Infinity Chronicles Book Four
Albany Walker
Albany Publishing
Copyright © 2019 by Albany Walker
Infinity Chronicles
A Paranormal Reverse Harem Story
Albany Walker
© 2019
All rights reserved. This book or parts thereof may not be reproduced in any form, stored in any retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means—electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise—without prior written permission of the publisher, except as provided by United States of America copyright law.
This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, locales, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.
Cover art designed by Maria Spada of Maria Spade designs
Editing by Elemental Editing & Proofreading
Proofreading done by Tabitha Finch
Created with Vellum
Dedicated
To Albany’s Agents
Your support and kind words mean the world to me.
Thank you for being part of my journey.
Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Chapter 25
Chapter 26
Chapter 27
Chapter 28
Chapter 29
Epilogue
Afterword
Also by Albany Walker
Albany Walker
Chapter 1
“What the fuck were you thinking?” Ollie pushes his way past Dante and Ares. I expected the yelling to come from Ares, never Ollie. I shrink when Ollie stands in front of me with anger and disappointment clear on his face, but I think it’s masking his fear. He reaches for me, his hand grabbing my upper arm, and he drags me closer to him.
“Hey.” Milo pulls Ollie’s hand off my arm and glares at him. “Be careful.”
Ollie looks over at Milo, like he’s the one who has lost his mind. “You were supposed to watch her,” Ollie accuses, and shoves his palm into Milo’s shoulder.
I step to the left, coming between them. “It’s not his fault, Ollie. I went to the bathroom.”
“He should have been there.” Ollie narrows his eyes on his best friend, his lips in a tight line.
Milo doesn’t even try to defend himself. He looks down at the ground. “I should have stayed with you.”
“Fuck yes, you should have,” Ollie barks out, and gives Milo’s shoulder another shove.
“Knock it off, Ollie. It’s not his fault,” I argue again.
“Oliver.” Dante’s voice is stiff, barely more than a growl. I look over Ollie’s shoulder to find Ares in front of my mother, and she’s backed into a corner.
Her lips are lifting into what I would call a sneer as she glares at him with narrowed eyes.
I slip out from between Milo and Ollie and rush over to Ares’s side. I should have realized there was a reason why he was so quiet. Dante is standing a few feet away, casting his gaze between the two groups.
“Ares, this is my mom,” I tell him, incredulous that he has her backed into a corner like this.
“I don’t care if she’s the fucking queen. She’s part of the reason Leon was here.” His voice is deadly calm, and his eyes are full black as he meets her stare for stare.
“She was trying to warn me.” I take a step closer to my mom, but Ares’s hand snaps out and he clasps my wrist, his hold firm but not punishing, as he pulls me back, trying to tuck me behind him. “Ares,” I gentle my tone, “she’s my mom.” I look over my shoulder.
My mom is staring at Ares’s hand on my wrist, and the corners of her mouth turn down into a frown. With my free hand, I reach up and stroke over his knuckles. His hand releases immediately, but he takes a step closer to me, poised to pounce if my mom makes a move.
“Mom,” I call out to her tentatively. She shakes out her long blonde hair, pushing it away from her face, and her eyes meet mine as she tips up her chin. “This is my Infinity.”
She rolls her lips in and inhales a deep breath, her nostrils flaring. Her eyes skip from Ares over to Dante, then behind me to where Ollie and Milo are standing. Her eyes widen a bit as she takes in all four of them. A little of that manic, feverish look she would sometimes get when she knew we had to go out of the trailer falls over her features.
I take another step in her direction, ready to console her. Ares stops me with his arm barred across my stomach.
“We should get out of here. There are a lot of things we need to talk about,” Ollie suggests, his voice still much harsher than I’m used to.
Her posture rigid, my mom stands at her full height. She’s an inch or so shorter than I am, but it’s the first time in a long time she hasn’t seemed so small.
“The door’s locked, we’ll have to walk around,” Dante comments, examining the flat panel door.
“I’ll open it.” Ares turns to face me. “You. Do not move from this spot. Do you understand?”
I take a step closer in Ares’s direction, pushing my body into his space. I know he has the right to be worried, but I’m not going to let him treat me like some naughty kid. “Next time, ask me politely.” I turn away from him and stomp over to stand halfway between Dante and the rear door just to prove a point.
In a blink, Ares is gone. The door pushes open from the inside in the very next second. Not looking at him, or any of the guys, I call out to my mom, “Come on, let’s get out of here.” She takes a tentative step in my direction, her eyes jumping between the guys as she does.
I reach my hand out as she nears, but she ignores my fingers. Under my breath, I mutter, “It’s okay, they’re usually very nice.”
