Infinity Chronicles Book Three

by Albany Walker

  “Why?” I keep my eyes on my project, his hand steadying mine as he brushes the glaze over the clay.

  “I was trying to keep my distance. I recognized what you were to me the moment I was close enough to smell you.” He takes a deep breath, demonstrating his heightened ability. “But you didn’t show any sign you recognized me. I was afraid I was wrong. That only my animal wanted you.” Dante brushes his cheek against the top of my head, still holding my hand as he dips the brush back into the glaze.

  I swallow, I can’t help but be affected by his touch and the deep rumble of his voice. “I didn’t know it at the time, but I think I had given up ever finding you. Ares got his mark so long ago, and he never found you. I thought it would always just be us. I was too afraid to hope.”

  I turn then, our faces only inches apart. After searching his eyes and seeing the truth, I lean forward and press my lips against his. I don’t care that we’re in class, or that the teacher could see. I don’t care that students might notice and set off a heap of rumors. I know I want him to know I’m here, that he doesn’t have to worry about not finding me. He already has.

  I pull away quickly, focusing back on my mug. A fissure of regret seeps into me, I hope he’s not mad. I wasn’t trying to cause any drama. I don’t hear any catcalls or hushed whispers, so I think my stolen kiss went unnoticed anyway.

  Dante scoots his stool a little closer so his chest brushes against my back. I let out a small sigh, if it bothered him, he surely wouldn’t be getting closer.

  When the class is over Dante snags my hand in his and stalks down the hall, with students moving out of his way without any prompting. I glance at his profile, his face is impassive. He looks bored and a little angry, he’s definitely got the bad boy vibe happening today. He peers down at me when he senses my stare, his eyes softening when they land on mine. “Everything okay?”

  Keeping pace beside him I nod. “Yeah, fine.” What else could I say? I was just checking you out?

  Dante doesn’t question me again as we make our way out to the car. We get a few looks on the way, some are probably people just noticing his presence, but I think our intertwined hands probably attract a few extra looks.

  “Hey Muenster.” I glance over my shoulder to see Ollie. He’s jogging to catch up with us.

  “Hi Ollie.” He eyes my hand folded in Dante’s. Ollie’s eyes take on a wicked gleam right before he snatches my other hand in his.

  I have a moment where I feel like a kindergartener who has to hold hands walking through the halls. It passes quickly, but I almost tug my hand free from both of them. The thoughts of what people might say are filling my head, but that passes even faster. What does it matter what these people think? It’s not like I’m hiding my relationship from anyone that matters. All the guys’ parents know, and they’ve accepted it. So who cares, right?

  I lift my chin in a rare show of defiance. I’m exactly where I want to be, I don’t care what any of these people think of me. If it’s okay with Ollie and Dante, then it’s more than okay with me.

  My bravery fades a little when we make it outside. It’s not the same as being in the overcrowded hallways. Out here, in the parking lot, I feel like I’m on display. Ollie doesn’t miss a beat, and he releases my hand and wraps his arm around my neck instead. Dante is still towing me along, and now he’s pulling Ollie too. He doesn’t bother releasing me, even with Ollie hanging off my neck.

  My heart is thumping fast in my chest by the time we make it to the car, not from exertion, but a little bit of nerves and excitement. Dante unlocks the passenger side door and opens it for me, while Ollie reaches past me and pushes the seat forward so I have to climb in the back. I do so without complaint, assuming he’s getting in the front.

  I feel his fingers trace over the back of my thigh as I bend to crawl in. I jolt a little, surprised by his forwardness in public.

  “Knock it off, you’re going to have people talking about her,” Dante scolds, his voice low.

  “Oh, come on! It’s not like they can see. Besides, they already are, might as well give them something to talk about.” Ollie drops into the seat next to me, and he looks in my direction before rolling his eyes dramatically.

  I bite my lip, I should be worried about Dante’s words, but I don’t have the energy to care. I’m done with letting other people tell me how I should act, how I should behave. I’ve been invisible my entire life. I’m not anymore. “I don’t care what they say.” My voice is small, but I hear the truth to the words.

