe into the kitchen and get a glass of water. I drink it down quickly and pour another.

“Can’t sleep?” The deep, rugged voice makes me shiver. How does he have that much power over my body with just two words spoken?

I turn, the silhouette of Alec’s large body against the glowing room behind him gives an ominous feel. Like something out of a horror movie. Quite the opposite of how he is, I’ve learned. I place the glass into the sink with a quiet clink and walk to him. Stopping only inches from his chest. If I took a deep breath, the hardened points of my nipples would rub against his firm abs. I look up to him before nodding once.

I reach up on my tippy toes and bring my arms around his neck to pull him to me. Our lips collide like thunder, in the best possible way. If he is surprised, he doesn’t show it. I’ve thought about kissing him for so long. That one time was a tease, only making me want more. But I knew with Alec it would be different. I’d have to let him come to me when he was ready. His arms slip around my waist and he lifts me up. My legs wrap around him as his hands go under my ass to hold me to him. He kisses me roughly. Like I am the last bit of oxygen on this earth. Like he needs me to survive. Alec growls deeply and I squeeze my legs tighter around him, moaning into his lips.

His erection rubs against my core. He turns and carries me up the stairs. With each step I feel myself getting wetter. Needier. He kicks the door of Callan’s room open wide. It slams against the wall and I hope there isn’t another hole that needs to be patched up. The guys have not been nice to these walls. Alec places me on the bed and steps back. Even in the dark I make out his heaving chest. His panting filling the otherwise quiet room. Dim moonlight floods in through the windows. Both of us bathed in the blue hue of the night. I look up at him under my lashes.

Silence.

I bite my lip.

Silence.

My nipples harden.

His mere presence… the thought of what is about to happen has my body vibrating.

“If we do this–” he whispers, rubbing the back of his neck.

“Shh,” I say, getting to my knees and crawling towards the edge of the bed. I slide my hand around his waist and dip my fingers between his warm skin and the band of his sweatpants, sliding it back and forth. He groans at the contact. My skin tingles with every second we’re touching. The back of my hand runs over the crevices along his abs. I only stop once I’ve passed over the ever sexy V. I pull him closer to me, not missing the rather large bulge only inches from my hand. I lift his shirt just slightly, bringing my lips to his stomach. His muscles twitch under my touch and I smile in response. I move my mouth lower, following the tempting trail of muscles.

“If we’re going to fuck, we’re doing this my way,” he grabs a fist full of hair, yanking my head back just enough so that it hurts pleasantly. “You think Maddox is rough on you? You haven’t seen anything. Got that?” He growls into my ear. I moan in response, which causes him to pull harder on my hair. “When I ask a question, I expect an answer. Do you understand?”

“Yes,” I breathe out. I swallow hard and shake the shocked feeling away.

“Good, now bend over.” He runs his tongue from my collar bone to my jaw, growling the entire time. He’s full of masculine energy. I didn’t expect anything less from him. I turn to move into position, as I was told, but he grips my hair firmer, not allowing me to move. He brings his face close to mine and places a soft, sweet kiss on my lips before letting go of my hair. I smile a mile wide. I get to my hands and knees, lowering myself onto my forearms. Alec runs a hand from my hip, over my lower back and down my opposite thigh.

A few moments go by and nothing happens – other than my breathing picking up. The thought of not knowing what is going on behind me is thrilling. I can’t hear anything, but I feel Alec’s movements behind me. I cry out when his tongue runs over my slit. He parts me with his tongue and licks me from top to bottom. I moan loudly. His hands grip the outside of my thighs to hold me in place. He slides his tongue into me, dipping his tongue in and out. “Do you know how long I’ve wanted to do this for?” He asks into my pussy. I moan, but that’s all I can get out. I can’t form words. He pulls away and slaps my ass harshly, the crack filling the room. I hiss out a breath. He leans over me, his front to my back. He gathers my hair in his hand and throws it over my shoulder. His hot breath fans over my neck and he whispers, “if this is too much, I expect you to tell me. Understand?” I half say yes, half moan. But it’s the best I can do. “I don’t know what it is about you that makes me so fucking crazy.” He tells me, running his hand over the sore spot on my ass. Easing away the burn only slightly. “But I like it. I like this feeling. The energy that you give me. It’s too much to control. So, I’ve decided to unleash it.”

He slides his hand around me, over my belly and takes a nipple between his fingers. He pinches it and rolls it between his fingers. Another moan comes out of me. He enters me with one finger, then two.

“Oh, fuck…” I say breathlessly. “Fuck, Alec.” I’m so close to coming. So. Fucking. Close. And he’s barely touched me.

“Come for me. Come all over these fingers, baby.” He plunges in deeper, wiggling his fingers. He pulls them out, pushes them back in sliding right over my g-spot.

“Fuck, fuck. I’m coming.” I bury my face into the bed. He pinches my nipple harder and fucks me with his fingers through my orgasm. He grabs my hips and turns me onto my back. He crawls onto the bed, settling between my legs. He bends over me, holding himself up on his forearm. He brings his fingers to my lips – the ones that were just inside of me. He runs them over my mouth, coating my lips in my juices. He pulls them away and licks my lips clean. His tongue slides between them and we start to kiss. Long strokes of his tongue remind me of how it felt on my pussy only a short time ago.

“You are so… fuck. You are so perfect.” He says roughly into my ear before sitting up on his knees. He takes his cock in his hand, stroking it a few times. He moans and the thought of him pleasuring himself causes my pussy to throb. A few more strokes and then he’s sliding himself over my wetness, over my entrance. “Are you sure you’re ready for this?”

“Yes.” He presses the tip into me, starting to open me up. “Are you sure?” I ask. His answer is to slide into me. He’s big, so fucking big that he fills me completely. I didn’t know he was missing from my existence until this moment. I didn’t realize how much I needed him inside of me until right now. He moves out of me slowly at first but quickly gains speed. I feel him thicken inside of me.

“It’s been so long…” he says.

“I don’t care,” I say around moans. “Keep fucking me. Make me come again.” I plead.

His thumb works my clit as he plunges into me. My orgasm starts almost immediately. The moment I feel him twitching inside of me I’m thrown over that euphoric edge. There’s no coming back. I cry out into the darkness. He groans deeply, pumping his release into me. He collapses on the bed beside me, pulling me into his arms. I feel as if I’m on top of the world. Like nothing can take this amazing feeling away from me. I’m there for only a short moment before Alec’s body tenses up. Every muscle tightens to the max. I push myself up onto my elbows, “are you okay? What’s wrong?” I ask. He starts to pant and curls into himself. He grips his left wrist into his hand. I sit up straighter, placing my hand on his chest. “Alec? Tell me what’s wrong!” My voice is frantic. He starts to yell out as I get out of bed and turn on the lamp. He’s pale and sweating. I take his face in my hands, “Alec, talk to me. Please!” His eyes are screwed shut, his jaw clenched.

Someone else starts to yell from downstairs.

Fuck.

Fuck, fuck, fuck!

My heart is pounding in my rib cage, threatening to break out. Do I stay or do I go? More shouting downstairs and I know that I need to check on them, too. Maybe one of them can talk and tell me what’s going on. I pick up Alec’s discarded shirt and throw it over my head. When I get to the stairs I recognize the yelling. It’s coming from Callan. Oh, no. No, no, no. This isn’t good. Not at all.

I flick the lights on when I reach the bottom of the stairs. All three of the guys down here are in the same shape as Alec, if not worse. They’re all gripping their left wrists in their hand. Callan and Lenny don’t seem to be taking the pain as well as he was. They’re grunting and yelling out in pain. Maddox seems to be taking it a little better, groaning and breathing heavy is the extent of what he’s going through. They’re all pale, they’re all dripping in sweat.

“Tell me what’s wrong. Someone, please, tell me what it is!” I shout to them. Moving from one to the other. They’re curled into themselves, breathing heavily.

Their wrists. They’re all grabbing at the same arm. I lift up my own slowly. I turn my hand palm up and look at the inside of my wrist.

Holy shit. A mark. A large one. Something that wasn’t there before.

It’s red, raised and warm to the touch. Really warm. Like how a burn would feel.

A brand.

My name is shouted from upstairs and I whip my head in that direction. Alec comes stumbling down the stairs in nothing but his briefs. He’s still pale and sweating but is in much better shape than he was only a few moments ago. He stands beside me, running his hand up my back and resting it around my waist. He pulls me into his warm, firm body. My heart is still pounding and threatening to rip through my rib cage. As the rest of the guys start to compose themselves, I’m stuck here. Confused and frozen in place.

What the hell just happened?

***

Callan

“We didn’t want to tell you because we weren’t sure how bad it would be. We didn’t want you to worry. We also didn’t expect it to happen this soon.” I explain to her as calmly as I can. I don’t want to tell her that I was also worried she’d change her mind. That this small bit of pain would be too much for her to want to go through with it. Because that’s who she is. She doesn’t want any of us to suffer for her.

“Not that anyone is complaining.” Maddox adds with a cocky smirk.

“How do you feel?” I ask her.

“I feel fine. Still a little shaky. You guys should have told me, warned me, something. That was awful. I had no idea what was going on. I thought this was Evenia’s doing… or something worse. Like you were dying.” She’s sitting in her spot on the couch. The spot that she has rightfully claimed. The couch that was barely used before they all came here, the one that now has a purpose. Before they were here I didn’t spend time in the living room at all. All my time was spent in the library, kitchen and my bedroom. That’s it.

“Hey,” I stand and walk to Friday, who is pacing the living room now. She’s trembling and her breathing is still heavier than it should be. I stand in front of her, she stops. I place my hands on her upper arms. “Look at me.” She looks up at me under her long lashes, her golden eyes are tired and I know everything that’s going on is taking a toll on her. I know because it’s taking a toll on me too, and the others. I can tell. This move will be good for all of us. I’m looking forward to it more than I thought I would. I thought I’d be more upset about leaving my house, my things, my sanctuary. But I realize now that the only thing I care about, is being with her. “We are okay. It wasn’t that bad, honestly. I think it caught us off guard more than anything.”

Lenny scoffs from the couch. “Speak for yourself. That shit was rough.” Friday gives him a sad look. “I mean, it wasn’t terrible. I’d go through it again, if I had to, but there’s a reason I don’t do the body modification thing.” He blows out a breath and flops back onto the couch.

She lifts her wrist and looks at the angry red mark. It’ll stay like that until it heels, because it literally is a burn mark from the universe. Marking us together forever. It won’t lessen much, but enough to not look so angry. The red will turn pink and the swelling will go down a little. I’d wondered what ours would look like for years. Every Circle’s mark is different. Five triangles knotted together in a way that has no beginning and no end. It’s a strong symbol, that’s for sure. There is a lot of speculation around the symbols that appear, whether they have more meaning other than who you belong too, but nothing has been proven. However, knots are strong, and not everyone has a symbol that is knotted together like this. I take it for a good thing. I don’t express this out loud.

“Are you sure you guys are okay?” Friday asks, her voice soft and quiet. Her eyes lined with tears.

“We’re fine. Knock it off.” Maddox says. “It was nothing more than getting a tattoo by a heavy-handed artist. Like Fruit Cake said, it caught us off guard. We were sleeping.”

“Do you guys feel any different?”

“Not really, but I think our powers will be easier to access now. And once you start working on yours we can see what you’ve gained from us. That should be interesting.” I’m trying to be positive. To make her excited about something to do with this. I want to take her mind away from the small amount of pain we had to endure. I know we’d go through a lot more for her. This was nothing in comparison. I would go through this every day if it meant being with her for the rest of my days.

“Once we move, we can focus more on our powers, for now, let’s sleep.” Maddox grumbles. He’s been sleeping more than he used to, which I find interesting. He doesn’t require a lot of sleep, so I chalk it up to him being comfortable. Or just a reason to share the bed with Friday. I can’t blame him.

“I wish we were at the house now, so we could all sleep in that giant bed.” Me and Lenny don’t say anything. Maddox and Alec both chuckle, but it’s not their normal kind of chuckle. I’m not entirely sure what they mean, but it seems they aren’t entirely opposed to the idea. As we start up the stairs Friday stops abruptly.

“Wait. Why didn’t I feel any pain?” We all look at her. “I have a mark too, why didn’t I feel anything?” She lifts her wrists up showing us the mark that binds us together forever.

We look at each other, silently deciding who will answer. This was something I was trying to avoid telling her. It must have passed through the others minds as well. But, Friday is sharper than we give her credit for.

“Well go ahead. We all know you want to explain,” Maddox says, crossing his arms over his chest and leaning against the banister.

“It’s symbolical. Now that we are bound together, we will always take your pain. Make your life easier, bare your weight. We are yours.”

“I don’t like that.” She shakes her head. “I don’t like that at all. We are all equal here. If I’d have taken a bit of that pain maybe it wouldn’t have been so bad for you.” She turns and walks up the stairs.

Friday. Only Friday would offer something so selfless. And this is one of the many reasons why I know she was made for us.

With Alec heading upstairs, I assume he has the intentions of sleeping with Friday since he’s been sleeping on the couch. What I’m feeling isn’t jealousy, I know that, but it’s something.

I wish it was that easy for me to make those decisions. To just do things, to make moves. I miss her. It’s becoming easier for me as time goes on, the day to day affection. To be completely honest, I miss the way her pussy feels on my tongue.

CHAPTER 14

Friday

-THURSDAY-

Callan, Alec and I are sitting at the table eating dinner. Callan made stuffed chicken, mashed potatoes and asparagus. It’s heavenly.

Maddox and Lenny have spent the day at their houses, sorting through their things. They said they’d be home late, wanting to get it finished today. They’re going to help Callan pack tomorrow, while Alec and I go to his house to get his stuff. I, obviously, don’t have much to pack at all. My clothes are still piled in the suitcases that are shoved against the wall in Callan’s room. I don’t have any other belongings. The movers are scheduled to pick everything up on Saturday morning, while we’re out shopping for our new furniture.

I expressed my concerns about picking out furniture and expecting it to be delivered right away, but Maddox knows a guy (of course he does) and assures me that this certain person owes him a favor. And, money talks. His words – not mine.

Work went by quickly today. Alec got caught up with organizing his office. He was so caught up that he overlooked our lunch date. Something that I look forward to every day. I’d gone into the office to remind him, but he was so engrossed in what he was doing that I couldn’t bear to interrupt. Instead, I ordered food and had it delivered to the shop. I brought the burger that I’d ordered for Alec and left the container on the edge of his desk. Initially he was confused at the gesture. Then he looked down to his watch and apologized profusely. I assured him that it was fine and that he should keep working. I really wasn’t upset. If he’d blown me off for a girl, well, that would be another story… and she’d be dead. I spent my lunch with Jazz – who, even though looks like a fool, is actually quite smart and talented. Though, the talent part could be a sham since I haven’t heard any of his music. I promised him that I would talk to Maddox about letting him play at the bar. I’d planned to do it already but haven’t had the perfect opportunity to slip the question into conversation. I overheard Maddox complaining to Lenny that a band cancelled again for the third time and he doesn’t want to use them anymore. There’s an opening on Saturday, which is perfect. That’s my in.

Alec came to the front in search of me and frowned at Jazz and our close proximity. He quickly wiped the look from his face, but it still made me giggle on the inside. He came to tell me that we’d be leaving shortly and to finish anything that I’d want to get done for the day. He gave Jazz a dark glare before returning to the office. I watched him go and I’m surprised the metal door handle didn’t crush beneath his death grip. I hope he understands that I would never cheat on him, or any of the guys. How could I possibly need more than I have?

My phone starts to ring, I assume it’s a spam call because they are the only calls I get now a days. Even the guys barely call because we’re either together or they text. Who actually talks on the phone anymore? The ringing stops but starts up again immediately. Alec raises an eyebrow. I push my half-eaten plate away, stand and walk to get my phone from the couch in the living room. I leave it in random places now, never needing it with me.

“Hello?” I ask, to the restricted number.

“Friday, you are a difficult woman to find.” The soft but strong voice on the other end says.

“Who is this?” Chairs scraping the floor from the dining room catch my attention. They reach me as fast as it takes for me to turn and face that direction.

“Do not worry, child. I mean you no harm. I’ve been searching for you for a while now. Consider me a gift. I’ve seen this coming for a long time, dear. A very long time. My name is Mahlia, I am the Prophet for Quadrant 3. I’ve been trying to find you since you were a little girl, well, you see how that turned out. Every time I thought I was close, it was like I knew nothing at all. So much time has gone by… I’m rambling, I apologize. The reason I’m calling is because I want to help. No, I need to help. Your coming to as Prophet is imperative for survival and for the balance in this universe. I don’t know your story completely, but as I said, I’ve seen this coming for ages and I’m well aware of your unfortunate predicament. I need you to meet me as soon as you can. I can fly out as soon as tomorrow.” She quickly explains. She spoke so fast I’m not entirely sure that I caught each word.

“I, uh…” Alec mouths the words who is it? I cover the phone and whisper to them, “Mahlia?”

“I don’t think–”

Her voice sounds on the other end of the phone and I quickly give her my attention. “Speak to your boys, I will call back in an hour, but believe me when I tell you that I mean you no harm. I am only here to help.” She hangs up.

“That was weird. She said she’s the–”

“Prophet of Quadrant 3.” Callan says, a stern look on his face. “What did she want?” He stands beside Alec – the two of them so completely different from one another. Callan, tall and lean, dressed to impress. Alec, wide and strong, dirty and rough. Neither of them is better than the other. They’re both perfect in my eyes, in their own way.

“To help.” I take a few steps closer to them. Close enough that I can smell the scent of Callan’s body wash, that, for some reason always clings to his body. And the smell of oil, that has recently become soothing to me in a way because I associate it with Alec. “She said she’s seen this coming for a long time and that she’s a gift. That doesn’t make sense to me, but… can we trust her?” I question.

Callan thinks for a moment, running his forefinger and thumb along his jawline. The one that looks as if it were chiseled from the stone of a God. “I think so. We can’t be certain, but I don’t see any reason why she would mean you any harm. Your area has nothing to do with her own. A Prophet must be at each Quadrant to keep the balance. Supernaturals rely on their Prophet like humans rely on the news and the president.”

“She said she can fly out as soon as tomorrow. What do you guys think?”

Alec shrugs, taking a seat on the recliner. He leans forward and rests his elbows on his knees. “I say we meet her and see what she has to say.”

Callan moves by Alec and leisurely sits on the arm of the chair. I don’t think I’ve ever seen them so close, or the both of them so relaxed being in such close proximity to another person. “How about Sunday? It’ll give us enough time to get slightly situated into the new house. I’d hate to push it too far, not knowing how much of a part she plays in this entire thing. She could be beneficial to us, so I’d say the sooner the better.”

“How do you think Maddox will feel about this?” I bite on the inside of my cheek, knowing he will have something negative to say about us making a decision without him.

“How will Maddox feel about what?” He asks, opening the house door and walking into the living room. I swear his hearing has gotten ten times better. Lenny comes trudging in after him and he looks exhausted. They both do, actually. After not sleeping well last night and packing all day, I can’t blame them. I’ve been a bit more tired today than I usually am. Lenny walks directly to me, places his hands on my cheeks and kisses me with a loud smack. I laugh into his lips. He slaps my butt before heading into the kitchen, in search of food, no doubt. Maddox drops a backpack onto the couch.

We decide to move into the kitchen since we haven’t finished eating, Lenny has probably just started and Maddox is probably hungry. Callan and I then explain the phone call that I got. Alec sits and listens like he’s taking everything in for the first time again. He really knows how to listen well. He doesn’t miss much, I’ve learned that.

Lenny is busy eating, so he doesn’t have anything to say – no surprise there. Maddox, however, also doesn’t respond much. He sits quietly, listens and nods his head every now and then, slowly eating his food. I wonder if he’s okay… is he getting sick? Do vampires get sick? When he finally speaks, he surprises us all.

“If Callan thinks it’s safe, then we do it.” He takes another bite of his food, looking down at his plate.

“That’s it?” I ask. “No arguing, no disagreeing? No trying to ground us?” Lenny snickers at my last comment and I throw him a wink.

“I trust your decision. I’m tired and starving. I haven’t eaten anything all day.” I don’t know why it happens, but an image of him between my legs pops into my head. My face warms as he smirks. Is that another secret talent of his that he’s purposely avoided admitting? Or was it just a coincidence?

“It’s the bond being complete. It mellows everyone out, in a sense. The anxieties of the bond not being complete are gone, and we’re now bonded together.” Callan explains. “Kind of like when dogs put on the anxiety vest.” He takes a bite of his food. Everyone around the table is staring at him without his knowledge. He looks up and freezes mid chew. “What?”

“Really? That’s the best metaphor you could come up with?”

“Actually, it’s an analogy.” Callan points his fork to Maddox, who stares back and blinks slowly.

I burst out laughing, which gains me stares from everyone. It doesn’t take them long to join in. Soon enough we’re red, eyes watering and bellies cramping from laughing so hard.

When my phone rings again, I make sure to answer it right away.

CHAPTER 15

Friday

-FRIDAY-

Alec and I leave work before lunch. We stop at the bank to deposit my check – which is nicer than the last – and then we head to his house. I’m excited to see where he lives. Part of me envisions a dark castle on a cliff. Or a cave built into the side of a mountain. His house is a mystery to me. Even before seeing Callan’s house I had an idea of what it would be like. My mind wanders to Lenny’s and Maddox’s house and it saddens me that I’ll never see what they look like. Though, I have an idea. With Alec, it’s dark and creepy images that pop up. I don’t know why my brain thinks he’s a cave dweller.

It doesn’t take us long to get to his house. I didn’t think he lived this close. It’s practically in walking distance. I didn’t realize how much a difference the drive was for him. He’s been driving an hour to and from work just for us to stay at Callan’s house, and without complaining once. I now look forward to our rides to work together. Checking out the scenery and listening to classic rock as loud as we can handle that early in the morning. The more I think of what he’s giving up, I realize that they’re all making sacrifices for me. And what am I giving up?

Nothing. Absolutely nothing.

We pull up to a very normal looking ranch style home. The furthest thing from what I expected. It’s sitting in a 50’s tv show looking neighborhood. The kind of neighborhood where everyone knows everyone and what they had for dinner the night before. The kind of neighborhood that’s painted with stereotypes of the perfect families, even though they all know they’re ridden with hidden secrets.

We step out of the car, and the elderly neighbor waves at Alec and he waves back with a smile.

With. A. Smile.

Wow.

He’s friendly with the neighbors? I feel like I don’t know this man at all. And well, I guess I don’t. I know a lot about the other guys. Even Callan who isn’t big on sharing, but I know close to nothing about Alec. I know that will change, I just need to give it time. Alec is a hard nut to crack, but we’re getting there. We are all bonded now, we’re moving in the right direction.

I follow him up the short walkway and to the front door. It’s perfectly white, with not a single speck of dirt. Like it’s immune to the earth. He unlocks it and we step into a kitchen that is so clean you could eat off the floors. Absolutely spotless. The counters are actually glimmering. The house is filled in shades of white and greys. The only color can be seen through the windows. It’s bare, with only the essentials.

“How long have you lived here?” I ask, closely inspecting the few things he has out to see. A coffee pot and toaster are partnered together on the counter, but that’s it there. The small island is bare. In the living room is only a small, white leather couch with end table and lamp. There are no pictures on the walls.

“Seven years,” he responds. Huh. He walks out of the kitchen area and to the left. He turns into a rather large bedroom. My eyes land on his king-sized bed and I’m filled with unjustified jealousy, wondering if that’s the bed he slept with his ex in.

“It isn’t,” he says. I freeze.

Did I say that out loud? I think.

“No. Apparently Maddox’s new power works on all of us because I’ve been able to hear your thoughts since we left the shop.”

I mentally facepalm myself, remembering that I was thinking back to when we had sex the other day and how I can’t wait to do it again. Fuck. Another facepalm for thinking about it again, knowing that he can hear everything that I’m thinking. He laughs at me, and I let out a growl.

“Is there a way to control that?”

“Why? I like that you think about me.” He smirks.

“Yeah, well…” I smile internally and work on blocking my thoughts. I guess it’s going to come and go until we get a hang of it. Or, at least me.

Alec walks to me, his boots loud on the wood floor. The wood floor that is white with black decorated scratches. I look down and wonder how he keeps the floors so clean since his boots are filthy. He must have a maid. Alec places his hands on my hips and pulls me between his legs as he sits down. “I’ve never been with anyone on this bed. No one.” He tells me. I lean forward and bring my lips to his. A deep rumble sounds in his chest. “Care to change that?” He asks, breaking the kiss.

I bite my lip and nod. He smiles before pulling my shirt over my head. He reaches around to unclasp my bra. I pull it off and drop it to the floor. His hands reach up and knead the flesh of my breasts. He pinches my nipples, causing me to squeak. He does it again and this time I moan and rub myself against him. He brings his lips to my chest, kissing the sensitive area right between my breasts. I reach my hands under his shirt and pull it over his head. My hands start at his waist and run up his torso, taking in each scar. Some small, some rather large.

“I’ll tell you about them, just not now.” I nod once and lean down to kiss him again. He pulls me down and flips us over so he’s on top of me. He spreads my legs with his knee and settles between them. He grabs my wrists and pulls them above my head. I moan as his mouth dips to my neck and he kisses and licks down to my collar bone. His mouth moves down to my nipple, tracing circles around the tip before taking it between his teeth and biting down. The pain causes me to yelp and buck beneath him. He lets out a throaty laugh.

Moving off the bed he unbuttons my jeans and pulls them off. His thumb rubs circles over my panties, above my clit. I need more. The panties have got to go.

“Oh, is that what you want?” He chuckles. I let out a frustrated growl. He knows what I want and still doesn’t do it. Why do these guys like to tease me? The only nice one is Callan. And I make a note to do something special for him, just for that.

“I’ll be sure to tell him.” I open my mouth to scold him for being inside of my head, but when his mouth meets my core I can no longer form words. The warmth of his breath travels through the thin fabric of my panties and I moan. He moves them aside before plunging one finger into me. “Fuck, you’re so wet.” He looks up at me under his long lashes, his golden eyes as bright as the sun. Full of heat and need. He curls his finger, hitting the right spot. He adds another, stretching me. I’m bucking and writhing beneath him, needing more than what he’s giving. He grips my hip with his other hand to hold me in place.

“Please,” I say.

“Please, what?”

Make me come.

“No. I want to hear the words.” He says. “Out loud.”

“Make me come, Alec. Please, make me come.” He brings his mouth to my swollen clit, but not before allowing a small smirk to cross his lips. His mouth is hot and warm. It doesn’t take him long to bring me to orgasm. I come around his fingers, moaning his name.

He undoes his pants and pulls them off. Alec crawls on top of me and slides right in, groaning as he does. He grabs my leg and lifts it up onto his shoulder. In this position he goes so deep that it’s almost painful. He fucks me with long, hard thrusts. His hands reach down to my hips, he angles me upward causing him to go even deeper – which I didn’t think was possible. He grabs my hand and moves it to my clit. He watches with heat in his eyes as I bring myself to another orgasm. Seconds later I feel the warmth of his come fill me. I open my eyes to see a panting Alec, the muscles in his stomach contracting with each breath he takes. He runs his hand up and down my thigh before moving my leg off his shoulder. He leans down and kisses my forehead.

“We’ll make sure to work on blocking the thoughts.” He gets off the bed and disappears out of the room. He returns a moment later with a towel. I take it from him, clean up and get dressed.

Alec doesn’t have much to pack. Mostly it’s his clothes and a few personal items. He tells me that he doesn’t keep anything that he doesn’t use frequently. He doesn’t like clutter. Funny… because have you seen the state of his office?

“Ha. Ha.” He deadpans.

I help him gather his clothes together, throwing them in giant trash bags, which I know all too well. I’m basically a pro at it. He pulls a shoe box out of the corner of the top shelf in his closet and places it near the bags. I’m curious to know what’s in it, but I don’t ask. If it’s something that he wants to talk about, then he will.

He said we’ll practice on blocking the thoughts, but I’m already trying. I’m not sure if it’s working, but I feel like it is. I focus more on talking to myself when thinking, and not projecting my thoughts so loudly. Which isn’t easy. He doesn’t respond to me, so I assume it must be working. Though, he could just be playing games with me.

A few hours later we are loading everything into the back of his truck. The only thing that he brings inside with us is the old, worn shoe box. He places it gently on the backseat. I stare at it for a moment, wondering what it could be, but I quickly look away and focus my eyes ahead of me.

We barely hit any traffic driving back to Callan’s. It’s a good time of day to be on the road, when most people are still at work. When we leave work at the usual time we hit traffic every time.

When we get into the house, I pause in front of the hallway that leads to the library. I saw something out of the corner of my eye that catches my attention. Curious, I walk that way instead of going right to the kitchen where I know dinner is waiting. When I reach the library, I swear there is some Sword in the Stone type shit going on. The books are sliding off the shelves, one by one and dancing to boxes that are lined up against the walls. I look around in wonder and awe.

“Pretty cool, huh?” A voice asks, startling me. Lenny wraps his arms around my waist from behind and nuzzles his face into my neck. I bring my hands to his and interlock our fingers.

“Really freakin’ cool,” I say. He places a kiss on my cheek, before pulling me behind him out of the library and to the table to eat.