She doesn’t acknowledge my statement, so I turn away before anyone can see the rejection on my face. I let my eyes close for a second, grateful that we escaped Leon without anyone getting hurt and grateful that my mother is here but scared for so many reasons.
“Come on, Muenster.” Ollie’s hand brushes down my arm, his voice is calm, sweet even, as he coaxes me to go through the door Ares is still holding open. It’s a major change since the last time he spoke. Milo and Dante follow us.
The door slams again, and I flinch from the sound. My hands begin to shake, and my teeth actually start to chatter. I bring both of my hands up to my face, cover my eyes, and let out a few long, rattling breaths. That could have gone down so differently.
Now that the adrenaline is gone, my body starts to crash. My knees feel loose, and I feel like the room is spinning even though my eyes are closed. I sense Dante moving in close behind me. He wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me back, so I’m flush against him. His arms drape over mine, and he dips his head so I can feel him all around me. “It’s okay, Laura, just breathe.”
Almost collapsing, I lean into him hard. I keep my hands up to guard my face, because I’m not sure I want to know
if my mom is judging me right now. Dante’s arms tightening is the only warning I have before he picks me up and turns us to face the opposite direction.
“Why don’t we find someplace we can talk?” Ares’s voice is stiff, but I can hear the effort he’s putting forward so he doesn’t sound like a suspicious brute.
“Laura!” my mom calls. She sounds worried, maybe even a little scared. She is so different from the woman she was when she was trying to face off with Leon.
“She’ll be along. Just give them a minute,” Ollie insists.
Dante releases his tight hold on me only long enough so he can step around me. He tips up my chin. “They’re gone, Laura. Look at me.” His forehead goes to mine, his breathing coming out like a soft pant.
I let my hands fall, but don’t open my eyes right away. Dante places a whisper soft kiss on my lips. “I’m so glad you’re okay.” His voice is hoarse as his words fall over my lips.
“I’m so sorry. I was coming to get you guys when he showed up, he threatened—”
Dante places his lips on mine again. “Shush, it’s okay. We’ll talk about it with the others.” His lips caress mine as he speaks. Dante brings his hands up and cradles my face in his palms. A soft sound rumbles out of his chest and his eyes close. He pushes his cheek against mine as his nose nuzzles into my neck. Releasing my face, his hands travel over my shoulders, down my arms and slide under, forcing my arms to loop around his neck. I lean up on my tiptoes to help with the height difference as he embraces me.
Dante’s entire body shudders as he squeezes me close. “We can’t lose you, Laura. It would kill us.”
I wince at his words. I feel exactly the same way, that’s why I had to protect them.
“I wasn’t planning on leaving with him, Dante. I just needed to get him away from you guys so he couldn’t hurt you.”
Dante pulls back, his hands circle my upper arms, and he jerks me away so he can see my face, hard enough that my teeth snap together. “You have to trust us, trust that we can take care of you, of ourselves.” His eyes are glowing orange as he growls the words. He pulls me back into his chest, not even noticing how rough he’s being.
I sink into him, I don’t mind. I know he’s acting out of fear and not anger. My arms are trapped between our bodies, so I grab a fistful of his shirt, clinging to him just as fiercely. I don’t tell him I would do it again if I thought that’s what needed to be done. I just let him hold me.
“Where is my daughter?” I hear my mother’s raised voice as Dante pounds on the hotel room door. We received a text about five minutes ago telling us which room they would be in. Milo opens the door almost immediately. His face isn’t exactly grim, but he doesn’t look happy, either. He moves to stand next to the door as soon as we pass through, like some sort of bodyguard.
My mom stands, straightening from her position where she was perched on the back of the sofa. “Are you all right?” She moves as if she might come over to me but stops short. I peer over at Ares and Ollie, wondering if they noticed. Without an ounce of reservation, Ollie comes over to my side, wraps his arm around my back, and settles his hand over my hip.
I’m grateful for the support, but I feel a little strange having someone touch me in front of my mother—who has always insisted that I never let anyone close. “I’m okay. Are you?”
She pulls back physically and emotionally. I can tell by the way her eyes are glazing over, the way her jaw has gone a little slack. “Mom?”
She shakes her head then nods quickly. “Yes, I’m fine.”
“You’re fine?” I speak the words slowly. So many emotions are rolling through me that I can’t even figure out which is strongest.
“Yes, fine.” She nods again.
I throw my hands in the air. “I’m gonna need more than ‘fine’ this time, Mom. Where have you been? Why did you leave me? Why didn’t you tell me about—” I jerk my hand back and forth. “Any of this?”
“I was trying to keep you safe.” Her eyes fall to the floor as her shoulders shrink.
“You could have kept me safe and not lied to me my entire life,” I spit, taking a step forward. Ollie’s hand tightens on my hip.
