Chapter Twenty
Aaliyah
A fter my conversation with Naomi, I’m ready to call it a day. Unfortunately, that’s not an option for me.
Especially not with the amazing meal Hayes put together for us—lasagna, garlic bread, and salad. It was more than I was expecting, and I hope he knows I plan on making him cook for me more often now that I know how good he is at it.
Once the dishes are done and our plans finalized, I need some time to myself. I’ve been awake for all of eight hours, and I feel like I’ve been run through a ringer.
“There’s no way to say this without sounding rude, so I’m just going to say it. It’s time for you to leave. Today has been a lot, and I need you gone,” I finally say after no one makes a move to leave.
“But I don’t wanna leave you, hot stuff.” River pouts, and I don’t bother hiding my smile.
“Well, my house is too small for me to get space from you while you’re here.” I shrug. “So that means all of you need to go. I need to relax. It’s not like you won’t see me soon. We’re going after DuPont the day after tomorrow.”
Her lip sticks out further. “That is way too long to go without seeing you.”
Everyone else is smiling, if not outright laughing, at her behavior.
“What I’m hearing is we need to find a bigger place,” Reid says, a mischievous smile on his face.
Hayes hums his agreement. “We’re still looking for another place, so we don’t have to keep imposing on Naomi and Archer.”
“You’re not imposing,” Naomi assures him. “Take all the time you need.”
Archer chuckles. “No, I think Reid is right. If we’re going to be working on this together, we need to find someplace that’s big enough for all of us. Our place is over an hour from Aaliyah’s, and that’s not convenient for planning. Nor is our place big enough. I’ll work on it.”
“You don’t—“ I start to tell him he doesn’t need to do that, but he cuts me off with a shake of his head.
“No, they’re right. We need more space to work, and I’m happy to do it.” He stands up, taking Naomi’s hand in his. “We’ll use the shadows to get back so I can get to work.”
He doesn’t wait for the others to respond—just steps into the shadows and disappears. Naomi shoots me a smile before following him.
It takes longer to get the other four up and out the door as they don’t seem to have any desire to leave my house. Too bad for them because I kick them out on their asses. Okay, not really, but I do get them out the door as quickly as I can.
Once they’re gone, I shut the door behind them and let out a sigh of relief. I’m not used to being around people so often anymore. It’s exhausting—especially with the conversations I’d had with Hayes and Naomi, which aren’t something I want to think about right now.
My life has become utter chaos since joining the guild. If I’d turned down their invitation, would the six of them even be in my life?
Archer and Naomi would be. They might be helping with the drug ring, but they came here specifically for me. The other four? If it weren’t for the guild, I wouldn’t likely have seen Tyson again. Obviously, another assassin would’ve been assigned the targets, but would they have cared about Tyson and his family?
Would they even have arrived in time to save the dragon like the dude in distress he was? Or would he be locked in a cage even if Alistair had been killed? Would the other three be locked in cages beside him?
I shake my head, not liking where my thoughts are going.
It doesn’t matter what could’ve been because I did join, and I saved them. Almost like it was meant to be.
Nope.
I’ve never believed in fate, and I’m not going to start now.
The guild might have brought chaos into my life, but I can’t bring myself to regret it. Having the others around isn’t terrible. Actually, it’s not terrible at all. Being around all of them might leave me feeling exhausted at the end of the day, but it’s kind of nice not being alone.
I can see myself leaning on Hayes after a long day. River cheering me up with her unique take on life. Getting into trouble with Reid. Fighting with Tyson, and it turning into something more—a much better use for his tongue.
Shit. Nope. Not going there either.
I ignore the heat forming in my belly and finally push away from the door. “What do you think, Kira? Do you like having more people around?”
She barks, grinning up at me as her tongue lolls out of her mouth. Of course, my traitor of a dog likes having them around. When she jumps on me, she almost knocks me back into the door, which I wasn’t expecting. She licks across my face, whimpering and whining as she smothers me in love.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I know you love me. You don’t have to smother me.” She lowers herself to the floor without having to be told to do so and lets out a bark. “I love you, too. Now, I’m thinking a soak in the tub would be nice. Maybe some bubbles and candles. What do you think, baby?”
Kira prances around in front of me as she barks, and I smile. She really is all I need, but is she all I want?
Now, that is the real question.
I’m rudely woken the next morning by my phone beeping at me. And not just one beep, but a bunch of them back to back.
What the hell?
Barely anyone has my number, and the ones that do have it, know it’s for emergencies only.
Glaring at the offending piece of plastic, I wait for it to stop beeping so I can go back to sleep. Only, it never does.
“What the fuck,” I growl, grabbing it off the charger. Unlocking it, I find I’ve been added to a damn group chat. I sure as shit didn’t give anyone my phone number, and who in their right mind thought I’d want to be in a group chat?
