Infinity Chronicles Book One: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Series

by Albany Walker

  I throw my hands out wide. “Take it or leave it.”

  Dante grumbles, turning partially away from me, and Milo places his hand on his shoulder in support. In the next instant Dante is striding toward me. I take two steps back before he grabs my wrist, slamming a cell phone into my open palm. “You don’t come out in five minutes, I get a call telling me you’re okay. If not, I won’t knock, but I’ll be in that RV.” He leans in even closer and I swear the color of his eyes shifts from a honey brown to a molten gold. “Take it or leave it,” he snarls quietly.

  I close my fingers over the phone and peer over his shoulder. My eyes are probably about ready to bug out of my head. I swallow once and give a terse nod.

  Pulling free from Dante’s grasp, I look at the phone. The sleek screen is lit, showing a picture of the black Nova. This is Dante’s phone. “It’s locked,” I murmur.

  Dante takes the phone from my hand with gentle fingers, his jaw is clenched tight with the effort. The picture changes to the home screen the second it’s in his hand. With a few quick swipes he turns the lock feature off. He reaches out to hand the phone back, only to pull his arm away when I move to grab it. Dante turns to look at Ollie and Milo, who have been completely quiet through the exchange. “Shit,” he curses. Dante grabs my hand, flipping it over so my palm is exposed. He studies my eyes intensely. “Anything you see on this phone was from before we met you.”

  My nose wrinkles. “What do you mean?”

  Dante’s eyes close on a long blink. “Nothing, just that….” He looks over at Ollie. “Can I do a master reset? How long will that take?” I close my fingers over the phone in question. Before he said anything I never once thought to look through his phone, I mean people’s whole lives are on their phones nowadays. But now my curiosity is piqued. What is he worried I’d find?

  “I won’t go through your phone,” I promise. I might want to, but that would be a huge violation of his privacy.

  Dante looks at the ground. “I believe you,” he mumbles but glances away, his shoulders slumped. What’s that about?

  I reach up and place my hand on his shoulder. “Your secrets are safe with me. I promise I won’t touch your phone unless I’m using it to call you guys.”

  “I would.” Dante’s eyes meet mine. “I would go through yours if I had the chance. I wouldn’t be able to stop myself, hell I wouldn’t even try.” He spins away from me, heading toward the other end of the car. Ollie approaches with a small grim smile.

  “Okay, so me and Milo both have our cells, we’re under the contacts. If you’re not going to come back out, just ring one of us to let us know.” I nod biting my lip.

  Without looking at Dante, I slide the phone in my back pocket. It feels warm and foreign, but also comforting. I’ve never had a cell phone. Not even the burner kind the kids at school would get if their parents took theirs away.

  I trek past the front entrance, grateful they parked far enough away where Mike wouldn’t see them and ask questions.

  Before I unlock the door, I know she’s not in there, and she hasn’t been back since she left. There’s something about the stillness that makes loneliness invade. I take a good look around to see if anything has changed just in case before leaving a note on the dinette.

  I pull the phone from my pocket, only to check the time. I’m afraid I didn’t give myself enough time to make it back to the car before my time limit expires. I bite my lip then hit the contact button after locking the door behind me. There’s a star with favorites listed under it. Ares is the first name listed, followed by Milo, and Oliver. The rest of the names are girls with Delaney being one of them. I huff out a breath and hit the green phone next to Ollie’s name.

  “Hello,” Ollie answers briskly.

  “It’s me.” I cringe at how silly I must sound.

  “I know,” he chuckles throatily. “Mom need ya?” He sounds a little defeated.

  “No, I’m actually walking back, I was worried I would run out of time.”

  “Oh… good. Do you want us to pick you up at the entrance?”

  “No,” I answer too quickly. “I’ll meet you where you were.”

  “Okaaay,” he stretches the word.

  “So, bye I guess.”

  “Wait, um… are you hungry? I’m famished, but I’m always hungry.”

  “Can’t we just talk about this when I get to the car?”

  “I just thought maybe we could stay on the phone until you get here.” Ollie’s voice is soft, like he doesn’t want anyone to overhear him.