“The movers are going to stop here first thing in the morning. If you have anything that’s taking up too much room in your truck, leave it in the living room and they’ll take it with Callan’s stuff.” Maddox is explaining to Alec. “They’re stopping at my place after that. We brought Lenny’s stuff over there to make it easier and quicker to pick up.”

“What are you guys going to do with the rest of your stuff?” I ask.

“We plan to sell the houses furnished. The people that buy them can keep it or sell it.” Callan tells me. We sit down and eat dinner, chit chatting about our day. The excitement from Lenny and I about moving is not lost. We talk about how we’re going to decorate and where the furniture will go. The others don’t say much. The only one that has anything to say about it is Callan, and only with the kitchen. I tell him that he has full reign in there, since that’s his place. He knows better than I do.

Later that evening we’re all in the living room watching tv, when I decide to ask Maddox about the bar. We all seem to be in decent moods, so I guess it’s the best time to bring it up.

“Maddox, will you do me a favor?” I bat my lashes at him and smile innocently. He narrows his eyes at me before asking what I want. “Well, I heard you talking to Lenny about having an opening tomorrow night at the bar. I think you should let Jazz play.”

“Jazz? Who the fuck is Jazz?” He asks, looking to me and then the other guys. Alec is hiding a smirk while the other guys look just as confused as he is. “Wait, is this that annoying prick from the shop?” He asks. “No. He’s not playing at my bar.”

“And why not?” I ask, placing my hands on my hips and looking down at him. Only because he’s sitting on the couch and I haven’t made it there yet. He looks up at me with this stern look that could set my panties on fire, but I hold my ground.

“Because.”

“That isn’t an answer. You have no reason to say no.”

“I don’t like him.” He takes a sip of his beer.

“You don’t even know him!”

“She has a point. He’s been bugging me forever to play there. His band isn’t half bad.” Alec says. I smile my thanks at him for having my back.

“We do need someone to play, and it isn’t easy to find someone last minute.” Lenny points out. He’s lying down on the couch in his grey skinny jeans and nothing else. And holy hell does he look delicious right now. “It’d be better than having open time.”

Maddox looks to Callan, “you have anything to add? Since it’s everyone against Maddox tonight.” Callan shakes his head with a smirk. He lets out a long sigh, runs his hand through his hair before saying, “fine, but I’m rearranging the lineup and he’s going first. I don’t need him fucking up while the place is busy. He can go on at 7 and he’ll get a half hour. That’s it.” I throw my arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. “Oh, you’ll owe me more than that for agreeing to this, Beautiful.” He grunts out.

“Fine by me,” I wink at him.

When I walk by Alec, I whisper into his ear “you owe me”.

CHAPTER 16

Lenny

-SATURDAY-

“You have to focus harder,” I say in the nicest way possible.

“I can’t do this!” She drops to the ground and lays back in the grass. Her long, red hair fans across the bright green bed. She’s breathtaking. Her chest rises and falls rapidly from the exercises we’ve been doing. It isn’t physical work, but with her frustrations and mental strain, she’s tired. “How do we even know that I can do this?” Her hand sways across the blades of grass.

“We’ll never know unless you try.” I take a seat beside her, plucking a piece of grass and running it over her arm. Goosebumps erupt over her creamy skin. “The One always gets something from each of her men. It makes sense that you would gain some magic from me.”

“Maybe I gained your laziness,” she teases. My eyebrows go up and I slap her thigh. Not hard, but hard enough.

“I am not lazy!” I say, yawning and laying down beside her. She rolls her eyes and we both laugh. What’s funny is, I didn’t even mean to yawn.

“Hey,” I say softly. She turns her head to me, we’re both on our sides facing each other. “Stop worrying. This isn’t something that needs to be done today, or tomorrow. Even in a week.” She lets out a long sigh. “Once you meet with the other Prophet, she will have more knowledge on this subject and will be able to help you, and us, through this training process. Okay?”

“Fine.” She says, closing her eyes. I raise up on an elbow and watch her as she rolls onto her back. Ever since the bonding process was finalized, I’ve been in a better mood. The feeling that something was missing has gone. I’d always assumed it was from my mother, but now I don’t think that at all. I think what’s been missing was this bond. It was Friday. She’s what has been missing from me. I feel whole now, complete. I smile at her even though she doesn’t see me.

She’s been worrying a lot. Trying to take everything on. She’s worried about touching us because she never knows when she’s going to have a vision. Not that it harms her, but we worry when it happens because we’re unsure of how to deal with it and how long it will take. It’s creepy when her eyes go white, for some reason it’s taking me longer to get used to than when I saw Maddox’s go black for the first time. Callan tried finding information about this whole Prophet process, but he was unsuccessful. Apparently it’s top secret type of stuff. Even something that his brain can’t get to.

She’s also been worried about her mother and how she ties into everything. The fact that people are trying to kill her, and us as well. She’s feeling guilty that we all gave up our homes to move here, even though we wanted to. It isn’t helping that it seems she hasn’t gained any of our powers.

Which is worrying me a little too. But I don’t say that.

We’ve all gained something so far. With the exception of Alec, but we’re sure that’ll come in time. It took us time to gain something new, it wasn’t right away. Plus, we can all talk to each other telepathically now. Friday has been getting really good at blocking us from her thoughts, mostly out of embarrassment. The girl thinks about sex more than all of us combined, I’m almost sure of it. The rest of us were able to block ours almost instantly, but that’s because we’ve been working with our powers for so long that it’s second nature to us. For her, this is all new.

Shopping this morning took Friday’s mind off of everything going on. It was a nice break for her and for me, the other guys too. She went crazy with furniture and decorations. It made me so happy seeing how happy she was, and I could tell the rest of the guys felt the same way. She was so caught up in it that after a while she stopped checking prices. She’d forgotten that she didn’t want us spending too much money. We tell her over and over again that we have plenty and it doesn’t matter to us. It’s there to be used and we want her to have everything that she’s ever dreamed of. We split the bill four ways, which equated to not much at all. Not in my opinion. Friday, on the other hand, had other thoughts.

She looked like she was going to faint when she saw the total. We didn’t tell her that Maddox had to pay extra for the delivery to happen today. The guy that owes Maddox a favor doesn’t work their anymore. Not that it matters. He has the money. The delivery is why we’re outside practicing right now. Well, we’re supposed to be practicing. Maybe she did gain my laziness?

I look down at Friday who I’m sure is sleeping at this point. Her arm is draped across her belly, the other is over her forehead. Her chest rising up and down slowly.

The delivery guys loaded up the furniture that we’d purchased and basically followed us here. The movers dropped our things off before we got back from shopping. The guys are inside directing the movers and putting things away. Callan is taking care of the kitchen and dining room. Maddox is handling the living room and common areas while Alec works on the bedrooms. Not that they want to be doing that stuff, but they know I’d just be in the way and none of us want Friday doing any of it. She needs to relax.

We closed off the library to the drivers, since I have a spell going that’s putting everything away in there. I lost my shit when Friday started yelling about Merlin from Sword in the Stone. That was one of my favorite movies as a kid. Actually, it still is.

When I was little, living with Maddox, there was a stray cat that used to come around the house. I saved food for him and fed him every chance I got. Maddox used to scold me about wasting food, but he eventually gave in and let me do it. I even caught him feeding the cat on his own one night. As we got older, he’d sit outside on the porch late at night when I was supposed to be in bed and the cat would sit by his side. Maddox would pet him and talk to him, thinking that I didn’t know.

I did.

Anyway, I named the cat Archimedes, after the owl from the movie.

Once the furniture is all delivered, I’ll get the rest of the stuff put away using magic. It’s so much easier that way. I’ve been taught not to use magic for everything. Maddox thinks it makes people lazy and unappreciative, which I agree with to some extent. Actually, I don’t agree with it at all. But I respect him, so I try to do things the human way as much as possible. Even though I’m not human… you get where my argument is going.

I lay down on my back beside Friday, enjoying the warm sun and cool breeze. The only sounds are the trees swishing and birds chirping. It’s really nice here. Maddox did a great job finding this place. It’s like it was made for us.

I turn my head to the sound of shouting. Maddox is saying something but we’re too far away and I can’t quite hear him.

I can’t hear you. You’re too far away. I send to him.

They finished bringing everything inside. Can you guys get in here so we can finish up and head out.

The last part should have been a question, but this is Maddox we’re talking about. I throw my arm up and give a thumbs up, doubtful that he’ll make it out, but that’s his problem. I turn towards Friday, brush a few stray strands of hair from her face and kiss her cheek. She breathes in deeply and stretches.

“I’m starting to think that maybe you did get my laziness.” I kiss her lips. She kisses me back and moans softly. My cock twitches in my pants at the thought of having her right here, lying on the soft grass, under the heat of the sun. I groan into her mouth, knowing that we have too much to do today.

“We have forever to fuck on every inch of this land. Today, we have things to do.” She pouts and stretches again. I stand and offer her my hand for help. She takes it and I pull her up. We walk back to the house, hand in hand. I’ve never been as physical with anyone the way I am with Friday, but I never had the opportunity. I never had girlfriends, not really. But with her, I always need to be touching her. Even if it’s just holding her hand.

When we get into the house, it looks amazing. The furniture makes the house look even better than it already did. The decorations are hanging, the furniture is placed. It looks comfortable and homey. Better than my house before.

“I’m going upstairs to unpack. Hopefully for the last time.” She smiles at me, but it looks forced.

“It will be.” She starts to walk away but I grab her hand and swing her back to me. I wrap my arms around her and kiss her forehead. “I promise.” She hums her approval. I let her go and she walks across the living room and disappears upstairs. I check on the library which, much to my surprise, is done. I didn’t think it would be done this quickly. Maybe I was outside for longer than I thought. I snap my fingers and the boxes disappear and end up in the trash. It’s nice to finally be able to use my magic freely. Doing small things here and there doesn’t do much for me. It’s like the magic builds up and starts to overflow when it isn’t used. If I don’t let it out, I feel like I’ll explode.

Staying at Callan’s was killing me. His neighbors are too close, so I could never do much. I’d spend some time in the back yard, but there isn’t enough room to do anything worth it. Seeing the space we have here makes my fingers tingle with excitement. It’s been especially hard because this is the longest I’ve gone without using magic. Almost the entire trip and then the few weeks we were at Callan’s. I’ve been itching to get home and let out some energy. Which, I guess is what I’m doing now. This is home, and a much better one. There aren’t any neighbors close by, we have plenty of room for me to play around with and I’m living with my family. The people that I love most.

This library is different than the one at Callan’s old house, and I’d be lying if I said I liked it more. It’s bigger, but it has a different structure. I’m not sure how Callan truly feels about it, but I guess that’s all that matters. I hope he likes it as much as he says he does. It’s not that I don’t like it, but there was something about the one at his house that was just perfect.

“Can you go upstairs and get everything put together so we can start putting stuff away? Alec has been yelling and screaming about putting shit together since the movers dropped it upstairs.” We opted out of having them put things together, knowing it would take too long. Plus there’s the tiny fact that I can get it done in a snap of my fingers.

I mock salute him and head upstairs. I walk to each room and snap my fingers. In a matter of minutes each of our rooms has furniture that is fully put together. I walk into the master bedroom and find Alec and Friday putting her clothes away. I’m shocked at the sight, but I don’t make it known. Seeing Alec like this is mind blowing. It’s not something I’m used to. I heard that this is how he used to be. Before the incident with his mom and Aaron. But because I’m younger than them, I missed out on a lot of what happened when we were younger. Maddox did good at keeping me hidden from the bullshit. I stand in the doorway for a moment and watch how attentive he’s being to her and it makes me smile.

He’s sitting on the floor in the closet matching shoes together and placing them on the shelves. Friday decided that she wanted to set up her stuff in the main house. This is going to be her room and we agreed that the guest house would be used for anyone that needs time alone. Either by ourselves or with another. We all thought Friday would want the guest house as her own, but it turns out she doesn’t. And I couldn’t be happier about that. Having her closer makes us all breathe easier.

“Knock, knock,” I say, walking into the closet. This is a closet, but it could be another bedroom, that’s how big it is. Along with the built-in shelves, there are also built-in drawers and plenty of bars to hang clothes on. I thought she had a lot of clothes until I see everything put away in here. The space makes it look like she has nothing.

That’ll have to change.

“Hey!” I raise an eyebrow in question. “I heard what you were thinking.” Friday shouts at me.

“You did?” I’m shocked.

“Yeah, it happens a lot. I mostly just ignore it though.” And I thought I was doing a good job at blocking it.

“You’re not. None of you are, to be honest. You should probably try harder.” She says with a cocky smirk.

“Yeah, I’m gonna have to work on that.” I say, and Alec nods. “I need you to let me know how you want your room set up so I can get everything put away.”

“Just do what you want. I don’t plan on spending a lot of time in there.” He says with a cocksure smile, taking a page out of Maddox’s book. I cross my arms over my chest, “is that right?” I ask and he grins. I’ve never seen him grin. “As you wish.” I bow before exiting the room and entering Alec’s bedroom. I set up his room, put everything away and laugh as I walk out.

That’s what he gets for telling me to do what I want. I think to myself.

“Don’t care!” I hear him shout from the other room. We’ll see about that when he gets in there.

I go to Maddox’s room next and set it up how it was at his house. I’ve been there enough to know how he likes his things. This new bed set is almost identical to the last one. Black bed frame, headboard and matching dresser and nightstands. Only this bed is a King size – like we all have. Except Friday. I don’t think there is a word for how big that bed is, but it looks like it’s two kings put together.

I go to my room next, set everything up and put my stuff away. I do the same in Callan’s room, but I know he’s going to want me to change it, which is fine. It’s an easy fix. Callan and Alec will have to put their clothes away because I don’t know how they like their things. Maddox is particular with how his clothes are hung and folded, but I’ve been with him enough that I could do it all in my sleep. I head back to my room quickly and change, knowing that we will be leaving soon. I put on a pair of black skinny jeans with a white T-shirt and head downstairs.

“How’s it going?” Maddox asks as he walks out of the kitchen.

“Rooms are done. Alec and Friday are putting stuff away. I’m good to go.” I lay down on the new couch and flip on the TV. Thankfully we were able to get someone out here first thing this morning to set up the cable and internet. I may die without it.

“Good. I’m going upstairs to change. Callan is almost done too and then we can go.” I give him a thumbs up and flip through the channels, stopping on cartoons. I don’t pay attention to them, though. I look around at the house and I smile.

I’m finally home.

CHAPTER 17

Friday

Maddox took it upon himself to go online and order me a barrage of clothing that he thought were appropriate. He called it a gift, but I knew it was more of a you’re worth more than the clearance section type of thing. Normally, I’d take offense to that. I’m proud of everything that I own. It isn’t much but it’s mine. Besides, there is nothing wrong with clearance! But Maddox has great taste. Even if I wanted to be mad, I couldn’t. And I’d be lying if I said these expensive clothes don’t feel and look better on my body. They fit almost too perfectly.

When the doorbell rang, I was curious to see who it was. We just got here, but maybe a friendly neighbor? That’s one long walk. Then I’d assumed it was Lenny playing around, because ringing the doorbell for fun or playing ding-dong ditch are both in his repertoire, I’d bet. I’d stuck my head through my door, straining to listen. I heard muffled voices but couldn’t make out the words. Moments later the front door closed, and footsteps sounded on the stairs. I scattered back into my room, like a child not wanting to get caught eavesdropping on her parents. Maddox strolls through the door carrying boxes so high they’re over his head and bags running up both of his arms. The boxes and my jaw both drop to the floor at the same time. He holds up a finger at me and leaves the room. He comes back a minute later with an equally large load. He kissed me on the cheek, whispering “enjoy” into my ear before disappearing.

He purchased everything imaginable. Dresses for any occasion, t-shirts, blouses, jeans, shorts, shoes and even bras and panties – but only lace. I wouldn’t be surprised if he bought one of every item at whichever store they came from. It doesn’t say. He’s smart. Knowing I’d try to return them, not wanting him to spend money on me. I’m not shocked when I see that everything is perfectly my size. He’s more observant than he lets off.

I thought of getting rid of my old stuff, but I can’t part with them. Now it’s just sentimental. Maybe one day, but that day won’t be today.

I choose a short – so short that I can’t bend over, thanks Maddox – tube dress. It’s black with sheer mesh under my breasts. It hugs every curve in the most perfect way. I pair it with black glittery booties. I fluffed up my hair, put on dark eye make-up and made my way downstairs. As I clop down the stairs in my boots, it’s all eyes on me. Lenny’s and Callan’s jaw drop open, hit the floor and their tongues roll out like in the cartoons. Alec and Maddox have better control than that, but I see the twitch in Alec’s mouth, and I notice Maddox’s fists clenched at his sides.

“Holy fuck…” Lenny breathes out. I smile and step onto the bottom landing. I stand still trying not to let on how wet I got from that short walk or how hard my nipples became when I set sights on them.

Is it hot in here all of a sudden?

Lenny has on black skinny jeans with a white T-shirt, his hair pulled back into a low ponytail with a few loose strands hanging by his face. Delicious. Maddox is in an identical outfit to when Lenny kept sending me shots of his ass at the bar. Black dress pants with a black button up. His sleeves are rolled up, showing off the artwork up and down his arms. Delicious. Alec is in a dark pair of jeans that fit him mouth-wateringly perfect. With a dark blue and black button-up shirt. His sleeves also rolled up, like guys just know what that does to us women. Delicious. And Callan is in a pair of grey Chinos, that leave nothing to the imagination, with a black sweater. De-lish-ous.

I know what’s on the menu tonight, and I plan to feast.

I keep my mouth closed, worried that if I open it I will drool all over myself. That is not attractive in any way. Not unless there is a dick in my mouth, which there is not…yet.

I make a mental note to check out their asses every chance I get, because I have a thing for guys asses and these boys have the best around.

“You look… hot.” My eyes widen at Callan’s statement. Hot is not what I expected him to say. I blush and giggle.

“Are we ready?” I ask, trying to keep it cool. Trying to act like they don’t make my body temperature rise ten degrees or make me forget how to speak. Maddox clears his throat and walks towards the door. I take the first opportunity to check out his butt and holy fucking wow. Kill me now. Callan offers me his arm and I hook mine in his. Lenny rushes up to my right and takes my hand. Alec stays behind me and with Maddox right in front, I’ve never felt safer in my life. Even though I’m home and don’t need protecting, it’s a wonderful feeling knowing that it’s possible to have this.

We get outside and it’s still light out. Jazz’s band isn’t playing for a couple of hours but we’re going to dinner first. Maddox explained that there is a restaurant on the side of the bar that’s owned by a good friend of his. I’m excited about meeting someone that he considers a friend. I imagine there aren’t many of those.

As I’m helped into the Jeep by Callan, I look down the line of cars.

Jeep. Tesla. Camaro. Silverado.

And I laugh to myself at how even their taste in vehicles is so different. I’ve never thought much about what kind of car I’d like to own. I’ve never had my own before. It’s always been shared with someone that I was with. It’s a goal I have for myself. One day I will own a car.

There isn’t a lot of traffic and we get to the bar in under a half hour, just as Maddox promised. The bar is on a main street with not a lot of parking. He turns down the side alley and pulls behind the buildings which has a few spots reserved for employees, and of course the owner. We all get out and walk to the back door. Maddox bangs three times, since the door can’t be opened from the outside – no knob. A blonde with legs for days opens the door. She’s the same height as Maddox, which is a bit intimidating for me. Even with my boots on I’m not close to his height.

Sucks being short.

“I like that you’re short,” Lenny whispers into my ear from behind. I roll my eyes at not keeping my thoughts to myself, but also smile at his compliment.

“Good evening, Mr. Deveraux, Mr. W.” She smiles with perfectly street teeth. I run my tongue along my own, suddenly feeling self-conscious.

Stop. She’s not even my type. Maddox thinks loudly.

Vagina is your type. Lenny laughs out loud after making that comment. My stomach turns with jealousy and the blonde follows behind us as we enter. All I can think is how she’s at the end, behind Alec and she should probably back the fuck up. We walk down a narrow hallway and turn left into what looks like a lounge room. There’s couches and a TV. But what has my jaw dropping is the large glass wall that separates us from the bar. A two-way mirror, this is bad ass. It would be hot as hell to fuck back here. My stomach turns more at the thought of what this room has been used for. I get a look from Maddox and I focus on blocking my comments. I don’t want to be scowled at all night.

Being with someone at home is different than being with them in public. And being with someone in a mall is different than being with them at a bar where girls are half naked. I trust these guys with my life, it’s not about that. It’s more about me being territorial and not wanting anyone touching them – because they will die. And the bits of self-conscious, I think that comes from being made to believe that I’m not good enough. I’ve hid my insecurities well for so long, but since being with Maddox, Callan, Lenny and Alec, I don’t feel like I have to hide any part of me. Even the bad stuff.

There is nothing bad about you. Callan says.

Fuck! I shout in my head. I know they all heard me. Lenny laughs, Callan smiles, Alec chuckles and Maddox raises an eyebrow. I stick my tongue out at him. He rolls his eyes.

The tall blonde is standing in the doorway waiting for direction. She’s wearing black heels, with short black shorts and a light blue shirt that’s cut around the neck so you can see her cleavage. It’s kind of a cute outfit, just not to wear around my guys. I wonder if this is the uniform, if so, did Maddox choose it?

My question is answered, well, part of it, when another girl walks by in the same outfit, only her shirt is yellow. Uniform it is. She disappears through a door that lets in a lot of loud noise and I assume is the bar. I take slow breaths and remind myself that he’s a guy, first of all. Second, this is a business and of course he’s going to make more money with girls dressed like that. He’s doing it for the money, not because he wants to fuck them. But then… how many has he fucked? Because I bet he could get any of them if he wanted to. He’s got the looks and the attitude to make girls fling their panties in his direction.

I throw my head back and think of something else. In that moment, my stomach growls and I’ve never been so thankful for that in my life. Now, I focus on food.

“Madeline, this is Friday. The girl I was telling you about.” She smiles at me and waves. I smile back. “We’ll be here most of the night, so make sure she gets whatever she wants. Even if I’m not around to give the okay.” She nods. “You’re excused.” He waves his hand towards her.

“Of course, sir.” She backs up and enters the bar.

Sir?!

Maddox closes the door, walks around and bends down, his eyes level to mine. They’re dark and stormy today, with a hint of mischief. “I find your jealousy rather appealing. Keep it up and every one of my waitresses will know just how good I am when they hear you screaming my name from the bathroom.”

Holy fuck balls.

I gasp as he stands straight up and heads back to the door. “Are we going for dinner?” Maddox asks us. Alec is smirking, Callan’s face has turned a bit pink but he’s wearing an amused smile and Lenny is just straight laughing. Clearly, I’m the only one that didn’t find it funny. No, instead it turned me on. Hardcore.

I’m the last to stand with Lenny offering me his hand. The moment Maddox cracks open the door to the bar the noise pours through. It opens wider and we step into the large room. It’s dark, only lit up by the small amount of daylight left outside and the small lights hung across the ceiling. The lights remind me of twinkling stars. There is a small stage to the right, with curtain and all, but it’s currently pulled back. There are instruments set up on the stage. A drum kit, a couple of guitars, a bass and piano. A mic stands front and center, and different sized amps sit along the back wall.

I remember the guys telling me that they used to play in a band, and Lord I hope that I’ll get to see that one day.

To the left is a long rectangle bar. The back wall is the giant mirror that I expected to see. You’d never know that you can see through it from the other side. Rows and rows of glass shelves hold bottles upon bottles of alcohol. Three bartenders work the bar right now and I’m surprised at how busy it is for the time of day. All the seats are taken, and quite a few people are standing. I look at the girls tending bar and note how they ogle Maddox. I pick up my pace and slow down once I reach his side. He gives me a knowing look and I smile. He holds the door for me when we leave.

We enter a small restaurant to the right. We’re greeted by a young girl that doesn’t look old enough to legally work here. “Mr. Deveraux. It’s nice to see you again.” The young red head smiles brightly. “Should I let mom know you’re here?” She asks.

“That would be great, Lacey. Thank you. We can seat ourselves.” He leads us to the back, and we sit in a corner booth. I end up in the middle with Maddox on one side and Alec on the other. I give Lenny a sad smile, because usually he sits on the side of me. He reaches his arm across the table dramatically, feigning sadness. Maddox shakes his head and places his phone on the table. I look up to Alec and then Maddox and realize that sitting between these two beasts makes me feel as small as a child.

Alec rests his hand on my thigh, high enough for it to be considered sexually, I should add. It sends shivers up my spine. His thumb runs back and forth over my skin on my outer thigh. I pick up the menu, needing to distract myself from the heat pooling in my stomach and the crazy thoughts going through my head. The group of hot women that work for Maddox, the fact that Alec’s hand is really close to my vagina in a public place are among the newest to add.

Yeah, getting drunk tonight is a must.

A woman pops up at the table as I’m figuring out what I want to eat. I know she isn’t a waitress because she’s dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a red sweater.

“How are my guys doing?” She asks, leaning over to hug Lenny and then Maddox.

My guys?! I screech inside of my head. Everyone except Maddox looks at me. I clear my throat and throw my hair over my shoulder. I need to chill out. There is no reason to be jealous and act like this. These guys want to be with me, I know that. Who cares if there are beautiful woman everywhere? It shouldn’t matter. It doesn’t matter, not really.

“We’re good, Anneisse.” Lenny says. “How have you been?”

“Same ole crap, you know. So–” Her eyes finally reach me. “Oh, wow. Is this her?” She whispers loudly.

“Sure is,” Lenny says proudly. Leaning back in his seat, arms crossed and a smug smile resting on his lips.

“Move. Move, boys.” She shoos Lenny and Maddox out of the way. Lenny gets up willingly, as does Callan, but Maddox grumbles the entire way. “Oh, hush it!” She scolds Maddox and I can’t help but laugh. She turns to me as Alec scoots out and joins the rest of the guys. “Friday, right? Did I remember that correctly?” She looks from me to the guys, hopeful. Her hair is dark and wavy and frizzy. Her eyes are dark green and tired. Her face is full of freckles, with high cheekbones and full lips. She’s quite pretty.

“You did,” I tell her kindly.

“You are even more beautiful than the boys described!” She runs her hands down my hair and cups my face. This should be strange, but for some reason it isn’t. “You are gorgeous. I am so, so happy for you all.” She looks up and over at my guys. All of them smiling at her, even Alec is smiling in his own kind of way. She pulls her hands from me quickly. “Oh, I’m sorry. I’m acting crazy right now.”

“…and that’s different from every other day how?” Maddox asks, shoving his hands into his pockets.

“Oh be quiet. Go get your drinks. Go on, you boys know better.” They walk to the bar together which isn’t too far off. Maddox keeps an eye on me the entire time. “These boys have been waiting for so long. I am so glad this finally worked out for them.”

“As happy as I am to hear you say that… uh, who exactly are you?” I ask in the nicest way possible.

“Oh, how silly of me. I’m Anneisse. I’ve known the boys for years. Ever since they set up shop next door.”

“Are you…?”

“A Supernatural? No, no. I’m just a neighbor. I only know they are because I used to catch little Lenny over there playing out back with his magic. I say little, but really he was already a teenager at that point. I’m not one of those people that cares about that sort of thing. Doesn’t matter to me who you are, or what you are. The only thing that matters is how you treat others.” I smile at the comment, because that’s such a wonderful thing to say. She looks as if she’s on the verge of tears, which makes me cringe. I don’t handle crying people well. “I apologize. I’m not trying to be crazy, I’m just so happy.”

We chit chat back and forth until the guys return. I learned that Lacey is her daughter and that her husband passed away a few years back. She and her daughter have been running the restaurant together and Maddox and Lenny have helped her every time that she’s needed it. They even used to watch Lacey when she was younger. Which is hard to picture. Not so much Lenny, I bet he’s great with kids. But Maddox and kids? That doesn’t seem like a good mixture.

Alec hands me a drink once he settles in beside me. I’m not sure what it is, but it’s brightly colored and there’s fruit on the rim. He places his hand back on my thigh, the same spot it was in before he left. The heat starts all over again. Maddox scoots back in on the side of me and Callan and Lenny scoot back into their seats. Anneisse says good-bye to all of us and has the waitress come over as soon as she leaves. We give our order and don’t wait long for the food to arrive. We eat quickly, the food is delicious.

We all hug Anneisse and wave to Lacey when we leave, promising to come back soon. We get back to the bar and it’s just about 6:30PM. Jazz and his band have arrived already and they’re setting up on stage. There is a decently sized banner with their band name on it. Manic Disaster. I notice now that the table closest to the stage has a reserved sign on it. I smile, knowing that was Maddox’s doing.

We make our way to the table and take our seats.

“Bathroom?” I look around the room and spot it by the other end of the stage.

“Use the one in the back,” Maddox points towards the door we came through earlier. “Second door on the left.” I leave my wristlet on the table, not wanting to bring it with me to the bathroom. I hate carrying it, but I didn’t have any other way to hold my phone and ID.

I open the door leading to the back and it opens to an empty hallway. The door isn’t labelled, but when I see a toilet, I know I’ve found the right room. I flip the switch and enter. I do my business, then wash my hands. The moment the door is opened, I’m pushed back into the bathroom. A hand covers my mouth. I try to scream, but nothing comes out. I try not to panic when the light is flicked off and the door clicks locked.

