LAILAH
FIVE
Since we flew in on a private plane, we had a separate office that we had to exit through, and I got yet another stamp in my passport.
Out front was a black limousine with a driver standing, holding a sign that said “Lacy Pharmaceuticals, Inc.” Hudson led the way over to the limo as the driver opened the back door for us all to slide in.
“Okay, is this going to be a thing with all of your families? Do you all have limos and drivers to take you everywhere?” I teased once we were all in.
“Nah, limos aren’t my dad’s style. We’re a stretch Hummer kind of family,” Parker said with a wink, making it hard to tell if he was serious or not.
Hudson nudged me with his shoulder. “This is not normal for us, either. I think it’s the only vehicle they had that would fit all of us.”
“My father would expect us to find our own way,” Jay stated, looking out the window at the sights. Truthfully, with the little that I knew of his father, that didn’t surprise me one bit.
The driver took us up into the hills, maneuvering the narrow streets with an ease that I would never understand.
I was beyond thankful that I had the guys with me for these adventures, because I would have been lost beyond hope.
Finally, we pulled onto a long gravel drive that ended with a circle, providing a way back out.
The front of the villa was a breathtaking piece of history sitting right before me on the edge of a cliff overlooking the town and the water below.
The villa was made out of white stone with terraces on each of the two upper levels, the railings made out of wrought iron.
Once out of the limo and standing at the bottom of the stone steps leading up to the front door, I just gaped in awe at the wooden French doors inlaid with beautiful stained glass.
Looking to my right, I saw a large swimming pool with a garden just beyond it.
As I gawked, Hudson knocked on the door, and moments later it was opened by a small older woman with wispy gray hair piled up on the top of her head.
“Hudson, mon coeur! I am so happy to have you home,” she cried, reaching up to grab his face and kiss both his cheeks. “Tu es parti depuis trop longtemps. Come in, come in.”
“Juliette, it is good to see you too. Are Grace and Ben home?” Hudson asked as he let the woman tug him into the house.
“Oui, oui, they are home for Christmas break,” Juliette said, waving off his question as she turned to take the rest of us in. “So, these are your friends your mère told me to expect, mon coeur?”
“Yes, this is Lailah, Brayden, Micah, Parker, and Jay. We all go to school together at Ryevick University. Guys, this is Juliette. She has been looking after me since Father and I moved to France,” Hudson shared, giving the older woman a soft, sweet smile.
“Oh, so you must have many embarrassing stories to tell us?” I grinned, excited to learn more about Hudson.
As much as I loved how stable and even Hudson is, it caused me to feel like I didn’t really know who he truly was. No one could be as perfect as he seemed to be; there had to be something in his past to make him seem more human like the rest of us.
“Les enfants, viennet ici!” Juliette called up the staircase.
By the sound of feet coming down the stairs, I guess she had called for Hudson’s siblings.
Sure enough, a young man with olive skin, dark, thick hair, and chocolate-colored eyes appeared.
He was striking to look at, and there was almost nothing of Hudson’s father in him.
Following on his heels was a tall, willowy girl with a bouncing chin-length bob of honey brown hair.
Her blue eyes looked at us curiously as they came to stand at the bottom of the stairs.
“Ben, Grace, these are my friends from school,” Hudson said as they bobbed their heads in greeting to us.
“Coucou,” Grace said, waving at us with a smile.
“Bonjour.” Ben’s voice was so soft I almost missed what he was saying.
“Did Mother tell you guys that we will be around for a few days?” Hudson asked.
“No, but Mère has not been home much the past few days,” Grace said, shrugging her shoulders. “It will be nice to have some people in the house for a change.”
“Oh! What am I, you ungrateful child?” Juliette scoffed. “Now show them where they will be staying so this old woman doesn’t need to climb the stairs while I’m trying to make dinner.”
Grace blushed as she gestured for us to follow her with her head. “All the guest rooms are on the third floor, but some of you are going to have to share. We only have three.”
I don’t think my eyes could have gotten any wider as we made our way through the house.
The ground floor was all white marble that flowed onto the stairs with a wrought iron banister that curved up to the second floor.
The whole house was painted in creams and white, making it seem so regal.
It wasn’t a place you would call “homey,” like Brayden’s home.
This was filled with antique furniture and brocade fabrics, crystal chandeliers hanging in the halls.
I felt like I was on some period movie set.
Taking us up another flight, we ended up in a small sitting area with two large glass doors that opened onto a cobblestone terrace.
Grace gestured down the hall to the left. “Feel free to pick what works for you. There’s a bathroom at the end of the hall.”
Not needing more encouragement, I wandered down the hall, opening the first door to find a room with two twin beds on either side.
It was light and cheerful with lots of windows, making the small space seem bigger.
Moving to the next room, I found what I was guessing was a full-size bed with a tufted couch against one wall and a set of doors to a small balcony.
Going across the hall, I found the room I was going to be staying in.
Framed in a set of arched French doors was a view of the water.
The room was the most inviting, even if it was the gaudiest with gold accents and warm-toned hardwood floors.
“So, how are we going to decide who gets to bunk with Lailah for the next few days?” Parker asked from right behind me, making me jump.
“It only makes sense that I do because we are bonded,” Brayden said, sitting on the bed.
Parker crossed his arms, looking down at him. “Nope, not gonna happen this time. The only reason we didn’t argue before was that none of us had even kissed her yet. Now that that’s changed, we need to come up with a new plan. I want my time with her.”
“Hey, Parker, your man whore is showing,” Micah growled.
