“I’ve been checking out some properties on the internet.” Milo holds out his phone, showing a realtor’s website. “I saved a few that look like they might be okay, maybe not forever, but long enough until we can find, or build, what we’re looking for.”
“Oh, let me see.” Ollie reaches over for the phone. Milo moves closer to him and they both focus on the screen.
“Check this one out, I think it’s the best so far.” Milo taps the screen a few times. “It not huge, but it has a few acres for privacy. There’s even a gym.”
“Everything looks good except the master bedroom is on the main floor, and all the others are upstairs,” Ollie mutters, still focused on the phone.
“We could always knock down a wall upstairs, make one big room,” Milo suggests like he’s given the idea some thought.
“I like it, show me the others you have saved.”
“It would be easier on the computer. Let me grab a laptop.” Milo scoots off the end of the bed.
“Mine is in my bag, in the closet,” Ares chimes in, proving he’s not really sleeping at all.
“Thanks.” Milo heads over to the closet and disappears for a second. When he returns, it’s with a sleek silver laptop already open in his hands. “Password?”
“My soul is black, just like my heart,” Ollie deadpans in a gravelly voice.
“Capital B-u-t-t-3-r-f-l-y,” Ares answers, readjusting his neck and ignoring Ollie’s comment.
“Are you shitting me?” Ollie turns to look at the man I’ve been secretly calling the Dark Lord for a few weeks.
“What, no one would ever guess it,” Ares defends.
“No fucking kidding,” Dante comments, chuckling.
“Do you want to use my computer or not?” Ares sounds a little defensive.
“Did you really come up with that password?” I smooth my hand over his abdomen.
Ares lets out an evil little laugh. “I did.” I smile, agreeing no one would ever guess it.
I run cold water over a washcloth and drag it over my face. My cheeks are pink, flushed from exertion, or possibly from holding back from connecting with Dante’s ability. My skin feels too tight, like every muscle in my body is on the verge cramping. Every time he urged me to use the electricity from Ollie, or Ares’s shadow abilities, I could feel something under my skin demanding to be set free.
Leaving the cool cloth on the back of my neck I brace my palms on the sink, letting my head hang. I’m on edge, and frustrated that I can’t control the dominance I feel when I’m with Dante. He seems to think it has something to do with his ability to shift and his animal. After our training session I really think he’s right. I snapped at him several times today when he pushed me for more.
“Our first appointment is at five,” Ollie reminds me, rapping on the bathroom door.
“I’ll be right out.” I force lightness into my tone. We have enough to deal with, without me adding another ability I’ll have to learn to use on top of everything else.
Pulling the washcloth off my neck, I let it smack to the sink with a wet plop. I look up into the mirror and take in my appearance. My long blonde hair is pulled back into a tight, high ponytail. The cascading waves are somehow sleeker than they have ever been before, I attribute the lack of frizz to Ollie’s expensive haircare products. I tilt my face from left to right. The itching feeling is still under my skin, so I expect to see something brimming under the surface, some clue as to what might happen to me if I embrace the power simmering inside me. I glance at my miss-matched eyes, will they change the way Dante’s do when he shifts? Will they be the same color, or will I still look like a freak even if I do shift?
“We’re going to be late,” Ollie singsongs. “Do you need a hand in there?” he adds, sounding way too hopeful.
“I’m coming now.” I wring out the washcloth and lay it over the sink to dry, before straightening out my black t-shirt. I didn’t have enough time to shower after training, so I take a whiff of my underarm, wondering if I stink. I should have spent what time I did have cleaning up better instead of worrying about things I can’t control. I don’t think I smell, let’s hope Dante’s nose isn’t too sensitive.
We all pile into the black suburban from the garage and within ten minutes were in a much more rural area. While the guys and I were at school today, Ares arranged appointments to see some of the houses Milo had saved on his phone.
