LAILAH
TWENTY-TWO
It took the rest of the flight to calm me down.
Brayden took me to the back bedroom and cuddled me close, playing with my hair and chatting about nothing in particular.
I just listened to the sound of his voice and savored the feel of his body against mine.
It kept me grounded to what was really happening.
“Up for talking about it?” Brayden asked, brushing my hair out of my face to place a kiss on my temple.
I wanted to pour my soul out to him, but I didn’t even know where to start. “It always seems so real.”
“The dream?” Brayden asked, continuing to comb through my hair.
“I never know when it starts, or how long I’ve been trapped in that strange reality until one of you pulls me out of it.
” Twisting, I turned to Brayden. I needed to see his face.
“This time was much worse, but I think it’s because I believed it so much more.
That, or the demon taint on me is getting worse,” I said, shivering at the thought.
Brayden’s brows furrowed. “Explain that to me.”
“When I was in the coffee shop, I knew it wasn’t normal for me to want to hurt someone.
I have always tried to avoid conflict in my life, and for me to attack first was just out of character.
” I paused, thinking back on this last episode.
“This time it was more centered around you guys. I was more of a passenger watching you two fight.”
“Wait, the two of us, as in Micah and myself?” Brayden asked, and I nodded. “Angel, Micah and I have been best friends since we were both twelve. We might argue, but we’ve gone way past the point of fighting each other. I know too many things that can hurt him, secrets I’ve kept. We don’t fight.”
“That was the first clue that something wasn’t right. I’ve seen Micah fight with the others, but never as cruel as he was in my dream. It was almost like it was searching for what my biggest fear was and made him say it,” I said, trying to explain.
“Fear is the greatest weapon demons have. They feed off of it, along with anger and deceit.” Brayden cupped my cheek and let his thumb stroke against my skin, his eyes sad.
“I wish we had found you sooner so you would be more prepared for this. It kills me that I wasn’t able to do anything to help you. Thank God we had Micah here.”
“Guess that’s why they assigned five of you to deal with me, one wasn’t going to be enough for all this crazy,” I teased, giving him a small smile.
“Hmm, maybe Parker has been right this whole time. You are trouble,” he murmured before his lips connected with mine in a slow kiss. He nuzzled into the side of my neck, whispering, “I’m glad you’re okay.”
Wrapping my arms around his shoulders, I held him close, needing the comfort as much as he did. “Me too.”
A soft knock on the door had Brayden pulling away from me and moving off the bed to answer it.
“If we could have you back in your seats, we’re about to land,” the attendant said.
“Thank you, we’ll be up shortly,” Brayden said, then looked back at me with a grin, holding out his hand. “Ready to see where I live?”
Pushing aside all that had happened, I rolled out of bed and grasped his hand. I let him pull me to the other chairs near Micah.
When we sat down, Micah pulled off his headphones and met my gaze. “You doing okay?”
I blinked a few times before answering, startled that he would ask. “I’ll manage. Thank you for whatever it is that you did. I still can’t really tell what happened, but I know without your power, I might have killed us.”
Micah searched my face for a moment, then looked down at his hands. “You’re welcome.”
I assumed that was the end of our conversation, so I turned to look out the window, but then he drew me back to him.
“Look, I know I’m an ass most of the time and not easy to be around, but if you need some tips on handling your powers, you can always ask.
Fire is the strongest and most unruly of the elements for an Elementi Warrior to handle.
After experiencing your power, I think it might even be stronger than mine, which is fucking crazy.
If this is what you’re like with only bonding to one of us, I can’t even imagine.
No one needs that much power,” Micah said, starting to ramble.
“What I mean is that I get it, fearing yourself and your powers. So, if you need help or someone to talk to, I’m around. ”
I struggled to keep a blank face at the shock hearing him talk. Micah was offering to help me of his own free will. Brayden squeezed my hand, but I didn’t look at him, not wanting to jinx it.
“That means a lot, Micah,” I said with a smile. “Thank you.”
He flicked his eyes up at me guardedly. “Don’t make a fucking deal about it, we’re a team, right? We can’t have you being a liability and getting us killed with your random episodes.”
