LAILAH
TWENTY-SEVEN
The car ride to the Elementi safe house was silent, but the air was full of tension at the unspoken words.
Martin drove us since we couldn’t take a taxi to the location; it was also out of the main city and up in the mountains.
I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to anyone in the house—we had to sneak out like some dirty secret.
Knowing that I didn’t want to push Adriana any further than we already had, I didn’t argue.
It’s not like it would be the last time I see them or talk with them.
Brayden had Charlotte's number, so I could at least text her and let her know what was going on. I hoped that David and Hope didn’t get the wrong idea about us leaving, but Charlotte promised she would talk to them.
Martin turned off the main road and started on some winding track along the mountainside.
The view was breathtaking and made me feel so small in the world compared to the impressive nature of the mountain range.
After a few miles, we entered a plateau of sorts between two mountain peaks that had a helipad and a charming three-story wooden home.
A helicopter was already sitting on the pad, its black metal shining in the sunlight reflected off the snow.
As we stopped in front of the house, the door was yanked open, and Parker started waving at us from the porch like we wouldn’t be able to spot him.
His wide, welcoming grin made my heart melt, and I felt overwhelmed by how much I had missed him.
It hadn’t even been two days, but Parker was one of my best friends and always knew how to make me feel better.
I hopped out of the car and ran right into his arms. He hugged me so tight, I thought I might crack.
“Trouble, I can’t leave you alone for a minute, can I?” Parker chuckled.
I gave a laughing sob before I broke down, clutching his shirt in my hands as I cried. Parker didn’t say anything; he just picked me up and carried me into the house and sank onto a sofa, holding me.
“What happened?” Hudson asked, a hard edge to his voice that I hadn’t heard before.
“Mom freaked out and blamed Lailah for everything and kicked her out of the house,” Brayden explained.
Parker just kept rubbing my back, letting me feel all of my emotions, not trying to fix it.
Then I felt a trickle of his power caressing against mine, soothing the torrent of my emotions.
Typically, being around Parker made me fearless, bold, and willing to try new things.
Yet this time, it felt different; it was as if he was able to manipulate how I was feeling, like he was taking on some of my pain.
I leaned back and looked Parker in the face.
His warm brown eyes looked back at me with so many emotions, all of them full of comfort and understanding.
“What did you just do?” I asked, curious.
Parker shrugged his shoulders, and a pink flush crossed his cheeks. Why was he embarrassed about what he had done?
“I couldn’t stand how much you were hurting, so I stole some of the pain from you.
It’s part of being Heart. It gives me the ability to give or take emotions from people, among other things,” Parker explained, then his face fell to a frown.
“You're not mad at me for using my powers on you, are you?”
I shook my head and leaned in, placing a gentle kiss on his lips. “No, not for something like this.”
Sliding off his lap, I curled up next to him and wiped my face with the palm of my hand, trying to pull myself together. I looked around to see all the guys watching me cautiously from various places in the room.
“Man, I missed all you guys; everything goes to hell when we’re not together,” I said, with a forced smile.
My comment made everyone smile, relaxing the tension in the room. I had a sneaking suspicion that not many women broke down crying around them. They were going to have to get used to it, because I was definitely a crier when my emotions got too much.
“Do you want to talk, or would you rather go on a house tour?” Hudson asked, adjusting his glasses.
Glancing around, I took in the living room for the first time.
It was beautiful, rustic, and homey, with a large stone fireplace as the center focus.
The large sectional couch I was sitting on made a U shape around it, keeping everyone warm.
A large stack of wood was packed into a square cutout for storage, filling the room with its earthy smell.
“I’d love to see the rest of the house,” I said, extracting myself from Parker and the couch.
Hudson nodded and started down the hall but stopped and turned to me, holding out his hand.
I grinned and grasped it, letting him pull me along.
The next room we entered was an open kitchen and dining area with tons of windows showing a panoramic view of the mountains we were nestled between.
The dining table was interesting; half was bench seating along the wall and the other half was chairs on the opposite side, and it looked like it could seat far more people than were here.