  Dante slides into the driver’s seat, his eyes meeting mine in the rearview mirror. “You would if you knew what they were saying,” he counters, his jaw tight.

  “No, I don’t think I would. It’s either close to the truth, or outright lies.” I raise my brow at him in challenge.

  Dante spins so he’s leaning over the seat to talk to me, and Ollie grabs my hand. “I’m not worried about what they’re saying. I’m worried one of them might try something with you because they think they could.” There’s so much left unsaid in that sentence and I’m pretty sure I get the gist of it. The boys all think I’m easy. Giving it up to Ollie, maybe even Dante and Milo now. So he’s worried one of them will try something with me because they think I’m okay with hooking up.

  I almost snort at the idea. If I was easy, I’d have slept with Ares one of the many times we’ve been alone together, or Dante for that matter. If Dante wasn’t so serious right now, I’d roll my eyes and give Ollie a run for his money with the dramatics, but I can see the tautness in his jaw, the slight narrowing of his eyes—he’s not in a kidding mood.

  I soften my expression, and give Dante a small shrug. “People will talk Dante. One day I’m holding Ollie’s hand, the next day yours, maybe even at the same time. I don’t want to hide anymore, I don’t want to constantly worry about what people are thinking.”

  Dante’s face changes the moment the words are out of my mouth. He reaches his hand over the seat and brushes his fingers against my cheek. “I don’t want anyone bothering you. I don’t want them thinking they can touch you like that.”

  With my free hand I cover his fingers on my face, bring them over to my lips, and kiss his knuckles. Dante’s lips part. “I know you’re just trying to protect me, but I can handle it, okay? Maybe if my mom thought I was strong enough to handle the truth, we wouldn’t be in the situation we’re in now.” I hope my kiss is enough to tell him I’m not upset. I want them to understand I’m not nearly as fragile as they think.

  The passenger side door opens and Milo drops his bag on the floor, and then himself into the seat. “Sorry I’m late, the coach was trying to convince me to wrestle again.” Milo looks around the car and his brows furrow. “Everything okay?”

  “Hi Milo, I missed you today,” I tell him while I still have the confidence running through my veins. “Everything’s fine,” I add, answering his question.

  His eyes go a little wide, but he can’t hide the smile that blooms on his lips. “Missed you too.” Milo’s voice is low, almost a whisper.

  Dante turns to face the front window as the purr of the engine rumbles to life. It takes us a few minutes to get out of the crowed parking lot, but before I know it, we’re speeding down the road that will take us back home, and to Ares.

  Chapter 2

  My hands are braced on my hips as I stare across the room at Ollie. His light hair is pulled back into a messy knot on top of his head. On most guys it would look ridiculous, but he looks amazing. The curve of his jaw and the blade of his cheekbone stand out more, and he couldn’t be mistaken for anything other than purely masculine.

  As I watch him, his cool green eyes rake over me and I want to squirm, but I cock my hip out instead, my brow raised in a challenge. “It’s my turn to help you train.”

  “Are you sure we should be working on electricity? It’s always so much stronger when I’m working with you.”

  “Yes, we need to see what you can do,” he tells me, fully confident in bot
h of us.

  Still reluctant, I reach for the power I feel within, and it’s right there on the surface. A crackling static rushes over my body. “Okay, I’m ready.”

  “Good, I want you to push a little bit of what you feel out. Make sure you direct it.”

  “Sure, because it’s that easy,” I mutter, closing my eyes to shut out how distracting he is. I picture the kiddie pool filled with sand a few feet away. I point my finger at the sand, visualizing the energy shooting in that direction, and give it a little push.

  “Whoa, whoa, too much,” comes Ollie’s urgent warning.

  I stop the flow immediately and the energy snaps back, coiling inside me. I grit my teeth, the vibration is almost more than I can handle. I yank my eyes open as panic overwhelms me. What if I can’t hold the energy, what if it explodes out of me again and fries the wiring? Or worse, hurts someone?

  Ollie approaches, his steps slow and measured. “It’s okay Laura,” he soothes me, his voice calm and gentle.

  “Don’t touch me,” I warn, shaking my head. I’d probably sizzle his heart if he touched me right now.

