Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
VIOLET
“ I feel completely useless right now,” Faedra whispers, leaning in close enough that her hair blocks her mouth from prying eyes. “What are we supposed to be doing?”
The movers work around us, emptying out the things in the dorm that are mine without a word to us. One guy looks up as he comes out of my bedroom, a set of boxes propped on a dolly, and smiles. He seems vaguely familiar, but I can’t quite place him.
Faedra waves. “Hey, Sam. Didn’t realize you started a second job.”
Well, that explains it. Sam is one of the guys in her major. They’ve taken nearly every class together and are often in the same study groups.
He shrugs. “Just something to tide me over until grad school starts in the fall. Keeps me busy. When do you move out?”
“My family’s coming out tomorrow to help me finish packing, and then the movers will be here Saturday.”
He nods, and one of the other men ducks around him, my nightstand in his arms.
“Denver, right?” Sam asks.
Faedra nods and leans her head against mine.
“Yep.” She pops the “p” in the way she does when she’s tired of the conversation. Sam seems to notice it, too. His cheeks grow pink and he tilts the dolly back into his hands.
“Well, I don’t think I’m scheduled for your move on Saturday. I hope it goes well.”
My best friend leans against the counter and smiles, offering a warm thanks.
I glance out the door as Sam leaves. Rylan and Jasper lean against the hallway just outside the dorm, mirror images of each other in their dark jeans and light shirts, their hands shoved into their pockets and their jaws clenched. Despite them being nearly identical, Jasper seems merely broody while Rylan feels like leashed violence.
Hell, the differences between designations are so subtle sometimes.
“Think it’s still okay for me to go with you?” Faedra whispers, her eyes trained on Rylan. She fidgets with one of her orbital piercings. I grab her hand and lead her out of the apartment, stopping in front of the guys.
Rylan notices her anxiety right away, even with her so suppressed, and relaxes his shoulders, letting a small smile curve his lips.
“You girls want to stop for some lunch first or head straight out to the house?” he asks, his voice low and smooth. It shouldn’t send a thrill down my spine, but I can’t quite manage to keep from shivering. Faedra relaxes beside me. Jasper takes my hand and kisses the crown of my head, and I relax into him.
“I’m up for either,” I say. “What do you want to do, Fae?”
She shrugs and messes with her piercing again. “Could we get something delivered to the house? That way we don’t have to try to manage both.”
Rylan nods, and Jasper pulls out his phone. “Any preferences?”
When we answer in the negative, he nods. One of the movers approaches, standing back a few feet, his eyes wary as he takes in the four of us. It feels a little over-the-top, but then I hear Rylan’s low growl, and I take a deep breath. Sidestepping, I lean into Rylan.
“We’re just about finished, sir,” the man says, clearing his throat. “Last load is heading down now. We’ll stop for our lunch break and then be on our way to the address given. Anything else you need from us here?”
I shake my head. “Thank you,” I murmur.
He nods once before following the other men down the hall and toward the truck.
Jasper tucks his phone into his pocket. “Bianca’s on her way to the house, and she’s bringing food, so we should get headed over there. And it sounds like Liz and Huntley want to stop by, too. You all right with that?”
Faedra shrugs, and I nod. “Sounds good to me.”
“Holy shit,” Faedra breathes, her hand clenched around mine.
We’re tucked deep into Brentwood, high enough on the cliffs that I’d bet money there’s at least partial ocean views from the backyard of the house. Though, honestly, house is too blasé of a word. Estate works better. I refuse to use mansion, though it fits, too. Mansion just reminds me too much of my mother, and her hands are already too involved in this whole damn mess as it is.
“I didn’t realize the philharmonic paid this well,” Faedra says.
Jasper laughs behind us, wrapping an arm around my waist and kissing the crown of my head.
“It doesn’t,” Rylan says, voice dry, as he gets out of the car. “This is all Dominic.”
My stomach clenches.
Italian mafia .
I don’t say the words out loud, Jasper’s rushed warning of discretion a couple days ago still ringing in my ears.
It feels a bit anticlimactic, honestly. I’d expected a gate and subtle security and maybe even a valet of some kind. Not quite like the books always make it sound—coming from money tempers expectations a bit—but certainly more opulent than this.
The house is huge, yes, and clearly worth a metric fuck ton. But it’s understated, modern rather than traditional with its square lines and large walls of glass. The landscaping leans on the natural vegetation of the cliff sides rather than forcing a manicured lawn. There’s small pathways built throughout the yard and a small set of garden boxes that don’t seem to be in use set off to the side of the house, positioned perfectly to see both the cliffs and the ocean when working in them.
It’s nothing like my parents’ place, and for that I mumble a small prayer of thanks to whatever god might be listening. A woman with olive skin and long black hair curled and pinned back walks down the front steps. Her simple jewel purple wrap dress is as understated as the house, though the large diamond ring and coordinating necklace belie her wealth.
“Lunch is just about finished. Perfect timing,” she says, hugging Rylan before turning to me and Jasper. Faedra tightens her hold on my hand.
“Bianca.” Jasper’s voice is warm as he drops his arm and steps around me, hugging the woman and letting her kiss his cheek. She’s the same height as Faedra, so he doesn’t have to move far. When she pulls away from him, he holds his hand out to me. “This is Violet and Faedra.”