Ah, there was normal Micah. That didn’t last long.
“Got it,” I grinned, knowing it would irritate him. Brayden chuckled.
“Don’t you even fucking start, Dolton,” Micah challenged, pointing a finger at his best friend.
The landing was smooth, and we touched down without any other excitement.
The flight staff didn’t seem to act at all like the plane had almost crashed when they shook Brayden’s hand as we disembarked.
I still had no idea where it was that we landed.
The airport sign was in another language, so that didn’t give me much help.
Brayden caught my hand, and we headed into the small building of the airport where they checked my passport and put a new stamp in it.
On the page in bold letters was ‘Republic of Austria, Graz.’
“Oh my God, we’re in Austria,” I said, doing a little hop of excitement. “I’ve always wanted to come to Austria, the art and history here is incredible. Just when I didn’t think you could be more perfect, you live in Austria of all places.”
Unable to contain myself, I bounced around, ready to hit the sights and savor what this amazing city had to offer. I was in one of the places in the world where the renaissance area was preserved for your viewing pleasure.
“Oh my God, I’m going to spend Christmas in Austria! Please tell me we can go to the Advent night markets!?”
Micah looked at me like I had lost my mind, and Brayden just had the biggest smile I had seen on his face in a while.
“Mr. Dolton, Mr. Lazonick, welcome home,” a sharply dressed man said, bowing his head slightly to the boys before he turned to me. “Ms. Mackenzie, it is lovely to meet you. I’m Martin, valet to the Dolton household. If you would follow me, I’ll take you to the house.”
Wrapping my arm around Brayden’s, I leaned in and whispered, “Your family has a butler?”
Brayden glanced down at me, smirking. “Martin is more than a butler to us, but yes, I guess his job would fall under that title.”
Martin led us out to a beautiful white Mercedes SUV, opening the door for me to get in the back seat.
Micah hopped in the front, and Brayden joined me in the back.
The windows were so tinted it was hard to see the world around me, but it was much too cold to open the windows.
Thankfully, I had two weeks to take in the sights.
The whole town was covered in a light dusting of snow, making it all seem so picturesque.
Garland and other Christmas decorations were tastefully placed along the buildings, making it seem like a hallmark film.
I felt like a little kid with my face plastered to the window, but I couldn’t help myself.
This was one of the top ten places I had always wanted to visit, and I was drinking it all in.
“Imagine my surprise when talking about places we both wanted to travel to, my hometown was listed,” Brayden said, squeezing my leg, trying to draw my attention.
I leaned over and planted a dramatic kiss on Brayden’s lips, making him laugh. “Thank you for keeping this a surprise.”
“Seems like I might need to do them more often, seeing how happy you are,” Brayden said, wrapping his arm around me.
“If they all are this amazing, be my guest. I love surprises.”
In my mind, I was thinking Brayden would live in a mansion like the one in The Sound of Music.
Instead, we drove down an alleyway to the back side of a historic four-story home in the middle of the city.
It was whitewashed, with dark wooden shutters that had garland around them, and a single candle in each window.
I saw traces of what must have been ivy growing on the house when the weather was warmer.
Everything about it was charming and welcoming.
Micah led the way as we entered through the back door into the kitchen.
It was like I had just stepped into a storybook.
I half expected Cinderella to pop out from somewhere, it was so whimsical.
Instead of Cinderella appearing in the kitchen, a young girl walked in, wearing some type of princess dress with her long, brown hair a wild mess.
She looked up, surprised to see us in the kitchen, but once she recognized who it was, her face lit up.
“Bray-Bray!” she squealed, running and jumping into his arms, causing Brayden to drop the bag he was holding.
“Oof, Hope, look how big you’ve gotten,” Brayden said, hugging the girl tightly. “Hey Hope, I have someone I would like you to meet.”
“You do? I love making new friends,” Hope said as he turned so she was facing me.
“Hope, I would like you to meet Lailah, my girlfriend. Lailah, this is Hope, the youngest of the Dolton gang,” Brayden introduced before setting down the wiggling mess of purple tulle that came running over to me.