“I did what I thought was best. I couldn’t let him get his hands on you.” She shrugs her shoulders like those simple words should be enough, but they aren’t. They aren’t nearly enough.
I jerk away from Ollie. Her calm, uninterested attitude is making me angry. “Well, you could have done a hell of a lot better,” I grate out through my teeth.
My mom looks at me then, her head tilting to the side like I’m some sort of puzzle. “You’re right,” she utters, with no regret or remorse in her tone. She just states it like she already knows it.
My mouth falls open. I want to say something else, but words fail me.
Ares steps over then, stopping when he’s right between my mom and me. I stare at his back as if I can still see her through him.
Ares’s shoulders rise as he drags in a breath, preparing to speak. “Do not try to manipulate me,” he warns.
“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” she replies blandly, like we’re all crazy and she is patronizing us.
“I know you have the ability to alter perceptions. I’m telling you now: it would not be a good idea to try that with any of us.”
I hear a scoffing sound which I think came from my mother.
“Why don’t you tell us how you ended up back with Leon?” Ares continues, as if he didn’t even hear her contempt.
“I don’t need to tell you anything,” she argues.
“Amanda—” Ares starts, but Ollie interrupts.
“Are you hungry, thirsty?” His questions come as a bit of a surprise. I watch as he moves around Ares.
“We could call down and have them bring up some food,” Milo adds, taking a step farther into the room. I peer around Ares so I can see my mom. Her eyes are darting around, and she looks unsure.
I take a deep breath, trying to calm down. I can see how hard this is on her. The mom I know barely ever spoke to another person besides me, she hardly even left the camper. If I ever want to get any real answers from her, I need to handle this differently.
I shove down some of the anger and resentment I feel toward her , and step out from behind Ares so she can see me. Adopting the same calming tone I’ve always used when she was starting to spiral, I say, “Mom, this is Ollie, Oliver.” I place my hand on his forearm. Ollie lifts his other hand in a wave and gives her a tight smile. “Milo.” I make my way over to him and grab his fingers, dragging him closer to our group.
“Hello,” Milo intones, his chest puffed out as he nods in her direction.
“Dante,” Dante greets, before I have the chance to introduce him. His eyes are sharp as he looks her over.
“And Ares,” I continue, looking at him with what I hope is a warning to be nice.
“Ms. Fallen.” He gives her a slight chin jerk, but his lips are thinned.
I look over at my mom and see that her eyes are narrowed as she gazes at Ares. “All four of them. So, it’s true then?”
“Yes, all four of us.” Milo is the one to speak up. His arms are crossed over his chest, making his biceps look even larger than usual as he stares down at her.
“Is what true?” I ask, looking away from him.
“That you are connected to all of them. It’s not normal. Why you? Why them?” I furrow my brow at her questions, and the underlying tone of mistrust ringing clear in her words.
“I don’t know!” I scoff incredulously. “Like any of this is normal. Why not us?”
“What else?” Her eyes bulge and her brows rise.
I make my way over to the sofa and take a seat. Pinching the bridge of my nose with my left hand, I sigh. “What do you mean, what else, Mom?” I’m really trying to be patient. I’m trying to make this a little easier for her, but she’s not helping.
“What else is wrong with you—”
“Hey,” Ollie barks. “There
is nothing wrong with her or our Infinity.”
I search my guys’ faces in the room. Ares looks like he’s biting his tongue, a tic pops on his jaw every few seconds. Dante’s chin is lowered, and he’s looking at her like he can’t decide if he wants to snap at her or not. Poor Milo keeps glancing back and forth between her and me, and his lips are parted like he doesn’t know what to say.
I need to get them back on track. “Mom, I’m not going to pretend to know what you went through with Leon, but my guys… these guys, I promise they aren’t anything like him. They would never hurt me, or you.” I peek over at Dante and Ares, making sure they get the message. My mom has been through enough. She’s not trying to be mean, she’s just scared.
With her eyes still on the other side of the room where they all stand, Mom scoots her way around the couch and comes over to sit near me. She doesn’t get too close, but she never really has, so that’s nothing new.
With one final glare sent in their direction, she turns to look at me. She studies my face, her eyes jerking back and forth as if she’s scanning me. After a few long seconds, her shoulders fall a little.
Instinct has me wanting to reach out to her—lay my hand on her arm, rub a comforting stroke over her back—but I don’t. Instead, I turn and angle my knees in her direction, giving her my full attention.
“There’s so much we need to talk about, so much has changed.” I examine her much the same as she has me. “You look so different,” I blurt.
A flush blooms on her cheeks, and her eyes dart to the ground. “I haven’t been taking very good care of us,” she admits, keeping her head down but looking up at me.
Infinity Chronicles Book Four: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Series Page 1