“It should be right up here.” Ollie leans his face closer to the passenger side window. Ares slows the SUV, watching the mailboxes for the right address. “Right there,” Ollie says as he points, his voice a little high with excitement.
“You were right about the privacy. I can’t see any of the houses from the road.” Dante leans forward from behind me. Thankfully, the car ride has given me time to settle so I don’t feel bombarded with his powers. I think being around Ares and Ollie helped too.
Ares slows the car, preparing for the turn. “Are you sure this is it? I don’t even see a for sale sign.”
“The address is right.” Milo holds up his phone with the house pulled up, showing the same address.
“Just head up the drive, the agent should already be here.” Ollie’s head is turning from left to right, checking out our surroundings. The lane isn’t very wide, just enough for one car, and both sides re lined with trees thick enough so you can’t see through them.
“Geez, this is secluded. I can’t even see any other houses,” Milo mutters.
“Whoa, it’s pretty rustic,” Ollie says when the trees recede enough to see a brown house up a head.
I lean forward to get a better look. It doesn’t look rustic to me. It’s not new or fancy, but it looks like a really nicely maintained house. It’s set into the side of a hill with two garage doors under the house and around the side. There’s a wide set of stairs leading up to a front porch that spans the entire house. Three small gables lined up above. As we get closer, I notice some of the brown paint is chipping and the porch definitely needs to be re-stained.
“There she is.” Ollie points to a white car parked near the garage where a woman is closing the driver’s side door. She lifts her hand in a wave then uses it to block out the sun, a smile already on her lips.
“You found it okay,” the woman announces the second Ollie pops out the door. Her smile falters, but she recovers quickly. “Are your parents here?” Her voice is a little tight. She thinks she’s wasting her time with us.
“It’s just us,” Ollie tells her not looking in her direction. She squints her eyes trying to see into the car.
“Don’t let him get too attached, we have a few other houses to look at,” Ares instructs the rest of us.
Milo opens his door next, hitting the button so his seat will fold down and Dante can climb out of the back. I hesitate before getting out, feeling like we shouldn’t be here. I can’t imagine calling a realtor out to look at houses. I know money isn’t an issue for them, but it still feels strange.
“Muenster, come on.” Ollie pokes his head back into the car, his eyes bright with excitement.
I release my seatbelt and step out. I look up to the top of the house; it looks so high from this angle.
The realtor didn’t wait for Ares to come to her. Seeing he’s the oldest, she met him as he was walking around the car. Her smile back is in place, she asks, “Are these your siblings, friends?”
Ares straightens out his shirt cuff while looking at the house. “Will you be showing us all the houses?” he ignores her question.
“Oh, no. I only have you down for one.” She flips up a piece of paper on her clipboard. “I’d be happy to show you some other properties though. Do you already have appointments for the other homes?”
“I told Mia to just call the listing agents on all four of the ones we liked,” Ollie shouts over his shoulder, already heading to the stairs that lead up to the front door. “If we still want to see the others, we only have about twenty minutes here before we need to get over to the next one. Can I go right in
?” He turns on his heels waiting for a response.
“I haven’t opened it up yet,” she calls up to him. Turning to Ares again she says, “I’m Brenda Rodes, by the way.” She extends her hand out for a shake, and Ares looks down at it like he might refuse, but he reluctantly gives her hand a swift jerk before releasing it quickly.
Brenda leads us up the stairs, and she explains, “The owner had this house built just over forty years ago, it’s a little dated, but the bones are great. And the view, the view is amazing.” She turns once we reach the top of the steps with her arms spread wide in the direction we came from.
“Wow.” The exclamation leaves my lips automatically.
Ares comes up behind me and his arm wraps around my neck. “You like it, Cara?”
“I didn’t realize how far you’d be able to see.” My eyes scan the horizon. Above the treetops you can see the ridge of the mountains in the distance.
“It is nice,” Milo offers, coming to my other side.