Without hesitation, Hope tossed herself at me next, not giving me much time to brace myself. She was young and small but could have easily knocked me over if I didn’t get my balance. Hope wrapped her arms around my neck and snuggled in for a hug and a kiss on my cheek.
“I like you, you’re really pretty,” Hope announced before her face scrunched up all serious. “Will you play dress up with me? I feel like you would make a very pretty princess like me.”
I giggled, unable to hold it in at the onslaught of pure emotion only kids can provide. “I would love to play dress up with you.”
“Hope, no one wants to play stupid dress up with you,” Kayley said, making an appearance in the kitchen, hands on her hips as she scowled at her sister. Then her gaze landed on Micah. “Hi, Micah.”
Hope and I watched the interaction silently, and I noticed Kayley’s cheeks start to pink as she talked to Micah.
“Kayley, are you getting sick? Your face is all red,” Hope blurted out, breaking the silence that had filled the room.
Kayley glared at her sister and stormed out of the room, her face now red for an entirely different reason. I set Hope back down, and she took my hand, swinging it back and forth as she hummed a song I didn’t recognize.
“Hope, why don’t we go show Lailah where her room is?” Brayden asked, grinning at me from ear to ear, his eyes shining with laughter.
Apparently, I had been adopted by Hope and wasn’t going to shake the little princess anytime soon. “Sounds good to me.”
The rest of the home was a mix of traditional carved wood accents and modern updates.
The stairs were an ornate wooden spiral staircase that went up all four stories.
We stopped on the third floor and walked down a narrow hallway that had doors on either side.
Hope skipped her way down the hall until she threw open the third door on the left.
Brayden rested his hand on my lower back, guiding me to follow her into the room.
It was magical. Even though the room was tiny, it had so much personality in it.
The walls were painted a soft blue color, with white lace curtains bordering the one window.
Walking over, I peeked out and found that the house next to Brayden’s was shorter, so I got a view of the city.
Turning, I took in the wrought iron bed frame that took up most of the room, but it had ornate designs in the headboard and the foot rail.
The bedding was soft and inviting like the rest of the room.
A small dresser with four drawers and a narrow closet completed my investigation of the room.
“What do you think?” Brayden asked, watching my reaction.
I smiled widely at him and walked over, wrapping my arms around his waist. “It’s lovely.”
“I know it’s a little smaller than what you're used to, but in a city, living with this many people in a house doesn’t leave much extra room,” Brayden rambled, trying to justify himself.
Shutting him up, I placed a soft kiss on his lips. “Stop. I think it's utterly charming. Besides, my hope is that we will have so much to do that I will only be sleeping here.”
“Come see my room!” Hope said, tugging on my coat.
“There you are,” a young woman said, standing out in the hall, giving Hope a pointed look. “I told you not to bother them right away and let them unpack first.”
Looking up at me, she smiled, and instantly, I knew she was another one of Brayden's sisters. The fact they had the same hazel eyes helped, but the smile was a dead giveaway. “It is so nice to meet you, I’m Charlotte.”
I gave her a small wave since I was still in Brayden’s arms. “Lovely to meet you too, I’m Lailah.”
“Charlie, I was going to show Lailah my room,” Hope said with a stomp of her foot, crossing her arms.
Charlotte dropped her gaze at her little sister, her whole demeanor shifting into a woman I didn’t want to mess with. “Hope Sophia Dolton, that is not how we act in this house. Lailah is going to be with us for a few days, and she will see your room. Now come here and let them settle in.”
Hope didn’t move, just stood her ground, glaring at her sister.
“One… two…” Charlotte started counting.
Before she made it to three, Hope dashed out of the room and down the hall without any further fuss.
“Do you have younger siblings?” Charlotte asked, looking back at me.
“One younger brother, but he was born an old man, far more interested in taking over the world one book at a time. Our biggest challenge was getting him to stop asking us to read the newspaper to him,” I laughed, thinking of Kyle.
“Lucky,” Charlotte said, heading off in the direction Hope had gone.