“To the Halloween party we’re going to have at our house,” Jemmy said as if I was dense.
“I think we need to ask Pops,” I insisted. “With everything going on, he might not want to have a party.”
Jemmy waved a hand at me. “Then we get them now and return them if he says no.”
“I want to be a cat too!” Ella exclaimed.
It was clear I was out-voted, and like always, I was steamed rolled into a costume I would have never picked out for myself.
Over lunch, I explained to the guys what Ella had told us in the car. They seemed to be as concerned as we were.
After a few minutes of silence Jace finally spoke up. “What if Ella was taught how to draw,” he suggested. “Remember how that boy told us that he draws things and they come true in dreams? What if we were to get them together, and he can explain how he does it. When she has a vision, she can draw it immediately, so we can have a better idea what may come to fruition.”
I smiled. “That’s a brilliant idea, let’s find out where that boy was placed, and we can start having ‘play dates.’”
Jace gave me a knowing smile and a wink.
By the time we got back to the house, we had already broken the news to the children about their security guards and asked them if they would be okay with their blood being drawn. Ella wasn’t too keen on the idea, but Alex and Micah assured her that they would hold her hand, so she seemed more receptive to the idea.
I wanted to get home sooner because Will had planned a big dinner for us to meet our security detail and get familiarized with them. I didn’t know how Drake would be after having that huge bombshell dropped on him, and I wanted to help him with dinner. It wasn’t until we were on our way home that I found out Steven, Cora, Beth, and Nadia would be there as well.
Troy and Remy should be done with their improvised training program for the Knights and swipe team. They were going to present their plans tonight as well.
We had two hours remaining before our guests were to arrive. Drake was telling me how he was thinking about making some lasagna, garlic bread, and fresh tossed salad. He said he was going to make a chocolate cake with chocolate icing as well. As he told me this, I wondered if he remembered that was the first meal he made us, when Ella and I had been adopted.
When I walked into the house, it was eerily quiet. I’m sure Will had liked the rare quiet, especially since my brood had come along. I took my bags up to my room and made my way back downstairs. Noah, Jemmy, Gavin, Rachel, and Jaxson had already told the children to get dressed so they could spend some time in the pool before dinner. The indoor Olympic size pool came in handy. Especially when you wanted them to burn off any access energy.
I wanted to text Drake to see if he was okay, but our phones hadn’t been returned. Troy had turned our phones in to one of his security teams to see if he could get any information off it. Plus, I no longer had his phone number. Will had once lamented how technology was great and convenient, but it also made us lazy. Thus, the reason why he still read an actual newspaper and memorized all the phone numbers of his closest contacts. I had never bothered remembering anyone’s numbers accept Judge Myers and Ella’s old burner phone number.
I pulled out the romaine lettuce, carrots, cucumbers, tomatoes, and red onion for the salad. It could be made ahead of time and stored easily in the commercial grade refrigerator. I pulled out the metal serving dishes and began to slice the lettuce up, lining two pans with it. I added all the other ingredients and gently tossed it.
I looked up at the clock and wondered, once again, where Drake was. I decided to head down to the basement where Jace had joined Troy and Remy. The basement was better than any professional gym. To the right of the stairs was a bathroom, complete with a shower. To the right of the stairs was a sauna. Straight ahead you could see treadmills, ellipticals, and stationary bikes lining one wall. On the opposite wall were several different varieties of lifting equipment and free weights, with mirrors so you could watch your form. Around the corner, heavy bags and speed bags hung from the ceiling, and unique flooring was installed throughout the area. Mirrors lined the wall and a ballet barre was connected to it. Televisions were strategically placed, along with a state of the art sound system. Right now, it was blasting hard rock.
They must have been done their collaborations, because all three of them were lifting weights. Jace had a changed his clothing down here; he was now laying on his back on a bench press as Remy spotted him. Troy was shirtless with loose fitting pants as he placed hard, fast kicks to the heavy bags. It was an art in and of itself as he did sidekicks, round house kicks, butterfly kicks, jumping sidekicks, all fluidly and effortlessly.
I had to snap my jaw shut. Too much hotness in one room for me. As I watched, a rivulet of sweat drip down Troy’s chest. I longed to lick it away, taste his salty maleness. Jace made a deep sexy sound deep in his throat as he strained to push the bar of weights back into its cradle. I remembered the sounds of pleasure he would make when he was between my legs, and I felt a warmth pool in my stomach. Remy was the largest and most muscular one of my connections. He wore a sleeveless t-shirt where his muscles looked larger from his recent work out. I wanted to wrap my hands around it, knowing there was no way my fingers would touch.
The only time I had felt this acutely aroused was when I was straining, and I hadn’t used any of my gifts today.
“Blake,” Jace groaned out.
“What?!” I squeaked as if my hands were caught in the cookie jar.
“You need to learn how to control that, or I’m going to have to carry you off and take care of it,” his lips told me he was teasing me, but the look on his face was unmistakable.
“What are you talking about,” Troy asked with an amused smile.
“I can feel it,” Remy grunted as he turned to look at me, his eyes undressing me.
Troy walked closer to them, and his lips parted when he turned to look at me. He licked his lips slowly, and I knew what was on his mind. I followed the path of his tongue and it took everything within me to not ask him to let me feel his tongue on me.
“Ever since she made her last connection, my gift has been stronger, but I feel her more acutely,” Jace almost let out a strained groan as he buried his face into his hands.
“Yeah, I noticed,” Troy said as he held his hands up. In the past his fire orbs were the size of a soccer ball. I gasped in awe as the orbs grew to the size of exercise balls.
“So, you’re gonna feel me, every time, I…” I trailed off, feeling my cheeks burn.
“Probably,” he stated, “Unless you learn how to control it, if you can control it.”