“We could always tear this old place down and build. I like how much space there is.” Dante looks around, exploring the side of the hill the house is on.
“Were you looking for new construction?” Brenda intrudes on our moment. “There’s a new subdivision going up just a few miles north of here. They’ll have exceptional views as well, but the price tag is a little steeper.” Her eyes scan up and down Ares’s suit pants and vest, then she looks over at the black suburban we drove here.
“Price isn’t an issue, but no subdivisions. We like our privacy.” Ares turns us both toward the front door. “We’re ready to see this one.”
Brenda hustles over to the green front door, which is mostly glass with no screen. Keys in hand, she starts her spiel again. “There are three bedrooms and two-and-a-half baths, the carpeting is newer, as is the roof.” She opens the door with a Vanna White reveal. “Take a look around, and if you have questions, I’ll be in the kitchen.”
Ollie is the first inside and Milo follows after him, his eyes scanning the overcrowded living room. The furniture is tasteful, but there is way too much for the room. “Formal dining room through there and the kitchen is just past that,” Brenda calls out as the guys examine the house.
“The windows would all need replaced, and the flooring.” I’m trailing behind Ares as he makes notes of the house. Dante isn’t far behind.
Ollie comes from the kitchen area. “I’ll take a quick look upstairs, but I don’t think this one would work. It’s just too small, too broken up. We can keep it in mind for a build though.” Ollie doesn’t wait for a response. He turns to the left, moving toward a narrow set of stairs.
“Brenda,” Ares calls.
She pops out from the direction Ollie just came from, her eyebrows raised. “Yes?”
“How much acreage does this have?”
“There’s five acres listed with the house, the owner has forty-seven in total, but they’re splitting it.”
Ares nods, looking around. He walks toward the front window. “Where are the property lines?”
“I’d have to look that up for you, give me a minute.” Brenda lays her clipboard on a side table and pulls her phone out of an oversized bag. “Here we go.” She walks over to Ares, her eyes scanning him again as she does. She tosses he long brown hair over her shoulder and leans in close with her phone. “This is the property with the house, it’s pretty much a square.” She taps the screen a few more times. “This is the extra acreage, this portion here would allow for an access road, then it widens out behind here,” she points to the rear of the house, “and goes all the way back.”
Ares looks up, his eyes finding mine. “What do you think, Cara?” I look over at Brenda, not really comfortable answering with her here. Ollie said the house was small, and wouldn’t work. Ares said it needed new windows, but it’s huge to me. I mean it’s nowhere near the size of their parents’ house, but still five times bigger than my camper.
I shrug. “You said not to get attached, we need to look at the others.”
The corner of Ares lip tips up. “I said not to let Ollie get attached.” His brow raises as Dante comes over to my side.
“How’s that different?” I shuffle, looking between the two brothers. Dante offers me a wide grin as he leans over and rocks his forehead against mine, in a rare display of openness in front of a stranger. I smile up at him and tangle my finger with his.
Brenda leans a little closer and whispers conspiratorially to Ares. “Oh, how sweet.”
“She is,” Ares replies, he steps away from Brenda and heads over to where Dante and I are standing. He wraps his arm around my neck again and gives her a wink. Brenda looks between the three of us, her brows drawn in confusion. I almost laugh, but I roll my lips in instead.
“The basement is decent,” Milo announces. “That’s where the gym is. It’s smaller than we’re used to.” He shrugs, taking another look around the living room.
“Let’s check out the kitchen.” Dante nods toward the door Milo just came through. We walk past the realtor all together, even Milo comes with us. Brenda’s eyes track us the entire time.
Chapter 12
“I’m just saying, I liked the first one the best.” Ollie grabs a fry from my plate and shoves it into his mouth.
“Stop eating her food.” Dante pushes my plate a little closer to me, pulling it away from Ollie in the process.
“I agree, but the house…” Ares looks over at me like he doesn’t want to say anymore.
