Infinity Chronicles Book One: A Paranormal Reverse Harem Series

by Albany Walker

I didn’t even think about her still being here. Does she live here with them too? My hand lifts and I clasp the fabric of Ares’s shirt, not caring that I’m wrinkling it. He belongs to me, she shouldn’t be here. As soon as the thoughts enter my mind, I shake my head in denial. He doesn’t belong to me, I just want him to, I want all of them to.

  Ares closes the tiny distance between us, half of his body flush with the front of mine. “Shhhh,” he hushes me again, no louder than a breath.

  “Do you think Ares will be able to get the lights back on?” Mia’s voice is receding into the house again as Dante leads her away. His reply is too quiet for me to register, but I do hear his low mumbling.

  “Oliver, Milo, come wait with Laura while I go check on the generator.” Not even a second later a series of clicking starts as the lights begin to turn back on.

  Narrowing my eyes, I blink several times, readjusting to the lights. When I can see again, my eyes land on the light switch on the wall. Black scorch marks mar the wall, extending out like tree roots, all tangled and intertwined. “I’m so sorry.”

  Ares places both of his hands on my shoulders, forcing me to look at him. “You have nothing to be sorry for.” His eyes stare deeply into mine.

  I have a moment of panic, what if it happens again while he’s touching me? “I could have hurt you guys, burned down the house. You, you… shouldn’t be touching me.” Tears fall from my bottom lashes. Even though I told him not to touch me, it’s the last thing I want. I need his comfort.

  Ares’s thumbs wipe away the traces of wetness on my cheek. “Oh Laura, that wasn’t anything. You should have seen me when I manifested. I think I even scared my parents.” Reaching up I grip his forearms, grateful for the connection. “You’ll see you just need a bit of practice and control.”

  My eyes go wide. “I can’t control that. Did you see what I did? It was like lightening. You can’t control lightening.” My fingernails dig into his skin, he needs to understand, there isn’t anyway to harness that wildness, it almost felt sentient.

  Ignoring me, he pries one of my hands from his arm, and leaving the other he turns. Taking a chance, I glance at them for the first time. Milo looks a little bewildered, but not angry, Ollie looks like his skin is barely containing him, like he’s about to burst at the seams with energy. “Are you okay?” I ask, taking a step in his direction.

  Ollie nods really fast. “Just a little wired.” I peer over at Ares, concerned when Ollie’s eyes jump around the room, never landing on anything for more than a second. He shakes his head, his lips pursed in what looks like humor.

  Dante returns moments later, his hair a little disheveled. His eyes search the room until they land on me. He sighs, his shoulders falling. “You okay?”

  “Yes, I think so. You?”

  Dante’s hand goes through his hair. “Fine just worried about you… guys,” he tacks on to the end. “Let’s get this cleaned up so Gloria doesn’t go on a warpath tomorrow, and then get ready for bed.” Everyone kicks into action at Dante’s suggestion.

  I stand at the sink rinsing out the glasses and plates while Milo loads the dishwasher. Ares is in charge of leftovers, and Dante is stacking the dishes from the dining room onto the counter next to me. Ollie disappeared after a quick word with Ares, and he all but ran from the room.

  Twenty Five

  Ares leads the way back to his bedroom with Milo, Dante, and me trailing behind him. He flips the switch on the wall, lighting the two bedside lamps. Only it looks different from this morning. There’s an extra mattress on the floor next to the bed. It sits a little bit lower than the other right on the ground. Ares walks over to the wall and pushes to the left, revealing a neatly lined closet behind it. Why is his room full of secret little spaces? It makes me curious about the heavy curtains spanning from wall to wall that I’ve never seen opened.

  Milo, already in gray sweats and a thin red shirt, drops onto the extra mattress and sighs. Dante looks down at his jeans and socks, then back to me. “I’m going to grab some shorts, does anyone need anything?”

  I start to tell him no, but remember I need my bag, and we never did get to the laundry issue. It’s late now, I really don’t want to deal with it. “I need my bag, and I still need to do some laundry.”

  “Ares has laundry covered, I’ll be right back.” He turns and flees the room faster than his usual saunter.

  “Thanks,” Ares mutters acerbically under his breath. I turn to find him with his shoes already removed and placed among the rows of others, and his white shirt is unbuttoned, revealing a thin white undershirt beneath it. My throat goes a little dry, the shirt is tight, hinting at his body underneath. His belt is undone, but his dark pants are still fastened. He looks around the room, a look of disapproval on his face, his mouth tightening. I scan the room looking for what he’s seeing, but I don’t find anything out of place with the exception of the added bed. It’s made up in the same dark sheets and a heavy gray comforter, just like the ones on his bed.

  Ares draws my attention when he clears his throat, holding out a long black garment bag. I reach for it on instinct. It’s heavy, my arm droops with the weight. Repositioning my hold, I use both hands. “This stuff is for you,” he says with his arms folded behind his back and his feet spread wide apart.

  “Is this my laundry?” I fold the bag over my arm and pull the zipper down. What’s inside isn’t mine, not even close. “I think my stuff got mixed up with someone else’s.”

  “No, everything in there is yours, it’s just not your laundry.” Ares doesn’t take his eyes off me, he’s waiting for my reaction.

  “If it’s not my laundry, then how could it be mine?” I toss the heavy bag on the bed and turn to face off with him again.

  “It’s yours because I said it was,” Ares challenges, an eyebrow raised.