  “Laura, look at me.”

  I’m scanning the room, looking for any place to go to get away from him, or anyone else I might hurt. When my eyes finally land on him, he’s way too close. I back up, the hair on my head tingling.

  “It’s okay, listen to my voice, listen.” He comes even closer. “Your ability is tied to me, right? You can feel it, how it binds us together.”

  Biting the inside of my lip hard enough to get the metallic tang of blood in my mouth, I nod. Not sure where he’s going with this.

  “It won’t hurt me, it won’t hurt you. We have to learn to manage it, okay?”

  “It does hurt.” My voice comes out as a whine.

  “That’s because you’re holding it too tight. I know it’s hard, but you’re going to have to let it go. Imagine it dissolving. Don’t send it out, don’t absorb it, just let it fizzle out.”

  Looking down at my hands, I see the energy covering my skin. Sparks of light shimmer up my arms and over my chest. I suck in a breath and the burn intensifies, and realizing what I’ve done, I blow it out quickly. Instead, I imagine each spark bursting into the air, tiny little pops of light that don’t do any damage, just fill the air with a static charge.

  Slowly it begins to work, and the heaviness in my chest dissipates until I’m able to feel individual strands of energy pulsing inside me.

  “That’s it Muenster,” Ollie assures me. When I’m confident I have control over the remaining energy, I focus on the pool of sand and send a single bolt of power out. It hits the sand with a small crack.

  I fall back on my butt the moment it’s gone, exhaustion overtaking me. I groan and drop back so I’m lying on the hard floor of the gym.

  Ollie’s sheepish face comes into view above me. “Too much, too soon?” A bark of laughter erupts from me, but it ends on another groan. Everything hurts.

  “One thing I can say about our little experiment,” I pause, before shoving the spoonful of Nutella into my mouth, “is that I think I finally figured out how to take just a little power at a time and send it out in smaller blasts.” The sweet chocolaty goodness hits my tongue and I moan around the spoon. My eyes close in bliss, I get the hype.

  “Let’s focus on the positives then, shall we.” Ollie takes the empty spoon from my fingers and dips it back into the container, before returning it to me. I roll my lips in to hide the grin, I know a bribe when I see it.

  “You’re double dipping,” I tell him, but he rolls his eyes and hands me the brimming spoon.

  “Do we have to keep going?” This little reprieve was just a break. We’d only been at it five minutes and I still need to work on my other ability.

  “Yes, but we’ll take it easy,” he offers after taking the spoon from me and dropping it into the sink.

  I hop down from the stool feeling better after the sugar. As we make our way back downstairs, I’m relieved that I only have one other ability. It’s gotten almost impossible to ignore the draw I feel toward Dante’s powers, but I think it’s because we’re bonded.

  “Okay, Milo said you have the shadow under control, how about going invisible?”

  “I thought you said we’re going to take it easy?” I scoff, doubt clear in my tone. That’s something I’ve only managed when I’m near Ares. When I’m with the others, I feel some of the emotions they’re feeling. I can even adjust my sight so I can see in exceptionally low light. But the ghost girl routine only seems to work when I’m pulling directly from Ares. “You know the shadow stuff comes much easier when I’m with the dark lord.”

  Ollie snickers. “I’m going to tell him you call him that.”

  “Don’t, it will only make him cockier.”

  “You’re right, that’s something we don’t need.” Ollie bobs his head. “We need to see if you can reach that level of power when you aren’t with the catalyst.”

  I know this, he and Ares have already explained it to me, so I don’t really have a reason to pout, but I do. Crossing my arms over my chest, I close my eyes and let out a long-suffering sigh. I’d much rather be cuddled between Milo and Dante on the couch where I left them.

  “Now, feel yourself fading,” Ollie instructs.

  I open one eye and glare at him. “That is not how it works.” I snap my eye shut again. Clearing my mind, I focus on the strand of something inside me that is uniquely Ares. Once I feel like I have a good grasp on it, I let his power come over me. Ares’s ability is deep, I don’t know any other way to describe the vastness of it. It feels as if I’m only touching a small piece of what he’s capable of. Dropping my arms to my sides I take a step into the darkness, I don’t move my physical body, just release myself into what I know to be Ares’s ability.