“The house is on the small side,” Ollie takes over, “and it needs some updating. I was thinking we could stay there and build the house we want farther back on the property. That way if we have any visitors, they can stay in the front house, like a guesthouse. We could make it really nice, like a cottage.”
“Could be fun, fixing it up I mean,” Milo adds. “What do you think Laura?”
I swallow the bite of chicken in my mouth and look around the large booth we’re seated in. “I liked them all.”
Ollie rolls his eyes before I can even finish, “Now’s not the time to be diplomatic, Muenster. We want to know which one you liked best, or if we should just keep looking?”
“I was going to say… I liked the first one the best too.”
Ollie nearly bounces in his seat with excitement after my announcement. “Ares put an offer in, but we need the full parcel.”
“Wait, just like that? We like it so you’re just going to buy it? Shouldn’t we, I don’t know, keep looking, make sure you’re getting a good deal?” I’m worried they’re rushing into this and will regret it.
“You might find something else that doesn’t need so much work. I mean, you’re talking about putting a bunch of money into the existing house and building another one behind it.”
“If we like it why should we wait, or keep looking?” Dante leans back in the seat, his eyes on me. The two plates in front of him are nearly empty.
I glance around, looking at all of them. “It seems crazy to me because we were talking about buying a house yesterday and today, you might actually buy a house. I mean, who does that? How much money do you guys have?”
Ares wipes the corner of his mouth with a maroon linen napkin. “Money isn’t an issue for us, never will be. I’ve been working for the council since I received my gift. Plus, we have the security company, we’re pretty set.”
I squeeze my temples between my fingers. I can’t even grasp the kind of money he’s talking about.
“If money isn’t an issue then why do you guys all ride in Dante’s car, why don’t you have one?” I point at Ollie.
“Why bother, I mean we’ve talked about it, but Dante loves that beast and we’re always together anyways. What’s the point of getting another car and never even using it?”
“If you want to wait, we’ll wait,” Milo offers like it’s that simple. It’s not that I want to wait, or that I don’t want us to have our own place, it feels like such a big step. There’s a small part of me that keeps waiti
ng for the other shoe to drop, nothing in my life has ever been as easy as it has been with the guys.
“I don’t want to wait, I just want to make sure you guys are all happy. I don’t want you to rush into something because of me.” I peer around the table, assessing each of their faces for signs of doubt.
Dante places his hand on my thigh under the table. “Then it’s settled, we’ll put in an offer.”
I drag in a deep, steadying breath and nod my head. It’s a big step, but I’m excited. I wish I knew where my mom was, and how she would feel about me moving forward. It tempers the thrill I’m experiencing with guilt.
I drag a fry through the ranch on my plate, then push my dish toward Ollie, my appetite gone for now. “We haven’t really talked about your trip. Did you learn anything that might help find my mom?”
Dante and Ares make eye contact, and they share a moment that makes me think they’re having some sort of silent conversation. “It’s hard to say.” Ares settles back into the seat and spreads his arms over the back of the rounded booth. “Edith is definitely hiding something, but that could be almost anything.”
“You’re giving her too much credit.” Dante sounds frustrated. It seems like this isn’t the first time they’ve had this conversation. “She was dodgy, shady from the moment we met her. She was acting like she was an airhead, all flirty. But I’m pretty sure it was just an act.”
“I agree that she was trying to get us to underestimate her, let our guard down, but having someone like Leon as a cousin probably hasn’t helped her out much in our community.”
“I think she knew exactly who we were, and why we were out there.” Dante folds his arms over his chest and glares over at Ares. “I think she was trying to find out as much about us as she could, just like we were doing to her.”
Ares’s nostrils flare as he lets out a heavy sigh. “Well, if she wasn’t suspicious before, she will be now. Our parents made an announcement about our pairing. Invitations for the ceremony this weekend are already being sent out.”
Infinity Chronicles Book Three Page 11