Silencing my phone, I scroll up to the top to see what the hell this is all about.
ARCHER
7512 Millers Lane
TYSON
What is this?
A group chat?
I’m out.
Tyson left the chat.
River added Tyson to the chat.
RIVER
You can’t leave without knowing why we’re here, grumpy.
I’ll just add you back if you leave.
TYSON
Damn it, princess.
Fine.
Why are we in this chat, Archer?
ARCHER
I found a place.
Meet me here when you can.
REID
Damn. That was fast.
HAYES
Wait. Is Aaliyah in the chat?
Did you even look at the time?
She’s going to kill us.
NAOMI
She’ll be fine when she sees the house.
TYSON
Fine. We’re getting ready now.
See you soon.
RIVER
Hot stuff, are you awake?
Wake up, hot stuff.
Aaliyah!!!!!
You have to wake up.
Come on, hot stuff.
HAYES
Sorry, Aaliyah. She no longer has her phone.
But if she happened to wake you up, meet us there?
ME
I’m going to kill you all.
I’ll be there when I get there.
RIVER
YAY!!!
Can’t wait to see you!!!
Shaking my head, I throw my phone onto the bed and give Kira her morning scratches. Once I feel more alive, I roll out of bed and finally look at the clock. It’s not even nine in the morning! Someone is definitely going to die.
Crossing to the bathroom, I turn the shower on before going to the bathroom. Stripping down naked, I stand under the pounding water for a while. I don’t need to shower, but the water might help me wake up faster than coffee.
Eventually, I step out of the shower and get dressed. I slide my phone into my back pocket without looking at it and head down to make the biggest to-go cup of coffee known to man.
It’s another twenty minutes before I’m climbing into my car. I made myself a large cup of coffee to drink before making the to-go cup. Opening up my phone to grab the address, I’m glad to see no further messages in the chat.
According to the GPS, it’s going to take me an hour and a half to get there, which is unfortunate but not surprising. This is what I get for living so far outside the city.
Turning the music up as loud as I can stand it, I take off to see what Archer has found. I manage to cut fifteen minutes off the time. I’m technically still inside the city limits, but as I turn off into a gated community, I wouldn’t be able to tell.
The manned gate is a good ten-minute drive down a tree-lined road. Rolling my window down, I wonder why no one mentioned that there would be a guard,
“Good morning, ma’am. What can I do for you?” The guard is older, probably in his fifties, but seems fit enough.
“Ummm… I’m meeting Archer Savage?”
He smiles. “Ahhh, you’re the last one. Hold on for me for just a moment.” He goes back into the booth, and when he comes out, he’s holding a remote and a card in one hand.
“Next time you come in, just use that lane over there.” He points to where the road had split, one side for visitors and one for residents. “You can use the remote or the card—both will open the gates. And welcome to the neighborhood, Miss Nasiri.”
For a second, I just stare at him before nodding and rolling up my window. I hit the button on the remote as I try to figure out what he’s talking about. Welcome to the neighborhood?
I’m so not awake enough for this.
I pull through the gate, following my GPS as it leads me through the neighborhood. While I see a few driveways, I’ve yet to see a single house. I know they’re there, but they have to be set really far back from the road.
I take the last turn and start up a long driveway. Like the entrance into the community, it’s lined with trees but not nearly as sparsely. Honestly, I would call it a forest if I didn’t know that this leads to a house. Eventually, the trees open up and the house is revealed.
And by house, I mean mansion. Because I’ve seen hotels smaller than the building before me.
Still gawking at it, I continue up the driveway until it circles a large fountain. Coming to a stop behind a truck and an SUV, I put my car into park before stepping outside.
The first thing I realize is that it’s quiet. None of the noise from the city carries here. It might even be quieter than my house.
Unsure what else to do, I start up the pathway to the house.
“She’s here!!! She’s here!!! Aaliyah’s here!!!” River comes flying out the front door, throwing herself at me. I barely stay upright as I catch her, laughing.
“Bunny, she’s not much bigger than you. You can’t throw yourself at her like that. Both of you could get hurt.” Hayes pulls River off me and sets her down beside him.
I shake my head, grinning. “Bunny? It suits her, but is that a thing for you? Are all your nicknames animal-related?”
Hayes nods, looking uncomfortable, and I know if his skin would allow for it, he’d be blushing right now. “It’s just my thing.”
“It is,” River confirms. “He calls Tyson tiger and Reid is duckie.”
“That’s adorable.” Glancing at the front door once more, I ask, “Where’s everyone else?”
“They’re checking out the house,” River says as she grips my hand in hers. “Archer managed to find a place that had everything we all needed. I don’t know how he did it so quickly.”
