Chuckling, I say, “Well, for me, I can now somehow detect lies. I’m still playing around with the accuracy of it and how it all works, but it could prove invaluable.”
“Oh, our own personal lie detector. Nifty.” She looks thoughtful for a moment. “And the others?”
“I think I’ll let them explain their own powers to you. I don’t want to steal their thunder.”
She cocks her head to the side, studying me with a crooked grin. “You’re really pretty amazing. You know that, right?”
My power flares, and I can’t resist the urge to let it free. Feeling the truth of her statement flood through me, filling up the emptiness I’ve felt for so long with her sincerity, hell, with each and every thing she does. “Same could be said about you.” I walk over and kiss the tip of her nose. “Oh, just make sure you ask Knox about making Thad cry. It was epic. Now, come on, I need to look something up on my computer.”
“That’s not code for ‘straddle my cock and ride me while I work,’ is it?”
My head whips her way, and she’s got that mischievous grin plastered on her face. That hint of naughtiness is too damn attractive, immediately distracting my intent focus that rarely concedes. My power can’t tell if she’s being serious or playful, but my dick doesn’t care. The image is cemented in my mind, and it wants nothing more than to be inside her again.
“Think we can make that work with the desk chair?” I grunt out. Before I know what my body has in mind, I’m lifting her up, her arms wrapping around my neck and legs coming around my waist as I walk us over to the desk, both of us somehow managing to shed clothes as we go. At this rate, we’re never going to get anything done, but I can’t find it in me to care.
She laughs, the sound making my soul sing and my dick jump at the same time. Damn, this woman is going to be the death of me. Figuratively, of course, because I’m not letting her go again.
It’s been hours, and there’s been no sign of Fate. I wouldn’t admit this out loud, but I’m a nervous fucking wreck.
“You need to relax, bro. She’s fine,” my twin mutters as we head downstairs.
“The fuck? I know that.”
“Then why are you so damn fidgety?”
“I’m not fidgety!”
“You totally are.”
“What are you two fuck nuggets arguing about?” Knox asks as soon as we walk into the kitchen.
“Dipshit’s worried about our girl. She’s been out for a while now.”
“I told you, I’m good. You just don’t fucking listen.”
We take a seat at the table as Knox throws sandwiches together at the counter.
“I’m sure she’s fine. Mack would let us know if anything changed.” Knox straightens clearing his throat and looking sketchy as all hell as he walks over and sets plates in front of each of us.
“What aren’t you telling us?”
“What are you talking about?”
“He’s definitely hiding something, bro.”
“What the fuck ever, numbnuts. Eat your food.”
“Dude, it’s super weird how you do that.” Deciding to worry about Knox’s weirdness later because I’m suddenly starving, I pick up the sandwich and take a big bite.
He grabs a bag of chips from the counter and sets them in the middle of the table before he sits down with his own plate. “Do what?”
“Give us food without us even having to ask.”
He shrugs. “Empath. Comes with the territory. When you two get hangry, the bickering gets worse, and I try to avoid that at all costs. Remember the time you two decided you could hold off on lunch until we were done with the job we were heading to? You ended up throwing punches right in front of the client and almost got arrested.”
Before I can respond, Reggie pops into the chair next to me and I almost choke on my ham and swiss. “Fucking hell. Can’t you warn a guy?”
“Where would the fun be in that?” She smirks. “Destiny is getting anxious. Where’s Fate now?”
“She’s still with Mack.”
“Hmm...guess she deserves some R&R before walking back into the shit storm.”
Levi chuckles. “Rest and relaxation? Is that what they’re calling it these days?”
She ignores my twin and looks my way. “What’s with the look, Thad? You a little...stressed?”
“What the fuck? Can’t everyone just worry about their damn selves?”
The quirky ghost just rolls her eyes at me.
Levi smacks me upside my head, and I turn to glare at him. “What the hell was that for?”
“Be nice, bro. Just because you’re irritable doesn’t mean you can take it out on the rest of us.”
“For the last damn time, I’m fine.”
“God. Some things never change,” she mutters, looking around the kitchen. “Unlike these cabinets. I remember this kitchen when it didn’t have any. Just a big table in the center for food prep. A big black cast-iron cook stove and a sink for washing dishes. A buffet over on that wall with a china cabinet. One of those old-fashioned phones with the circular dial and big black mouth and ear pieces. Damn, the early 1900s were a simple era.”
Knox pauses with his sandwich halfway to his mouth. “Wait. You remember this house?”
“Well, yeah. Fate spent a lot of time here.”
“Why would she spend time here?” my brother asks, leaning forward in his seat, the mood suddenly turning serious.
Reggie looks around at the rest of us, then her eyes dart up to Cole who is suddenly standing at the table.
“I think I’m finally starting to get it. When you said you don’t remember anything, you literally meant nothing,” she whispers. “Shit.”
Cole grabs a chair and flips it around, settling his arms along the back as he studies the ghostly assistant.
“Reggie, tell us what you know about this place.”
“This was Olivia’s house; we called her Liv. She and her brother Nicholas inherited the house when their parents died. That’s how Fate met her. She helped the parents cross over after their accident. Nicholas was quite a bit older and unexpectedly found himself guardian of his younger sister. Up until then, he’d been a trust fund brat, living off an inheritance from their grandparents with little to no real responsibility, and he didn’t take the transition well. Fate stepped in and helped with Liv, despite your disapproval. You all felt that getting too close to the living could pose problems, but Fate was adamant that Liv needed her. Over the years, they grew closer, almost more like sisters. She told Liv everything and vice versa. I’d come along with Fate from time to time when I could. Even though Liv could never see me, Fate would always relay conversations between us. I guess I just assumed their bond was the reason Fate reappeared here.”
The room is dead silent at Reggie’s words.
“But that still doesn’t make sense. Liv wouldn’t even be here anymore.” I may not be the resident genius, but even I know when something doesn’t add up.
“He’s right for once,” Levi murmurs, rolling his eyes when mine narrow on him. “Oh, admit it, you’re wrong more often than you’re right...about anything.”