  “Oh, I’m sorry.” My hands go to my hips, “I wasn’t aware that the mighty Ares had decreed it so.”

  The corner of his lip tips up, but he schools his features immediately. “You need a few things, I provided a few things. That’s how it works.”

  I tilt my head and open my mouth, my finger tapping the side of my head. “Oh, I see how you think this is going to work.” Stepping in his direction I add, “I don’t need handouts.” My voice goes from mocking to anger filled.

  “It isn’t a handout,” Ares grits out between his teeth.

  “Then what exactly is it? Are you trying to say you don’t like my clothes then?” Milo makes a choking sound from over on the bed. He pounds his hand over his heart a few times, clearing his throat.

  My attention back on Ares, I begin tapping my foot. He raises his chin. “Not particularly, no. I don’t care for your clothes.”

  Milo adds a loud groan, not even trying to mask that he’s reacting to Ares’s comment.

  “Well, I’m so sorry I don’t live up to your standards Mr. Costa, but we all aren’t afforded the luxury of a large bank account.” Sarcasm drips from my words.

  Ares’s nostrils flare his arms coming out from behind his back. “Well Miss Fallen, that’s not true in your case now, is it?” Dumbfounded I shake my head, of course it’s true. Ares’s face slides into a smug grin. “You see, since you’re part of our Infinity, you’re also entitled to all of this.” Ares spreads his arms wide and spins slowly. I can’t tell if he’s offering himself up, or the house and everything in it.

  “Oh no I’m not. Shit doesn’t work like that,” I argue, my arms crossing over my chest.

  “But it does. That goes for any Infinity, not just ours. Once my dads found my mom it was the same way. So, you can argue all you want, but it won’t do you any good. If we weren’t trying to keep your identity a secret, you would have already been added to all our accounts.” Ares mimics my stance, his arms crossing over his chest. I note four crescent shaped indents on his forearm. Those are from me grabbing his arm earlier. I want to bare my teeth at him and mark him more. The thought is so foreign I look away. Shocked by my own reaction.
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  “He’s telling the truth Laura.” Ollie walks back in, much more himself. His steps are slower, and the frantic look is gone from his eyes.

  “Yeah, but it’s different for all the others, they probably bring something to the group,” I add, a little of the heat from moments ago draining away.

  “You are bringing something to the group,” Milo chimes in.

  I look over at him and roll my eyes. “What, a nineteen seventies Winnebago?” I throw my hands in the air looking between them.

  “There is that, but I think he’s talking more about what you’re giving to the group. Without you, we aren’t even a real Infinity, you already brought Ares back to us.” Ollie drops on the bed next to Milo. Surprised, and a little flattered if I’m honest, I close my mouth. I can’t bring myself to look at Ares, what will he think about Ollie’s statement?

  “Do you need the bathroom first?” the man in question asks, ignoring the conversation.

  “No, you go ahead.”

  Ares’s grasps the back of my neck and gives me a gentle squeeze. “We’re all in this together, if anyone of us needed something it would get handled the exact same way. None of us are keeping a tally.” He releases me and disappears into the bathroom seconds later.

  Deciding not to bother fighting them on the clothes situation—I’m sure there will be much bigger battles to win—I push the sides of the bag open and search through the contents. It’s mostly jeans and t-shirts. I blush when I start pulling the hangers out and find several dainty sets of under clothes tucked away in the back. There are even a couple pairs of silky black pajamas included. I run my fingers over the sleek fabric, it feels like cool water against my fingertips, and they will probably feel amazing on. Ignoring the bras and panties, I grab a pair of jammies and wait for my turn in the bathroom.

  Dante and Milo are talking about some zombie show they watch, while Ollie chimes in every once in a while, but mostly he looks like he’s half asleep already. I’m feeling pretty tired myself, so I lean against the headboard and close my eyes. I feel the bed shift a few times as they move around, still chatting easily. My mind starts to wander, it was only a few days ago I had no idea what I was going to do with my life. I didn’t have a real future beyond taking care of my mom. Now I have four people in my life who are promising to help me understand what kind of life I’ll actually be able to have, and they’ll be with me for the entire journey. I know I have a long way to go before I truly understand what being in an Infinity means, but I’m excited for the chance to learn.

  Now I just need to figure out what happened to my mom, maybe if we find her, she’ll be able to tell more about why she kept us on the move. Maybe we’ll be capable of helping her, so she can feel safe and live a normal life. Inwardly I roll my eyes, when has my life ever been normal? And it doesn’t look like that’s changing anytime soon.

  What will she think of the guys? Did she know I had someone out there looking for me? I get a hollow feeling in my stomach when I think about where she could be, or what could be happening to her. I take a deep breath, vowing to find her. Together, with my guys, I’m confident we’ll be able to do it.

  Also by Albany Walker

  Becoming His

  Get to You

  Coming Soon

  Infinity Chronicles Book Two

  Infinity Chronicles Book Three

  About the Author

  Albany Walker

  I am; a mother, a wife, a reader and a writer. In that order. My truth, I believe in real life happily ever afters, but you have to work for them.

  I write what I want to read, romance. Be it hot and steamy or slow burn, crossing several sub-genres.

  If you enjoyed my book, or any other consider leaving a review.

  For updates:

  Albanywalkerauthor@gmail.com

  https://albanywalkerauthor.wixsite.com/mysite