Not too surprisingly, meeting Ollie’s parents turned out being relatively easy. When they noticed Milo, Ollie, and I walk into the dining room none of them batted an eye at our group. One of his dads, Adam, sent a wink in our direction. While Scott gave Ollie a hug with me and Milo still at his side. None of them questioned what I was doing with the group, and from the look on Ollie’s mom’s face when he told her that I was their Synergist, I don’t think it even crossed her mind I could be more than a casual girlfriend or acquaintance.

  It took a bit of convincing for her to believe I was, in fact, who he’d said. “Oliver, if you’re lying about this…” His mother, Carolyn, warned. I don’t think she even knew what to threaten him with, he doesn’t even live at home at this point.

  “Seriously Mom, do you really think I would lie about this?” Ollie drops into the chair shaking his head. “I mean, this,” he waves his hand around, encompassing the entire room, “is kind of big deal.”

  “It’s not like it would be the first time. Remember Hawaii?” Carolyn crosses her arms over her chest and looks down at Ollie.

  His cheeks flush bright pink. “I didn’t tell you I found our Synergist, I just told you I thought I would find her if we moved to Hawaii. Did you ever live in Hawaii Laura?”

  I can’t hide my grin. “No, can’t say I have.”

  “Well look at that, your motherly wisdom was right all along,” Ollie deflects, sucking up to his mother at the same time.

  “It’s really nice to meet you Laura.” I turn to see one of Ollie’s fathers behind me. “Scott,” he introduces himself while Ollie and his mom share a little banter. I glance between Scott and Adam, there’s no way for me to know which on is his biological father.

  “Hello.” Crossing one arm over my stomach, I wrap my fingers over my elbow. I don’t know if I should shake his hand or what. At least with Milo’s mom Linda, all the guesswork was taken away, but it seems like Ollie’s family might be better at giving me some space to adjust.

  “I’m assuming there’s a reason we’ve never met before, and how it’s possible that you seem to be the same age as the boys, yet I’ve seen nothing about you in the directory?” Scott’s keen eyes assess me. There’s nothing but curiosity there, no mistrust. But he’s looking at me like I’m a puzzle he has to figure out.

  “I think Ares and the guys could explain it better than I could. I didn’t even know about any of this until I met them at school.”

  Scott’s head tilts. “How peculiar.” Straightening, a smile stretches over his face as he adds, “I can’t wait to get to know you.”

  Adam drops his arm over Scott’s shoulder. “Hey there short stack.”

  I’ve never really thought of myself as short, I’m pretty average at five foot six. Ollie’s mom comes over before I have a chance to respond. Her eyes scan my body, lingering on my face. She squints briefly, but then her lips lift into a kind smile. Now I see why I can’t find much resemblance to his dads, Ollie looks just like his mom.

  Without an ounce of reservation, Carolyn leans in and wraps her arms around me. She doesn’t squeeze me too much, and she releases before I have to decide if I should hug her back. “Welcome to the family Laura.” And it’s that simple.

  Being in a group this large, I’m able to mostly sit back and observe. Linda and Carolyn are obviously friends, since they sit next to each other and chat easily. There are too many conversations going on to make out what they’re talking about, but I thought I heard Carolyn mention work.

  “Are we eating or what?” Milo questions, his hand over his stomach like he’s starving.

  “Go ahead,” Linda waves dismissively at a long table against the wall filled with several silver tins of food. Needing no further direction, Dante and Milo each grab a plate and lift the lids off of the containers. A spicy scent hits the air and my mouth waters. They reveal small bites of seasoned chicken and ground beef, followed by pans of Mexican rice and two types of beans. Once all the lids are off, I’m near drooling. It looks like they had an entire Mexican restaurant menu delivered, and I’m not complaining.

  Ares pushes a plate in my hand and ushers me behind Dante. I fill my plate with so much yummy goodness I need both hands it hold it as I walk over to my seat. I take the open spot between Milo and Ollie, my eyes eating up the food before I even have a chance to taste it.