CHAPTER 18

Friday

“I’ve wanted to fuck you since the moment you walked downstairs in this outfit. My cock is so hard that it hurts.” The familiar voice whispers in my ear. I let out a breath of relief as best I can, considering there is a hand covering my mouth. I rest my head back onto the firm chest behind me. His hand runs down my side and across my stomach. “Every curve of your body is perfect. You look fucking delicious in this dress. Did you know that?” He growls into my ear.

I nod my head, unable to speak. His hand moves down my stomach, he grips the hem of my dress and yanks it over my hips. My ass rubs against the hardness underneath his pants. His hand makes its way into the front of my panties and rests over my mound. A moan gets lost in my throat with nowhere to go. I press my ass into him more as he lets out a groan of his own. He slides a finger between my lips, pressing into my hole and then up and over my clit. I buck my hips forward. He adds another finger and pushes them inside of me. My moan comes out as more of a growl.

“You like that?” He asks. I nod once. “You want me to make you come?” His voice deep and throaty. I nod. “Do you want me to remove my hand?” I think about it for a moment and shake my head no. I like it. He lets out a husky laugh, running his teeth along my ear. “Good, because I wasn’t going to.” He removes his hand from my panties and pulls my hair away from my neck, letting it fall down my back. His mouth moves to the crook of my neck, dragging his tongue up, stopping at my jaw. I move my arm behind me and find his cock. I squeeze it once before he grabs my wrist and places it in front of me. “Fold your hands and don’t move them unless I tell you to. Understand?” I nod. “Good girl.”

I never thought those words would be so hot, but coming out of his mouth, they are. They really fucking are. His hand finds my pussy once again. He buries two fingers deep inside of me. They slide in easily and I hear the wet sounds as he moves them in and out. In and out. In and out. I felt the orgasm building the moment he entered me. Hell, it started the moment his hand went over my mouth.

Is that messed up? Even if it is, I don’t care.

He slips his fingers out of me and moves them up, swirling them around my clit. His mouth latches onto my neck and he licks and sucks. The hardness of his cock is still pressed against my ass and I press harder into him the closer I get to coming.

He dips his fingers into me a few more times before pulling out and giving the attention back to my clit. My legs are growing weak and I feel myself sliding down his body. He shoves his knee under my ass to hold me up. He works his fingers harder and when the orgasm hits me, it’s a damn good thing his knee is there. I come quietly, other than the few whimpers that manage to escape through his fingers. Everything else gets lost in my throat, unable to find their way out. He walks me forward. “Put your hands against the wall,” he whispers. I do as I’m told. “Do not make a sound.” I nod and he removes his hand from my mouth. I keep my lips closed, not saying a word. He pulls my panties down, his fingers running down my thighs as he goes. He brushes his fingers along my ankle, and I lift my foot to step out of my thong. I startle at the feel of his mouth on the inside of my thigh. I try my hardest not to make a sound. He trails a few more kisses upwards and stops right under my ass cheek. The sound of his zipper opening fills the dark and silent room.

The tip of his thick cock presses at my entrance and I moan quietly. My heart is thumping uncontrollably in my chest, both from the orgasm and the anticipation of being fucked in a bar bathroom. He pushes into me from behind painfully slow. He lets out a hiss as his pelvis meets my ass. His hands grip my hips and he pulls me into him, pushing in as far as he can go. He pulls out and then slams into me roughly. I can’t help the sound that leaves my mouth. He stills instantly, gets close to my ear and whispers, “if you want me to keep fucking you, then I suggest you be quieter.” I nod my head and bite my lip.

He pulls out again and pushes in slowly. He does this a few more times before picking up the pace. Before I know it, he’s pounding into me, my head bouncing on the cool brick wall in front of me. The taste of blood fills my mouth as I bite my lips, cheeks and tongue… anything to keep quiet so he won’t stop fucking me. His fingers dig into my hips and the pain causes another orgasm to start. I meet him thrust for thrust. My breathing picks up, and so does his. I clench around his cock as he tells me he’s going to come. The warmth of his release fills me as I ride out my own orgasm.

“Don’t move,” he pants, kissing my neck one last time. He backs away and I miss the warmth of his body immediately. His zipper sounds once again. The door unlatches and the room is filled with light for only a moment as it opens. “You can move now.” The room is once again draped in darkness. It takes me a moment to move, but when I finally do, I make my way to the door quickly. I lock it and flip the light on. I wouldn’t want someone walking in on me looking like this. I grab some paper towels and clean myself up. I look around for my panties and realize they are nowhere to be found. I check to make sure they aren’t stuck on my shoes. Nope. Gone. That asshole. I pull my dress back down in place, knowing he must have taken them with him. I pat down my hair, taming the wild strands. I wet a paper towel and touch up my make up a bit. Once I’m sure that every last drop of the cum from between my legs is cleaned up, I make my way out of the bathroom and back to the table as cool as a cucumber.

“What took so long?” Maddox questions.

“Yeah, we were all worried about you.” Lenny says.

“Are you feeling okay?” Alec asks.

“I was about to go check on you.” Callan tells me.

I smile big, “oh, I’m great. Couldn’t be better, actually.”

CHAPTER 19

Friday

-SUNDAY-

I’m woken up by my phone ringing. I really should turn off the ringer when I’m sleeping. When I make out that it’s a private call, I end it real quick. I settle back into my pillow and it rings again. I groan and once again hit the red button, giving the person on the other end a big fuck you. When the phone rings a third time I jolt upright and curse loudly. Both at the person calling and at myself for moving too quickly. I open my eyes and shut them immediately when I notice that the room is spinning.

I answer the phone in a raspy tone that I almost don’t recognize as my own. “Hello?”

“I hope you didn’t forget about me.” It takes me a minute, but then I remember. I groan and rub my hand down my face.

“It’s Sunday? Already?” My voice does not sound any better.

A laugh sounds on the other end of the phone.

“I’ll see you in a few hours. Be ready.”

“But how do–” The phone beeps, telling me that the person on the other end hung up. I hold the phone in front of me to make sure and the bright light of the screen causes me to wince and shut my eyes. “Whatever.” I say out loud, dropping the phone to the end table

“Doesn’t matter. She knows where we are. She’s the Prophet. And If she can’t find us, then fuck her. More sleep.” Lenny mumbles, gripping me around the waist and pulling me into him. Every part of me wants to lay back down and cuddle into him… and Callan? They’re both sprawled across the large bed, in nothing but briefs. I look down and see that I’m wearing only a t-shirt. Lenny’s to be exact.

Oh. Hell. No.

Don’t tell me that I had a threesome with Callan and Lenny and I don’t remember a second of it.

“I need to get up.” I say, poking Lenny in the chest. I slip out of his arms and roll towards the end of the bed. I take the bottle of water that’s on the end table – either I was coherent enough last night to leave myself this much appreciated gift, or I owe one of the guys a blow job. I guzzle the entire thing and then head for the bathroom. I turn on the nozzle for the showerhead towards the end and pee while it gets hot enough. When I’m done, I hop in and I’m sure that if someone could hear me, they’d think I was getting rammed by the sounds that are coming out of my mouth right now. But damn if a hot shower isn’t the best thing after a night of drinking. Ugh, why did I let myself drink so much?

Especially last night. When I knew I had things to do today. Important things.

Real mature, Friday.

I wash the beer sweats off quickly and get out. I wrap a towel around myself and head for the closet. Lenny and Callan are still asleep on the bed. I expect Lenny to be sleeping at this house, but I’m shocked Callan still is. He must have drunk a lot last night too. I double take when I see Callan’s arm resting over Lenny’s back. They’re both lying on their bellies, and I’m sure neither of them realizes that they’re basically cuddling.

I drank enough to not remember the entire night. I remember a lot, but things get fuzzy towards the end of the night. I know Jazz’s band played an awesome set, and I remember shoving it in Maddox’s face and making him promise me that he’ll let them play again. He was grumpy as fuck about it but agreed. I don’t remember getting home but I am almost certain that nothing happened with me, Lenny and Callan last night. I think we came in here to cuddle and fell asleep. Or passed out.

Something about Lenny and Callan lying in bed together is intriguing. They’re the only pair that I can’t fully imagine being together. Alec and Maddox are dominant, so them together would be hot as hell. Maddox with Lenny and Callan has happened and that went as expected. I assume it would be the same if it were Alec instead of Maddox. But Lenny and Callan… that’s something I will need to see.

It’ll happen. I’ll make sure of it.

I dress in comfy clothes since I’m not sure what the Prophet has in store for me. She made mention of nothing. I pull on a pair of leggings and a razorback tank with a sports bra. I need clothes that I can move around in. I don’t bother with shoes. I find myself feeling a little better after the shower, but I know food will make me feel even better. After kissing Lenny and Callan on the cheek, I leave them to their cuddles and head downstairs hoping that someone has made breakfast.

The intoxicating scent of bacon hits my nose the moment I reach the stairs. I silently thank the universe for inventing such a scrumptious food. When I round the corner into the kitchen my mouth starts to water. And not only because of the pile of bacon on the counter. It’s more to the fact that Alec is hovering over the stove, spatula in hand and shirtless. Every line and ridge of his muscled back on full display for me to ogle. A quiet chuckle has me looking to the corner. Dear sweet baby Jesus. Maddox is sitting at the small table, sipping his coffee and also shirtless. What did I do to deserve the world’s most beautiful men? I clench my legs together as I make my way to the coffee pot. Alec throws his arm around my hip, pulls me close and kisses the side of my head. “Good morning,” he says. After the initial shock of his public display of affection, I smile back and choke out a good morning of my own. My voice still unrecognizable. I pour myself a cup of coffee and place it on the table on the side of Maddox. I kiss him on the cheek before taking a seat and I don’t miss the twitch of his lips as he hides the smile that wants to come out.

“Smiling won’t kill you.” I snap. Not trying to be mean, but I’m hungry. Okay, hangry. I’m hungover and I need grease with a side of food, please.

“How do you know?”

“Seriously?” I glare at him. My brain isn’t working right so I don’t bother with a real response. Alec places a plate in front of me that’s piled with bacon, scrambled eggs and three pieces of toast that are slathered in butter. Now I’m definitely drooling.

“Do you really think I can eat all of this?” I look up at Alec, narrowing my eyes.

“I know you can,” he says, walking back to the stove. I shrug a shoulder, because he’s right. I normally don’t pile it all on at once though, which somehow makes me feel better. Because in my brain, two smaller plates are better than one giant one. The brain is a strange thing. I dig in, and don’t stop until the plate is clean. Like, literally clean. You could never tell that only moments ago it had food all over it. I look over to Maddox, “you’re not eating?”

His eyes crinkle in the corners, which tells me he’s amused. “We ate already. While you and your lover boys were sleeping the morning away,” he says without looking at me. His phone is in one hand and his coffee in the other. He’s scrolling through, reading an article on who knows what.

“Jealous much?” I sip my coffee, hiding my smile behind the mug. I saw this set of mugs while we were furniture shopping and had to have them. It’s a set of four, each one has a panda on it in a different stage of a somersault. When they are side by side, you see it from start to finish. It’s adorable. I also picked out a mug for each of the guys, because everyone needs a special coffee mug. Callan’s has Einstein on it, Lenny’s has a mustache – even though he doesn’t drink coffee as much as the rest of us, he still deserved one. Maddox’s has a picture of a bat with the words “I vant to drink your coffee”. Alec’s says “I want to KI_ _ you. Options may vary.” Because if that ain’t the truth about him, then I don’t know what is. Maddox and Alec were cracking up over a mug that had a unicorn on it farting a rainbow. It said “powered by unicorn farts” underneath it. I don’t know why it was so funny, but they made me get it.

“I have no reason to be jealous. I think I’ve proven that point time and time again.” His cocky tone coming out first thing in the morning. Just what I need today.

“The Prophet called. Should be here soon.” I bring my plate to the sink and take a bottle of water from the cabinet. I crack it open and take a sip. “I’m going to rest before she gets here. I have no idea what I’m in store for and I feel like death himself has cursed me.”

I drop myself onto the couch, pick up the remote and find something to watch. I sip my water slowly. I’m full from all of the food, the coffee and the other bottle that I wolfed down. I don’t think I can fit anything else into my stomach, but I need the water. I feel like I was left in the desert for a week. When my phone rings I expect it to be a private call. It isn’t.

“Hi, Mom.”

“Hello, dear. I was hoping that we could do lunch today.” She says cheerily. Way too cheerily.

“Sorry, I have plans.”

“I need to talk to you about something important. Is there any way that you can meet me for lunch?” Her voice is trembling. There is something else going on here. I give myself a moment before I respond, wanting to think of the best option.

“I really can’t reschedule what I have going on.” The phone crackles and muffled noises sound in the background. I make out someone shouting “fuck!”. “Are you okay? Hello?” A few more bangs and then she clears her throat before answering.

“Yes, I’m fine.” She takes a deep breath. “You know, I haven’t seen you in a very long time and I really loved catching up with you the other day. Please see me for lunch today.” Her persistence is concerning, why is it so important to see her today. Why now?

“How about dinner?” I offer. If her purpose in calling is to see me, then she’ll take it. If she does miss me, then she will want to see me whenever she can.

“That’ll be too late.” She snaps. My suspicions are growing. I fish for more.

“Okay, how about right after my meeting? Maybe two hours.”

“That will still be too late.” She’s losing patience, I can tell. Her words are clipped. Her tone is getting higher – something that happens when she’s angry.

“Well I can’t help you then. If it’s so important, tell me over the phone.” I stand up and pace the floor in front of the couch. I have too much energy running through me to sit still.

“You are the most stubborn damn child that I have ever met in my life!” She shouts into the phone. “If you don’t meet me now, you’ll regret it.” Oh, so the threats start? How dare she pull this crap? I knew it. I knew something was up with her randomly showing up. She finds me here, what are the chances of that to begin with? Then she wants to do lunch, pay for it and be nice to me? I don’t think so.

But this? This is more her style. This makes sense. This is the mother I know. I don’t know who she is pretending to be or why, but it’s all a show.

“I highly doubt that. In fact, I have a feeling the only person regretting anything, will be you.” I hang up the phone and place it gently down on the couch. I take a seat. My skin is crawling but I’m trying to keep my cool. I’m not sure why I’m upset. Is it because I was right? Or because I’d secretly hoped she’d changed, and I’ve just realized she hasn’t? I squeeze the bridge of my nose with my fingers. Today is not a day that I want to deal with anyone’s crap. I’m too hungover.

“What was that all about?” Alec’s voice startles me and pulls me from my thoughts.

“I’m pretty sure I’ve just determined that my mother is working against me. Against us. I thought it from the beginning. I mean, I wanted it to be different, but now I’m sure that it isn’t. Something is going on. She knows more than she’s saying. Trying to play the good mom to get me to fall into her trap. Maybe if she’d tried harder when I was younger it would have worked. But it’s been too long, my memories of her are too bad to naively believe what she tells me now. I’m not that stupid.” I let my frustrations out into Alec knowing that he’ll take it and understand.

“You’re not. You’re very smart, actually.” He smiles at me. “I’m sorry about all of this. I wish that I could fix everything.” His tone is different than it usually is. Softer. I’ve recently realized how easy it is to talk to Alec. He takes everything for what it is. He doesn’t try to find a hidden meaning behind anything. It just is. Sometimes that’s what you need.

“We will fix everything. Together.” I take his hand that’s resting on the back of the couch. He bends down to kiss mine, lets it go and disappears into the garage. I take a deep breath, count to five and let it out slowly.

What is my mother up to? Something is going on. How is she involved in all of this? As annoyed as I am with the situation, not an ounce of me is surprised. This is my mother. This is who she is. She’d never do anything selflessly. If she doesn’t benefit from it, she isn’t interested. I should have known from the moment I saw her in that restaurant to keep going. I should have told her she had the wrong person.

When my phone rings I pick it up immediately expecting to be berated by my mother and ready to give it back. I’m done being the child she walks all over. I’m ready to tell her how I really feel, ready to let it all out. When I see the hidden number, part of me is disappointed that these feelings won’t make it to my mother. I guess it’s for the best.

Mahlia starts to talk as soon as I click the answer button.

“I’ll be there soon, dear. We don’t have long. I hope you’re ready for this. Also, pick one of those fine boys of yours to help.” She hangs up and I shake my head. Why is everyone being so weird? Lenny comes downstairs in that moment. His hair is a mess, his eyes are bloodshot. He’s hungover for sure. Still beautiful though.

I get why Maddox isn’t hungover, he’s a vampire and he heals quickly. What about Alec? Did he not drink as much as the rest of us? I remember him taking back shots the same as we did.

“I need you to help me.” I shout over the couch to Lenny. “Shower and get dressed. Hurry,” he turns right around and goes back upstairs. No questions asked. This is why I chose him. He’s the easiest to work with. Maddox would put up too much of a fight, Alec wouldn’t participate as much as I need, and Callan would analyze everything. And in no way are these bad things, they aren’t. I love this about each of my guys and I wouldn’t change them for anything. I’m the coach, needing to pick the best player for this play. I don’t have long to learn about who I am. I need to pick the person that’s best for the job. And in this situation, that person is Lenny.

CHAPTER 20

Lenny

I wake up feeling like my mouth was stuffed with cotton balls. I reach for the bottle of water on the end table but I find it empty. Not a single drop left. I groan. I open my eyes, blinking them a few times to clear away the fogginess. I think that I see Callan in bed with me, but that’s not possible. That would never happen… I rub my eyes and roll towards the body in question. Okay. Definitely Callan. How drunk did I get last night? No, wait. How drunk did he get last night? Shit, I hope he isn’t going to be weird about this. I cover my face in my hands and sigh. I hope I didn’t fuck this up.

Well, nothing we can do about it now. I stand slowly and go downstairs in need of water since Friday found the bottle that I left for this very moment.

The moment Friday says she needs my help and to go get dressed, I turn around and do just that. I put my own needs aside for her. Something I will do for the rest of my life, without question. I shower quickly and dress.

“Do I have time to eat?” I ask as I make my way into the living room again.

“Of course,” she smiles over the couch at me. I like the set up that we have here, Friday wasn’t keen on the living room area at first. She thought it was weird that the couch was sort of in the middle of the room and not against a wall. I see where she’s coming from, but there’s so much room in here that it works. Plus, when she pops up like that it reminds me of a prairie dog, which is beyond adorable.

The first thing I do when I get into the kitchen is grab a bottle of water. Next time I’ll remember to bring more than one upstairs. We should keep a stock of water up there anyway. And snacks. We always need snacks. I notice the plates on the counter and take the one that I know is mine. They all know to put a ridiculous – their words, not mine – amount of food on my plate. And no matter how much they put, I eat it all and look for more. I don’t bother warming the food up or sitting down. I lean against the counter and shovel food into my mouth like an animal. There is no propriety while hungover. I finish the food in record time. It wasn’t enough. I snoop around and consider eating Callan’s plate of food, but I’m not that much of a jerk. I open the well-stocked fridge and look around. Callan’s idea of grocery shopping is different than my own. He buys things that you had to do something with. I prefer food that can be heated up and consumed almost immediately. None of that peeling and chopping stuff. Oh, yogurt! I eat that along with a banana and finish my water. I guess I’ll have to get used to Callan’s food choices. Which may not be too difficult. Especially since he likes to cook, and I won’t be expected to do anything other than eat it. I take another bottle of water and walk to the living room, ready to find out what it is that we’re doing and why Friday needs my help. I’m down for anything, but I would appreciate a heads up. Especially with me not being at 100% yet. The doorbell rings just as I’ve walked by, like the person on the other end planned to inconvenience me in just the slightest. I pull a U-turn. I look through the peep hole and see a lady that looks too old to function. Seriously, she looks like she’s going to turn to dust if the wind blows too hard.

I open the door, “may I help you?” I ask in the most polite way possible.

“Well, yes you can, young man.” She says, pushing me aside and stepping into the house. Uh… I can’t fight an old lady! She walks deeper into the house. My brain is going back and forth with what to do. Hit her. Let her go. Tackle her. Ask her what she wants. Bash her over the head with Callan’s cactus. She’s an old lady, don’t do that! I panic, realizing I let a stranger into the house and she’s getting further in the longer it takes me to decide what to do. I jump in front of her, holding my hands out but not getting close enough to touch her. “Who are you?”

“Mahlia?” Friday questions, popping her head up from the couch prairie dog style.

Mahlia? Why does that sound familiar…

“Yes, dear it’s me. I apologize that I took so long. I expected to be here sooner, but I hit some traffic on the way. Are you ready to start?” She’s stuck her head out to the side, speaking to Friday from around me. I narrow my eyes at her even though she isn’t paying me any mind.

Mahlia… who is this woman? I stand planted in my spot and look over my shoulder as Friday gets to her feet. Where is everyone else? Should I let her walk away with this woman? I mean, I can’t imagine her causing harm. She’s as frail as a snowflake. Anyone could see that, but crazier things have happened.

What to do… what to do? I tap my chin.

“Where to?” The old woman asks.

“I thought outside would be good. Plenty of room, no neighbors. And the weather is nice.”

“Great thinking,” she says with a nod of her head. She rushes towards the back door that Friday is standing by and I am quite impressed by her quick movements. I wouldn’t have expected her to move that fast. I jolt realizing that she’s gotten away from me again and if she has nefarious intentions, I just let her go. Friday is smiling at her. I’m torn. When I make it to the door myself, I whisper to Friday. “Who is this lady?”

“Lenny, are you serious?” She asks and I shrug. “She’s the Prophet that’s supposed to be helping me train,” she giggles.

“Oooooooh!” I let out loudly. Tapping my finger to my temple and winking at her.

Note to self: pay more attention.

Friday was right about the weather. It’s perfect. The sun is shining and a light breeze is blowing to quell the heat. We get onto the patio and take a seat in the wicker chairs. Friday and I on one, Mahlia across from us.

“As I said, I don’t have much time. I’m not going to be able to teach you everything that I wanted… something has come up. But I will make sure we go over the most important things.” We nod. “Let me give you a little back story. I first got the vision of you 35 years ago. Before you and your men were born. This should be the point when I add in a little comment about me being young and ravishing, but once you’ve hit my age 35 years doesn’t make a difference.” She winks at us, Friday laughs as my eyes widen. How old is this lady? “I didn’t know it was you exactly, the first vision I had was a bit vague. More feeling and less sight. I knew that the Quadrant 1 Prophet would have her demise sometime in the near future. We all could sense that. Even though she was the newest to come, the universe knows best and we do what it asks of us. Respect is important for balance. But what I knew that others didn’t, was that she would try to stop it.

“At first, I wasn’t sure how to handle the information that came to me. Then more started to come. More frequently and with more information. I saw visions of your mother and father, of you being born, of you learning to crawl. Small pieces of your life that I had to piece together. I had no clue these visions tied into one another, not for quite some time. I had similar visions of those boys, only I didn’t get as many and it was mostly as they were older. I assume at this point you must have figured out why you didn’t come into your powers?” Mahlia looks between the both of us. I place my hand on Friday’s thigh, needing her touch. I swear it’s like a drug to me. I go too long without her and I start to feel off. Kind of like when Friday mentioned getting pain in her chest when one of us was away from her. I blamed it on us not being fully bonded, but it still happens now that we are, and I’ve realized this is just who I am. Friday looks to me and smiles. I smile back and give her a reassuring squeeze.

“Uh, well, not exactly. I mean, Callan’s friend did a blood test just recently and found–”

“Rycin Root?” She asks and Friday nods. “I knew that’s what she would use. No creativity that one.” She shakes her head, deep in thought for a moment. “You must know who is behind this, then? If you’ve gotten that far.” She smiles kindly. Her face is wrinkly and pale. She’d make a sweet grandmother. She probably makes the best cookies. Oooh, cookies.

Friday elbows me in the gut, I give a quiet oomph and realize I must be thinking loudly.

“Yes, I mean without being told for certain, we’ve basically figured out that this is Evenia.” Friday says in a small voice.

“You are right, my dear. I’m going to give you the story of what happened. Believe me if you will, but I promise that I tell no lies. It may be difficult to hear, but you deserve the truth.” Friday leans closer into me and takes my hand. “Your mother had been a drug addict since the age of sixteen. She met your father when she was eighteen. He helped her through her tough times, got her clean and they fell in love. Not long after she fell pregnant with you. They couldn’t have been happier.

“When you were born, your parents were beyond thrilled. They were both happy to be starting a family of their own. I have happy memories of you and your parents from when you were a baby. Some that I could share with you, if you’d like, but it would have to be another time.” I look to Friday, who is gripping my hand for dear life and listening like her life depends on it. Which, I guess it could.

“When you were only one, your parents received a visit from Evenia. She told them that she had saw them out one day shopping, and that she’d been trying to have a baby for ages. She offered them a lot of money for you, but they declined. Not for a second did they think of giving you up. Well, that stayed true for your father. Six months later they were visited again, after your father lost his job. Your mother had not been working. She stayed home to raise you. They risked losing the house and at that point the money that was offered looked like a saving grace. She was struggling with addiction again. It was getting harder and harder each day to say no due to the stress of a baby and knowing they may not have a place to live.

“Evenia gave the same story but offered twice the amount of money. Your father, yet again, declined. Your mother though, she showed some promise. Evenia overheard them discussing the offer and used what she’d heard to her advantage. Your mother expressed that having another child would be easy enough. That they should take the money and catch up on bills. Give a good life to the next baby. Your father wouldn’t have it. A month later he died in a car accident. A car accident, that I can tell you, was no accident at all. I apologize dear, for this, but it is the truth.”

Friday nods on the side of me. “Go on,” she urges.

“Evenia’s initial plan was to take you and kill you. That was until I found out about her plan. I brought my information to the Council, they investigated but couldn’t do much. Though, they did what they could. She was watched closely and was told that if any harm ever came to you, that she would be pulled from her spot and destroyed. She had to come up with another plan. Now that your mother, the willing one, was alone it would be easier to get to you. However, without being able to kill you, what was she to do? Like the universe turned for her, only a few short months later someone discovered that Rycin Root, a simple root that can be grown anywhere, hinders Supernatural’s powers. At the time, humans were in an uproar and wanting all Supernaturals to take it. Out of fear and ignorance, of course. Those humans are angrier than a bull that’s had its gonads chopped off. It didn’t last long, they got over it soon enough. Just another thing forgotten. We’ve mostly lived in harmony with the humans, so they had nothing to base their opinions on.

“Evenia started producing this plant on her own land in large amounts. Her plan was to feed it to you, with your mother’s help. It’s astonishing how easily people respond to money. Your mother agreed to dose you with this herb. Something she knew nothing about. It was daily for a while and then weekly. Soon it would only have to be monthly. The deal was a bit of money, a home to live in and an endless supply of drugs.”

Friday gasps on the side of me. I reach my arm around her back and rub it. I can’t imagine this being easy to hear, but I am forever grateful that she chose me to be here with her in this moment.

Mahlia takes a few breaths before continuing. “Your mother continued this for years. Working with Evenia to keep your powers away. She was okay with this, after all, because she wasn’t a Supernatural and had no want to raise one. Gerard, one of Evenia’s husbands, handled the situation after the initial deal.”

“The one I saw in my vision.” Friday whispers.

“They’ve started?” Mahlia looks at us over her thin, framed glasses.

“Sort of.”

“We’ll get to that momentarily. Gerard would deliver the items to your mother when you needed to be dosed and leave the drug supply with her. He did this for years and years.”

“What about when I left? I ran away when I was sixteen, I moved away out of state.” Friday explains. “Did she follow me everywhere? Did Gerard always know where I was?”

“Again, my dear, money can do many things.” As far as I’ve seen in my visions, your mother handled everything while you were still near her. Whoever you were living with at the time, she made the connection. Gerard paid them all, your mother made the deliveries. Your mother’s cover up story was telling them that it was medicine that you’d been refusing to take and without it, you would die. I can assume that once you moved out of state and turned eighteen, your mother was cut from the deal and Gerard dealt with whomever you were with directly. You were never alone, correct?”

“No,” she chokes out. “I’ve never been on my own. Not until…” She looks up at me, tears forming in her eyes. I pull her head to my chest and run my fingers through her hair.

“It’s okay. Everything will be okay. We’re going to figure this all out.” I whisper to her. She nods her head and wipes at her face. I kiss the top of her head and keep my arms around her. I hate seeing her upset, knowing how heartbreaking this must be, but I know this is something we all need to know. She needs to hear this.

“It only stopped when you left. They were unsure of where you had gone until you found your men. Evenia knew these guys would have you, she knew they belonged to you. Ever since the oldest was born, she saw it all. She was so helpful to you boys, because she was playing you.” She says the last part to me. “She was leading you around in circles, making sure that you would not find her. It is by fate only that you did, and a lucky chance. Believe me when I say that you all being together, that is something the universe truly wants. Evenia felt it instantly when you stopped taking the Root, and even more when you found these boys of yours. She started to grow weaker.” Mahlia takes a deep breath before continuing. “I’m not sure why I was the one chosen to receive this information and to help you, but I am here to do so. Again, I am sorry to be the one to share this news with you. I know your life has not been an easy one, but I assure you that you have a bright future ahead. It will be taxing, but you will make it through.”

Friday nods and sits straight up.

“Now that the story telling is out of the way, please tell me what you know about yourself so far.” Mahlia glances up at the sky and then to her watch.

“It isn’t much,” Friday says quietly. Not much like the Friday that I know. “I know that I’m supposed to help people, guide them to the right path in their life. I know that I get visions by touching people and in my dreams. I know that I should gain powers from my guys – but I’m not sure if that worked. Though, they have gained new powers since being with me. We got our mark,” she offers her wrist out for Mahlia to see.