The kitchen was simple, with all the basic needs, and the fridge was even full of fresh ingredients.
Tugging on my hand, Hudson drew me out onto the patio through a sliding glass door.
The air was cold, but the breeze was gentle for being this high up.
Sturdy wooden furniture was set out here for people to enjoy the view, and off to the right, I noticed a cutout in the floor.
“There’s a hot tub here?” I gasped, looking up at Hudson.
He grinned, and his ice-blue eyes shimmered. “Yes, there is, and I believe they have some extra swimsuits too in one of the guest rooms.”
“Yes. This is going to be epic,” I whooped and did a little happy dance before we headed back in.
Hudson led me up a flight of stairs into an open concept floor with a wall of bunk beds.
Looking closer, the beds were all full-size mattresses instead of the typical twin.
One wall was a gigantic sliding glass door that led out to a short balcony and gave the room an open feeling.
There was a large bathroom made for two or more people to use, easily.
Heading up another set of stairs, we ended up in a master bedroom with its own fireplace and seating.
The bed was large and welcoming, as was the rest of the room.
Another patio door faced the view leading to a small outside sitting area.
“We didn’t know that you were asked to leave, but figured there could be a chance you might sleep over, so we left this room for you and Brayden,” Hudson said, leaning against the fireplace as I scoped out the bathroom.
Peeking out the door to look at him, I blinked. “Really?”
“Of course. It only makes sense since we might be working late, and it’s an hour drive back to the city.”
“That makes sense but wasn’t what I was asking. I was more surprised that you’re okay with Brayden and I sharing a room,” I said, stepping back into the bedroom.
Hudson’s eyebrows raised in surprise. “Why wouldn’t I be?”
I dropped my gaze and fidgeted with my fingers, unsure of how to explain how I was feeling. Hudson was the one I seemed to turn to when I couldn’t figure something out, but it was harder to talk about this when it involved him.
“Well—I—um,” I stuttered, trying to figure out how to explain. I took a deep breath, then lifted my head to look Hudson in the eye. “It’s hard for me to wrap my mind around being with all of you. In my soul, I know that it’s how things are meant to be, but my brain isn’t moving as fast.”
“Hmm, so you’re wondering how I can be totally fine with you and Brayden when I and the others want you as well,” Hudson said, bluntly.
I gaped at him, stunned that he would just lay it all out on the table, so to speak. Not having the ability to speak just yet, I nodded my head in agreement. Hudson sat in one of the chairs by the fireplace and motioned for me to join him.
Oh God, he thinks I need to sit down for this.
Once seated, he crossed his leg and leaned back in the chair, watching me a moment. “I don’t think that this would have worked if it wasn’t with you. Tell me this—has it been hard since you met us all and became friends to spend time with us together and individually?”
I opened my mouth to answer, then took a moment to really think over his question.
Had it been hard to juggle the five of them?
In a strange way, it’d worked out that I found something that had become individualized for each of them.
When we all spent time with each other, it had its up and downs, but it wasn’t related in any way to me being around all of them.
“No, it's been the easiest friendships I’ve ever had,” I answered, feeling something settle in me.
Hudson smiled. “Not many women can figure out how to equally share their time with so many men. You did it without even thinking about it. It might take me time to be comfortable seeing the others physically affectionate with you, but it’s inevitable that all of us will be bonded to you, and that comes with the territory. ”
I laughed at how practical he sounded. “It’s going to take me some time to come to terms with that as well. I’ve only ever dated one other person in my life, and that didn’t end very well for me.”
“Just remember we are all human, and no one is perfect, but all of us would rather die than let anything happen to you,” Hudson said, getting to his feet, brushing a hand along my cheek.
“What are the chances that we might talk you into cooking for us tonight? Sadly, most of us are not skilled in that area.”
I chuckled and stood, wrapping my arm around Hudson’s. “Come on, we don’t want to let the others waste away from hunger. You guys made it out here fast.”
“Fortunately, we were all packed ready to head out to our various locations,” Hudson shared. “That, and the fact Jay has a helicopter to use whenever needed.”