  “I guess I’m a little hungry,” I answer as I make it to the mouth of the park.

  “Hey, there you are. I see you.”

  “I’m going to hang up now Ollie.”

  “Okay Laura, bye… no wait, see you soon.” He chuckles on the line before it goes dead. I pull the phone from my ear as it vibrates. I look down on instinct. A text from Kimberly scrolls across the screen before I have a chance to look away.

  Had a great time last night ! When can I see you again????

  My stomach hollows, and I let my hand drop to my side, walking the rest of the way to the car. Dante couldn’t give me answers yesterday, but he had time to kick it with Kimberly. I don’t meet Dante’s eyes when I place his phone on the hood of the car. I’m seconds away from saying fuck it, and going back home.

  “Come on Laura, Milo called shotgun.” Ollie tilts his head like he’s disappointed, but I know it’s just for show. “Ladies first,” he adds, holding the seat forward for me to slide into the back. Dante is standing at the hood of the car staring down at his phone. I can’t see what he’s doing but I watch as his thumbs bounce around the screen. I look out the window, he’s probably texting her back. I have no right to be jealous, but that doesn’t stop the lump in my throat.

  Once everyone is seated Dante sighs, “Where to?”

  Milo looks back at me then Ollie. “Is Dante’s place okay? I don’t really feel like sitting in this car anymore.” Milo’s words aren’t harsh, but I feel like he’s chastising me anyway. I shrug, what’s the difference. At least there I don’t have to put up with running into someone from school. These guys seem to attract attention everywhere they go. I’m pretty surprised no one found them while they were waiting for me.

  I shift in my seat. I didn’t bring my backpack and I feel like something’s missing. That thought spurs another. “Dante,” my voice is small, I don’t even want to address him. “Um, did you by chance find any keys yesterday? They were in my backpack, and when I got home I couldn’t find them. I thought maybe they fell out when my bag broke?” I ramble.

  Milo turns in his seat, facing me. “Good thing your mom was home to let you in.”

  I look out the window. “Yeah, good thing.”

  “I didn’t see your keys, but I wasn’t looking either.” Dante looks over at Milo. “We had some stuff to deal with last night.” I just bet you did I think to myself. “We can look for them today,” Dante finishes.

  The drive to Dante’s house only takes about fifteen minutes. As soon as I spot his driveway, my stomach rolls. My knee bounces as we turn down the lane. Ollie reaches over and places his palm on my thigh, stilling my movements. He gives me a gentle squeeze and I look over at him. His lips open and he barely whispers, “It’ll be okay.” I don’t really believe him. I mean he doesn’t even know I’m dealing with so much more than this weirdness happening with us. But I plaster a smile on my face and nod, hoping he’ll buy it.

  When Dante shuts off the car no one moves to get out. For all of Milo’s talk that he was tired of it, he doesn’t rush to exit either. Dante turns in his seat, finding me in the back. “Probably should have told you yesterday, that’s my brother’s house over there.” His head nods to the cheery yellow house with the wraparound porch.

  “It’s your house too Dante,” Milo intones.

  “I like my privacy. My brother’s staff are always around over there so I moved into the loft a year or so ago.”

  “I
thought your brother lived far away.” Dante’s eyes narrow. “I mean… Maggie mentioned he was moving back so I assumed he didn’t live here.” I wave my hand at the picturesque house to my right.

  Dante turns back to the front. “Yeah he moved out a little over a year ago.” It’s not lost on me that the two time frames are very close together. Could there be more to why Ares moved out, or why Dante isn’t staying in the house anymore? He opens his door and leans the seat forward for me. Bracing my arm on the driver’s seat, I let my left leg find the ground. Dante doesn’t move away so I have to shimmy past him to get out. Once I back away from him I rub my hands over my hips, straightening my t-shirt.

  Why does their presence affect me so much? Half the time I can’t figure out if Milo and Dante hate me or not. Ollie seems to be the only one who does more than tolerate me. It’s him that wraps his arm around my neck and guides me to the stairway.