“That, my child, is a very strong mark.” She winks.

“How do you know?” Friday asks curiously, running her fingers over the mark. Mine doesn’t hurt anymore, and it’s settled to what it will look like forever. More natural and less angry.

“Not many marks are intertwined as yours is. Most are a small mark that all share. That has each of you twined together. You cannot see where it ends and where it begins. It is forever.” She looks up at the sky for a moment, blinking slowly. “I have spent a lot of time here chatting. I’m afraid I don’t have much time left for training, but I will give you the basics. I’m sure you are smart enough to train with your men. I will call you soon enough to check in, but I know that you are on the right path. I can feel it.”

“Are you sure? How will I know?” She asks, panic hinting in her voice.

“It is my job, my dear. Now, you say that you get visions by touching? That will not happen all the time. That is the beginning of your powers, showing themselves. It can be controlled by your thinking,” she places a finger to her temple. “When this passes and you set up shop, people will come to you for guidance. You can choose how much information you share and how much you don’t. But remember this: the more you give the less they live.” She plays with her watch, wringing it around her wrist.

“Visions may always come to you in your sleep. That is not something that can be controlled, however the more you rid yourself of these tempts during the day, the less they will come out at night when they are unwanted. You will learn as time goes on. Trust your instincts and believe in yourself. As for your powers with your mates, do not dwell on that. They will come when they are most needed. Also, you are not only responsible for helping people with their future, but also with coming to terms with their past. At times, people will come to you for help with repressed memories and such. You can see both past and future. At this point, I’m sure you understand that you will rise at Evenia’s demise?”

She’s rhyming quite a bit now and it’s starting to freak me out.

“Yes, I understand.” Friday says confidently.

“And do you know how that will happen?” Friday shakes her head. “Ah, you have not seen yet, but you will. It will come to you when the time is right. Trust me when I say, enjoy the time you have with your men. This is not to be rushed. Nothing you can do from this point on will change what will happen. It is to come and that is that.” She makes even the most morbid things seem calming. It’s a gift. I’m entranced. “Now, before I take my leave. May I be introduced to the rest of your fine men? I’d love to meet the men that I’ve watched over the years.” She stands.

“Oh, absolutely!” Friday says. We stand and walk into the house. “Would you mind?” She asks me. I shake my head and walk upstairs. The guys are in Alec’s room fixing the furniture. When I enter the room I laugh as Alec shakes his head at me. “Told ya!” I shout.

“Are you guys done?” Maddox asks in his stop-being-so-childish tone. The one that I think was made for me.

“Oh, yeah. No, well, kind of.” I run my hand over the back of my neck. “She wants to meet you. So, come downstairs?” I ask, backing up slowly and turning on my heel. Something heavy drops and Maddox lets out a yelp. I snicker and race down the stairs laughing under my breath. I’m going to catch hell for that.

When I get downstairs the main room is empty. My heart starts to pound in my chest. Shit. Did I mess up? Where did they go? I race to the door and check outside. Not there. I look in the library. Nope. I round the corner into the dining room… no. Kitchen? No.

“Shit, shit, shit!” I say.

“What’s wrong?” Alec asks, getting to the bottom of the stairs. His eyebrows furrowed and his arms folded across his chest. His don’t-fuck-with-me stance. Also something I know all too well.

“Friday, she… she…” Laughing sounds from behind me. I turn and see them entering into the dining room from the walkway that leads to the guest house. My hand goes to my chest and I let out a breath.

“The hell Lenny?” Alec says, frustrated.

“Nothing, it’s nothing.” I wave my hands at him and then tuck them into my pockets.

“Oh, my! Look at you! Let me guess,” she says waving her hands in front of her. “Maddox, Alec and Callan. Right?” They all nod and smile, though the only one that looks genuine is Callan. “Oh, I love this game.” She claps and smiles. She really is cute for an old lady. “All right, well I must be going now. Oh, one more thing, dear. May I suggest when practicing, try going back before going forward. It is a bit easier. I’ll talk to you soon.” Her and Friday hug and then she quickly scuffles out. Friday closes the door behind her, slides down to the floor and loses it. Tears fall from her eyes. Horrific sobs escape her mouth. We rush to her, not knowing what the hell just happened to set her off.

CHAPTER 21

Friday

I don’t know what comes over me or why I break down the moment she leaves the house. I guess it’s everything. It’s just… everything. I’ve been dealt a large pile of shit on a plate since I was born. I’ve hoped every day that my life would get better. That the load would lighten. I made the best of what I had, and I know I’ve come far. My goal was always just out of reach. Something always held me back. Now there’s more. Hearing everything that Mahlia said about my childhood messed me up. My father, someone that I have wondered about my entire life. Someone that my mother never spoke of kindly. She said he was a bum that wasn’t worth talking about. Every time I’d asked about him, she’d make it seem like he was the scum of the earth. That was all bullshit. She knew exactly who he was. She loved him at one point, and she betrayed him. After all he did for her, she betrayed him… and me. She is the worst kind of person.

I knew she was involved in this somehow. Deep down in my gut, I knew. Now it’s been confirmed. It’s an awful feeling. It’s disgusting knowing that I came from that treacherous woman. I always knew my mom wasn’t a good mom, but this? This takes the cake and the trophy.

I now know how Lenny felt for those few days that he laid in bed not wanting to talk to anyone or do anything. Because that’s how I feel right now. When he found out that his mother only wanted to talk to him for money. Yeah, that’s the same kind of disappointment and heartbreak that I’m feeling right now.

I wasn’t wanted.

I was a pawn.

Just a thing for her to use for money and drugs.

She messed up my life. And not just mentally, but all of it. She paved me a road full of fallen trees and potholes. I could have been with these guys sooner. I could have found out who I was sooner. I could have been trained properly. So many things could have been if not for my mother. Yes, Evenia and her men are to blame. But my mother? She should have said no. She should have stayed faithful to her love and to her child. Not trade them off for drugs and money. A mother’s love is supposed to be natural and unbroken. Eternal. The truest love of all. Some people just aren’t meant to love and that is something I believe to my core.

The guys surround me, some are speaking, others aren’t. Maybe they all are. I can’t tell one from another right now. My face is buried into my arms, the tears are falling uncontrollably. I never cry. It feels good to let it out. Yet, terrible at the same time. Terrible that she brought me to this.

I feel them around me. My guys. There are hands on my back, shoulders and legs. Words of sentiment and care. There’s also concern and fear.

But there’s also…

Love. This is what real love is. What true love is. This is the universe telling me that all is going to be right. This is my happy ever after. My fairy tale. My prince in shining armor. Only I’m lucky enough to have four of them. Four princes. Four times the love, four times the security. Four times the happiness.

I look up to them, my vision blurry. I’m sure I look a mess, but I don’t care, and I know they don’t either. They all take a step back, almost in perfect sync with one another, giving me some space. I sniffle and wipe away whatever amount of tears and snot that I can.

“I’ll get you–” Callan starts to walk away.

“No, wait.” I choke out. My throat still tight from crying. He looks at me with a soft smile. I wipe away more of my tears and then wipe my soggy hands on my pants. “I love you,” I say to Callan. He blinks slowly, a smile slowly forming across his perfect lips. My eyes dart to Alec. “And I love you,” he tenses for half a second but then relaxes. “Lenny, you know that I love you,” he grins at me. “And Maddox, I told you already, but I need you to know that I meant it. I don’t care if you don’t say it back to me.” He huffs. I sniffle again. “Any of you, because I know that you do. I know that this is real, that this is love. I feel it from you every day in everything that you do for me and each other. I’m sorry I’m such a mess right now, and I’m sorry that I didn’t make the first time special,” I say, looking to Alec and Callan. Alec opens his mouth to speak, but Callan beats him to it.

“I don’t care about that. Neither of us do. Yeah, we want our own time with you, but we know that it doesn’t work that way. Not for us. We are all in this together. I love you, too, Friday. I have for a long time, probably the first time I saw you. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you sooner. I was too…”

“Scared?” Alec finishes. His hand rubs across the back of his neck. “Yeah, me too.”

I smile as more tears fall. I rest my head on the door and take in a deep breath. I have these guys. There is nothing else in life that I will ever need. They are it for me. Just them and me.

“We’re all afraid of something. And we’ve let those fears control aspects of this relationship.” Maddox says. “It stops today. No more fear of abandonment,” he looks to Lenny. “No more fear of rejection,” he looks to Alec. “No more fear of disappointment,” he looks to Callan. “And no more fear of being alone.”

“And no more fear of not being enough.” I add.

***

“What should I do about my mom?” It’s a beautiful night. The sky is clear and the stars are bright. Maddox, Lenny and I are outside on the patio sitting around the fire. Callan and Alec are inside making dinner, since apparently, Alec likes cooking. Something I’ve only just learned. I’ve seen him cook now and then, but it’s a skill we all need. I didn’t think anything of it. I didn’t know he enjoyed it, like a hobby.

“Confront her, call her out.” Maddox says, taking a sip of his beer.

“Or ignore her. You’re better than that. You don’t need to give her the time of day,” Lenny says, poking at the fire with the stick he found in the woods. We went for a short walk earlier to collect firewood. We found some larger pieces and boy am I looking forward to watching Maddox chop that wood. I’ll make sure to wear two pairs of panties that day.

The woods by the house are bigger than I thought. When we drove in, I could tell that the other houses weren’t very close. I now know how far away they really are. It’s both nice and a bit unnerving. Not that I think I’ll ever be by myself at night, the guys would never let that happen, but if I needed help from a neighbor… let’s just say it’s not worth it to try.

“I want to do both, that’s the problem.” I sip my iced tea, not in the mood for alcohol. I’m still feeling the effects from drinking too much last night. I should be drinking water, but I needed something with flavor. And I’m worried that my emotions will get the better of me if I mix alcohol with them.

“I don’t like the idea of you working,” Maddox changes the subject. He finishes off his beer, placing the empty bottle on the ground by the chair. I roll my eyes at him.

“Not this again.” I whine. Now wishing I had something stronger than an iced tea.

“Here me out,” he says. He said it nicely, which makes me feel like I have to give him a chance to say what’s on his mind. “Lenny and I talked about this already. Become our business partner. Have a say in what we do and how we run it. You’ll get a cut of the profits.” He rushes his words, sure that I’ll cut him off or shout at him. Lucky for him, I’m not in the mood. I don’t have the energy.

“But I like working.” I say plainly, twisting strands of hair around my finger.

“Do you? Or are you trying to prove a point?” Maddox leans forward, tilting his head to the side.

I stare up at the sky. It’s dark and full of brightly shining stars. It’s beautiful here, not enough city pollution to dull the sky. It’s nothing like I’m used to. I think on Maddox’s question. “I like leaving the house and doing something. I like feeling important and honestly, I like the alone time with Alec.” I’m not going to lie about that.

“Lucky for you, I have solutions.” I raise an eyebrow at him. “One, go out to the bar as often as you want. You get to leave the house. Two, I’ll fire the manager and you can take over her job, make your own schedule. There, that’s being important. And for Alec? Take him out on a fucking date or something.” The last part comes out snarky. Maddox, ever the jealous one.

I laugh and he grins in return. I turn to face Lenny with a questioning look. How does he really feel about this? He’s my carefree boy. The one I’d get into trouble with. If anyone will be on my side, it will be him.

“We want this. We’ve talked about it more than once.” Lenny says, still poking at the fire. Some may say he’s immature, but I know better. He’s young at heart and I think it’s adorable.

“And what do I tell Alec?”

“Tell me what?” How do they always walk into conversations at the most opportune times? He slides the screen door closed, carrying a drink in one hand. I look to Maddox, expecting him to spill the bean since he can never keep his mouth shut. Much to my surprise, he doesn’t say a word. “Lenny and Maddox want me to become a partner in their business. Manage their bar so I won’t have to go to work every day.”

“I think it’s a great idea.” He takes a seat beside Maddox and hands him a beer.

“You do?” I choke out. I was hoping he would argue my point. Even a little bit. Just a little? “I thought you needed someone at the shop?”

“Well, it’s helpful, but I don’t actually need someone. Geneviere will be back in a few weeks. I only hired her to help out my neighbor. She’s his granddaughter. She was looking for a job because her kids dad doesn’t like to work. Or do anything other than fuck, apparently. I ran that shop for a long time without her there. It’s not impossible.”

“But…”

“Think about the offer. Let us know your decision.” I nod and slouch into my chair. The sharp crackle of the fire relaxes me. A short while later Callan comes to the door to tell us that dinner is ready. We head in and fill our plates with chicken curry, rice and vegetables. We bring it outside and sit around the table. Of everything that we bought, this set is one of my favorite pieces. It’s a metal table and chairs, adorned with roses. It looks worn, but it’s just the style of it. It’s simple, but beautiful. And it cost a pretty penny. I didn’t want to get it when I saw the price, but when Maddox put up a fight in the middle of the store, I had no choice. I knew he wouldn’t let it go.

We eat and chat and laugh. Then we drink, chat more and laugh more. We spend the night together as a family. It’s like one book closed and another opened. All from a conversation with a woman I’d never met until today.

When I go to sleep that night, it’s with a smile on my face.

***

I’m in my childhood home. Voices come from the other room, but I don’t recognize them right away. I keep my distance knowing that being seen is a possibility. I’m cautious about where I stand. Afraid to peek my head around the corner in case someone in there can see me.

I stand close to the wall, getting as close as possible without touching it. All I need is to fall through it and make a scene. Assuming they saw me, that is. I focus on listening and suddenly it’s easier to hear everything.

“What does it do?”

“How much did you know about the child’s father?”

“Enough. Why? Tell me what it is and maybe we will have a deal.”

“Don’t pretend like you aren’t going to say yes. I know what’s important to you, and that child is not it. Agree to my offer, and you’ll be set for life. You were eager before the accident. I know you aren’t going to change your mind now when there is nothing standing in your way. Don’t get cocky.”

I recognize one of the voices as my mothers. She sounds different, but I know it’s her. Her voice is not as rough as I remember it. That must have come with time and drugs. The other I can’t quite figure out. It sounds familiar, but I can’t place it. It’s a woman. She sounds a bit older than my mother, but they share the same scratchy type of voice, just for different reasons, I’m sure.

“Tell me why.” My mother demands.

“Fine, but only to make this easier on you. Your child, she’s a Supernatural. One that will grow up to be extremely powerful. Something I would like to take care of now rather than later. It’ll make my life easier.”

Evenia. That’s who that voice belongs to. I’m sure of it.

“Impossible, I’m human!” I can’t see her face, but I’m sure she’s wearing that same annoyed expression that I’m used to. For a time, it was the only way she’d look at me. Disgusted. Her jaw clenched and eyebrows furrowed. It’s sad that is how I remember my mother most often. And not because of me, I wasn’t a bad child. I wasn’t. She was lucky.

“Clearly you knew nothing of your child’s father, or at least not enough, as you proclaim. The gene would have been somewhere in his family in order to pass it down. Unless, of course, it is from yours. He easily could have carried the gene, or could have been one himself, for all you know. You want the truth, though? I’ll give it to you, because I know. Does it matter? Will it matter?”

“No. I don’t want anything to do with that foul man. You’re sure it won’t kill her?” A tapping sound starts. My mother is clicking her nails on the table. Her long, fake ones. I bet they’re painted red too. That’s how they always were.

“I’m not in the game of killing children. I mean, I’ve killed my fair share of people, but children haven’t been my first choice. No, I don’t want to harm the child. She can grow up and be perfectly normal. As in a normal human. It will only strip her of her powers. She will never know, that is, as long as you don’t tell her.”

“And you’ll keep me supplied?”

“Until the day you take your very last breath.”

“Fine.”

CHAPTER 22

Friday

-MONDAY-

We all took the day off today. It’s been planned since we decided to move. Figuring we could use the day to finish setting up the house. I know Callan doesn’t like taking time from work, but the guy is sitting on a mountain of vacation time. Once I found that out, I didn’t feel as bad for guilting him into doing it. The plan was to finish working on the house, problem is, everything is done. We’d finished it a lot sooner than expected and we have Lenny to thank for that. He did most of the work with a snap of his fingers.

I’m outside with Callan cleaning up bushes in the front yard and planting colorful flowers in the boxes along the windows. Lenny said he could do it for me, but I enjoy gardening. Well, the idea of it. It isn’t something I’ve done before. I can’t be sure that I like it. Callan was quick to offer his help, with his love for plants. I didn’t realize how many he owned until we moved them. The answer? Thirty-freakin-two. Callan owns a jungle.

He moved the majority of them into the library. They add a nice quality to the room. “Have you decided what you’re going to do yet? About work?” Callan asks as he pulls dead leaves from the bushes. I’m standing behind him watching intently. I’ve learned a lot from Callan. He’s full of so much information and I love that he has the patience to teach me.

“I think so. I have an idea that I want to present to them. We’ll see how it goes.” He raises an eyebrow and I smile innocently in return. He pushes his glasses up his nose with his gloved hand and leaves a smudge of dirt on his cheek. It’s fucking adorable.

“Are you worried about all of this?” He asks, cocking his head to the side.

“I’m trying not to. Mahlia thinks I should chill out. She said we’d all be good for a while, but my gut tells me otherwise. But why would she lie?” I toe the dirt around on the ground, smoothing it out.

“To clear your mind?”

“It was rhetorical.”

“Oh. Sorry?” He has a point. Maybe I’m missing something because I’m too worked up. I need to focus. Or maybe my gut is wrong and I’m worried for no reason. It wouldn’t be the first time I got a stomachache over my anxiety.

“I just need to relax. Calm down and take one day at a time. I think that’s what she was getting at.”

“Most likely,” he says, bringing his attention back to the bushes. I turn to face the front yard. It’s not as big as the back yard, but it’s still big. It’s a long walk to the mailbox, and I know that I won’t be making that trip during the winter.

“I think we should plant a tree over there,” he points towards the right side of the yard, to where there is a small hill.

“I agree.” It really is the perfect spot for a tree.

Maddox

My phone rings and when Madeline’s name pops up, I answer immediately. She only ever calls if it’s important.

“What?” I speak into the phone. I take another drag of my cigarette before flicking it into the fire pit.

“There’s a box that was delivered here. It’s addressed to Friday.” I crinkle my brows. I don’t remember her ordering anything. “Do you want me to open it? See what’s inside?” She asks after I don’t respond immediately.

“Yeah. I’m curious.” The sound of a knife sliding through tape fills the silence. Lenny is lying on the couch playing a trivia game on his phone. The little shit plays dumb, but he’s filled with a bunch of useless information. Yes, useless.

“It’s… It’s, oh shit!” Madeline screams and a loud thump sounds on the other end. I get to my feet.

“Madeline, what is it?” I ask. Loud panting and scraping sounds on the other end of the phone. Lenny looks up at me questioningly. I shrug a shoulder at him. “Madeline?” I ask again. Pulling out another cigarette and lighting it up.

“I-I’m sorry. I d-dropped the phone. It’s… Jesus, Maddox, it’s a hand.” She whisper shouts into the phone.

“A what?” I ground out. She called me Maddox. Something that would normally piss me off. We have a very strict business relationship, and my employees are aware that I expect them to call me Mr. Deveraux. Maddox is reserved for friends and family. That’s how I know she isn’t lying. She never uses my first name.

“It’s a fucking hand. Someone’s actual hand. It’s bloody and gross and cut clean off.” She growls into the phone. “I’m not normally this off put, but I wasn’t expecting that. I can see the–” she makes a gagging sound. “I can see the bone.”

“I’ll be right there.” I end the call and shove it into my pocket.

“What’s wrong?” Lenny asks me, looking away from his phone.

“Remember the plan to set up the wards around the property?” He nods his head. “Work on that now. I have to take Alec with me to the bar.” I throw the half-finished cigarette into the firepit after taking one last drag from it. I do plan to quit. One of these days.

“Why? What happened?” He sits up, placing his bare feet on the ground. The weather is still nice. It’s been warm with not a lot of rain, but I know that won’t last. It’s going to get cold soon.

“Someone sent a hand to Friday.”

“A hand? Like a real, human hand?” His eyes are wide. When he’s out in the sun like this you can barely see the blue. They’re crystal clear. It’s one of the most mesmerizing things about Lenny.

I nod and head upstairs to get my boots. I shove them on and then go to Alec who’s in the garage. I don’t know what it is that he does in here, since there isn’t a car to work on, but he’s spent a lot of time in here so far. “I need you to come with me, it’s urgent.” He stops what he’s doing – which is leaning on the worktable, scrolling through an article on his phone – and walks towards me immediately. Something he hasn’t done in a long time. Trust me.

“What’s going on?” He asks, following behind me.

“I’ll fill you in on the way.” I walk out the front door the same time Lenny reaches it. We file out, trying to look as calm as possible. I didn’t need to tell the guys that, they know what to do.

“Where are you guys running off to?” Friday asks with a smile. No doubt happy to see us together and getting along.

“Gotta run to the store quick. Be back shortly,” I shout to her.

Lenny walks up to her and kisses her deeply. “I’m not going anywhere. I just wanted a kiss.” I shake my head at that smooth fucker. I taught him well. He gets more ass than all of us combined. He jogs down towards the road.

“What are you doing then?” She shouts after him, using her hand to shield her eyes from the sun.

“Laying the wards!”

“Put on your damn sunglasses,” I shout to her as I back up the Jeep. Sunglasses were only one of the hundreds of items I bought her. She deserves to be spoiled, to own nice things and a lot of things. It also was me being an ass. She hates when I buy her stuff, so of course, I have to buy her stuff. I turn around and drive down the long, curvy driveway. I stop at the bottom. “Lock the gates after we leave. Call me if anything weird happens and don’t say a word to her or Callan yet. You know he can’t keep a secret.” He nods as I drive off. He hurries behind us, closes the gate and sets the lock code.

***

It takes us twenty minutes to get to the bar. Maybe I was speeding, maybe I wasn’t. I explain all that I know to Alec on the way, which isn’t much. Someone sent Friday a hand. Madeline opened the box. That’s all I know. There’s an open spot right in front, so I take that one instead of heading around the back. I turn off the car, hop out and walk to the door without waiting for Alec. I know he’s right behind me. When I get inside there are a few of the regulars that wave to me. I nod in response and walk straight to the back. I’m not in the mood for small talk, though I never am. They’re used to it. I have to be nice to them, they’re the reason my bar survives. It’s not that I don’t like talking to people, they just annoy the ever-living fuck out of me. Most of them, anyway. I guess I’ve found a few that aren’t so bad.

We walk to the back and enter into the small office. There is a box sitting on the floor in the corner. I could smell the blood as soon as I opened the door.

“Mr. Deveraux, I left the box there. I wasn’t sure what to do with it.” Madeline pops up behind me but keeps her distance from the door. Clearly, she doesn’t want to see what’s in the box any more than she has to.

“It’s fine, Madeline. I’m sorry about this.” Friday has no reason to be jealous about Madeline or any other woman. She’s everything that I’ll ever want and need. But with that being said, Madeline is a gorgeous girl. Every man’s dream. She’s my money maker. Don’t get me wrong, I don’t treat my girls like trash. I pay them well and I make sure they follow the rules. I encourage the flirting, but only because it’ll get them bigger tips. I never suggest anything more than that and I’ve fired girls for even thinking about doing it. That’s not the kind of business I’m into. I’ve had my fair share of girls over the years, but I’ve never mixed business with pleasure. That only makes things messy.

“Am I, like, in danger?” She asks, wrapping herself in her arms. She leans against the door jamb but is sure to stay outside of the room.

“No, this has nothing to do with you.” She nods once. “Have you said anything to anyone?”

“No, sir. Jason came back when I screamed, but I told him I saw a spider and he went back up front.” Smart girl. This is why I keep her around.

“Good, thank you. I’d appreciate it if you kept it that way.”

“Of course, sir.” I don’t miss the way her eyes run over Alec’s body. I’m used to the ogling from her, from everyone and especially the girls that work here. I imagine what Friday would do if she were here. She’s quite the jealous little thing and I enjoy it more than I let on. I should tell her that I’ve never slept with any of my employees but, as I said, I enjoy the jealousy. The look she gets in her eye makes my dick hard and my knees weak. But I’ll never admit that. “He’s taken.” I tell her as I walk towards the door. “If you could give us some privacy?” She steps back and I close the door firmly, not waiting for an actual response.

Most of the girls that work here have been here for a while. Not many girls can get a job that pays well and has a decent boss – I’m not full of myself, they’ve told me this personally. Especially girls that look like they do. They know their looks could bring men to their feet, but they know they don’t have to do it. I’ve taught them well. One of the more comical things of being around these girls for so long is that I know their preferences in men. And Madeline, she goes for the big biker looking guys. Alec is nowhere near a biker, but he’s the closest out of all of us and definitely on her radar.

“Fucking women,” I say to Alec. He huffs out a laugh. “You know she’d murder us both, right?”

“What the fuck? Obviously. That’s not the only reason, you know.” He tells me, taking a step closer to the box. “I’d pay to see her take on someone that got a little too handsy though.” He smirks at me and I allow a smile to cross over my face. “That would be hot as fuck. I know you agree.” I walk to the box, ignoring his antics. I forgot how fun Alec can be. It’s been so long since I’ve seen this side of him.

The box is small, just big enough to fit, well, a hand. It’s partially open, with white tissue paper sticking out here and there. Someone wrapped it like a fucking present. It doesn’t look like anything malicious. Just a normal, cardboard box with a gift inside.

I move the box with my foot towards the small black couch. Alec sits and bends over the box to look inside. He grabs a pencil from the side table. He pokes at the box cautiously, like there’s a snake inside waiting to bite.

“It’s not diseased, you know. I’d be able to smell it.” I scoff at him.

“I don’t care. It’s fucking gross.” He shivers and I laugh inwardly.

“That’s my dinner, you know. I could take offense to that.”

“Oh, shut up.” He says, grabbing the tissue paper with the tips of his fingers. His face twisting into disgust. “This is gross, why didn’t you have Callan come with you? He’s got the stomach for these things, not me.”

“I needed the muscle. Just in case.” He’s fiddling around with the paper and box like it’s going to jump out at him and attack. “For crying out loud,” I say, snatching the box from him and dumping it onto the desk on today’s newspaper. Alec looks both offended and like he may throw up. It’s quite comical, seeing this beefed up guy getting sick over a severed appendage.

“Whose is it?” He asks, covering his mouth.

“Allison’s.”

CHAPTER 23

Friday

Lenny finishes up with setting the wards the same time that I’ve had enough of the garden. Callan continues to do his thing, but I ask Lenny if he’s willing to help me practice some more.

“Anything for you,” he winks. We go into the house grab a few bottles of water, since it’s hot today. We go out the back door and to the yard. We walk to the same area we were in yesterday. I’ve found myself to be the most relaxed when I’m out here. Something about the openness of it makes me feel free. It’s nothing like the cities that I’m used to, with dark, drab colored buildings and man-made floral settings. This is pure earth out here. The trees, the flowers, the grass, even the lake. It’s all natural.

Lenny pinches my butt before we sit down. I swat him away but laugh. We sit across from each other cross-legged.

“She said that I can control it myself, and that eventually I won’t need touch to see visions. But since that’s the only way I’ve had them so far, other than sleeping, I’d like to try that.” Lenny nods and offers me his hand. I scoot a little closer and take his hand between both of mine.

Try going back before moving forward.

“I think she was trying to tell me to look to the past before the future. Should you focus on an event and I’ll try to get to it?”

He nods. “Try clearing your mind and focus on only me. On what you feel, what you hear.”

Lenny’s hand is large between my own. It’s soft and comforting. The back of his hand is held in my palm, my other hand brushing gently over his. I give him a soft smile before closing my eyes. I feel… calm, love, warmth. I hear the soft breeze of the wind, birds singing and… Lenny’s quiet breathing. I pick that and focus, along with the warmth from his hand.

His hand is still warm between mine, but it’s… smaller. The only sound I hear is his deep, quiet breathing. I open my eyes to darkness. I pull in a sharp breath but instantly relax myself. I focus on the feel of Lenny’s hand. I look around as my eyes adjust to the darkness.

I’m in a small room. A bedroom. Lenny is asleep in a twin sized bed, the clock on the nightstand reads 3:24AM. The house is quiet, peaceful, calm. I let his hand slip from mine as I stand and walk around the room. There is one door that is left open only an inch, dim light creeps in from the cracks. The only window is covered in a dark blue curtain. The walls are plastered in posters of skateboarders and musicians. A mountain of clothes is piled in one corner with a few pair of shoes beside it. The only other furniture in the room is a tall dresser and a small desk with a laptop. The screen is flipped open with a screen saver of a bouncing ball.

I move back to Lenny’s side. He’s sleeping peacefully on his stomach. His hair is longer than it is now. He’s a teenager. Around sixteen, if I had to guess. He’s small still, most likely one of the smaller kids in school. He’s tall, but he hasn’t built any muscle yet. He’s not a big guy now, but his muscles hold perfect definition.

I hear a voice in the distance. It’s quiet, but it’s there. I wonder if Maddox is here… he must be, right? The voice seems to be coming from the hallway. I run my hand through Lenny’s hair before standing and making my way to the door.

Friday… the voice whispers. I stop and focus on the strange voice.

Friday… I hear again. This time louder. I walk closer to the door and when I pull it open I’m blinded by a bright light. My hands move to shield my eyes. When I sense that the light has calmed, I remove my hands and open my eyes.

