Chapter 36
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
ELLIOT
“Okay, so what’s our first order of business?
” The Top Dogs have left, as we still have assignments to carry out.
Diora and I sit in front of Enyo’s desk in his new, better office, as we lay the new groundwork for Enyo’s new Ownership.
The Morrígan Society Higher Ups were one step ahead of us, his invite to their Ownership monthly meeting sitting in his inbox when he got back from Mother’s house after Diroa killed her.
“First rule: we don’t trade skin. We kill it,” Diora says, waiting for Enyo to type it on his computer.
“Solid, solid. What else?” Enyo asks.
“What are we going to do with new recruits? Or the people who wanna leave?”
“Let them leave,” Diora quickly answers, like it’s the most obvious answer in the world, and while I may agree that we should let them leave, it’s not that simple.
“What if they rat?” I ask.
“Then we kill them.”
“That simple?” I ask with raised brows, wondering if she’s thought this through or not.
“That easy, handsome,” she says with a half shrug. “Well, that ends this meeting.”
Diora stands smoothing in her little dress.
I know she wears them to rile me up, but I also know they make her feel pretty.
Little does my Little Crane know, that giddiness she has over her dresses is what actually riles me up.
Seeing my little bird happy is all I ever want, all I could ever wish for, and now I can give that to her unabashedly.
“We have a showing to get to,” she says, staring pointedly at the both of us. “Let’s go.”
Diora said she’s never had a dream like she did a few nights ago.
She dreamed of a huge house where she and Juliet could raise their families.
Two wings, with a center for big family celebrations, and while she may have never thought she’d have kids, she knows Juliet will, and she wants to be a part of that.
She wants a family home.
A place where the people she loves can call home. A safe place.
So, I need a home fit for my woman’s dreams. We’ve been searching for our new safe haven for a while, and I’m about two more showings away from buying land and building the damn thing ourselves.
“We’re being called, Brother,” I say, getting out of my chair and following Diora. Of course, family also means Enyo. Why he agreed to live in a house with Diora and her sister is a mystery to me.
He’s always loved his space. He kills in his home in Litchfort, which will not be happening in this new home, so why he agreed to live with us is confusing to me. But he’s a grown man who can make his own decisions.
Living with my brother again isn’t something I’ll argue with, either.
Walking beside me, Enyo laughs as he puts his computer in his bag.
“Have you heard from the Society?”
“Nothing besides a simple ‘good’ after I sent them the message that Mrs. Jay is dead.”
“Do they care that much about human trafficking?”
“Maybe, but maybe they were doing something else that we don’t know about that the Society doesn’t want members to know about.” I shrug as we load into the car. The Society may have put me on to Mother, thinking I’d be able to kill her, but I’ll never know the real reason.
The Society isn’t a group you ask questions to. You don’t even ask them about themselves. Ask the wrong question, and you’ll find yourself at the bottom of Lake Michigan.
I’m just glad they didn’t ask me to kill someone I love. ‘Cause if I couldn’t kill Mother, I damn sure can’t kill Enyo or Diora.
“So, this is a ten-bedroom house.”
“Mansion,” Enyo coughs as we walk up the pathway to the front door of what I’m pretty sure is going to be our new home. It’s a modern build, with black trim and a cream exterior. The house is expensive and going to be hard to keep fucking clean, but the gleam in Diora’s eyes makes it all worth it.
The agent goes on and on about the house, with Diora stone-facing her the entire time, but I can tell by the twitch in her fingers she loves it.
The house has a greenhouse in the backyard, more than enough room for me, Enyo, and Juliet to have at least two rooms each. It’s got big windows, and it has a pool.
This is the family home of her dreams.
The agent leaves us to discuss in the kitchen. The kitchen has nice white marble countertops and tall black cabinets, with an island with a chandelier over it.
“So?” I ask, circling my arm around Diora’s waist as she looks around.
“We’re gonna need some rules,” Enyo says, raising his brows. “First rule: no fucking in common areas.”
“Rule number two: no promises.” Diora winks, circling her arms around me. The only one missing is Juliet, who is currently signing up for classes at the local college to start her new handmade soap business.
If anyone of us has made progress, it is Juliet.
The PTSD, and maybe undiagnosed OCD, still plagues her, but instead of it taking her life, she’s found something she’s passionate about—soap.
Cleanliness is her all day long, and maybe a house this big will make all her cleaning dreams come true.
Though I don’t know if feeding the monster is the wisest thing to do.
With caring for Diora came caring for Juliet, too. I want her to succeed as much as Diora does, so buying out her hand crafted soaps at every online launch she does, is one of the many things I’d do for her.
“No fucking in the common areas. I do not want to see Enyo getting it,” I say, kissing the top of Diora’s head. She scoffs, but agrees nonetheless.
“Is this the one?” Enyo asks, showing his arms around, as if he’s the one showing us the place.
I gaze down at Diora. My sweet, beautiful Little Crane, and I know before she even nods her confirmation.
“Juliet will love this house. Will you be okay sharing a wing with her?” Diora asks. “And I don’t want no funny business, Enyo. If you don’t love her, don’t fuck with her.”
“How do you know if you love someone before you even have a conversation with them?” Enyo says with a light smile on his lips.
I don’t know the extent of their relationship, but I hope he knows I can’t save him from Diora.
“I did. The moment I saw Elliot, I knew he was mine,” Diora snaps back. I turn my head to hide the red that’s coming.
“Okay, are we buying this damn house?” Enyo asks.
“We’re getting this house,” I confirm.