  Dante heads right for the fridge, pulling out three cans of cola, before snagging another. He doesn’t ask if anyone wants a drink, he just hands them out, stopping on me last. I don’t drink much soda, but I take the offered can anyway. The sugar might actually do me good.

  Not sure how to get things started, I look around the room. A few sheets of paper are still lying on the floor near the sofa. I place my drink on the kitchen counter and head over to clean up the mess I left and see if my keys turn up. I drop to my knees much like yesterday, and lean down to get the piece half under the couch. As I pull it out something red catches my eye. On top of my paper is a tiny scrap of lacy red material that couldn’t be anything but a pair of panties. Dante rounds the couch the second I pull the sheet out. I jerk my hand away, for those panties to have ended up on top of my paper, they would have had to have been left here after my bag broke yesterday afternoon. A bitter laugh escapes me.

  “Well those aren’t mine.” I motion to the offending item. Dante is stock-still, his face is ashen, while his lips are rolled in. Milo walks over and peers over his friend’s shoulder. His eyes go wide but he doesn’t utter a word.

  “Did you find someone else’s keys?” Ollie questions, making his way over. “Those definitely aren’t keys.”

  “Can you at least move them, so I can get my paper, I’m not touching them.” I wave my hand over the panties, when Dante doesn’t make a move to do anything with them.

  Dante snaps out of his frozen posture and crosses his arms over his chest, widening his legs. “Are you sure they didn’t fall out of your bag, I mean they’re on top of your stuff.”

  I suck in a sharp breath. How dare he accuse me of leaving them here? “They aren’t mine,” I growl through gritted teeth and stand, unable to keep glaring at him from the floor. My fingers tremble, and my eyes prick with the sensation of brimming tears.

  “You probably wouldn’t admit to it if they were yours. Why would you have spare panties in your bag?” The implication is clear; he thinks I’m easy.

  I take a step closer and point my finger at his chest. “I’ll say it again since your small brain didn’t understand me the first time. They are not mine. And if they were, it would be none of your fucking business why they were in my bag.” Another step. “I’ll have you know, you assuming ass, that there are plenty of reasons a girl might have a change of clothes with her that has nothing to do with what you’re insinuating.” I jab my finger into his sternum.

  Dante’s eyes narrow and he moves his head from left to right, cracking his neck. I’m breathing heavily and staring right back. I feel fingers wrap around my upper arms from behind. The static charge I get lifts the hair on my arms, and the baby hairs around my face fan out like I’m touching a plasma ball.

  “Let’s just take this down a notch,” Milo mutters behind me. I twist my neck, surprised to find he’s the one holding me. I jerk my shoulders and step to the side, pulling free from his grasp. A gleam under the table catches my eye. I stoop and grab my keys from the floor, shoving them in my front pocket. My breathing is still choppy, but I don’t feel like I grabbed an electric fence anymore. Ollie skirts the couch, stepping closer to me. I scan the three of them. Why did I come here? Desperation… loneliness?

  “I think maybe I should go.” I wrap my hands over my stomach looking at the ground. Milo’s grunt of annoyance proceeds him throwing his arms in the air.

  “Can we drop all the drama for like five minutes and have a conversation?” He stares directly at me. My back goes rigid, and I drop my arms to my sides. He’s blaming me for all this?

  “Say whatever you need to say.” I narrow my eyes on him. “Then leave me the hell alone.” I separate myself from them by walking over to the wall and leaning against it.

  “Not fucking possible,” Milo utters under his breath.

  “Oh, I assure you, it is,” I snap back. Dante shakes his head and drops onto the sofa in a messy sprawl.

  “Can we just rewind a few days?” Dante lifts his head off the back of the sofa, looking around. Milo drops down next to him and offers his knuckles for a fist bump. “Okay, so I’m going to go out on a limb and guess you don’t know anything about our connection?”

  I thin my lips and shake my head in denial. Dante nods his head in agreement. “Did you want to sit down, or… maybe your drink?” More avoidance. When I huff and roll my eyes, Dante continues, “I never expected we’d have to explain this to our Synergist. This isn’t exactly easy for any of us either.”