Here and now Lenny is sitting in front of me. He has that gorgeous model-like smile on his face and I can’t help but smile in return. He makes me swoon, this man.

“It worked?” He asks, hopeful.

“It worked,” I say, biting my bottom lip. He latches onto my wrist and pulls me to him. We fall backwards, him on his back and me on top. He opens his legs and I fit right between them. I rest my head on his chest and listen to the sweet sound of his beating heart. He runs his fingers through my hair and we lay there for a while, silent.

“What did you see?” He finally asks.

“Nothing important. It was the middle of the night, you were sleeping. Definitely a teenager, your room was a mess.”

He laughs and slaps my butt. “Boring, but accurate.”

“Yeah, but it worked.” I say, happily. That’s what is exciting about this and it was easier than I thought. “Mostly, anyway. I guess that isn’t what you were thinking of?”

“It wasn’t, but we can work on that. Maybe we should focus on getting you there and back?”

I nod my head, nuzzling closer into his neck. “I heard you calling me. I didn’t know it was you, but I heard my name being called and that’s how I came back.” I push up on my hands so I can look at him. “I should try to get back without that.”

“That’s our plan then. We will work on that, then work on specific memories after. Once you have that down, we can work on the future.”

“I love you, Lenny.” I bring my head back to his chest and squeeze him. “I don’t know what I would do without you guys. You saved me.” He wraps his arms around my waist and kisses my head.

“No, Cupcake. What you don’t realize is, you saved us.”

***

Maddox and Alec returned late that evening. I’m upstairs in the giant bathroom, sitting at the vanity painting my nails when there’s a soft knock on the door that catches my attention. I look up to find Maddox looking extra dark and grumpy.

Great.

“Have you thought about my offer?” Maddox walks in and leans against the wall. I finish putting the dark blue polish on my large toe, close the bottle and look up to meet Maddox’s dark grey gaze.

“I have.” I say as I place the bottle down on the glass top with a clink. My eyes move back to Maddox. He looks tired, exhausted even. I wonder if this stuff is taking a toll on him like it is me. I’ve felt better since my break down, but it’s all still lingering and haunting me. I feel like I’m walking around with a dark cloud over my head. It won’t go away fully until it’s over and dealt with. Having a successful training session with Lenny has brightened my mood a bit. It wasn’t much but it was something. We’re making progress. Moving in the right direction and that’s all I can hope for.

“And?” He asks. His voice lined with impatience. He’s lacking the fight that he normally shoves down everyone’s throat. Something is going on.

“Where did you go today?”

“Errands.” I raise an eyebrow. “I don’t want to talk about it right now.”

“Have you eaten today?” I ask, getting to my feet and taking a step towards him.

“Alec and I grabbed food while we were out.”

“That’s not what I mean.” I say softly. I make my way to Maddox, sliding my arms over his firm stomach and around his waist. I look up at him. “It’s Monday.” My fingers find the hem of his shirt and I slip them under, making contact with his skin. He’s warm and inviting. My hands make their way up his sides and over his back. Every inch of this man is firm, delicious and perfect.

“Haven’t had time.”

“You have time now.” I lift his shirt up and press my lips to his abs. He lets out a sharp breath and his hands move to my arms. He squeezes me firmly before pushing me back a step. I look up at him, confused, and also feeling offended.

“I can’t feed from you.” He says tiredly.

“Why not?” I snap. Now I’m really fucking offended. I take a few steps back on my own.

“I don’t have the strength to stop myself today.” He admits to me, running his hand through his dark hair and leaning it against the wall.

“What does that mean? You need to feed to stay healthy, don’t you? Why does it matter who it is?” I don’t know why I’m so upset and offended by this. Or why his admission makes me want to cry. He’s rejecting me. Why is he rejecting me?

“I’ll feed from one of the guys.” I don’t understand why he can feed from them, but not from me. Is there something wrong with my blood? Something wrong with me? “About the offer?” He asks flatly. I pull back the emotion and bury it. I refuse to let Maddox know that he’s upset me. We’ve gone all this time with him being an asshole and of everything he’s said, nothing has made me feel like this. I refuse to let it start now.

“I don’t want to talk about it right now.” I tip my chin up to him and sit back in my chair. I pick up the small glass bottle of polish, open it and start on the second coat.

“Fine,” he says before turning and leaving the room. The tears sting at the back of my eyes, but I won’t let them fall.

What is wrong with him? Why is he being such an asshole? I mean, it’s Maddox and he’s always kind of an asshole, but not like that, and not lately. Why won’t he tell me what he did and why won’t he feed from me? He doesn’t look good. He needs to feed. I’m frustrated at myself for still caring about his health even though he’s being a jerk.

I try to finish with the second coat, but my hands are shaking and I’m making a mess. I close it back up deciding that I’ll have to do it another time. I leave the room in search of Maddox, needing to let off some steam and give him a piece of my mind. I refuse to cry over him. He was the one that gave the speech about not letting our fears run this relationship, yet here he is, keeping things from me. That’s not fair. I’ll ignore the fact that mine are what’s making me hunt him down and bitch him out.

I exit my room, fists clenched and ready to tear Maddox apart, when I bump into something hard. “Whoa, where are you going in such a rush?” Alec asks, taking a step back from me.

“I could ask you the same thing.” I snap.

“I wasn’t in a rush. I was going to meet Maddox. It’s Monday.” He states.

“Thanks, I’m aware of what day it is.” I shove past him, wanting to continue my search for that damn vampire.

“Are you okay?” He bends to get to my level. I want to yell and scream and take out my frustrations, but when I look at Alec, I can’t. He’s so different from when I first met him. He’s let down his guard, taken down his walls. His face is softer and more welcoming. He’s talking to me in full sentences and having conversations with me. He’s spending time with me, he offered me a job. We finally had sex. He’s opened up to me a little, and of all the people in this house, he is the last one that I want to flip out on irrationally.

“I’m fine, it’s just… Maddox. He’s being a dick.”

“And that’s different from any other day how?” He asks with a smirk. It causes me to let out a laugh. “Don’t take it personally. I think he’s just hungry… or, hangry. Is that what it’s called?” I burst out laughing at that remark. He is so not with the times.

“Yeah, something like that.” He puts an arm around my waist and pulls me to him. His other hand goes around the back of my neck, I tilt my head up to look into his bright, golden eyes. He leans forward and his lips meet mine. He runs his tongue along my bottom lip, then pulls it between his teeth. I moan into his mouth and he groans in return. I feel him harden in his pants. “I’ll be in my room when you’re done.” I tell him. He blinks slowly, nods and then goes downstairs.

I watch as he disappears to the bottom floor, clenching my thighs together. I almost told him to tell Maddox to fuck himself, but I can imagine that wouldn’t go well. Maybe what I need is sex, and luckily for Maddox, I plan on getting it.

CHAPTER 24

Alec

I meet Maddox in the garage like he asked. He’s waiting by the tool bench, looking through his phone.

“Took you long enough.” He grunts out. He’s been a royal ass since we left the bar. More than his usual. I know why he’s pissed, but I couldn’t tell Friday that. I didn’t lie to her, just avoided talking about it right now.

“Don’t be an asshole to me because you’re grouchy. I think you’ve pissed off enough people in this house today, don’t you?”

“Spoke to Friday, did ya?” He shoves his phone in his pocket. “I wasn’t trying to piss her off. I need to feed, and I want to feed from her but I can’t. I don’t have the strength in me to stop with her. She’s so fucking delicious. And now I – we – have this information, and what do we do with it? Do we tell her? Do we keep it from her?”

He’s ranting. I don’t know what comes over me, but I walk to Maddox, spin him around by his shoulders and start to massage them.

“I think that you need to realize that even though you are the Superior you need to share the burden. If you can’t feed from Friday, you need to tell her and tell her why instead of offending her and pissing her off. We don’t need a pissed off woman running around this house, we have enough issues as is. And I happen to like the fact that I’m getting laid now, and I’m sure that when she’s pissed that’s all going to stop. And I think we should tell her. I’m not into the secret shit. All it does is piss people off. She knows something is up, it’s just going to get worse if we keep it from her.” His shoulders are tense, I knead my thumbs into the thick muscles and he groans. My cock twitches in my pants. I’m so surprised that I pull my hands from him quickly and take a step back.

I know him and Lenny have had their thing together for a while. Even though they didn’t tell anyone, I had my suspicions. And I don’t care. I don’t care what anyone does with their life, that’s on them. As long as they aren’t hurting someone else, then go for it. But me? I’ve never been into guys. Ever. Like, not even a little. It’s never been a thought in my mind. I’ve never even thought about taking Friday with one of the guys. Not until now, anyway.

Why am I suddenly getting turned on by Maddox? My cock is half hard and I’m worried he’s going to notice. And why isn’t it bothering me as much as it should? This should freak me out, right?

“You okay?” He asks.

“Yeah, I’m fine.” I run my hand over my head and then through my beard. “Let’s get this over with. I have plans.” He raises an eyebrow at me. “With Friday,” I smirk. Taking my thoughts from him and then to Friday. At least I can blame her when he notices how hard I am.

Maddox walks towards me, he puts his arm around the back of my neck and pulls me closer to him. My skin tingles under his hand, and a shiver runs up my spine as his hot breath fans over my neck. He runs his tongue over my throbbing pulse once before sinking his teeth in. My cock hardens so much that it hurts, and it takes everything in me not to moan.

My hands fist in his shirt. He pulls me closer to him, our bodies melded together. Front to front. I worry for a second that he’s going to feel my hard-on, but when he presses closer and his rubs against mine, that moan I tried to keep in escapes. And it’s loud as fuck.

Maddox moans as he pulls the blood from my vein. His fingers dig into the back of my neck, and mine continue to grasp at his shirt. My breathing quickens and fuck I think I’m going to come in my pants like a virgin boy seeing tits for the first time. When Maddox pulls away his eyes are fully black. When he blinks they’re back to his normal grey color. My hands still grasp his shirt, and he hasn’t taken his off me either. He runs his tongue over his bottom lip, licking up a small amount of blood that escaped. My eyes dart to his mouth.

“I think we should go upstairs.” He says, huskily. I nod.

We both get upstairs in record time. Luckily neither Callan nor Lenny were in the common areas to ask questions. Callan has been in his library most of the day and Lenny is in his room playing video games.

Maddox is the first one in Friday’s room. He practically kicks the door down to get in. She lets out a squeak as we enter. Fear is on her face for a moment, before her eyes darken. She puts down the book that she’s reading as I close the door behind me and lock it. Not that it would keep anyone out, but I guess it’s habit.

“What are you guys doing?” She asks quietly, but I catch the hint of mischief in her tone. She doesn’t do well with blocking her thoughts when she is caught off guard, and right now she’s thinking of us both fucking her. She’s hoping that’s why we’ve stormed in here. Maddox smirks and I know that he heard it too.

“Seems your dreams have come true.” Maddox says, pulling his shirt over his head.

Friday sits up straight, her back against the headboard and folds her arms, resting them under her breasts. A teasing smile crosses her lips.

“And what would that be? Seeing you fuck each other?” She smirks.

“Is that what you want?” Maddox asks, taking a few steps closer to the bed.

I’ve never been a talker. I’m more of a watcher and listener. Sitting in the back row but still getting straight A’s kind of guy. It’s why I’m good at reading people. You can learn so much about someone by their actions and reactions. More than you will ever know from their words alone. This is why I stay back, by the door. I watch the interaction between the two of them. Silently working through my head of how I’m going to handle this.

“Yes,” she breathes the word out. My cock is still rock hard in my pants. Even with Maddox hinting towards us fucking. It hasn’t stopped throbbing, if anything it’s just grown harder. Maddox places both of his hands flat on the bed and gets close to her face.

“Take your clothes off,” he whispers. She nods and starts to strip as Maddox makes his way back over to me. He stops inches from me, I look into his eyes and I see that he wants this. I’ll be damned if he tries some romantic shit on me, but I’m all about fucking him. Because that’s what’s going to happen. There’s no way he’s putting his dick in my ass.

“Get undressed,” I laugh under my breath at the command. I notice Friday eyeing us from the corner of my periphery.

“You are mistaken if you think you will be taking charge here, vampire.” I take a step closer to him, I slide my hand up his bare chest and stop at his throat. My fingers curl around him and I squeeze. Not stopping air, but to prove a point. If I wanted him to stop breathing, I would remove the air from around him. This is all for show. “You may be in charge out there,” I motion my head towards the door. “But in here, it doesn’t work that way.” He smiles a dark smile as his hand reaches down and pops the button on my jeans.

“Holy shit…” Friday whispers. I laugh inside my head because I know those words weren’t meant to come out of her mouth.

“You were told to get naked,” I tell her. She doesn’t answer, but she starts to strip. Her shirt comes off first and then her leggings, until she’s sitting in only her bra and panties. It’s a red lace set and the look on Maddox’s face tells me that he bought it for her and has been waiting to see it. It is well worth any wait. I raise an eyebrow at her when she stops, so she continues.

Her nipples are hardened into points the moment her bra falls from her skin, and I bet her pussy is dripping wet. My hand is still clenched around Maddox’s throat, my thumb brushing up and down slowly. His pulse thrums under my fingers as we both watch her with full interest. “I think our girl would like a show,” I tell Maddox. I look back to Friday who has her bottom lip tucked between her teeth. She’s leaning back against the headboard with pillows propped under her. “Spread your legs,” I tell her, and she does. I let out a sharp hiss at the site of her pink pussy. I haven’t spent nearly enough time with it. Something I’m sure we’d all agree to.

“Put my dick in your mouth, vampire.” Maddox opens his mouth to speak but I squeeze my fingers, causing him to let out a small choking sound. I get close to his face and whisper loudly, "I didn’t tell you to speak. Get on your knees.”

He drops to his knees and pulls my pants and briefs down in one motion. I let go of his neck and step out of my pants. I tear my shirt over my head and drop it to the floor. Maddox wraps my cock in his fingers. He slides his hand up and down before putting it into his mouth. I moan at the warmth of his mouth and the soft feel of his tongue.

I’ve been hard for so long that I worry I’ll come too soon. I let Maddox suck me off for another minute while Friday watches in fascination. I’m on the verge of exploding in Maddox’s mouth when I push him back with one hand on his shoulder.

“Did you like that?” I ask and she nods. “Show me how much,” I tell her. “Spread your legs and show me how wet you are.” She opens her legs wide. Her juices glisten in the light, fuck she’s so wet. Maddox and I walk towards her. I lay across the bed on my side and run a finger up Friday’s dripping slit. She moans and shivers at my touch. When I push a finger deep inside, her head rolls back in pleasure.

Maddox grabs her chin with his thumb and fore finger. He bends and brings his mouth to hers. I watch them for a moment before dipping my head down to taste her. Something I’ve wanted to do for so long. She doesn’t expect it, crying out at my touch. Maddox laughs into her mouth. A deep, husky laugh that even I’m turned on by.

I’m sure now that every part of this woman is perfect.

I add another finger and swirl my tongue around her clit, tasting every inch of her. She whimpers into Maddox’s mouth and he pulls away.

“No… please,” she says.

“Don’t worry, Beautiful. I have something for that mouth of yours.” Maddox runs his thumb over her bottom lip before angling his cock towards her mouth. She takes him into her mouth, grabbing him by the base. She sucks him like a fucking porn star. I swear this girl was made to suck a dick. The way her lips look wrapped around it, and her tongue swirling around… fuck me. I move my fingers faster but keep my eyes trained on her taking Maddox’s cock.

I lick and suck on her clit. I fucking make love to it. My fingers move in and out, enjoying how tight she is. Maddox takes a nipple between his fingers, pinching it hard. She bucks her hips and cries out. She tries to pull back for a breath, but Maddox pushes his cock deeper. Her garbled moans almost send me over the edge. I’ve never thought of sharing a woman with anyone, never mind Maddox, but this is so good. So. Fucking. Good.

Her tell is rocking her hips against my face. That’s how I know she’s going to come. And I let her. Maddox pulls his cock from her mouth as she does, letting us both hear her cries of pleasure. I crawl over her, lining my dick up with her entrance. I’m about to thrust in when Maddox grabs my face. He pulls me to him and kisses me deeply. His tongue enters my mouth exploring every inch of it. He pulls back and drags his tongue along my lips. I wasn’t expecting it, but fuck that was hot. “You taste like her,” he growls out possessively.

We both look down at Friday in all her naked glory. Her nipples are hardened into points. Maddox brings his mouth to one and sucks it into his mouth. Her chest rises and falls heavily as moans escape her. I thrust into her. “Fuck!” She cries. I slam into her over and over as Maddox switches between her nipple and mouth.

Maddox lifts his head and watches as my cock moves in and out of her. He pushes his dick back into her mouth. “I’m going to come in your mouth. Would you like that?” He asks. He reaches his hand down to rub her clit. My hands are gripped on her thighs, pulling her into me as I thrust in. She nods, unable to speak with her mouth full. He grabs the back of her head and enters her slowly at first, letting her take control. But he soon picks up speed and starts to fuck her mouth, not allowing her an ounce of control. And he isn’t nice about it. He continues to watch me fuck her pussy and I watch him fuck her mouth.

And if Friday’s eyes weren’t rolling into the back of her head out of sheer pleasure, she’d be watching us fuck her too.

I knew once I got inside of her I wouldn’t last long. My orgasm builds the moment I feel her walls clamp around my cock. She’s coming again. I fuck her harder. Faster. So does Maddox. The muscles in his arms bulge as he holds her head in place. “I’m going to come,” he says. His words sending me over the edge. I thrust into her a few more times before I still. My head rolls back as I fill her with my come.

She lets out a loud hum of approval as she wipes her mouth, not letting a drop of Maddox out. He disappears for a moment and comes back with a towel. He hands it to her. She wipes herself up and then hands it to me. I pull out and clean up the mess as best I can. We both get into bed with her, me on her right and Maddox on her left. I’m sleeping before I even know what happened.

CHAPTER 25

Friday

Alec fell asleep the moment he hit the bed. We sleep better when we’re together, I’ve noticed. I don’t think there is anything that I love more than being squished between them all.

On another note, seeing Maddox on his knees in front of Alec is one of the hottest things I have ever seen in my life. So much so that when I think about it, I have to stop myself from waking him up and making them do it again. I doubt Maddox would listen to me, but I bet I could convince Alec to make him do it. I will never, not even for one second, get enough of these men. But, me being me, I let him sleep. I know he needs it.

“We can’t let him sleep long. We have something we need to discuss.” Maddox is lying on his back staring at the ceiling. I’m still mad at him. Sucking Alec’s dick in front of me did not make up for him being an asshole. Not even close. If he did it again, I’d think about it.

“Can’t it wait until tomorrow?” I’m warm and comfy in this bed between the two of them. I don’t want to get up. It isn’t late, I just want to stay here with them. I don’t want to do anything else.

“No,” he grumbles before getting up and heading into the bathroom. A moment later I hear the shower. I think about sneaking in a few moments of sleep, but I know it won’t be worth it. I look at Alec sleeping peacefully before getting up and heading into the bathroom. Maddox is in the shower, his forehead resting against the wall with the water beating down on his shoulders. I slide the glass door open and step in. I run my hand up his back and the other around his waist. I slip under his arm and get between him and the wall. I place my head on his chest and hug him tight. He moves his head to the top of mine and his arms go around my neck. We stand there quietly for what feels like forever, but I don’t mind.

“I’m sorry for earlier,” he admits. I know that wasn’t easy for him. He also has no idea what that apology means. It’s not something I’ve heard often, not sincerely. I’ve had people walk all over me and treat me like the dirt under their boots without so much as a backwards glance. Never mind apologies. Take my mother for example.

“We’re all going to make mistakes.”

“I have this overwhelming urge to protect you and fix everything. I’ve always been like this, but it’s worse with you. Sometimes I can’t control it. Like another part of me takes over.”

“As much as I appreciate that, Maddox, it’s unnecessary. We are all in this together. You don’t need to do anything alone.” I run my fingers up and down his back. “Is it bad?” I ask, knowing that whatever it is we have to talk about must be something big, or it would wait for another time. It’s rare that he wants us all to talk about something last minute.

“Yeah, it’s bad.” I take a deep breath and let it out. He pulls away and stands directly under the water. I watch as the water falls over his face, down his neck and drips over his chest. I’d love nothing more than to run my tongue along every line of muscle on his body, and one day, I will. Now isn’t the time to be drooling over him.

“I can hear you.” He says. I growl in frustration. I move to the other shower head, turn it on and wash up quickly. We finish at the same time, grab towels and head to the bedroom.

“I’m not waking him up,” Maddox says, walking out of the room in his towel.

“Seriously?” I shout after him. “But this is your idea!” I stomp my foot like a petulant child. Oh fucking well. I go to my closet, pull out a pair of shorts and a tank and prepare to wake the beast. Maybe I should have stayed naked for this. Waking up to a tit is a good way to wake up, right? Two is even better, I would imagine.

I run my finger down his arm, he breathes in deep and then jolts awake. “I’m sorry,” I tell him, doing my best not to flinch. It’s not that I’m afraid of him, I’m just jumpy in general when people are moving so quick. “Maddox made me wake you because we need to talk about something.” He scrubs his hands over his face and nods. He walks out of the room butt ass naked and disappears into his own. I check Lenny’s and Callan’s room before heading downstairs. They’re empty and I assume they’re with Maddox already.

“Finally,” Lenny says as I get down the stairs. “I thought you guys would be going at it all night.” Callan’s face reddens and I giggle.

“Sorry, not sorry?” I say, sitting down between them both. The new couch that we – sorry, they – bought is amazing. It’s a large, L shaped couch with plenty of room for all of us. It’s white, which wasn’t my first choice but it fits too perfectly to have said no. I threatened Alec with his life over this couch. I told him he better not even think about it while he was dirty. He rolled his eyes and made a comment about Maddox just buying another. These guys and their money.

I lay my head on Callan’s lap and bring my feet up to rest on Lenny’s. “What have you guys been doing?” Lenny rests his forearms over my legs while Callan brushes my hair with his fingers. They always make me feel like a princess.

“Video games,” Callan answers.

“You were playing video games?” I don’t believe him.

He smiles and responds with, “I do enjoy things other than work and books. Video games remind me of being a child. It’s nice every now and again.”

“I know, that’s not what I meant.”

“I’m teasing.” He smiles, brushing his fingers along my forehead and down the side of my face.

“I have a large variety of games. It’ll be good for family night.” Lenny adds.

“Family night?” Maddox asks, walking into the living room.

“Just an idea that I had.” I say, picking at my nail. He takes a seat on the other side of the couch. Alec comes down a few moments later in a pair of basketball shorts and nothing else. Absolutely drool worthy. I think it was Lenny that made a comment about Alec never walking around with his shirt off because of the scars, but I notice he does it now more than ever. It makes my insides warm. He takes a seat on the other end of Maddox, furthest away. I give him a small wave and he smirks at me.

“I assume we have something to talk about?” Callan asks, looking between the three guys. Alec and Lenny look to Maddox but don’t say anything.

Wait.

“So you all know about this except for Callan and I?” Not going to lie, that’s a little upsetting. “I thought we weren’t keeping secrets?”

“We’re not. This is why we’re talking about it now.” Alec says calmly. I sit up and cross my arms over my chest, biting the inside of my cheek.

“That just means it won’t be a secret after you tell us.”

“I better just get to the point then.” Maddox says, ruffling up his hair and ignoring my attitude. “I received a call earlier today from Madeline. She said that she’d received a package at the bar with your name on it.” His eyes meet mine. “I didn’t remember you ordering anything so I asked her to open it.”

So he’s having other women open up my mail? Nice. Real fucking nice.

Chill, Friday. Jeez.

“After she told me what was in it, Alec and I rushed there right away to deal with the situation.” He continues.

“What was it?” I ask. He takes a deep breath and lets it out. “Tell me, Maddox. What was it?” I know it’s something bad if he won’t just say it. This is Maddox, the one that can never shut up. The one that doesn’t know when to shut up.

“A hand.”

“A hand?” I ask doubtfully. “Like, a human hand? Is this a joke?”

“I’m afraid it isn’t,” Alec adds. They’re serious.

“Well whose was it?” I can’t fully grasp what they’re telling me. I mean, I get what they’re saying but it isn’t registering. Why would someone send me a hand? And how does someone even do that? Does it go through UPS? FedEx? What?

“Your mother’s.”

I sit for a long moment. Not a clue in the world of how to react to that statement. “My mother’s?” I ask. Maybe hearing it the second time will have a different effect. Maddox nods. “Where is the rest of her? Is she dead?” I don’t know how I feel about this information, and how I’ll feel about the answer to that question. Do I care? Am I upset? What if she is dead? Does that even matter to me? Am I an asshole for not caring?

“We can’t know for sure. What I do know is that she was alive when her hand was taken off. There was too much blood for her to have been dead when it was severed. Evenia and her mates are behind this. I smelled them all over the hand.” Maddox sits on the edge of the couch, his elbows resting on his knees. He threw on a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt. Thank god for that, because I wouldn’t be able to focus with them two next to each other and half naked. I’d only be able to think about Maddox… on his knees… in front of Alec.

“I figured as much.” I say, pulling myself from the thoughts that I want to surround myself in. I want to surround myself in positive things, like dicks. But only these four dicks, no more and no less.

“Are you okay?” Callan asks. I feel like this question has been asked so many times lately and I never know how to answer. I usually say I’m fine because I make myself fine, but am I really fine?

“I’m not sure how I feel.” I tell the truth. And answering with fine just doesn’t cut it anymore. After my break down it’s pretty obvious that I am not, in any way, fine. Not even close.

“Was there anything else with it? A note? A hint of why it was sent?” Callan infers. He’s moved his hand to my lap and scooted closer since I’ve sat up. His presence is comforting.

“Nothing,” Maddox says. “Just a hand in a box.”

Just a hand in a fucking box. On a normal day I wouldn’t believe this, but with everything else going on in my life this is unbelievably believable. If that even makes sense.

“I knew she was involved in this. Mahlia solidified that for me when she told me what happened to my powers.” I realize that I still haven’t explained to the others what Mahlia told me. So I do. When I’m done, Maddox looks like he’s going to murder someone, Alec looks like he’s going to combust, and Callan’s cogs are spinning in his head. “She must still be working for them. She called me yesterday morning wanting to go for lunch. When I told her that I couldn’t, she started threatening me. I knew her being nice wasn’t right. I knew her finding me was too much of a coincidence. I shouldn’t have been so stupid to think–”

“Hey, you’re not stupid. Cut that shit out.” Maddox says roughly. My eyes once again filling with tears. This is getting old already.

“Friday, I’m really sorry.” Lenny says, pulling me into a hug. His hugs make everything better.

“I’m not sure how to feel about this. If she’s dead or alive, I don’t know if it’ll make a difference to me. She hasn’t been a mother to me ever. Not for one single day. I barely knew who she was. Everything that I am today is no thanks to her. Not that I want the woman dead, but either way it doesn’t change my life. Why would they send her to me if they knew that? Evenia must know how I feel about her.”

“To show us what they are capable of. To prove how much power they possess over people.” Callan says. It makes sense.

“Anyone can chop off a hand! It’s not that serious.” I stand and start to pace. “If they were trying to make a point, or scare me, they should have sent me her head. That would have been worse. And why to the bar? If they’re so powerful and scary, shouldn’t they know where we live by now? It just doesn’t make sense.” I’m ranting and waving my hands around like a crazy person. The guys keep their eyes on me, though I know they’re working through their own thoughts in their heads.

“They don’t know you. Maybe they thought it would have a bigger impact. Evenia knows what her visions have shown, but didn’t you say something about choosing paths? Evenia thought you would take another. She expected you to turn out differently.” Callan looks to me, his green eyes brighter than ever. They seem to shine brighter when he’s in deep thought. Maybe that’s just me. “And perhaps they haven’t found us yet, or it was sent before we moved. We haven’t been here long.”

Maybe. Maybe they thought if she came back into my life, I would be forgiving and accepting of her. That I wouldn’t want to lose her again. Well, no. I don’t function that way. I don’t give people chances. It’s not my thing. Especially to someone like her. Why would I waste my time? I didn’t like her last week, never mind after finding out the absolute truth behind everything. She’s an awful person and she deserves everything that gets handed to her. I mean, she was going to sell me. Fucking sell me! She had a part in my father’s death. She lied to me about it my entire life. She fed me a plant to stifle my powers all because she didn’t want to deal with it. And for drugs, of all things. I could go on for hours about all the fucked up things she did to me. All the parties, the men, the drugs. Her pushing her guys on me, hoping I’d let them in my bed to make a little extra money. Gross.

No thanks. I’m better off without her. Always have been.

“So what do we do?” I ask. It’s Lenny that speaks up this time. He’s usually the quiet one, only speaking when he has a joke or something smartass-like to say. “I think we do what Mahlia suggested. We don’t think about it. We live our lives and wait. She said the vision will come to you when it’s time. Why dwell on it?”

“Great plan, Lenny.” I say, sitting back down beside him. He smiles. “If only it were that easy.” We sit in silence for a few moments, everyone deep in thought.

“Can I ask something?” Lenny breaks the silence, turning to Maddox. “Did you get video of Alec’s face when he saw the hand?” He asks, holding back laughter. Maddox smirks and Callan lets out a chuckle. Alec is the only one that doesn’t think it’s funny. He’s sitting with his arms crossed and his face blank.