  “That’s it,” Ollie whispers. It’s almost enough to distract me, but I squeeze my eyes shut. He feels too warm, like his heat is calling to me. Another step and I’m floating in a cool pool, where Ollie’s heat is no longer threating to pull me away.

  I open my eyes slowly and the room looks much darker. Everything is in shades of gray instead of the vibrant colors I know it to be. Ollie’s aura is the only brightness I see. He glows orange and yellow like the flicker of a candle flame. I think about feeling those colors on my skin, to see if they’re as warm as Ollie is. But that’s all it takes to have me next to him, a single thought, and I transported from one place to the next.

  Feeling a little woozy, I reach out for him. The moment my hand makes contact with his skin I return to myself with a jolt. The brightness of the room is overwhelming, the sounds I hadn’t realized that had been muted return in full force. I hear my heart thumping, hear the sway of my hair as I shake my head, which sends an ache through my skull. “Ugh, I think I might be sick.” My voice sounds like I’m yelling, but I know I’m not. I brace my hands on my head and squeeze my eyes shut as tightly as I can.

  Ollie places a gentle hand on my shoulder and my skin prickles under his touch. I pull away, it’s all too much too fast. I don’t know if my legs give out, or if I just let myself fall to the floor, but that’s where I find myself. Again. Sitting with my knees lifted, so they cradle my forehead.

  “I’ll get Ares,” Ollie murmurs. I don’t know how much time has passed, but I can hear their rushed footsteps in the carpeted hallway as they return. The closer Ares gets, the less off-kilter I feel. It’s like his energy is pouring into me. I lift my head from my knees and watch him with heavy eyes as he rounds the doorframe.

  It’s such a relief to see him, to feel his strength filling me, that I sigh. “What happened?” Ares demands, his voice harsh. I wince and make a shushing sound. He kneels beside me, his hand pressing against my forehead like I’m a child with a fever.

  “She did it. She was able to,” Ollie waves his hands, “turn invisible. She was only gone a few seconds.” Ollie keeps his voice low, but his excitement is clear.

  I lift my hand and pat it ag
ainst Ares’s mouth lazily. I feel completely drained, exhausted. “Shush,” I tell them again. “My head hurts.” I let my head fall against Ares’s chest, leaning into him. As soon as the connection forms, I tug on the darkness that calls to me whenever we’re close, when he’s sharing his ability with me. Ares makes a grunting sound, but lifts his hand so his palm is cradling my head against him.

  I tilt my face up to look at him and he kisses my forehead. “You’re okay,” he reassures me, maybe himself too.

  Once I feel like I can take a deep breath without sprawling on the floor, I lick my lips and tell him, “Thank you.”

  “Do you know what happened?” Ares dismisses my thanks, going right for answers.

  “Do you mind if we get off the floor?” I meant for it to come out as a joke, but he snaps into action. Cradling me into his arms, he lifts me off the floor and takes us over to the other half of the room. Ares sits on the end of a weight bench with me still snuggled against his chest. I curl into him, no longer needing the energy he was supplying, but craving his touch anyway.

  “What happened?” he asks again, his patience gone.

  I drag in a deep breath. “It was like Ollie said, I was finally able to go ghost.” I pause, taking another breath. “I was thinking about how bright Ollie was, so I wanted to get closer to him. But I didn’t walk to him, I was just there, right next to him. But then I felt sick, like I would throw up and pass out at the same time.”

  “Jesus Christ, you fucking shadow walked?”

  I snap my hands over my ears again. “Do you have to yell?” I glare at him, catching a glimpse of Ollie standing in the doorway with Milo by his side. Ollie’s eyes are wide as he stares at me, his hand covering his mouth. He’s worried we overdid it, especially after taking in so much of his energy.

  “Sorry,” Ares grumbles, his voice much lower.

  I give Ollie a conspiratorially wink. Focusing back on Ares, I ask, “Is that what I did, shadow walked?”

  “I’m guessing that’s what happened, that’s what it sounds like. What happened after?” Ares brushes his cheek against the top of my head.