  I rub my forehead, searching for patience. It would be easier if we could rewind a few days. Two days ago Dante was broody and quiet, but I didn’t think he was the dick Ollie accused him of being. Milo’s always been more standoffish, but not the way he’s being now. What changed yesterday?

  Deciding I want the answers they’re promising, I walk over to the low table in front of the couch where I found my keys and sit, my legs folded in front of me with my hands in my lap. Ollie takes a seat next to Dante on the couch, while Milo chooses to move away from our group and lean against the small kitchen counter. I don’t take it as a good sign.

  “Is it bad that I wish Ares was here to do this?” Dante winces and looks over to Ollie. Who shakes his head no, and grimaces.

  “It’s only going to get harder to control, we have to do this,” Milo states flatly.

  Ollie places his hand on Dante’s shoulder in a show of support. “Start with our story,” he offers softly.

  Dante drops his elbows to his knees and grabs his head in his hands. “That’s not any easier to explain.” He looks up and meets my eyes briefly. “You know she’s going to think we’re crazy, right?”

  “Not after see sees it, feels it for real.” Ollie scoots forward on the seat. “So, you know Dante has a brother, Ares.” He looks at me waiting for a response. I nod. Their wariness is wearing off on me. “Our parents were close friends, so all four of us grew up more like brothers than friends. I can’t remember a time I wasn’t at one of their houses or they were at mine.” Ollie gets a small smile on his face while looking across the room. “Me and Milo are only children, it’s uncommon for a grouping to have more than one child, that’s part of the reason we form groups instead of pairs, there are way more males than females.” He shakes his head. “I’m getting ahead of myself. Where was I? Oh yeah, so we’ve known we were different than norms since pretty much forever. We get taught from an early age to keep the truth of ourselves hidden. I mean, it’s not hard until we manifest, there’s nothing to hide really, we just don’t advertise that we know things will be different for us.”

  I bring my fingers up to my lips darting my eyes around the room. Is he for real? Ollie continues, “Typically, when we come of age,” he clears his throat, “we get a marker, like an identifier that links you to your grouping.”

  I hold my hand up and close my eyes. “What kind of identifier?”

  “It’s usually something small, something that looks like a birthmark,” Dante answers, leaning back on the couch, fiddling with the thick leather bracelet on his wrist. “So, most groups have
two males and one female, there are a few that have three guys, but that’s not very common.

  Ares got his mark before us, cause obviously he’s older. When your mark appears it’s a big deal, it gets…” He struggles for the word. “…registered?” He glances between Milo and Ollie.

  Milo nods. “Yeah something like that.” His hands are braced on the counter behind him. It shows off how tapered his waist is, and the width of his shoulders. He’s staring off into space, so I take a few moments to study him. The distance and the fading sun conceals the blue of his eyes. His brow is drawn low, and shadows darken his features, making him look more intimidating. His head snaps up and he meets my eyes, I look away immediately hating he caught me staring.

  “Ares’s mark was presented, and no one came forward with a matching mark. That occasionally happens. Sometimes members of the group might not have manifested yet because they are younger by a year or two, but Ares went four years before anyone got the same identifier.”

  “It was me,” Ollie pipes up. His chin rose with a challenge. “I was relieved. I already knew Ares, loved him like a brother so I knew we could work together as a team. But… it scared me too. Ares had manifested four years early and he still didn’t have a Synergist, that’s a long time to go without the core of your ability.”

  Milo’s brisk movement startles me as he joins Ollie on the sofa. He sits down hip to hip with him, running his palm over Ollie’s back. “I was next, my birthday is just a few weeks after Ollie’s.” the two boys look at each other, a slight grin pulling a Milo’s lips, while Ollie just stares back with open affection. My earlier assumption is affirmed, they are definitely together.

  “My mark showed up a few months later, but by that time we already suspected it would, we had always been really close, so it made sense in a weird way that we would all be in a group. There hasn’t been an Infinity with five in a really long time; it’s almost unheard of now.” Dante adds. “Ares was… he had been struggling, but now with all of us manifesting with the same mark, he got excited. Thinking that our Synergist would show herself at any moment.” Dante scoots forward on the couch, his eyes boring into mine. “That was almost two years ago.”