“What? Why?” I look between them all. “I don’t get it, tell me!” They’re laughing harder now, even Alec has joined in a bit. Even though I can tell he’s trying to hold it in.

“Why of all people did you take him?” Callan asks through his laughs. “The one that gagged over stitches.”

“That shit was gross!” Alec says, pointing harshly at Callan but full on laughing now. I don’t know what they’re talking about, but their laughter is infectious. I can’t help but laugh with them. Lenny is beet red, practically crying.

“It’s not as funny as we make it out to be. My father was a doctor and these guys,” he points to the other three guys, “always got themselves into trouble. I learned how to set stitches at ten because of those two.” He points to Maddox and Alec. “Alec has always been squeamish. I bet he was sick to his stomach when he found out what was in that box.”

“He was using pencils like chop sticks.” Maddox adds and everyone falls into a fit of laughter again.

“Going after it like a California Roll?” Lenny squeals out.

It takes us a while to gain composure. It feels good to laugh, and especially to laugh with everyone.

“Now that we all seem to be in a better mood, care to tell us what your decision is?” Maddox asks. I roll my eyes at him. Like I said, he never knows when to shut up. I can’t be mad at him anymore. Not after the sex, the apology, the openness and definitely not after laughing like this.

“I’ll agree to it on one condition.” I hold up a finger, wiggling it. “I’ll agree to going in with you and Lenny on the business, but I don’t want you to fire anyone and I don’t want to work there.”

“You’re the one that said you wanted to work and get out of the house, feel important or some shit. I was just–”

“Oh, I plan to.” I cut him off. “Because we’re going to open another bar.” The guys eyebrows shoot up into their hairlines. “You all are so willing to do so much for me, and I’ve never been one to ask, but since I feel like I don’t have an option. I refuse to agree to something that I don’t want, but since you’ve put me in a corner, I’ll tell you what I do want. You make the final decision. Let me in, we’ll open a second bar closer to this house. I’ll run that one and I’ll run it how I want to. I don’t want to go in on yours and start changing everything that you’ve worked so hard for. And I definitely don’t want anyone losing their job over me. I think this will make us all happy. And if you don’t agree, I’ll continue to work with Alec until Geneviere comes back and then I’ll figure something else out.” Maddox stands up grinning from ear to ear. He walks over to me, takes my face between his palms and kisses me roughly. “I love you,” he says. I smile so big that it hurts. “I love that you take what you want and give us a run for our money. That you don’t back down for anything.” He kisses me again. “What do you think Lenny, you think it’s a good idea?” He doesn’t take his eyes from me. His smile is so pure and genuine in this moment. I know he’s happy with my decision.

“Hey, I’m all for whatever you guys want to do. With all of us selling our houses we have plenty of extra money to put into a new business.”

“Wait!” I squeak, “you all sold your houses?” This is news to me. How did this happen in only a few short days? Maddox goes back to his spot beside Alec, still wearing that cheesy grin on his lips.

“We’ve all accepted offers, just waiting on closing dates. Shouldn’t take long.” Callan smiles. “We know a guy.” Of course they do.

“That’s so exciting! So this is all really real?”

“I don’t know how much more real it can get, Beautiful.” Maddox heads towards the kitchen. “Who wants a drink?” We all raise our hands. I raise mine extra high, bouncing in my seat. As shitty as this conversation started off, it sure did end well. And I’m ready to celebrate.

CHAPTER 26

Friday

-TUESDAY-

The conversation about opening my own bar was my resignation letter to Alec. Well, that’s what they heard. They as in every last one of them. Callan didn’t agree out loud, but silence is an answer. I’m not really complaining. Not having to set an alarm is nice. I did set an alarm last night, someone shut it off. No one will tell me who it was. I woke up in a panic. I planned on going to work today.

To be honest, I’ve always wanted to own my own business. I hate asking for it, but I know they’d be mad if they found out it’s what I wanted and didn’t tell them. They back me into a corner, but I’ll always find a way to make it something that will make us all happy. Balance.

Besides, the bar is my idea, but it won’t be mine alone. It will be Lenny’s, Maddox’s and mine. So really, this is just a business opportunity for them. I know they’ll let me do what I want with it. I could have said anything and they would have agreed to it, if only to stop me from finding somewhere else to work, but I’d never use them just for the sake of it. The bar that I want, well, I know exactly what I want to do with it. I just hope they won’t be too surprised… or upset.

I hate that Callan and Alec still go to work, but I guess this is going to be my life. They work because they enjoy it and I would never take that away from them.

I’m curled up on the couch watching TV. Maddox went to the store to get a few things for the house. Lenny is upstairs playing video games. It’s adorable how much he enjoys playing. I was up there with him for a while, but his shouting got to be a bit much. He really gets into it.

I send Callan a text.

Me: I have a surprise for you later. Xoxo

He won’t be able to respond right away since he’s at work and isn’t able to check his phone frequently, but I want him to get the message anyway. I’m surprised when my phone dings a moment later.

Callan: Can’t wait ;)

I smile to myself, lie back and flip through the channels. I sit up quickly when a news station catches my attention.

“…the body was found early this morning by a hiker and his dog. Holt Fitz and his dog, Baxter, run this trail every morning. Sun, rain or snow. The body was found only a few feet from the trail under some brush. When Baxter ran off the trail, Mr. Fitz knew something was off.”

“Baxter always stays by my side. He’s a good dog. Never leaves my side, not even to chase squirrels.”

“Mr. Fitz called authorities right away. To add to this awful scene, it’s been discovered that the body is missing a hand. It was not found on the scene. It seems the body was left some time during the night, but the victim has been dead for a few days. If you have any information on this incident, please call…”

I don’t know how to react to this. I don’t feel anything. Should I be upset? Should I be sad? Am I a horrible person because I’m not? I realize in that moment that I’m now an orphan. I mean, I think that pertains to people under eighteen, but I still am. Both of my parents are dead now, because I’m sure that dead body is my mother. My stomach turns at the thought of what they did to her. Did she deserve to die? I wouldn’t go that far. She wasn’t a good person, but I don’t think she deserved that. Did they torture her? There are plenty of people that deserve that, but was she one of them? I don’t know how to feel or what to think.

I stand and walk upstairs on autopilot. I make my way to the common area where Lenny has just thrown off his headphones and stood. “I’m sorry, I just heard.” He says. I shrug, not wanting to speak. He meets me halfway and my arms go around his neck. He pulls me into a hug. They always make me feel better… but not this time. I step back and look up at him from under my lashes. “What can I do? I’ll do anything.” He tells me, brushing my hair behind my ear. “Anything you need.”

“I keep going back and forth in my head about how I should feel, and I don’t know what’s right. I don’t want to think about any of it.” My hand reaches under his shirt and runs across his firm belly. “Make me not think about it. Make me forget.” I lick my lips. He pulls his shirt over his head and guides my hand around his back. He leans down taking my lips to his in a kiss. His hands reach under my ass and he lifts me up. He carries me into his room and kicks the door closed. He sits on the bed with me straddling his lap. I pull my shirt over my head and his mouth instantly goes to the sensitive area between my breasts. His mouth is hot on my skin. He pulls my bra down and sucks my nipple into his mouth. I grind on his dick, that’s now hard as a rock. He lifts me up with one arm and turns us so I’m lying down on my back. He pulls my pants off, panties included. He then takes his own pants off and climbs on top of me. His mouth goes to my neck and my arms pull him closer to me. I need to feel him. He thrusts into me and I bite his neck. He hisses out a breath and growls softly in my ear.

“Do whatever you need to me to let it out.”

And I do. I let my frustrations out on Lenny, and I swear he loves every second of it. Every bite. Every scratch. Every ounce of pain that I unleash on him, he takes it and he loves it. He does as promised. He made me forget.

***

Maddox gets home a little while later and he had no idea. I told him and he reacted similar to Lenny, just a bit more Maddox about it. I told him that I was fine – at that point I was – and that he didn’t need to worry about it. It’s one less thing that we need to worry about. One person out of our way.

I spend the entire afternoon in the guest house, keeping my mind busy. I set up candles everywhere and start dinner. This is my surprise for Callan. If anyone gets neglected, it’s him. Do I think he feels that way? Absolutely not. After Lenny, he was the second person that opened up to me. He was just as easy to get along with as Lenny was, he made me feel welcome and wanted. But Callan likes to keep to himself. He gets caught up in things and loses track of time. I know he’s okay with our relationship. I know he’s happy. Along with having a relationship with everyone, I have one with each of them and they’re all as different as the guys involved. I’ve learned this and I’ve accepted this. But this is how I make up for it. This is what I’m going to do to make my relationship with Callan a good one. No, a better one. I know that I need to take the time for him, and that I am okay with.

The others ordered pizza for dinner. I made sure to lock the front door of the main house and I stuck a note to it.

Meet me in the guest house. -Friday

Yep, that’s it. It’s around the time that he should be home, and dinner is just about done. I timed it perfectly and I’m quite proud of that. I didn’t make anything special for dinner, I wasn’t trying to ruin it. I wanted to make sure that it was good. Sometimes settling for good is better than failing at exceptional.

Spaghetti and Meatballs. I made the meatballs and sauce from scratch from a recipe that I found online. I thought of making the pasta, but I’ll save that for another time. That’s a bit over-the-top for me right now. I tasted everything and it was good. I’m not sure if it’s up to Callan’s standards, but we’ll find out. The garlic bread is in the oven now – which I also made. Lenny and I went to the grocery store to get everything I needed. Yeah, Maddox let us go alone, can you believe it? And we didn’t pull over to fuck on the side of the road this time.

I’m washing the last of the dishes when I see Callan walking up the path towards the guest house door. He knocks before opening it – like he doesn’t live here. I turn off the water, dry my hands and greet him.

“How was work?” He bends and kisses me deeply, wrapping one arm around my waist.

“It was good. I missed you though.” He says with a smile.

“I missed you, too.”

“What’s going on in here?” He asks, placing his bag down beside the door.

“I made us dinner and I thought we could spend the night together. Alone.” His face lights up.

“That’s very thoughtful of you.” He says in a throaty tone, one I don’t recognize from him but quite enjoy – if the goosebumps say anything.

“I try.” I pop the oven open to peek in on the bread. I sense that he wants to scold me for committing that heinous crime, but he keeps his mouth shut.

“I’m going to wash up for dinner. I’ll be back in a few.” He kisses me again, the short hairs on his face tickling me as his lips brush against mine. He walks up the stairs to where the bathroom is. When I opened the oven the bread looked like it needed a few more minutes. I check the pasta and it’s done. I turn it off and strain it into the sink. I pull out two plates. I put spaghetti on them, making it look as fancy as possible. Doesn’t work out that well, but whatever. It’s all going to be pooped out soon enough. The meatballs came out larger than I anticipated. I give us each two to start and top it all off with the sauce. I pull the bread from the oven, slice it up and place it on a dish that I leave in the middle of the small table for two. I bring the plates to the table next and then grab a bottle of red wine. I’m setting the glasses down when Callan makes his way down the stairs.

He reaches the table, a smile on his face. “You made all of this?” He asks. I nod with a cheesy smile. “This is perfect.” He moves around the table and pulls out the chair for me. I sit and scoot in. He moves to his own seat. He pours us both a glass of wine.

“I hope you like it. It’s the first time I’ve made sauce from scratch.” I admit, I’m slightly nervous about him tasting my food. I’ve cooked for them before and it was never a problem. Ever since he’s been teaching me things, I’ve wanted to get better. I’m nervous about showing him what I’ve learned.

“I’m sure it’ll be wonderful,” he pushes his glasses up his nose and smiles brightly. I’m smitten in this moment by his looks. My men are breathtakingly beautiful in their own way, but Callan has that classic look to him. And the personality to match. He is beyond handsome. We eat and chat about the day. He doesn’t say anything about my mother, but I know he is aware. He’s smart enough to know that I don’t want to talk about it.

When we’re done, he cleans up the table as I lounge on the couch. We put on an old black and white movie and cuddle together. We bring the wine with us and drink out of the bottle. Watching Callan drink straight from the bottle does things to my insides – like turns it to goo.

“This night was perfect, you know.” He says to me as we’re tangled together on the couch. “There’s a lot going on right now and it’s important for us to do this. Take time together, for ourselves.”

“My thought exactly. Especially with you.”

“Why especially me?” He really doesn’t know.

“You get caught up in what you’re doing a lot. Sometimes I feel like I don’t give you enough attention.” He chuckles softly.

“I do do that, don’t I?” he asks. “I’ve never felt that way though. Not once. I couldn’t ask for anyone better by my side.” He leans over, tucking stray hair behind my ear. He presses a soft kiss to my lips. The sweetness of the wine lingering on his. “I love you,” he whispers into my mouth. My eyes flutter closed. I know he does, but hearing it like this is something else. My heart speeds up. Thump, thump, thump behind my chest. “I’ve wanted to tell you that for such a long time and I’m so sorry that I didn’t.”

“Don’t apologize. You show me, you don’t have to tell me.”

“Oh, but I want to tell you. Every morning,” he kisses my forehead. “Every afternoon,” he kisses the tip of my nose. “And every single night,” he kisses my lips. “For the rest of our lives.”

CHAPTER 27

Friday

-WEDNESDAY-

I’m woken up by Callan’s alarm on his phone. He snoozes the alarm and rolls into me, pressing his front to my back. I don’t miss his morning wood. How could I? For some reason, I realize in this moment that Callan has never had a blow job. And I decide that him getting one is way more important than sleep. I can go back to sleep when he leaves, but this blow job is happening.

I roll to face him, give him a quick kiss on his lips. He hums his approval and I disappear under the thin white sheet quickly. Not that I think he would, but before I get any push back, I take him into my mouth. He lets out a loud, surprised moan and I smile my satisfaction around his cock.

The light is streaming in through the windows, brightening the room enough for me to see his fists firmly gripping the sheets beneath him. I pull him out of my mouth and lick around the crown. I take the tip into my mouth and suck. He grows plumper between my lips and I feel myself growing wetter between my legs. I run my tongue from the bottom of his length all the way to the top. I get him nice and wet and then use my hand to rub him up and down.

He thrusts his hips up to the movement of my hand. I jerk him faster and bring my mouth to the tip, sucking gently.

“Fuck, fuck… fuck.”

I keep my hand gripping the base and take as much of him into my mouth as I can. When I pull him out I keep my mouth around the top, licking and sucking while my hand jerks him off again.

“Oh my… I’m going to come. Fuck, I’m going to come.”

“Mmmmm,” I moan around his cock. Moments later my mouth is filled with his sweet and salty essence. I swallow and wipe my mouth with my thumb. When I climb out from under the sheets, Callan is lying with his arm over his face, panting heavily. He peeks at me from under his arm, with a smile on his lips. I want to kiss him, but I know how some guys can be about that, so I don’t. He raises his hand to cup my face, I lean into it, closing my eyes.

The bed squeaks as he sits up, brushing his lips over mine. A pleasant surprise.

“I love you,” he whispers into my lips. I smile into his mouth. His alarm sounds again, startling me. I laugh at myself for getting scared over it. Callan turns it off. “I’m going to shower.” He disappears into the bathroom and I lay back in bed, throwing the sheet over me and getting comfortable. I want to go back to sleep but I know that I won’t be able to. Not after that. I get up, throw on some shorts and a tank and figure out what I’m going to make for breakfast.

I hurry over to the main kitchen to grab everything I’ll need to make pancakes. Alec and Maddox are there, I give them a quick wave before running back to the guest house. Everything is piled high in my arms and I’m careful not to drop anything. We don’t keep food in here since it won’t be used often. The kitchen in the main house is large enough to store enough food for months. I’m mixing the batter together when Callan comes downstairs.

“You’re making me breakfast, too?” He asks as he starts on a pot of coffee. I made sure to grab that stuff on my way over as well. I smile at him over my shoulder and heat the pan.

When Callan leaves for work I head back to the main house. Alec is halfway out the door but I stop him for a kiss before he leaves.

“Where’s Lenny?” I ask Maddox, who is sitting at the small table in the kitchen. The same spot he’s been in since I was here last. We have the dining room set up but have yet to use it. We never seem to eat breakfast or lunch together and we’ve had dinner outside on the patio every night.

“Still sleeping.” I kiss Maddox and hurry to the stairs.

“See you later!” I shout, rounding the corner.

“Where are you going?” He asks.

“Nap!” He grumbles something under his breath about just waking up and sleeping too much, but I ignore it.

I enter Lenny’s room quietly. He’s lying across the bed diagonally, completely tangled in the sheets. I wonder if him and Maddox went at it last night. With his bed looking like this, I wouldn’t be surprised. Just a little disappointed that I missed it. I crawl into bed with him, lift his arm and get comfy underneath. He’s warm and soft and smells sweet, as always.

He smiles and hums happily at my joining him, but he doesn’t open his eyes.

“I came for a nap,” I whisper. He nods and a moment later he’s back to sleep. I relax into him and fall asleep to his steady breathing.

***

“Do you think it would be easier to train with someone else? Maybe it’s me.” Lenny asks, leaning back on his palms. It’s another hot day today. There isn’t much of a breeze and I’m beginning to sweat. Lenny pulled his shirt off a while ago. I swear he did it just to tempt me and distract me from my work. It’s working. It hasn’t rained in a while, but it needs to. Everything is drying out and in need of water. Even the grass isn’t as comfortable to lay in as it was a few days ago.

“Alec and Callan are at work, so that leaves you and Maddox. Training with Maddox? That’s laughable.”

“You say that, but he’s actually a great teacher. He taught me a lot, you know.” It’s not that I don’t want Maddox to help me, I’m sure he would be a great teacher. I like spending this time with Lenny, I like seeing this other side of him. The serious side. It’s not something he lets out often, but when it comes to helping me, he takes it very seriously.

“Of course I know that.” I pluck a few strands of grass from the ground and drop them between my legs into a growing pile. “I just feel like it’s you that needs to be helping me. Does that sound strange?” It’s weird, but it’s true. Something about Lenny is calling me to him, or calling him to me. It feels right when he helps me train. I don’t know why, or what it is about him, but I know that he’s the one that’s going to help me through this process.

“Not really, no.” He smiles. “Try again?” We’ve been at this for over an hour and I haven’t gotten anywhere. For some reason I’m only popping into memories of Lenny sleeping. I can’t figure out why. I’ve seen his memories before, on accident. Why can’t I do it now when I want to? There has to be something that I’m missing. But I can’t figure it out.

“Yes, but this time don’t think of anything specific. Try thinking of a place in time, more like a story.” He nods and I take his hand like I normally do. Palm up between both of mine. The good thing about this practice is I’ve gotten good at falling into the memories. If only I could figure out why I keep falling into memories of him asleep. And I know it isn’t the same night or even the same time. He looks younger or older in some and even when he looks the same age, he’s wearing different clothes.

The moment I enter, I drop Lenny’s sleeping hand and walk around the room like I normally do. I let out a long sigh before focusing on my body. When I open my eyes, it’s to sunlight and trees. I shake my head at Lenny’s hopeful smile. His smile fades and he sighs.

“What is it? Why isn’t this working?” I drop his hand and lay back in the grass. “It has to be something I’m doing. I’m not focusing right… something.”

“Hm,” he says, getting up to lay down beside me. “What are you focusing on? What is your exact train of thought when you go?”

“I take your hand in mine. I focus on it and on you.” I explain.

“Let’s try something different. Maybe that’s what we’re doing wrong.” I let out a groan. He pokes my side and I curl into him laughing. He knows I’m ticklish and how much I hate being tickled, but he does it every now and then to get me going. It works, because I know that if I don’t do what he says, he’ll continue to tickle me and then I’d have to kill him. And I don’t want that.

I sit up and reach for his hand. He pulls it away and sits up across from me. “No. Let’s try this without you touching me. Don’t focus on me, now. Focus on what you want to see, not what I’m seeing. Think about seeing me as a younger child.”

“How do I do that if I didn’t know you then? What do I think about? I don’t know what you looked like or anything that you did.”

He points to his head. “But I do.”

“Okay, I’ll try it.”

I get comfy, sitting cross-legged like usual. I fold my hands in my lap and close my eyes. I think of Lenny, but I try to not think of the here and now Lenny. I focus on his thoughts, on what he’s thinking. I think of a younger version of him, a smaller version. I wonder what he was like as a teenager in high school. Was he popular? Did he have a lot of girlfriends? I bet he did. He’s gorgeous and I’ve seen him as a teenager, not that I’m a cradle robber or anything but he was a good-looking boy. And as a kid he was beyond beautiful with his blonde hair and bright blue eyes. His hair has gotten darker over the years, but not by much.

The air around me changes, it’s thicker. Stuffier. And it… stinks. Like sweat and body odor. I open my eyes and I’m standing in a long hallway. The floor is checkered white and green. The lockers on either side are dark green. I take a few steps forward and peer into one of the classrooms through the small window in the door. Students fill the chairs and the teacher stands at the front of the room writing on the blackboard with chalk. The kids wear the same expressions with droopy eyes and yawns. Typical high school kids.

Lenny isn’t in there.

I sense something behind me, so I turn. Nothing. I feel something pulling me towards the right. I pop my head out of the alcove. Still nothing. There’s something there, but I can’t see it. I sense it. Feel it. It’s not exactly a voice, more like a breeze mixed with a whisper. It’s the strangest thing, but it doesn’t feel malicious, so I move towards it. It leads me to a bathroom. Inside are voices, that must belong to people. They’re laughing and… yelling. I swallow hard before entering, not having a good feeling about this. I don’t bother going for the handle. I walk right through.

Three boys stand in the corner, laughing and shouting at something on the ground. I get closer to see what is so funny. Because I can always use a laugh. None of these boys is Lenny, that I’m sure of. They’re too big. Why was I brought here? When I take a few more steps, I realize why.

He is here.

He is what is in the corner. He is what the boys are laughing and shouting at. My sweet Lenny is coward in the corner, his arms covering his head. The boys have covered him with wet paper towels and toilet paper. His long, golden hair is soaked and soppy.

“You’re such a pussy, Wibbles.” The tallest boy shouts at him. “What kind of guy are you with long hair?” They all laugh at that. Lenny whimpers, his body shaking. My hands go to my mouth and I fight back the tears. No. This can’t be real. If I could, I would tear these boys apart. How dare they treat anyone like that? But especially someone as kind and sweet as Lenny. My skin burns with rage.

The boys turn around all at once. They give each other a look with wide eyes. “What was that?” They look to where I’m standing, but I know they can’t see me. They would have made it known by now. Surely they’d make a comment about a girl being in the bathroom. I wish they could see me. I’d scare the pants off them. Make them run through the halls naked while the girls watch their small dicks flap around. They share another look, before the beefy red head says, “Let’s get out of here. This shit is creepy.” I don’t know what it is that they’re sensing or feeling, but I’m glad they don’t like it.

The tall one wets another paper towel and whips it at Lenny before leaving. I start to growl, unintentionally, of course. Lenny’s head pops up and he looks around. I facepalm. I wasn’t trying to make him scared. I don’t want him to feel any worse than he already does.

Can he hear me? I think.

A ringing sound pulls me from the memory, even though I had no intentions of leaving. Not yet. I wanted to see more, see how he was. I need to see if he is okay. I shield my eyes from the bright light of the sun that’s beating down on me. The one down fall of doing this outside is that when I come back, it’s so bright and I’m never ready for it. Maybe I should wear my sunglasses. I realize that my phone is ringing. That’s what I heard in his memory. I pick it up and when I see the restricted number, I answer it immediately.

“Hello?”

“I see you’re getting the hang of your powers.” Maliah’s voice sounds from the phone.

“How do you know–”

“I told you I’d be calling to check in. Did you think I would be leaving you on your own? I’ve been watching and I must say that you are catching on much quicker than I expected. Asking that boy of yours to help was a wise choice.”

“Why is that?” I ask.

“Some just work better with others, dear. Some magic mixes better.” She clears her throat. “A word to the wise though, so you don’t get yourself into any trouble. Be careful when going back to the memories, you can make yourself known and you will alter the future. It’s a very dangerous game to play. You very well could get yourself into trouble with the Council if you aren’t careful. That is something we cannot have. As difficult as some things may be to watch, you must keep your emotions in check.” I look to Lenny, his face soft and patient. He’s looking at me like I’m the most wonderful thing to walk the earth. His eyes so crystal blue they’re almost clear. A half smile rests on his lips. My chest tightens at the memory of what I saw.

“Yeah, I kind of figured that out.” I admit to her, not pulling my gaze from Lenny’s beautiful face.

“Of course you did. Well, continue on. I knew you’d be doing fantastically at this point. Remember what I said about going on about your days. Don’t fill your world with negativity. Not at a time like this. Times like this call for light and love. Toodaloo, dear.” She ends the call before I can respond.

“Mahlia.” I say, dropping my phone to the ground.

“So, it worked then?” I bite my lip and nod. I try so hard not to lose it. Not to be sad for Lenny. I try to be happy about what I’ve accomplished. But I can’t help it. Tears fill my eyes and fall like the rain that we so desperately need.

“Cupcake, what’s wrong?” Lenny asks, moving to my side and pulling me onto his lap. I let the tears fall at the memory of what I saw. I can’t believe that is what he dealt with. Was that a common occurrence? All through high school? I swear I’m going to find those fuckers…

“I saw…” I sniffle and wipe away some tears. “I’m sorry, I’m so sorry.” I hug him and bury my face into his chest. I don’t know why I’m so blubbery lately. I’m never like this.

“For what? What’s wrong?” He runs his hand over my head and down my hair. Whispering sweet words into my ear. “Tell me. Let me make it better.”

“Before I fell into the memory, I was thinking about what you were like in high school. And, well, that’s where it brought me.” I sniffle. Choking on a few of the words but explaining as best I can.

“To me in high school?” He pulls back to look at me in the eyes. His eyes search mine, looking for an answer that I haven’t given him. “Why is that sad?”

I don’t say anything, I just look at him. I bite my bottom lip, trying to fight the tears from coming again.

“Oh,” he says quietly. Looking down at the ground and away from me.

“Did Maddox know? Was it always like that for you?” I move off his lap and sit back in the grass across from him. I make sure to stay close enough that our knees are touching. I reach for his hand and pull it into my lap.

“I never told him. He was dealing with so much… I could not bother him with more. He would have killed those guys if he knew.” He meets my eyes before answering the rest. “It wasn’t always. They were two years older than me so once they left, it stopped. Mostly anyway.” He shrugs, looking towards the lake. I’d love to get a kayak. We should all get kayaks. I bet that would be so much fun. “I mean, I was never the popular kid. I was always picked on or just ignored. The worst of it was freshman and sophomore year though. When those guys were there.”

“Oh, Lenny,” I say, leaning into him and pulling him into a hug. “I’m so, so sorry.”

“Don’t be, it doesn’t matter now. It’s over. I don’t let that stuff bother me anymore. It’s old news. I’m here now, I’m happy. More than happy. I have a better life than any of those guys from high school. I have an amazing family that loves me. Those guys have issues.”

“Can I go beat them up for you?” I ask, keeping his hand in mine. I can’t let him go right now. I just need to know that he’s okay.

He laughs before answering. “You could. One is dead. Drugs. The other is in jail. I don’t know where the third is. I’ve never heard anything about him after high school. I didn’t care to look.”

“I’ll find him and chop his nuts off for what he did to you.”

“There is not one part of me that doesn’t believe that, Cupcake.” He pulls me close, laughing. His lighthearted, throaty laugh makes everything better.

Oh, this boy.

CHAPTER 28

Friday

-SATURDAY-

There is something about Saturday mornings that have always made me happy. Maybe it was because it was the first day after a long week at school. Or the fact that the good cartoons played. Though, as I’ve gotten older the feeling never went away. So I can’t credit cartoons. But they may be why Lenny still loves Saturdays. It’s the only day he wakes up remotely early, and it’s just to plop on the couch for cartoons. Now that I’m with my guys, that same nostalgic feeling fills me every Saturday morning. The first day we’re together after a long week of work – for Callan and Alec, anyway.

Waking up with no expectations is what makes me the happiest. Knowing that none of them have work. That we can take our time and do what we please. Which doesn’t always work out because Callan has to be up early to make breakfast – no matter what the plans are. When he snuck off to do that this morning, Lenny snuck into my bed to take his place.

Not that they need to sneak around. There have been a few nights where more than one of my guys have slept with me in the bed. Each day that passes they become more comfortable with one another and in turn, closer. Which couldn’t make me happier. They have all had rough lives, and a lot of ups and downs with each other, but everything has changed. I’ve seen their relationships grow and strengthen in this short amount of time and as much as they like to say it’s because of me, it’s also because of them. I did not fix them. They just realized that they needed to fix themselves, and so they did.

I snuggle closer into Lenny, breathing in his scent. He smells like everything sweet. He’s helped me so much this week with my powers. We’ve been working every day, almost all day. At first it was harder, it tired me out. Especially when I wasn’t getting anywhere with it because it was frustrating and stressful. Now that I know what I need to do, it’s easier and isn’t as tiring. We start working the moment Alec and Callan leave for work and don’t stop until dinner. And it’s work well done. I’m able to easily search for what I need in his past, and I can jump to what it is that he’s thinking of. Almost immediately. I’ve learned so much about his past in these few short days. A lot of things that no one else knows about. A lot of things that break my fucking heart. I’ve come back crying more than not.