  “Mia,” Carolyn calls out. I look up to find the two women embracing for a long second. Mia doesn’t have any problem returning her affection.

  Linda’s eyes go to mine, I secure a mask of indifference over my face. I’m pretty good at pretending not to care, so I don’t think she questions my act at all.

  “Did you come to celebrate with us?” Carolyn asks, her smile wide.

  “Oh, I don’t want to intrude. I just wanted say hello,” Mia replies coyly.

  “Nonsense, sit. Have you met the lovely Laura?” Carolyn waves a hand in my direction. “We’re just so lucky the guys found her.”

  “We’ve met.” Mia’s voice is tight, but her acting skills are even better than mine because her smile doesn’t waver. “I haven’t been back here very much since we moved to the city.” Mia glances at Ares. “Tell me what you guys have been up to?”

  I ignore her and their conversation as Mia takes a seat, Carolyn moved over so Mia is directly across from me and between herself and Linda.

  Dante’s hand lands high up on my thigh. He squeezes but continues eating. Once everyone begins eating the room conversation quiets down. Little topics pop up about the food, and Linda asks Milo about school, but it’s all pretty light.

  Pushing my plate away, I rub my stomach, already regretting the second helping. “Have you heard from Rosa, or do you know when they’ll be in?” Linda wipes the corner of her mouth with a cream linen napkin.

  “I would assume they’ll be on the first available flight knowing her. But no, I don’t have any specifics,” Ares tells them.

  Scott steeples his fingers, his elbows resting on the table. “I don’t know about you guys, but I’m dying to know how this happened. Laura, you said you didn’t know about Infinites?”

  Glancing around, I find almost everyone’s attention on me. Squirming in my seat I look over at Ares, hoping he understands that I’d rather one of them explain. His chin dips enough so I know he gets it. “It would be easier if everyone was here, but it could be a few days before my parents arrive and we don’t have that kind of time.” Ares leans back from the table, doing a quick survey. “Mia.” She jolts like a little lapdog excited for her owner’s attention. “I’m sorry, would you mind giving us a few moments?”

  Her face falls, but she’s quick to recover. “Of course. Linda, Carolyn, it was great to see you. We should catch up soon.” After a brief hug for each of the women, she’s out the door, her head held high as she goes.

  Ares looks over at Milo’s parents. “We already talked a little bit about Laura’s situation, so I’m sorry if this is redundant.” Focusing now on Ollie’s parents, he explains how Dante first met me at school and that I knew nothing about the Infinities.

  Once he broaches the subject of my missing mom, Carolyn’s face falls into a heavy frown. “How long has she been gone?” she questions, directing it at me.

  “Several weeks now.”

  Carolyn makes a sound of censure. “Ares, you should have come to us sooner.”

  “You may be right. When I spoke to my mother, she seems to think she recognized Laura, she called her Amanda. Is that name familiar to any of you?” he asks them all but focuses on Linda and Carolyn.

  “Amanda, you say?” Linda looks over at me, her eyes narrowing like she’s thinking back. “I don’t think so, nothing that rings a bell.” Her shoulders bunch up like she’s sorry she can’t be more help.

  “She also mentioned a Leon.” Ares considers the men a little more closely.

  Adam’s face twists up in a sneer. “Only one Leon I know of, and he was bad news.”

  Ares perks up a bit at his declaration. “I get the feeling they may be one and the same. Who is he and what his name? Where can I find him?”

  “You can’t. I’d say he’s been dead for sixteen years.” Adam tilts his head and nods. “About that anyway.” Adam looks around, sees he has everyone’s attention. “You all know the story, I can’t believe you guys aren’t remembering this.”

  “What story?” Dante rumbles, his voice thick from not having used it much over the last hour.

  Adam rolls his eyes. “You know, the cautionary old tale of not eliminating the competition.”

  “You mean the guy who killed his pair and tried to take his powers?” Ollie asks sounding stunned.

  “You guys really don’t know about this? Huh, I thought all parents told it to their kids.” Adam rubs his fingers over his mouth.