Rounding on him, Parker raised a fist, but before he could land the blow, Jay intercepted and twisted his arm behind his back. “Lailah is not a bone to fight over. She can decide who she spends time with, and we will all listen to her choice, giving her the respect she deserves.”
I felt my brows climb in my surprise at Jay’s outburst. When he felt that Parker was back under control, he let him go and stepped away but kept a wary eye on him.
“If I might offer a suggestion,” Hudson interjected. “If Lailah feels comfortable with this, we could alternate who gets to share the bed. That way no one person gets the privilege over the other.”
None of the boys seemed thrilled with the plan, but I wasn’t totally opposed. I just wasn’t sure that all of them wanted to sleep next to me. Sure, most of us had exchanged a few kisses, but that didn’t mean they were ready to be that intimate with me. Nor I them.
“If we cannot agree, then Lailah will have the room to herself and one of you can bunk with me in my room on the second floor,” Hudson added when no one said anything.
“I think that will be best,” I decided.
Parker looked like he wanted to argue with me, and Brayden looked none too happy, but a grunt from Jay had them keeping their mouths shut.
“Seriously, guys. It’s not like I won’t be spending all my waking time with you. Is it that big of a deal not to bunk with me?” I asked, not getting why this was such a big deal.
Jay walked up to me and cupped my chin in his hand. “You do not have to justify your choice, Lailah. I will make sure that it is respected.” Kissing me gently on the forehead, he headed out of my room and down the hall.
“I call the single room!” Micah called out as he headed off after Jay.
“Too late,” was all I heard, followed by Micah swearing.
I couldn’t help but giggle at them and how much they sounded like my own brothers back home.
“Who’s gonna room with me?” Hudson asked, looking at Parker and Brayden.
“Somehow, I think it would be best for me to room with Micah.” Brayden grinned. “I’m not sure Parker would live through the night if he was alone with Micah that long.”
Parker scrunched up his face in disgust. “Like I was ever going to share a room with him. I would sleep on the couch in Jay’s room before I did that.”
“Come on, let’s leave Lailah to get settled before we all head down for dinner,” Hudson said, ushering out the guys.
“After dinner, we can head out to the lab and find out what my parents have for us so far. It’d also be good to check in with Beth to make sure she is in the loop on all that’s happening. ”
Hearing him talk about Beth made me realize I should call Cami.
Things had been so crazy, I hadn’t called her back after the party like I promised.
Grabbing my backpack, I tossed it on the bed and pulled out my phone, then wandered out on the balcony.
I found a wicker bench with seat cushions and settled down, hitting the video call button.
After a few rings, Cami’s face popped up, her bright green eyes wide with excitement.
I’d forgotten that she dyed her short, funky hair neon-green—her favorite color.
“LALA! You beautiful bitch you, why didn’t you call me sooner?” Cami demanded. “How did last night go? Did they all drool over your bangin’ body in that dress? Oh, did they have any dancing? Come on girl, stop stalling and spill the tea!”
“The guys loved the dress. You should have seen them all—even Micah was impressed,” I shared, smiling as she rolled her eyes. “There was no dancing, but it really wasn’t that type of party. Much too posh for that.”
“Well, that’s boring. What did you end up doing all night?” Cami asked. Something must have shown on my face, because she sat up in bed and her face turned more serious. “Lala, tell me what happened.”
Taking a deep breath, I told her the whole story about Tabitha and the showdown we had outside in the hotel garden. She waited patiently until I was finished and explained how I was now in France at Hudson’s mom’s house.
“Babe, we really need to work on this communication thing between us. Now I know why Beth has been MIA for the last day or so. Damn it, I should have been there with you instead of here safe in my bedroom,” Cami grumbled.
Fear shot through me at the thought of Cami in danger. “Absolutely not! I would have lost my shit if anything happened to you.”
“Aww, you’re so upset you’re even swearing. I feel so special,” Cami teased.
“I’m being serious here. The only reason we survived is because we are the Elementi Warriors. A normal human would have been destroyed,” I snapped.
Cami blinked at me, surprised at my outburst. “That battle really scared you, didn’t it?”
It was then that I realized I had been holding it together for the guys, but now, talking to my best friend, I couldn’t pretend anymore.
“You have no idea how terrified I was that I would lose one of them. Tabitha was so much stronger than I could have imagined, and she’s only the tip of the iceberg.
The Dark Lord is talking to me in my dreams, taunting me, and I’m afraid one of these times I’m not going to survive the encounter,” I sobbed, finally letting my emotions out.
“What if he’s right and the evil inside of me is growing?
Could I become a danger to the people I care about?
The guys act like nothing’s wrong, but I know the truth. ”
“Shut the fuck up, Lailah,” Cami barked at me.
Stunned, my mouth snapped shut, and I sat there silently.
“You listen to me, and you listen good. I get you are scared and this battle showed you the dark side of being part of the Elementi and what it could mean for you and the guys in the future. Now, what I want you to do is take that fear and use it, learn from it. You’re going to be starting your studies when you get back, and now you see just how much you need to catch up on if you want to protect those around you.
Don’t let your fear chase you away from the darkness.
Own that it’s a part of you and do something about it! ”
“You’re right,” I murmured, feeling thoroughly chastised.
“Damn right I am! Now pull your shit together, investigate what that bitch-ass demon lord is up to, and enjoy being in France for Christmas surrounded by your men,” Cami commanded.
Wiping the remnants of my tears off my cheeks, I gave her a smile. “Yes ma’am.”
“I love the fuck out of you babe, but sometimes you get lost in that beautiful head of yours,” Cami said with a smirk. “Now hang up with me and go enjoy your night.”
“Love you, talk later,” I said, giving her a wave and hanging up the call.