Lenny has kept a lot of things about himself quiet, which saddens me, yet is also admirable. His rough school years went unnoticed by Maddox because that is what Lenny wanted. He made sure of it. Even as a small child Lenny knew he didn’t want to burden Maddox with his problems. He saw what Maddox was doing for him from the beginning and continued to do for him. I’m not sure if that’s good or bad. I get it, and I’d be lying if I said I wouldn’t have done the same. He loves Maddox and always has. This is his way of protecting Maddox. At the same time, I’m sad that he went through so much by himself. He was alone for most of his life. All he ever had was Maddox, but now I know that it wasn’t as fully as I thought.

I’ve promised not to tell Maddox anything and not just because Lenny asked me. I know it’s for the better. This isn’t about lying or keeping secrets. Sometimes things don’t need to be shared for the sake of emotion. This information would hurt Maddox but it wouldn’t benefit anyone, because there is nothing he can do to change it. Lenny has chosen to keep this his secret and that’s okay. We are all allowed to have them.

And even after all of this, after knowing how much of himself he kept a secret, he still let me in. He let me poke and prod around inside of his head. He must have known I would find it all. And he let me. Maybe he wanted me to know. Maybe he needed to share the burden. My heart shatters into a million pieces at his memories, then gets put right back together when I see his smiling face waiting for me when I come back to reality.

Those boys made Lenny’s first couple of years of high school a living hell, and I do promise that if I ever see them, they will pay. No, I’m not going to kill them but a swift kick to the nuts would suffice in my opinion. There were times that they had followed Lenny home, taunting him from outside while Maddox was working late. Even after they graduated they continued for a bit, and when they stopped, others in school took their place. Not as badly as they did, but at that point the premise had been set. Lenny was the outcast and people shouldn’t speak to him. He had no friends. Yet, he remained to be an amazing person which can’t just be credited to genes. I credit Maddox for raising him the right way and the thought of him being an amazing father pops into my head.

Why? Why does this thought plague me now?

I’ve never wanted children before, and in no way am I saying I want them now, but I know for a fact that all of these guys would make amazing fathers. Every single one of them and in every way possible. They each have a little something to add to a child’s future and any child would be lucky to have them. Alec is great with his hands (in more ways than one) and can teach our child the importance of knowing day to day things. Like fixing cars and putting together furniture. Callan is smart and patient. He will show them how important it is to not only learn, but to teach. Lenny is silly and carefree and can show our child how important it is to know how to have a good time. And Maddox, besides his overall experience with raising someone, he can show our child how important it is to be a leader.

I realize what I’m thinking and how crazy it is. A child? Never before have I thought of being a mother. In fact, I said that I wouldn’t. Ever. After being raised the way I had, I said I wouldn’t want to put a child through that. Do I know how to be a parent? No, not really. Mine was shit and I’m terrified of making my kid feel the same way I did when I was growing up. But now? Knowing who I have by my side, maybe it’s a possibility? It’s not something that will be brought up now, we have too much to worry about. But maybe one day it will be a conversation that we can have. One day.

“Why are you thinking so loudly?” Lenny mumbles into the pillow. My face warms for a moment, worrying that he heard everything that I said, but it instantly goes away.

“Sorry,” I whisper into his ear. I know better than to feel silly around Lenny when it comes to anything. He, out of all of them, is the least judgmental. He lets everything slide. Which is a relief because I do not want to have that conversation right now. A soft knock at the door has me lifting my head.

“Breakfast is done. Do you want to come eat?” Callan asks quietly. He’s always so thoughtful of everyone else.

“In a bit,” I say, resting my head back down. I lay there for a while unable to fall back asleep, but enjoying the warmth and comfort of being next to Lenny. It’s always been so easy with him, from the beginning. And I’m slowly getting there with everyone else too. Callan is opening up more, less embarrassed about things, yet still shy. That’s who he is and it will never change. But it adds to his charm. Maddox is being nicer, I know, it’s hard to believe but it’s true. And Alec is also opening up, talking more and sharing. And laughing. Yes, laughing. Yet, his partial admittance still rings in my head now and then.

I killed my mother.

I know he’ll tell me when he’s ready. He’s been making so much progress with everything else that I don’t want to push it, but what does he have to tell me? Some days I worry about it more, other days it doesn’t bother me at all. What he tells me, will it make me change the way I feel about him?

No. Absolutely not.

Nothing would ever make me change the way I feel about any of them. I just wish he was there. That the rest of his wall would crumble down. That he’d let me help him through whatever it is that is holding him back.

We’ll get there.

I slide out of bed, making sure not to wake Lenny. He’s been spending his days helping me, so he’s been up late playing video games. Apparently, that’s what he likes to do in his spare time and being on the road and then at Callan’s he hasn’t been able to do that. His online friends have missed him, so I’ve been told.

I hop in the shower and get dressed. I head downstairs and catch both Maddox and Callan in the library. Huh. That’s interesting. I walk through the dining room and into the kitchen to find Alec at the small table eating breakfast.

“Just wake up?” He grunts. That’s a yes. He, like Lenny and I, enjoys his sleep. Maddox and Callan are the two early birds.

There are two plates of food on the counter. One is so full I don’t think you could fit a pea on it. Clearly that one isn’t mine. I take the other, heat it up and sit at the table with Alec. We eat and sip our coffee.

“Do you find it weird that nothing has happened?” Alec asks, breaking the silence.

“About what?” I’m hopeful he’s talking about us, specifically. But I have a feeling he isn’t.

“There was the explosion, the break in, Callan’s house, all that stuff. Not much has happened lately. It’s concerning.” Not much outside of my mother being murdered, but I don’t think that was a direct hit towards us. It couldn’t have been.

“You’re right. I’ve thought about it and it worries me too. But, according to Mahlia, it isn’t the right time. I don’t know why or what’s going on behind the scenes, but I’m trying not to worry about it too much. She said not to. She told me not to worry about the negative and things will happen when they should.” I take a bite of toast. “She was very adamant about this so I’m trying to do the best I can.”

“Like that makes any sense.” He scoffs.

I shrug and laugh. “It doesn’t, but it’s called trust.” I eye him from my periphery. He looks at me for a long moment before continuing to eat. When he’s finished, he sits with me until I’m done. He takes our plates and puts them in the dishwasher.

“Going to shower,” he says before kissing my cheek, his soft beard brushing against my skin and leaving me with his citrus scent. I smile to myself before getting up and going to check on Maddox and Callan.

Callan is sitting at the long wooden table that’s centered in the room while Maddox hunches over him. Callan picked out the table at the furniture store knowing he would need more for this library since it’s larger. It looks more like a public library now, but I still like it.

“What’re you guys up to?” I ask, walking over to them and standing on Callan’s right side. They’re both looking over a blueprint for… well, I don’t know what. I don’t know how to read blueprints. “What’s this?”

“Maddox wants to turn that old barn into a gym.” Callan nods his head in the direction of the barn. Nothing has been brought up about that old thing, but repurposing it is smart.

“I think that’s a great idea. Can’t Lenny just, I don’t know, make that happen?” I scrunch up my nose and lean against the table.

“That’s what I–” Callan starts but is interrupted by Maddox almost immediately.

“He could, but I need something to do. Besides, it’ll keep Alec busy, too.” Hm, a project for him and Alec. “A lot of people use their powers for day to day things, but I’ve never liked it. What’s the point? All it does is make people lazy.” He adds.

That’s one way to look at it.

“How long do you think it’ll take?”

He shrugs, “with Alec still working, a couple of weeks. If I can get him to hire someone else and manage from the outside like Lenny and I do, then we could have it done in a week.”

Huh, I didn’t know he was trying to get Alec to do that. I’m on board.

“Do you think he will?” I ask, excited about the idea of him being with me more.

“If this were a conversation from a couple of weeks ago the answer would absolutely be no, but now? I think he’ll do it… eventually.” That makes me smile. “Callan will never give up his job though,” Maddox slaps him on the back, and Callan flinches. “Will you, Fruitcake?”

“I didn’t say never,” he pushes his glasses up his nose and his cheeks tinge pink. He chuckles nervously. “I only said that I enjoy working and teaching.”

“You could teach from home,” I offer. “Like online classes.”

He gives me a warm smile. “It’s just not the same.” This is one of the things that I love about Callan. He is who he is. He enjoys certain things in life and that’s what he indulges in. He loves his job and helping people, that’s why he does it. I don’t take offense to it in anyway because I know it isn’t about me. It’s about him, and that’s perfectly fine.

“Does Alec know that you’ve volunteered him for this?” Maddox lifts his head, a grin that would put the Cheshire cat to shame is resting on his lips.

“Not yet, but he’s about to.” He turns towards the door and shouts. “Alec!”

“Jeez, Maddox. He’s in the shower. Can’t you just use the mind talking thing?” I say, after gathering myself. His voice is so damn loud. Alec no doubt heard the shouting.

“Where’s the fun in that?” He winks.

“Since when do you do things for fun?” Callan quips. My eyebrows raise and my mouth drops open. Maddox cocks his head to the side and he starts to laugh. Neither of us was expecting him to make a comment, but as I said, he’s getting more comfortable. And I fucking love it.

Alec comes down the stairs a few moments later. “Why are you shouting?” He grunts out to Maddox. He’s in a pair of joggers that are low slung on his hips. So low that I can tell he isn’t wearing underwear. And also, the bulge tells that there’s nothing under there either. He isn’t wearing a shirt and his skin is still damp from the shower. I run my tongue along my bottom lip. A sound erupts in the back of my throat and they all turn their heads to me. I clear my throat, cover my mouth with one hand and shoo them with the other. “Go ahead. Tell him.” I say, wanting to get the spotlight off me. That was a bit embarrassing and it’s ridiculous that I couldn’t hold it in.

Maddox throws his arm around Alec’s shoulder and he stiffens. My eyes widen as Alec’s face contorts with confusion. “How would you feel if we had our very own gym?”

“You’re not taking my garage.” Alec says. “No fucking way in hell, Maddox. That garage was promised to me when we agreed to move.” He’s shaking his head and trying to push Maddox’s arm off, but Maddox isn’t having it.

“I don’t want that dirty garage,” Maddox argues. He walks Alec out the door and to the right. I shake my head and laugh under my breath. I know he’s taking Alec to the dining room. From there you can see the old barn. I haven’t been inside of it, but anyone can see from the outside that it will need some work. A lot of it maybe, but it isn’t a lost cause. The outside needs to be painted and I’m sure the inside needs new flooring and probably a paint job. Possibly more depending on the condition of it.

I hop on the table beside Callan. He looks up at me with a smirk. He pulls his chair back and positions it between my legs, resting his hands on my thighs. I smile down at him and run my hand through his hair. It’s soft and smells like his soap. The same way he always smells since he showers, usually twice a day, though he’s gotten better with that (I’ve heard) since we moved here. He squeezes my thighs and runs his hands up to my waist, pulling me closer to him towards the end of the table. He lifts my shirt slightly and places a kiss on my right hip. He drags his finger between my waistband and my skin, stopping at the button and popping it open. My breathing picks up as I watch his fingers move over me.

Maddox and Alec’s voices sound from outside and my head turns to that direction. Callan doesn’t stop, pulling the zipper down on my pants. My eyes stay on the door, when they turn the corner and see Callan, Alec grins and Maddox’s eyes go wide but a smile forms shortly after. Alec reaches in and closes the door, leaving Callan and I alone in the room. I look back down to him and notice that he’s lost in his own world that is me. He didn’t even notice them.

“I noticed them, love. I just didn’t care.” He places his hand on the center of my chest and slowly pushes me back. I lower myself onto the table. Callan pulls my pants and panties off and drops them to the floor. He runs his hands softly up the outside of my thighs. He stands for a moment, leaning over me and pressing a kiss to my lips. “Sit up,” he tells me, offering me his hand. I take it and he helps me up. He sits back down and slides his hands between my legs, spreading them wide. He hooks his arms under my knees and pulls me forward so I’m resting on the very edge of the table. He scoots the chair back and drops to his knees, his face going between my legs. He breathes in deeply and moans softly. “I’ve always wanted to do this. Is that okay?” He asks, looking up to me from under his lashes. I bite my lip and nod, “fuck yes,” I say. He smirks before grabbing onto my hips. My hands go into his hair as he slides his tongue between my folds.

For someone that doesn’t have experience he is quite good at it. He moans into me, telling me that he’s heard my thought. He licks me slowly from my entrance to my clit using the flat of his tongue. The firm, drawn out feel of his tongue drives me crazy. He does this over and over again, tasting me fully. Tasting every inch of me, inside and out. I start to pant. My hands grip his hair, twisting my fingers through it as he brings me closer to orgasm. He moans into me as he licks me, swirling his tongue around my clit. His hands stay gripped on my hips as he pulls me into his mouth. I can’t help it when my hips start to rock, chasing an orgasm that is so close.

“Mmm,” he moans into me. Sending small vibrations throughout my core. “You are delicious,” he says. “I should do this more often.”

“Yes, you should.” I breathe out, throwing my head back. He presses his tongue to my clit and swirls it around. It’s exactly what I need. I rock my hips harder into him and cry out as the orgasm takes over me. Callan’s fingers dig into my hips as I come on his face. “Fuck,” I say as he pulls away. He stands and takes my mouth into his. His mouth wet with my juices. He moans into my lips as I hurriedly undo his pants and free his erection. He pushes into me immediately. “Fuck,” he says into my mouth and I smile. He smiles back and starts his slow thrusts in and out of me. I rest my feet on the chairs beside us, spreading wider for him. His thrusts pick up and warmth heats in my belly. I clamp around him as another orgasm hits me. I feel his warmth fill me up as he takes my mouth into his. He breathes heavily, his cock pulsing inside of me.

“Was that everything you’d hope for?” I ask.

“No,” he whispers. “It was better.”

CHAPTER 29

Alec

Over lunch we talk about Friday’s powers and how her training is going. We sit together at the dining room table to eat, because apparently we haven’t done that yet. I’ve been having a hard time focusing on anything after walking in on her and Callan. They were barely doing anything but for some reason the thought of watching them two together makes me hard as a fucking rock. Which, now that I think about it has been a problem I’ve had since meeting her. I’ve never looked at Callan as anything more than my Circle mate, my friend, my brother – whatever you want to call it. And it’s not about him specifically, it’s about watching him and Friday together. Why? I don’t know. I don’t think I knew I was into watching before. Not anything more than porn, but even that I didn’t enjoy much. Being with her and Maddox together was hot as fuck. Something I didn’t think I would do, but I would definitely do it again. I was hoping to get some alone time with her after the library incident, but I haven’t been able to.

Maddox hasn’t shut up about the gym and even though it’s a good idea, I couldn’t just say yes right away. I enjoy Maddox begging for something, well, maybe not begging exactly, but it was close enough. He needs my help, and him making that known is pure satisfaction. I refuse to give in right away, until he starts to get on my nerves with it. He’s worse than a fucking valley girl on her sixteenth birthday party. I eventually get so frustrated – not with just him, but because my balls were starting to hurt – that I told him I would do it. Just to shut him up. I thought of hiding out in my room and jerking off, but knowing that I now have Friday, I didn’t think that was right. I know it doesn’t matter and she probably wouldn’t care. In fact, I bet she’d want to watch, but if I’m going to come, it’s going to be inside of her, or at the very least, with her.

Even now, sitting here, all I can think about are the moans I heard coming through the door. The moans that Callan caused. The one of us that has the least amount of experience with sex and he’s got her screaming like that already. Fuck.

Something pulls me from my thoughts, and I realize that it’s silence. I snap out of it and see everyone has eyes on me.

“What? Did I miss something?” I ask, taking a sip from my water and trying to ignore the raging boner that I have in my pants. I swear it’s making me stupid.

“We were saying that since Friday is able to successfully get into Lenny’s memories that we should take turns training with her.” Callan explains in his tone that tells me he knows he’s walking a boundary. He also knows that it’s better to come from him than Maddox.

“I, uh…” I don’t know what to say to that. I don’t think I’m ready for her to know everything yet. Not yet.

“If you don’t want to, you don’t have to.” She says. “It was just a suggestion.” She wipes her mouth on her napkin and drops it to the table, shoveling another bite of food into her mouth. I love how she doesn’t give a fuck. Fuck it, I love everything about this girl.

“Not today, but soon.” I offer. She smiles kindly at me, understanding in her eyes. The only people that know the truth about what happened with Mom and Aaron are the guys. I haven’t opened up to anyone else about it. I plan to, I want to. Just not yet.

Fuck, this is why I’m so in love with her. She’s perfect. Too perfect that it doesn’t make any sense. I groan as my dick throbs in my pants. I don’t know how I haven’t come in them yet.

When everyone is done eating, Callan cleans up the dishes with the help of Lenny. Maddox and Friday sit at the table chatting a bit, since he agreed to be the next one to help her out with training. As they stand to go outside to her “training area” as she calls it, I stop them.

“Wait,” I say louder than necessary and get looks from everyone. I clear my throat. “Can I talk to you first?”

“O-okay.” She looks around awkwardly. “Here?” What the hell am I doing? Is this really a good idea? All I know is that I need to do this. My dick hurts and I need to come. And it needs to be this way. I know it won’t be enough if it’s anything else.

“No, in the guest house. And uh, I need Callan to come… uh, I mean, I need him to join us.” I sound like a sputtering idiot and I know it.

“Are you having a stroke?” Lenny asks, narrowing his eyes at me. He’s wiping his hands on the dish towel very slowly. It’s kind of weird and also… arousing. Fuck me, I need help.

“I’m not having a fucking stroke. I just need to talk to them.” I say before standing and swiftly heading towards the guest house. I didn’t want to get caught with this boner. Maddox would say something about it and then that would be it. I’d have to fucking murder him.

When I get into the guest house I walk right upstairs and lean against the wall beside the tall dresser. When Friday and Callan come up the stairs, chatting quietly with each other, my cock starts throbbing again. I’m not sure why I’m doing this, because as soon as I touch my dick I’m going to come everywhere. I should have gone to my room and rubbed one out, then rethought this. You don’t think clearly when your dick is this hard.

“What’s up, Alec? What did you need to talk to us about?” Callan asks in his teacher voice. He’s concerned. He thinks something is wrong. I can sense it.

Why waste any time?

“I need you to fuck her.” Callan looks at me, his mouth opening and closing like a fish, not knowing what to say. Friday looks confused for half a second before glancing down at the bulge in my pants. Her face is instantly filled with excitement. “Keep looking at me like that and I’m going to come in my pants right fucking now.” I tell her. She bites her lip but turns to the blushing Callan. She whispers something into his ear and he nods, gulping.

He walks towards the bed and sits. She stands in front of him and pulls her shirt over her head. No fucking questions asked. God, I love this woman so much.

“I’ve been thinking about this since I saw you two together earlier,” I tell them, grasping my cock in my hand. “Pretend like I’m not here. I just want to watch.” Friday smiles while Callan nods. Knowing that he’s uncomfortable is what’s turning me on. Knowing that he isn’t into the threesome thing and that he’d probably never do it is what I like about this.

Especially because he’s doing it now. For me.

They undress each other carefully. She’s completely different with him than she is with me and Maddox. Which is expected. Friday puts his cock in her mouth, getting him nice and hard before she pushes him down and straddles him. She settles onto him slowly. I watch as she rides him, her tits bouncing, nipples hard. His hands are on her hips, grasping them and I know she’s riding him good. I can almost feel it like it’s my cock inside of her, not his.

I lower my pants and free my cock. Gripping it in my fist I slide my hand over it slowly. Knowing that if I go to fast I’ll come too soon, and that’s not what I want. I want to enjoy this because fuck knows if it’ll ever happen again. When I feel like I’m getting close I let go and pray that I didn’t go too far. I look down as my cock twitches. In frustration no doubt. I rest my head against the cool wall and listen to their moans. Callan’s use of the word fuck surprises me, but turns me on. I don’t think I’ve ever heard him swear.

“Bend her over,” I say loud enough so they can hear. Friday stops, looks at me and crawls off Callan. She moves to her hands and knees and looks over her shoulder at Callan. “Off the bed.” He looks to me questioningly. “Get off the bed and fuck her while you’re standing.” I say, taking my cock in my hand again. Friday bends over, resting her forearms on the bed and planting her feet on the ground with her perfectly round ass in the air. Callan slides into her and starts to fuck her. He has never fucked anyone like this before, and fuck me why is that so intriguing? From the angle I’m at I can see her tits swaying beneath her. I jerk my cock faster and harder. Watching Callan’s movements, I know he’s going to come soon.

“You better make her come before you do.” I ground out, continuing to stroke my dick to their motions. She moves her hand and begins to rub at her clit.

“Oh, fuck,” Callan breathes out. “I’m so close,” he says.

“Me too,” Friday says.

The moment she cries out my balls tighten and come pumps from the tip of my cock, shooting all over the floor. Callan groans as he stills inside of her, pumping his come into her. He leans forward and rests his forehead on her back. “Fuck,” I say, resting my head back against the wall. My dick is still hard, but it at least feels better than it did. I know I could go at it again, but I’d rather save it all for Friday and Friday alone. I squeeze the last drops of come out of me and tuck it away in my pants. I snatch Friday’s shirt from the floor and hold it up to her, silently asking if I can used it. She shrugs and I wipe the floor. Thankful that there is hard wood up here and not a rug. I take it with me as I walk back to the house and throw it into the laundry room.

I walk up to my room with a grin on my face, ready for a nap.

***

Callan

Friday and I lay on the bed together for a short time before we get dressed.

“What was that all about?” I ask. Perhaps she knows something that I don’t.

“I’m not sure, but it was hot as hell.” She says, which causes me to smile. I have to agree with her. I enjoyed that more than I thought I would. I didn’t think I’d like it at all but being watched was rather exciting. “Has he always been like this?”

“Not as far as I know. He’s been closed off for as long as I can remember. He was not one to talk about sexual encounters. Not like some of the others.” Friday scrunches her nose up at me. “I’m sorry, I shouldn’t have brought that up.”

“Don’t be sorry. Obviously I know they’d had sex with other people. I can imagine the shit Maddox would say,” she shakes her head and scoffs. I step into my pants and button them before slipping my shirt on. Friday pulls on her jeans and clips her bra but doesn’t have a shirt. Alec took it.

“Do you want mine?” She shakes her head no. I’m okay with her walking around like this and I bet the rest of the guys are too. I’m not complaining.

“What about you?” I cock my head at her with a questioning look. She licks her lips before adding, “first Maddox… now Alec? Did you know you would be okay with this? With guys?”

I don’t have to think before I answer because I’ve thought about this a lot. And not just recently. I was frequently joked on for being a virgin by the guys. When we were younger, I did question whether I was gay or not, because I wasn’t interested in having sex with girls. I learned, after a while of thinking on it, that I just wasn’t interested in having sex. With anyone. I didn’t have any attractions towards guys or girls. Sure, I could appreciate when someone was attractive, but not to the point that I wanted to bring it to another level. I think that I’ve been saving myself for her. I didn’t jerk off that much either. I’ve done that more times since knowing her than I have my entire life.

After the night with her and Maddox, I thought on it some more. I realized that I don’t mind engaging in sex with Friday and the other guys. I actually kind of like it. I like that Maddox is dominant and will tell me what to do. It’s freeing to lose control for a short time and in a safe environment. I know that Maddox would never force me to do anything that I didn’t want, and that is what I like about it. Sex is sex, after all. Would I consider myself bisexual? I don’t think so, because even now the only people I have interest in sexually is Friday and the guys.

I haven’t given much thought to doing anything with the guys without her, but I don’t think I’d be opposed to it. I haven’t fantasized about any of them, just Friday. But after having her with Maddox and now this with Alec? My eyes have been opened and I’m up for exploring. That much I know. Let’s just say I would not say no to one of them if the opportunity was there.

“I didn’t. As you know, before you, I had zero experience with sex. I didn’t know what to expect from any of it. I didn’t think much about it until that night with Maddox – which I did enjoy, by the way. I know we haven’t talked about it, because it’s hard for me to talk about things sometimes but I want you to know that I did like it. And I did also like this.” I feel my cheeks warming at my admission. She smiles at me as she sits down on the bed.

“You’re doing a great job with opening up to me and I love it. I like that you don’t have experience, I like showing you, teaching you.” She bites her bottom lip. “And I like that you’re open to trying new things with the guys. It’s a huge turn on. Don’t get me wrong, it’s always good, but when it’s more than one of you with me, or even alone? It drives me crazy.” She says, tying her hair into a braid down the side of her shoulder. I walk to her, cup the side of her cheek and press my lips to hers.

“This is why I’ve saved myself for you. I love you.” I stand straight and offer her my hand. She takes it and we walk down the stairs and back to the main house. She has plans to work with Maddox on her powers and I’m going to work with her later, or tomorrow. Though, she knows a lot about me already. We’ve spent some time chatting about my past, as she has with the others, the difference is that I have no problem telling her about it. My problem is the act of talking and the explaining. Not the facts of what’s happened. That I am confident in. Which, now that I think about it, is quite comical since I’m a teacher. Talking and explaining is basically my job. And I’m damn good at it.

CHAPTER 30

Maddox

Friday walks me over to the spot that she calls her training area. I’m not even sure how she recognizes it because it’s literally a patch of grass off in a random spot about half a football field away from the house. But she says this is her spot and I believe her. She sits down in the grass and looks up at me, waiting.

“Seriously?” I ask. “You’re going to make me sit in the grass? Are we twelve?”

“Appease me, Maddox. Don’t be difficult. Just sit.” She says. I groan before taking a seat in the grass. This is ridiculous.

“What do you need me to do?” I ask, sitting cross legged, the same way she is.

“Just relax and open your mind to me.” She says seriously. I nod before trying to relax. She straightens and closes her eyes. She rests her hands on her knees and takes in a deep breath. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say she was just meditating – not digging around in my brain. Which, now that I think about it may not be a good thing. What if she sees me with another girl? How would that play out? Not well for me, I’m sure. She is good at hiding her jealousy, but I know it’s there and it’s cute as fuck. I like knowing that she doesn’t want anyone else touching me, because I sure as fuck don’t want anyone else touching her. Well, besides the other guys that is.

I have no idea what I’m supposed to be doing here, so I sit and wait. It’s awkward at first but then I start to relax and realize how nice it is out here. I’ve never been one to take time and reflect, but this is almost the perfect spot to do so. The house sits to the left. The area behind me is more like a field than a back yard. There’s a short distance from Friday to the trees behind her, but the walk down to the lake would take the longest. It’s a beautiful area. It’s the reason I bought this house in the first place. I knew it would sell easily and for a good amount of money. Only when I took the time to look at it did I know that I couldn’t bear to sell it. Something told me to hold on to it, and I’m glad that I did. This is our perfect home.

Alec agreed to help me with the barn, without arguing on top of it. Sure, he didn’t agree right away but I’d expected something worse. Which is shocking. I’m not used to him getting along so easily, which is sad the more I think about it. We’ve wasted so much time in our lives being angry with each other. Years lost where we could have been doing things together and being there for each other. Gone and we will never get them back.

“You have the future to look forward to.” Her words startle me. I was so lost in my own mind I had no idea she was looking at me. “You’re thinking loudly,” she says, pulling her bottom lip under her teeth. I let out a deep breath. It seems the more relaxed we are the easier it is for others to hear our thoughts. I still can’t decide whether I like this or not. I mean, I like being able to hear what Friday is thinking. She thinks about sex more than I do, that’s for sure. But knowing that anyone else can be inside my head? That’s what turns me off about the situation. At the same time, why does it matter?

“What did you see?” I ask her. Interested to know. It couldn’t have been anything bad since she’s in a good mood.

“Oh, just you flirting with some girl that turned you down.” She says with a smartass tone.

“What? No way,” I say. Girls rarely turn me down. How is it she found the one and only time that someone did? “Impossible.”

“Trust me, I did. And it was good. So good.” She cocks her head to the side, a grin on her face. “You looked to be in your early twenties. You were at your bar, talking to a fairly decent looking girl that was sitting at the bar with one of her friends.”

“Are you sure you have the right guy?” I ask, honestly not remembering what she’s talking about.

“Positive. Seems Maddox isn’t as good as he thinks he is.” I’m on top of her in a second, her warm body beneath mine. My speed has gotten better since we’ve been together and even more so since we’ve all completed the bonding process.

“Do you need me to show you how good I am?” She grinds her hips against me, causing my cock to harden. I drop my mouth to her neck and lick. She moans loudly in my ear. “Is that a yes?”

She hums into my ear. I open my mouth to lick her neck again when I’m thrown off her. I land hard on my ass, a few feet away. I look up to see a shocked Friday. She’s sitting up staring at her hands.

“What the hell was that?” She whispers.

“That was you? You pushed me off like that?” I ask and she nods slowly, looking at me with fear on her face. She’s turning her hands over, studying them. I straighten myself up and move towards her. “Relax, Beautiful.” I pull her onto my lap. “It seems you’ve gained one of our powers. It’s either the strength from me or it was an air power from Alec. It’s okay.”

“Really?” She squeaks. She jumps up and out of my lap. “Are you sure?” She jumps up and down like an excited child. “This is awesome! I’ve been so worried that nothing would happen. I’ve been trying to work on the powers I got from you guys and nothing happened. Mahlia told me it would come to me in time and she was right!” She does this weird twirl thing that is so awkward but fuck, it’s so damn cute.