  “Can you just tell us?” Ares’s tone is too demanding to be an actual question.

  “I did, it’s that simple. A guy found out about his pair, decided he didn’t want to share his Synergist, and killed him trying to absorb his abilities somehow. No one really knows what he did, or if they do no one talks about it, but I know whatever he did almost killed him and the female.”

  “But you said that guy is dead, right?” Milo looks between Ares and Adam.

  “Yeah, pretty sure it had to do with what he had done, and we’re not really designed to handle more than one ability.”

  I open my mouth ready to ask what he means, I already have several, but with one look from Ares, I snap my lips closed.

  “He was actually erased from the directory,” Scott adds. “I didn’t think it was a good idea at the time, but everyone wanted to forget what he had done, make like it never happened.”

  “What about the female, what happened to her?” Dante wraps his arm around the back of my chair, his fingers rubbing my shoulder.

  Adam looks over at Scott. “I don’t know, I don’t think anyone every really talked about it.” Scott shakes his head like he doesn’t have a clue either.

  “Do you think she was my mom?”

  Chapter 16

  It’s the only conclusion I can come to, well, that makes any sense anyway. If that guy really did something like that, and it involved my mom, it could explain some of her behavior. If she didn’t know he was dead, she had good reason to always be hiding and moving us around.

  Hell, she probably thought she was protecting me all these years. I mean I knew she thought she was, but I never really believed there was an actual threat. It would also explain why she never told me about being an Infinity. She didn’t want me to go through what she did.

  “I’m not sure Cara, but we’ll figure it out.” The conversation dies down quickly. No one here has any real answers, and we need to wait until we talk to Ares and Dante’s parents to really know anything. Even then it’ll only be an assumption. Without my mom to confirm the information, it’s still just a guessing game.

  But there’s something else that’s bothering me. After we’ve all said our goodbyes for the evening, some awkward in my case, I ask the question that has been making me doubt everything I think we’ve learned. “Ares.” He hums a response, distracted. “If Leon is dead, and we think my mom didn’t leave on her own…” I let the subject sit for a moment.

  “Then who took her?” he finishes my question for me. Apparently, I’m not the only one unconvinced.

  “Yeah, who took her and why?”

  I’m up early Sunday morning. I’ve lain in this bed for as long as I’m physically able and I need to get up. All the guys are still sleeping so sneaking out of bed shouldn’t be an issue, especially since Ares sleeps like a log. Inching out of the covers, I lift my leg over him and crawl away. He doesn’t even stir.

  The closet door slides open soundlessly as I grab a pair of jeans and a long sleeve t-shirt. The guys said Maggie had my shift covered yesterday, but there’s no way I’m leaving her hanging for a third day. I hope one of them is up in time to drive me to work, I would hate to have to wake them. It’s been such a crazy few days.

  Leaving the lights dimmed low, I start the shower and do my morning business while the water heats. Stepping under the spray I let out a heavy sigh. It wasn’t long ago when just taking a shower would have big an ordeal. The luxury of having indoor plumbing is something I will never take for granted. I wash my hair first, wanting to let the conditioner sit while I wash and rinse my body.

  I linger under the spray much longer than needed, just letting the hot water cascade over my back and neck. When I finally step out my fingers are a little pruned, but I feel more relaxed than I have in a few days. My bond with Ares and Dante is complete. I haven’t had very much time to get comfortable with what that means, but it’s almost like I don’t need to. They’re now part of me, and I’m part of them, but it doesn’t feel strange. It finally feels like I’m headed in the direction I was always meant to go.

  With a fluffy black towel wrapped around my chest, I wipe the fog and condensation from the mirror. I’m probably leaving streaks behind, but I don’t really care. When the glass clears enough and I can see my blurry reflection, I expect to see some physical change, some evidence that I’m not the same girl I was just a few weeks ago, but I don’t. My hair is a little darker, it’s still dripping wet so that’s no surprise. My cheeks might be the slightest bit fuller, which makes sense because I’ve been eating three meals a day, if not more. But those aren’t the changes I was looking for. I’d expect that something as profound as finding your pairs and bonding to them would change something deep within you, and it has. I can feel it, it’s just not visible.