“Or how he bought it so quickly,” Hayes adds, following us as River drags me inside.
Frowning, I turn my head to stare at Hayes. Trusting River to not walk me into a wall. “He bought it?”
He nods. “He did, but he didn’t put it in his name—he put it in yours.”
My head is spinning, trying to figure out why he’d do that or how he even managed it without me being there. As River drags me from room to room, it’s like I’m in some kind of daze; there but not.
Downstairs, there’s a massive kitchen, plus three different living room areas, a formal dining room with a table to sit twelve, and a few offices—one with so many computers that River is practically drooling over them. In the basement is a full gym, an indoor swimming pool, and a theater. We don’t make it up to the second floor, but River tells me there are twelve bedrooms that are all huge with attached en suites.
“This might be my favorite part,” River tells me as she drags me out the back door. She releases my hand and begins to pull her clothes off.
I can’t even take in the backyard because my eyes are glued on River as she gets naked. Hayes lets out a rumbling chuckle as he pushes against my back.
“She’s good at that.”
I blink, watching her walk across the stone, completely at ease with being nude. “Good at what?”
“Being distracting.” He cups my cheek, turning my head until I’m looking up at him. “It’s the nymph in her. She exudes power without even thinking about it. That’s how she and Reid met, actually. She accidentally lured him into the water, and he was both confused and impressed since he’s usually the one luring people into the water. Now, they’ll make bets to see who can get the most people to join them.”
Now that I’m looking at him, I realize that her magic has been lulling me. It wouldn’t have happened if I hadn’t already been distracted. I go up on my tip toes and he leans down so I can kiss him. “Thank you.”
“You’re welcome. You seemed distracted during the tour, plus you were broadcasting, so I knew your defenses were down. But you should be good now.”
When I face forward once more, I’m able to take in the backyard. And I can see why this is River’s favorite place. Just off the deck we’re standing on is a large grotto-like pool. A flash in the water draws my attention, a smile coming to my lips when I realize it’s the aquamarine scales along Reid’s tail as he splashes water at River. His skin has also taken on an aquamarine hue that matches his eyes, and somehow, he’s even more beautiful in this form.
River’s body is practically transparent as she becomes one with the water, and her smile has never been so large as she ducks down to avoid the water spraying toward her face. The two of them together are magnificent.
Forcing my eyes away, I look beyond the pool to a large obstacle course and a bare field before a forest spreads out before us. “What’s the field for?”
“For Tyson to take his dragon form. There are more of them throughout the part of the forest that’s ours, which goes for about two acres.”
“Two acres of forest? What the hell?” Finally extracting myself from Hayes’s arms, I spin around. “Where are the demons? And Tyson?”
The corner of Hayes’s mouth turns up as if he’s trying to hide his smile. “Tyson is hunting them in the forest. They thought it would be a good exercise to see if he could find them while they’re in the shadows. They shouldn’t be much longer. They wanted to be here when you got here, but obviously, that didn’t happen.”
“Aaliyah,” Reid calls, and I find myself spinning toward the sound. “Come swim with us.”
I consider him for a moment. I don’t enjoy the water like the two of them, but fuck it, there’s nothing that needs my immediate attention. “Only if I can see your other kelpie form.”
“Done.” Reid shifts before my eyes, his upper half becoming a horse with his bottom half still a tail.
That gives a whole nother meaning to a seahorse, I think to myself with a snicker as he swims over to the stairs that lead out of the pool.
I’m already pulling off my shirt as he shifts once more, his lower half forming the rest of the horse’s body. Just like in his other forms, his hair is still platinum white and the horse’s skin is aquamarine. He’s beautiful.
I make quick work of the rest of my clothes until I’m bare before them, Reid walking closer. Once he’s close enough, I reach out to rub his head. He lets out a neigh before lowering himself to the floor. I wrap my hand in his hair and climb onto his back. I’m a little unsteady as he stands to his feet, unsure how I feel about riding an animal with my cunt rubbing against him, but at least I know it’s Reid.
He walks slowly to the pool, a groan sounding behind me. I glance back at Hayes to find him with his fist pressed to his mouth as he stares at me atop Reid. He grins when he catches my eyes, his hand dropping to adjust his cock.
“You look like a goddess, Aaliyah. I think you should ride Reid more often.” Hayes winks, and I snort because something tells me he’s not just talking about when Reid’s in his kelpie form.
Once we’re down the stairs, Reid transforms once more. He wraps his arms around me, kissing me before floating away. He and River circle me for a minute before both of them send water splashing my way.
An indigent yell falls from my lips before I’m diving under the water, and the battle really begins.
I can’t remember the last time I had this much fun, and I’m not ready for it to end.