Her excitement makes me laugh. I can’t help it, it’s contagious. Seeing how happy and excited she is warms my cold heart. I’m not sure if that’s actually true for vampires. Most of the stuff you read about vampires isn’t true for me because of the evolution of us. I’ve never touched my insides to know if they’re warm or cold. But my skin is warm so it’s probably not true.

I never thought one person would be able to make me so happy.

“Really? Do you really think that?” She stops her jumping and looks at me with hearts in her eyes.

“I need to work harder at blocking my thoughts.” She lunges at me and suddenly I’m on my back with her on top of me. Her arms are around my waist squeezing. I run my hands through her hair, breathe in deeply and just enjoy this moment. Enjoy the grass beneath us, the sun in the sky and the fresh breeze blowing.

***

Friday

After finding out that I finally gained a power I was on cloud 9 for the rest of the day. Nothing could bring me down, I swear. Maddox and I spent more time outside practicing and then I practiced with Callan some. It’s good to know that no matter which of the guys it is, it’s still just as easy. Though, they were willing. I had the awful thought of trying to get into Alec’s memories without his knowledge and I realized instantly how not okay that is. I felt bad for even thinking of it. I would never, ever do that.

“How do I know this will work on people outside of our Circle? What if it’s only working with us because of the bond?” The sun is starting to go down, it’s slowly getting dark. We’re sitting out back on the patio around the fire. Except for Maddox who is grilling steak on the gas grill and smoking a cigarette not too far from us.

“That is a good point. I could ask a colleague from work. There are quite a few that are part of the Paranormal Community, and I’m sure they wouldn’t mind being practiced on.” Callan offers. “They may enjoy a free reading or two.”

“Yeah? You’d do that?”

“Of course I would. If it works out, I think we can safely say that you’ve mastered the memories part of your power. Then all we will have to do is focus on the future aspect, which I assume will be more trying. Did you get any pointers from Mahlia?”

I shake my head. “Nothing specific, just the same general things. If I can’t figure it out on my own, I’ll make sure to bring it up the next time she calls.” I lean back in the chair and cuddle closer to Alec. He rests his hand on my thigh and I love how open he is becoming with me. “When she said she was going to help me, I expected it to be more hands on. Not a guessing game.”

“Some people find that others learn best when they have to figure it out themselves.” Callan says, adding another log to the fire.

“I’m all set with that. Just tell me or show me, and I’m good.” Lenny is lying down on the long wicker couch. Alec and I are seated on the love seat and Callan is sitting in the single chair across from us.

“Everyone learns differently,” Callan says patiently.

“Food is almost done. Someone want to go get drinks?” Maddox shouts to us.

“I’ll do it! What does everyone want?” I ask as I stand.

“You know what I want,” Lenny says. Referring to his random concoctions. What he’s saying is that he wants me to throw a bunch of things together in a cup and make up a name for it.

“I’ll take a beer,” Alec says.

“Same,” comes from Maddox. I look at Callan, waiting for an answer. “Coffee is fine for me,” he answers. Maddox scoffs, but I think it’s cute. He loves his coffee.

I slide the glass door open and step inside to the cool air. I make my way towards the kitchen and start Callan’s coffee first, knowing it will take a few minutes. I place his Einstein mug, the one I bought him, and put it under the single serving spot on the coffee machine. I prep it and press start. It gurgles and hisses at me as I open the glass cabinet by the fridge. I look over some bottles and grab four different flavored vodkas. Grape, Bubble Gum, Strawberry and Lemon. I take a large glass cup and pour the vodka in. Filling it to the spot that Lenny likes – which is about 70% full. When that’s done I look in the fridge and see what else there is to throw inside. I pour in a small amount of cranberry juice, Sprite and I squeeze in a lime then plop it in the cup. None of that rim shit. I mix it up with a spoon. I have no idea how this is going to taste, but either way, I bet he’ll drink it. It can’t be awful.

I take three bottles of beer from the fridge and put them on the serving tray along with Callan’s coffee and Lenny’s concoction. Maddox snagged a tray from the bar, it makes it easier to carry drinks all over this house. When I get to the glass door I slide it open and step outside into the warm, night air. I pass out the beers to each of the guys and hand Callan his coffee. Since I picked out that mug for him, he won’t drink coffee from anything else. When I reach Lenny, I hand him his glass and say, “I call it the TGIF Spritzer.” I wink.

Lenny barks out a laugh and takes his drink. I curtsy and smile at him in return. I see Callan and Alec chuckling to themselves out of the corner of my eye. I wait as he takes a sip. His face lights up and he cocks his head to the side, eying the cup.

“Is it awful?” I ask, scrunching my face up.

“No, it’s… it’s good. It has this interesting after taste, I think it’s the lime. I definitely like it! Good job, Cupcake.” He leans back as I place the serving tray on the end table that rests beside the chair.

“Food’s done!” Maddox shouts. We get up and move to the table and chairs closer to the grill. Maddox brings over a serving tray piled with steaks and roasted potatoes and vegetables. He places it in the center of the table and we all pile our plates and eat. Grilled food is by far my favorite. Nothing beats food cooked right over a fire. By the time we’re done the sky is completely dark and the moon is out. Hundreds of thousands of stars light up the sky. Maddox adds more wood to the fire, and we spend time sitting around it and talking. It’s relaxing and perfect.

I’m leaning back on the couch, my head resting on Alec’s shoulder. I watch the flames dance in front of my eyes. The bright yellow and orange of the flames. My bare feet are warmed by the closeness. Small ashes fly up and disappear into the night. Maddox stands to add another log as the flame starts to dim. Until it doesn’t.

The flame grows higher and wider and hotter. I’m on my feet in a second. I look around for the guys, wondering why they aren’t panicking, but they’re gone. The chairs are gone, my house is gone. The beautiful, thick trees surrounding me are gone. I take a step back. Then another and another. I see the bigger picture in front of me. Flames licking the side of the house. The trees and plants catching fire from the heat of the flames. The windows are busted open, smoke pours out of them and up towards the already black sky. I take another step back until I’m standing in the street. People gather around to watch the show and I wonder if anyone has reported this. It needs to be saved. I can’t let the house burn down!

I feel around my body for my phone, but I don’t have it. Screw these leggings for not having pockets. I should have stayed in my jeans. Neighbors stand by each other as we all watch the house burn up in flames. Where is the fire department? It doesn’t matter at this point. The house is gone. It’s irreparable. There’s too much damage.

How did this happen?

“It was up for sale.”

“I know. I heard it was being closed on this week.”

“That’s a real shame.”

Two older women beside me are having a hushed conversation, and they’re right. This is awful. This is a disaster. This was not an accident.

Sirens sound off in the distance.

Finally.

Maybe, just maybe…

I watch as the house falls into itself. We all gasp and take a step back. Even if this is a lost cause, the flames are getting awfully close to the neighbor’s house. The firetrucks need to get here soon, or her house will be lost too. Where is she? I search the faces of the neighbors standing around. Why isn’t she out here? Her house is dark and I wonder if she’s gone out. Perhaps. I don’t know anything about her to know her schedule or what she does on a Saturday night. I just hope that her house is safe. As annoying as she was, she doesn’t deserve to lose her house.

The sirens get louder. The blue and red lights flicker at the end of the street and the sight in front of me fades away like a mirage.

I blink a few times, earning myself questioning looks from the guys.

Callan’s phone rings in that moment. He picks it up cautiously, like it’s a bomb ready to go off. He answers the call as someone asks me a question. I don’t know who it was because my gaze is trained on Callan.

“You’re sure?” He says into the phone, his brows furrowed. The flame flickers in the green of his eyes as he stares back at me. “Okay then, thank you.” I get to my feet and take a step towards him.

“Did you see it?” He asks, looking up at me from his spot on the chair.

I nod as tears fall from my eyes.

CHAPTER 31

Friday

“I don’t care about the money.”

“I know that, but that was your house. You lived there, you had memories there. You still had things there!” I cry.

“Friday, this is my home now. The only things that I care about are here with me. Even if every item I owned was in that house, I wouldn’t care. As long as I am here with you and the rest of these guys, then I am happy.” Tears threaten to fall from my eyes again as I squish my butt into the chair with Callan. I’m mostly sitting on his lap, but he doesn’t seem to mind. No one else is saying anything, unsure of what to say. We sit in a dark silence. The wood popping and crackling is the only thing that fills the air for a long time.

“You saw the whole thing?” Lenny asks.

I shake my head. “No, not everything. I only saw it burning and some of the neighbors standing outside watching. It went up fast. I knew it wasn’t salvageable the moment I saw it, and the fire trucks hadn’t even gotten there yet.”

“Isn’t there a station a few blocks from your house?” Maddox asks, raising an eyebrow. His face is dark, shadowed from the fire flickering in front of him.

“Yes, there is. It must have been set intentionally with use of accelerants. That’s the only thing that would have caused it to burn that quickly.” I let out a frustrated growl.

“They keep coming at us with bullshit! They’re getting worse and worse. Did they know we were gone? Were they trying to kill us or prove a point? They’ve already killed my mom, what is next? They’ve tried killing us before and at one point they aren’t going to fail. We need to do something.”

“We knew things would get worse before they would get better. Getting upset and frustrated now won’t fix anything. Like Callan said, it’s just a house. It doesn’t matter.” Alec adds. I look to him, blinking away the tears. I look up at the sky for a moment. The smell of the house burning still lingers in my nose. “Plus, remember what Mahlia said.”

“That’s not the point!” I scream. I’m even more frustrated in this moment that I don’t have Mahlia’s number. Every time she calls it’s restricted. I don’t know how to get into contact with her.

Or do I…

I climb off Callan’s lap.

“Where are you going?” Alec asks.

“I need to work on something. Give me a bit.” I say before going into the house. I don’t ever ask them for space, but right now I need it. I look around and decide that upstairs will be the best place. I walk into one of the common areas, the one that Lenny usually uses for his video games. I sit on the couch and get comfortable. I focus on Mahlia and… well, just her. I don’t know what else to focus on, so I just think of her. I call to her through my mind.

I have no idea if this will work, but it’s worth a shot.

I try for what feels like forever and become even more frustrated when nothing happens. I stare at my cell phone, hoping she got something out of this and would call me. I stare at the phone for five straight minutes. In the grand scheme of things, five minutes is nothing. Sitting here and watching the clock for five minutes is hell.

Nothing happens.

I throw my head back and slam my fists on the couch.

“Getting angry won’t help.” The deep, husky voice of Alec fills the room. “Trust me, I know.”

“I know, but I can’t help it. I just–”

I’m cut off by my phone ringing. When the screen lights up with restricted, I answer it immediately.

“You are coming along quite nicely, I gather?” Mahlia asks. Her voice raspier than normal. I think I woke her.

“Where are you?”

“France dear, it’s 3AM.”

“Oh my… I’m so sorry.” I let out a frustrated sound. Alec takes a seat on the side of me. His hand brushing up and down my leg comforts me… among other things that I will not think about while I’m on the phone with a very old Prophet that could possibly know what I’m thinking. Aaand I just called her old. Fuck, Friday.

“It’s okay. I assume this is important?” She questions me.

“Not important enough to wake you up at this hour.” I sigh.

“You have me on the phone now. What is it?”

I explain everything to her. My frustrations and the progress I’ve made so far. She tells me that I’m on the right track and to continue what I’m doing. That if I’ve got this down then the rest is easy. It’s like riding a bike. All I have to do is figure out which path to take to get to the destination that I’m looking for.

Great. More cryptic messages.

“Frustrations will cloud your judgement and darken your thinking. You do not want to tip the scale to that side. Keep your thoughts clean and your attitude positive. This is the only way that things will work in your favor. I can’t say any more than that.” Pots clank around in the background and then the soft trickle of water flowing.

“Why not? If you know, why can’t you tell me?” I know. I’m acting like a spoiled brat. I’m tired and cranky.

“The powers that be will not allow it. You will learn soon enough. Now, can I go back to bed? I’m not getting any younger and I need my beauty rest.”

“Of course. Again, I apologize for waking you.”

“That’s all right, dear. Have a–”

“Wait! One more thing?” There’s silence on the other end, so I assume it’s fine to speak. “If I could link with you, can I do that with anyone?”

“As I said, keep your mind clear and everything that needs to happen will happen. You will only figure it out if you choose the right path. Good night.” She ends the call. I drop my phone onto the couch. It bounces and lands on the floor. I don’t even care. I leave it there.

“Do you feel any better?” Alec asks, continuing to rub leisurely designs on my leg. His fingers are rough against my skin, but they’re beyond comforting in this moment.

“Honestly? No.” He huffs out a laugh.

“I think that you need to do what you feel is right. I don’t have the powers that you have, and I know that we are all different, but she’s right in what she says. Becoming frustrated, acting out of revenge and anger will only darken your mind. It will affect your magic. And it isn’t easy to come back from that. If you don’t want to trust her,” he lets out a sigh. “Then trust me. You have all of us to help you, to lean on, to take your frustrations out on. I didn’t let the guys help me when I needed them most, don’t make that same mistake. We are here for a reason. This is bigger than just you, Friday. We are here to help.”

I lean over and wrap my arms around his neck. He wraps his around my waist. “Thank you.” I whisper to him.

“Anything for you.” And I know he means that with every ounce of his being.

CHAPTER 32

Friday

-SUNDAY-

Alec and Maddox went to the store to pick up supplies for the soon-to-be gym. They went over their plans over breakfast and made a list of what they needed. Alec agreed he would take off a couple of days this week, but not the full week. That, he was adamant about. He did agree to change the schedules around, so he isn’t working five days a week, but he refuses to hire someone new because he doesn’t want to give up his spot entirely. Maddox told me to look online for any property I may be interested in for the bar. I wasn’t expecting that to happen so soon. But, there’s no time like the present… I guess.

Callan let me borrow his laptop. I’m curled up on the couch, the TV on for background noise. I don’t expect to find anything right away, but when I spot a bright pink building that’s up for sale, I think I may have it. I save this page and continue my search. I’ll go through my list at the end and pick which one will work best for what I want. I’ve just saved my third property when the news catches my attention.

“…to officials, the fire was intentional. Thankfully, no one was home at that time. The house was up for sale and closing was scheduled for this upcoming week. There are no leads at this time.” I stare at the TV and the live feed of the house. It’s unrecognizable. The frame is barely standing, the plants and trees closest to the house have all burned to ash. The camera slowly zooms away and focuses on the reporter standing on the side, by the driveway.

“And in a twisting turn of events, a woman was found dead in her home late last night. Only right next door to this devastating fire. Officials report checking with neighbors to ensure no other homes were damaged. When 29-year-old Wendy Scheller didn’t answer her door, police thought nothing of it. It was only when they moved on to another neighbor that suspicion arose. When police did a more thorough inspection around the residence, they found the back door slightly ajar. Upon entering, they found Miss Scheller dead. Investigators report there is no correlation between the fire and the death. The investigation is still on going and there are no leads at this time.”

I turn the TV off, waves of nausea rolling through my stomach. I have to break the news to Callan. This isn’t going to be easy. I know there was nothing going on between them, but she was a friend and they had been neighbors for a long time. I place his laptop on the cushion beside me and stand, needing to find him. Before I’m able to start my search, Maddox and Alec come through the door with a fire lit under their asses.

“Where’s the guys? We need help carrying this stuff.” I offer to help but they tell me no. I sit on the couch with my arms crossed. These guys are ridiculous. I can’t even carry stuff now? “Callan is in the library and Lenny is upstairs.” I figure the news can wait. Alec goes upstairs while Maddox makes his way to the library. When Callan comes out moments later and flashes his smile at me, I can’t help but smile back even though my insides are burning. I don’t want to tell him, but I have to. Maddox and Callan disappear out the front door. They come back carrying boxes, bags and cans of paint. They walk through the house and out the back door. It would make sense for Maddox to drive his truck around back, but I know he doesn’t want to mess up the precious grass. Like it won’t grow back.

I continue looking through things on the laptop, trying to keep myself busy while the guys carry in the bags and boxes. I’m itching to get up and help, Maddox be damned. I can carry a bag or two. I’m not made of glass.

“Did Lenny come down yet?” Alec asks, carrying in a rather large box. His muscles bulging from underneath his shirt so much that I fear it may rip. Wait, that’s not a fear… it’s a hope.

“Nope, not yet.” He shakes his head before dropping the box with a loud thump and running up the stairs. Callan walks in through the back door and goes towards the kitchen. “Got a minute to talk?” I ask him, wanting to tell him about Wendy and get it over with. I know that isn’t the most sensitive thing to say, but this is not something I’m good at.

“In a minute?” He asks, politely. “I need to bring some bottles of water outside and I’ll be right back.” I smile and nod and turn to face the black TV. A moment later he’s walking back by with a case of water in his hands. There is a knock at the door and my curiosity makes me turn to face it. Lenny’s taking the stairs two at a time. He jumps down the last few and lands right in front of the door. He opens it. I can’t see who is there because they’re hidden behind Lenny’s tall frame. My curiosity is peeked and I don’t look away. Who would be here?

A bright blue light blinds me and a sharp crack fills the air as I drop myself to the couch. A loud thump followed by an eerily familiar squeaking is all that sounds until it is dead silent. I peek my head up, over the back of the couch. White smoke fills the area. I can’t see a foot in front of me. My fingers burn as they dig into the leather of the couch. I wait. The smoke starts to disappear and I dare look to the floor below me, anticipating what that thump was. The blurred outline of a body lies prone against the couch, soaked in a red liquid. My eyes dart up, back towards the door. A long streak of blood trails from the body to the middle of the room. I want to scream. I want to run. I want to cry. When Lenny opened that door, the last thing I expected to see was his bloody corpse only a foot in front of me. He’s a mess of black and red. Burns and blood.

Unrecognizable.

I suck in a sharp gasp and that’s when the scream escapes.

No. No, no, no. This can’t be happening.

Clicking has me looking up again. Four figures stroll into my house as if they’re the neighbor looking for a cup of sugar. Three men and a woman. The men are tall, especially the one in the middle. He looks like a giant… if giants were real. Fuck, maybe they are. I blink a few more times and then it hits me.

They’re here. They’ve found us.

I look down to Lenny’s body. He’s dead. I’m next.

The three men are quite tall, one is extremely large. I know him as The Whisper but I don’t know his real name. The guy standing on the right is Gerard, he’s a vampire. I know him from my vision. The guy on the left I only know from the photo and I’m not sure of his powers or his name. Then there is Evenia. The bitch is just standing there in front of her men, her arms folded across her chest with a smirk on her lips. Like she didn’t just harm one of my men.

Does she have any idea what she’s done?

“This should have been easier. Why did you have to make this so difficult? I hate when things get messy, but I have no choice.” Evenia says, walking in on her expensive heels like she doesn’t plan on getting her hands dirty. She clicks her tongue at me before speaking again. “It really is a shame that I have to kill you all. I’ve become so invested in your lives, and for it to end like this? Such a waste.”

“You fucking bitch!” I scream at her, getting to my feet. My skin is vibrating, fury running through my veins. I’ve never felt anything like this before. “You better hope that Lenny is okay. That he will be okay.” I growl out. Because if he isn’t, I don’t know what I’ll do. I can’t live without him, without any of the guys. They are all a part of me. He needs to be okay.

Maddox slams through the back door with a crash. The door flies right off the hinges, landing halfway across the room. Callan comes to a halt directly behind him. His eyes searching the area until they land on me.

“What the fuck is going on?” Maddox barks, his upper lip curls in disgust when his eyes reach Evenia. He looks around the room at the mess. His eyes land on the blood trail and he follows it to the body. He swallows hard. He can’t see the body from where he stands, so he takes a step closer, peeking his head around the couch. One more step closer…  “No!” He shouts. His bone chilling scream causes goosebumps to erupt over my body, and a choking sob gets caught in my throat. In the next instant Maddox’s eyes are black and he’s grown… claws. Razor sharp claws are now in place of his normal fingernails. He’s hunched and growling like a rabid animal.

You need to help Lenny. He needs your blood. You need to save him. I send to Maddox. Pleading. Hoping that he hears me in this form. Hoping that he isn’t too far gone. His chest heaves and every breath he takes ends on a growl. He gives me a slight nod before his fangs come out. He tears his wrist open and dashes towards Lenny, so fast that he’s nothing more than a blur. Gerard catches the move and meets him there, but he wasn’t expecting Maddox to have calculated his move. Gerard takes a heavily booted foot to the chest and flies backwards. Maddox bends quickly and brings his wrist to Lenny’s mouth. I back against the wall and Callan is by my side in an instant.

“My powers won’t work on them, but I will protect you with my life.” He whispers to me, pushing me behind him. I grip his hand in both of mine and lean into his back. I feel so helpless in this moment. Why didn’t we prepare for this? Why weren’t we ready? My powers are nowhere near their full strength, I haven’t been training enough. I should have spent more time on them. I can barely do anything, how will I survive this? I can’t fight. I’m not built for fighting. It’s not my thing.

Thumping in the rhythm of footsteps sounds above me, moving towards the stairs.

Don’t! I send to Alec. Remembering that he is up there. The footsteps stop abruptly, but Evenia’s eyes are focused on the ceiling by the stairs. A wicked smile crosses her lips.

It’s Evenia and her bonded. Lenny is hurt. If you come down the stairs, they’ll get you. Find another way. I tell him.

And fast! Maddox adds.

The Whisper pops up behind Maddox. Literally pops up out of thin air. He grabs Maddox around the neck and lifts him off the ground by nothing more than the grip of his hand. I pray that Maddox wasn’t too late for Lenny, that he was still alive. That he got enough blood, and he will heal. I can’t even think of any other outcome. I won’t. I stand as far back to the wall as I can, but not letting go of Callan. I’m trying with everything in me to keep it together and not break down. Evenia, Gerard and the other asshole are standing by the door with smirks on their faces watching as The Whisper lifts Maddox higher and higher off the ground. Maddox reaches up to grab The Whispers arm to steady himself. He grabs Maddox by the top of his head and starts to laugh as he begins to pull. My stomach turns. I swallow back the bile that’s rising in my throat at the site in front of me. Maddox kicks and punches, but he’s no match for The Whisper’s strength. A scream leaves my throat the moment I hear bones crunching. Callan’s hand tightens around mine. I look up to his face, his eyes are closed, and his lips are moving but there is no sound coming out. His eyes open and focus on The Whisper. The normal bright green hue of his eyes now darkened. They look almost black. The Whisper’s expression changes slightly, from angry to confused. He shakes his head and refocuses on Maddox. Callan is trying, but it isn’t working.

A loud roar sounds from upstairs and I know it’s Alec in all his frustration.

“I need to fucking help her!” I hear the words in my head and echoing from the stairwell.

Another scream leaves my throat as Maddox’s mouth oozes with blood. The skin at his neck pulls apart like rubber as The Whisper uses his brute force to pull it from his shoulders. I can’t look. I close my eyes. My heart stops when Callan shoves me back, pressing me firmly between him and the cool wall. Another loud crack. Against my better judgement, I open my eyes and see that Alec has somehow made his way downstairs. Alive. He’s standing in front of Callan, chest heaving. His face is full of confusion and anger before he turns around, raises his hands and sends a loud whoosh of air towards The Whisper, knocking him to his ass. The smirk on Evenia’s face disappears. Maddox’s body drops beside The Whisper. It’s pale, bloody and lifeless.

My chest aches. My stomach twists. My throat burns with the acid that won’t stay down. My eyes are blurred with tears that don’t know whether to come or stay away from the horror that is in front of me. I dig my nails into Callan’s arm. We’re fucked. We’re dead. We’ve lost this. I want to tell him how much I love him. Him and Alec. I need to tell them, they need to know.

Alec waves his hands around again and both Lenny’s and Maddox’s body slide towards us. I can’t look at either of them. I’ll throw up. They can’t be dead. They can’t! Maddox can heal... and, and he helped Lenny before he was taken. They’re going to be fine. Fuck, they have to be fine!

“What do you want?” Callan shouts, moving in front of Alec.

“Oh, don’t be stupid boys. I’m aware that you all know about my little secret. Well, one of them anyway. I knew this was a possibility. It’s so hard doing my job sometimes. To find out which future will occur. There are too many outcomes depending on the paths that you chose to take. This ending was not at the top of the list. Someone intervened. Tell me, sweet boy, who was it? Who has been helping her train?” She takes a step closer. “I know that you are, well would have been, powerful. But you don’t know enough to figure out your powers on your own.” She says the last part to me.

“Fuck you!” I shout at her, moving forward and ready to attack but Callan grabs me around the waist and pulls me back. What’s the point in shutting up? Lenny and Maddox are dead. We’re about to be next. I may die here, but I’ll go down swinging. I don’t care what she’s done to me. She hurt my men. That is not fucking okay.

“Tsk, tsk, dear. I knew you were a feisty one,” she laughs. “It’s too bad you couldn’t have come as someone else’s predecessor. You and I would have made a wonderful team.” Her voice is cool and cocky.

I growl at her and scream out in anger.

“Let’s kill them now,” the unnamed asshole on the left says.

“Patience Naro, patience.” Evenia says, holding up a hand.

“She smells delicious,” Gerard says, his eyes flicking to black. “I’ve been wanting to taste her for years. We’ve waited long enough, my Queen. Let us kill them now.” He steps up beside her, steepling his hands in front of his chest, an evil grin spread across his thin lips.

“Men, they are so impatient, don’t you agree?” She asks me, cocking her head to the side. “Fine, have it your way.” She flicks her hand at him. “But after you’re done, be sure to clean the mess. Burn the house down too, get rid of the bodies.” She turns and disappears out the door. Naro raises his arms and the air thickens around us. We try to step away from the wall but we all seem to be suffering from the same thing. My limbs are heavy and I’m unable to move. Luckily, I can still breathe but it’s getting harder by the second. It feels like I’m stuck in a tub of glue.

He’s a mage. Callan shares with us. He’s using a restraint spell.

Fuck! Alec shouts, his hands clenching at his sides.

Gerard stalks towards us, slowly. Like a lion walking into his den. When he reaches us, he looks over his shoulder and says, “would you mind, Naro?” He smiles and flicks his wrist to the side. Alec goes sailing across the room and into the wall, leaving a large gaping hole. He doesn’t make a sound, just drops to the ground with a thump, still frozen. I move my eyes towards him, since my head won’t turn. The pain is in his eyes, and I know it isn’t from being thrown across the room.

My eyes dart back to Gerard’s. My chest is heavy and it’s becoming harder to breathe. He stops in front of me, so close that I can smell his minty breath. He drags his nose from my chest up my neck and stops by my ear. “Oh, how I’ve waited for this moment.” He runs his tongue over the vein in my neck and sinks his teeth in. It hurts only for a moment, but it feels so wrong. Everything about this is wrong. Nothing like how it felt when Maddox did it – but a moan escapes me anyway. Fuck that it feels good, but I don’t want it to. A sob gets caught in my throat as my skin crawls with disgust and embarrassment. This is not for him. I am not for him. Gerard laughs as he pulls the blood from my vein. A tickle starts at my fingertip and I open my eyes. I look down to see Callan reaching for me, his pinky brushing against mine. He, like Alec and I can’t move.

I’m sorry, he tells me. His eyes say it all. Those bright green eyes are dead. I clench my eyes shut to push the tears back. This is it.

My eyes burn with the need to cry. Gerard grasps my upper arms with his cold fingers as he moans softly. The sound makes me want to vomit. I actually gag when I feel his erection pressed against my stomach.

We failed. We had everything, finally, we all made it. Each one of us has gone through hell, lived through hell. We get to the light at the end of the tunnel, it’s in our grasp and then it’s gone. Pulled right out from under our feet. We should have known better. We should have been prepared.

Another moan, another wave of nausea.

Finally darkness comes, and I’ve never welcomed it before today. Everything slowly starts to fade until I am surrounded by nothing but emptiness. I feel nothing. No pain, no agony. Just numb.

My ears ring loudly. Screeching, vibrating almost.

But no pain. Still no pain. Am I dead?

I blink my eyes. Once. Twice.

My chest heaves as I suck in air. My hand moves to my chest, willing my heart to slow down. My hand… it moved. My body… it’s no longer numb.

“What’s wrong? What happened?” Alec asks, kneeling in front of me. I blink a few more times. Alec? Behind him the flames of the fire dance happily. I look up at Callan across from me in his solo chair with his Einstein mug in hand. He looks terrified. I look over to Maddox and Lenny sitting on the couch. Their eyes are as wide as the moon that’s hanging brightly in the sky. Lenny looks as if he may cry, his drink clenched in his hand, while Maddox looks ready to explode. I swallow hard.

“I just… I just saw. Oh, fuck.”

The end…for now.

Quell T. Fox

Quell spends more time in her head than anywhere else. She will proudly admit to her status as an introvert whenever the topic comes up... and when it doesn't. She's cocky, snippy and lives by her own rules. It's a good thing her fingers are almost always attached to a keyboard or the world would be in trouble.

She's popularly known for writing *steamy* Paranormal, Fantasy, Romance and her absolute favorite - Reverse Harem. When Quell isn't writing, she's reading (see, introvert) or fulfilling her adult requirement of working her day job. She lives with her fiancé, children and cats in the oh-so exciting state of Massachusetts.

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Author Notes

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Works by Quell T. Fox

A TIMELESS TRILOGY

Broken Promises

Mended Promises

THE ROAD TO TRUTH: (PNR RH)

Finding Friday

Finding Callan

Finding Maddox

Finding Lenny