  As I’m heading over to grab my clothes, I hear a light tapping on the door. “Yeah?” I call out quietly. Instead of an answer, the door pushes in. Dante is standing there all scruffy and sweet looking, with his hair all mussed up and his eyes hooded with sleep.

  “Gotta go,” he mumbles shuffling right passed me to the little alcove with the toilet. I turn around to give him privacy, but it doesn’t seem like he needs it. Seconds later I hear him relieving himself. A little giggle escapes. I’ve being peeing next to strangers my entire life, but nothing has ever felt this intimate. The toilet flushes and I pretend like I haven’t been standing here in a daze since he walked in.

  I feel Dante’s heat as he nears me from behind, and his big hands run down my sides to the end of the towel. “You’re supposed to wash your hands, you know.” I’m not really bothered. I know he was touching himself to got to the bathroom, but it’s not like he peed on his hands. Dante makes a low growling noise and his heat is gone as he moves away, washing his hands under the sink. He doesn’t even bother drying them before coming back and dropping his sopping wet, freezing cold hands onto my shoulders. I suck in a deep breath and try to squirm away. “I was just kidding,” I plead.

  “Too late.” Dante leans in and runs his nose along my shoulder, his lips trace the water droplets he left behind while his hands go to my waist. “Why are you up so early?” I let my eyes close, between his kisses and that deep voice of his I’m a total goner.

  “Getting ready for work.”

  “Anything else?” Dante continues over to the crest of my shoulder, moving around to stand in front of me, and his hooded eyes meet mine.

  “I went to bed kinda early,” I hedge

  Dante cups my shoulders. “I want to make sure you’re okay.”

  I look over his shoulder to glance at his reflection in the mirror. He’s wearing a thin blue shirt and boxer briefs. It would be easier to distract us both, maybe make out a little bit before anyone else wakes up, but I know I need to deal with all the crap happening. If I don’t, I’m bound to lose my shit at the worst possible time. “I’m confused,” I admit, not really sure what else to say.

  “About what?” Dante grabs my hand and tugs me over to a bench seat that I thought was more for decoration than actual sitting. Dante lowers himself into a sprawl his legs stretched out far in front of him, and his back curved against the wall.

  Tucking my towel tighter against my chest, I sit next to him. “I don’t know, it just seems like there’s so much going on. All that stuff with Leon might actually explain why my mom did a lot of the things she has, but not everything. We don’t even know any of that stuff for sure yet. I keep asking myself why she would come back here.” I pause and look over at Dante. “If your mom really helped her escape that Leon guy, why would she come back here? That’s the part that doesn’t make any sense. She’s been hiding us for years only to bring us right back to the place she ran from, and before she disappeared, she told me she thought this was where we belonged, like we could actually live here and not have to move.”

  Dante wraps his arm around my back and he lets out a heavy sigh. “I’m not sure. Maybe she found out that Leon was dead and thought it would be safe to come home, if this really was her home.”

  Dropping my head in my hands I let out a frustrated groan. “See? I need answers, but I just keep coming up with more questions.”

  Smoothing his palm over my back, Dante pulls me a little closer. “We’ll figure it out Laura, we need a little more time.”

  We fall quiet for a few moments until I shiver from only being wrapped in a towel. Dante stands and pulls me with him, grabbing both of my hands. “Why don’t you get dressed and I’ll see if I can scour some breakfast for us.” He drops a tender kiss on my lips that I’m sure he wasn’t expecting to go any further, but I reach for him when he begins to pull away.

  Wrapping my fingers around the back of his neck, I hold him in place. Dante stills under my hands. I love that I have that effect on him. Leaning up on my toes I deepen the kiss, pushing my lips against his roughly. He returns the kiss with just as much fervor. His hands go to my waist and he lifts me, my toes are barely grazing the floor as he walks us over to the wall.

 

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