The woman smiles, and it lights up her entire face. “Wonderful to meet you both. I’ve heard so much from Jasper about you, Violet. Sei bellissima .”
The compliment falls from her between one breath and the next, but it feels genuine. Warmth fills my chest. She closes the distance between us, hugging first me and then Faedra, her movements quick but warm, like she greets everyone with a hug rather than a handshake.
“You are Violet’s friend, yes?” Faedra nods, and she smiles again, even wider than before. “Welcome to the family, both of you. I’m sure my son has done a terrible job of making you feel welcome, so let me do the work for him. Let’s go eat. I brought lasagna.”
When she pulls away, she takes my hand and Jasper’s, leading us both inside. Faedra keeps hold of my other hand, following close behind me.
The foyer opens into a large open concept, the living room larger than my entire dorm and then some. A formal dining room is tucked off the doorway to the right and a study is immediately to the left, its frosted doors open, revealing a bright room with at least half a dozen guitars scattered throughout it—and no actual desk. Everything is done up in white and dark wood tones, the floor nearly the perfect match for the sand of my favorite beach. A literal wall of glass overlooks the backyard.
And it has more than passing ocean views: the entire back wall is filled with the midmorning sun reflecting off the water. Faedra’s breath catches in her throat.
“Holy hell, Vi,” she murmurs, leaning into me.
“ Quando arriveranno gli altri? ” Bianca asks, crossing the main living room to the kitchen tucked against the back corner. It’s also done in shades of white, though the backsplash is a warm gray that reminds me of sandstone. She flips her hair over her shoulder and rolls her eyes as she looks back at us. “ Domenico tells me nothing. But you already know that.”
“Bianca, you know I’m not good enough with my Italian to know what you asked,” Rylan says as he closes the door behind us, his voice warm. Almost… happy? I glance over my shoulder and find him leaning against the door, his hands in his pockets again, a half-smile on his lips. His head is tilted just enough that I can see the double snake tattoo crawling up his neck. He looks like a fucking album cover model for some alternative rock band.
Holy sex appeal. My thighs clench, and I can’t quite manage to keep my breath from catching. Faedra looks between me and Rylan before laughing.
She leans in, covering her mouth with a hand, and whispers, “Violet and Rylan sitting in a tree?—”
I elbow her in the stomach before she can continue, the blush darkening my cheeks despite my best intentions.
Bianca sighs even as she pulls a large dish from the lower wall oven and sets it on the stove. “One day, you will understand. You will not learn if I do not speak it, though, monello .”
Jasper laughs as he follows Bianca across the room, grabbing a set of plates from one of the upper cabinets. The two of them work seamlessly around each other, like they cook together often. Something twists in my stomach, an odd combination of jealousy and excitement.
“The movers should be here in another hour or so,” Jasper says. He holds out a plate for Bianca, and she spoons some of the lasagna onto it. There’s a sharp knock on the door. “And that,” he says dryly, “would be the girls.”
I turn just in time to see Rylan open the door, revealing Liz and Huntley.
“Holy crap, I forgot how long of a drive it is out here,” Liz says, her voice just as loud as the last time I saw her. Two of her matched Alphas follow, their heads close together and their hands in the pockets of their shorts. I recognize both from the bar, but neither of them are Zach. “I hope traffic doesn’t suck going back down later today. It’s only Thursday, so it shouldn’t be completely awful—Oh, hi, Violet!”
Huntley rolls her eyes and steps into the foyer. “These are for you,” she says. She holds out a large bouquet of sunflowers in a simple gray vase.
“Thank you,” I say, trying to keep my surprise off my face.
Had Jasper told them my preferences? We’d only just reconnected a couple days ago.
She turns the moment I have a solid hold on the glass, introducing herself and Liz to Faedra. The three of them settle into an easy conversation, migrating across the room toward the kitchen. Bianca waves them off.
“Go sit, ragazze ,” she says, pointing toward the large dining table. It’s large enough to sit at least ten, though there’s only six chairs placed around it.
“The things you ordered are here, by the way,” Rylan says, easing past me, letting his hand run along my waist as he passes. “I’ve put them in the room I thought you’d like most, but we can adjust things after we eat if you’re not in love with the set up.”
He kisses Jasper’s cheek and takes the plate from his hands.
“Oh! Is she getting the purple room? Because holy crap, that one is so pretty, and the views are to die for,” Liz says, giggling. “I love living downtown, but man, the views you guys get up here are stunning, I swear.”
One of the men leans in and kisses her shoulder, and she blushes.
“We’ll figure all that out after food,” Bianca says, carrying a pitcher of something that looks like lemonade.
Huntley smiles. “Bianca, you make the best limoncello.”
The other woman beams as she sits across from me. Rylan settles on my left, Faedra already sitting on my right. Jasper sits next to him, his hand high on Rylan’s upper thigh. The others settle in around us, one of Liz’s Alphas grabbing a couple extra chairs from where they’re sitting in the corners of the room beside the large front windows.
“ Grazie , Huntley,” Bianca says. “Now let’s eat before the men get here.”