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Would we,couldwe, still work if we added to that? I didn't know.
But, in that moment, I really wanted to find out.
Out of the corner of my eye, I caught Quinton's attention. Subtly, he nodded to me.
Quinton Alexander, my unwavering hero and the very first love of my life, had not only just placed his trust in me, but the trust of our entire coven, because my response affected them all.
I couldn't love him more in that moment if I tried.
I steeled myself against what I knew was to come and, in a voice full of confidence I didn't really feel, boldly stated, "Simon and Trenton can stay with our coven. They can stay with me."
I could feel both Damien and Julian's eyes burning into me, letting me feel just how displeased the two of them were by my words.
"Excellent." Adrian clapped his hands together excitedly before turning to the two brothers. "Now you may retrieve your luggage from the car and bring it back in here with you."
The finality of that stung through the air like a third degree burn.
"Ariel," Julian hissed under his breath. "I hope like hell you know what you're doing."
That made two of us, because I'd just voluntarily tossed us into the deep end and the chance these were shark infested waters was yet to be determined.
Simon's fists unclenched and he visibly relaxed before my very eyes. Trenton remained stiff and on edge. They both left the shop, to gather their luggage, presumably.
The bell over the door jingled behind them, signaling their departure.
At least they knew how to follow orders.
I moved to the front window. Not so I could spy on them, but instead to flip theopen, come on in signover toclosed.
I had a feeling I wouldn't be getting much more work done today.
"Now that that's settled," Adrian chirped happily, "I must explain some things about them so you know just what you're getting yourself into."
I groaned as I rubbed my eyes. Of course he would have left some important parts out. I should have expected such behavior out of him.
"You might have thought to do that before," Damien muttered irately under his breath.
"Shut it," Quinton hissed at him.
"You see," Adrian drawled as he crossed the room and pulled out a seat at the velvet covered round table. He sat down heavily in a chair as if suddenly exhausted. "Those boys now belong to you. They're your responsibility. Now, I can see you getting angry and unreasonable again so please, let me explain without interruption. I have other things I need to be doing today and have already wasted enough time on this."
I slid up next to Damien who stood with his arms crossed over his chest, hip resting against the countertop, glowering at Adrian. I wrapped my arms around his waist, resting my head against his shoulder, seeking out the comfort and safety that only my boys could provide for me.
A hand ran up and down my back soothingly. I didn't need to look to know Quinton had come up behind me to offer his support and to touch me, to make sure I was okay.
If I hadn't been draped all over Damien, inhaling his exotic scent into my nose, the urge to turn and wrap myself around Quinton would have been stronger. I was starting to crave them, their touch, their heat. It was exhausting fighting off the need to touch them all the time, and, frankly, a battle I was losing beautifully.
Adrian's sharp, leering gaze drew me out of my thoughts and almost had me pulling away from Damien and shrugging off Quinton's touch. I held steady though, standing firm in my place.
I wasn't about to let the bald version of the boogeyman scare me away from the things I wanted most in my life.
Quinton must have noticed the way Adrian watched me because there was an extra layer of gravel in his voice when he growled for Adrian to get on with it and tell us all what we needed to know about the brothers.
"Well," Adrian trailed his heavily ringed fingers over the deck of tarot cards on the table, "they're fairly destitute. Dirt poor, really. It's a shame. They've never had real jobs and lack any sort of necessary skills that would garner them earning a job on their own. Their whole family has been like that, for generations past. They rely on the female they're sworn to take care of in that regard."
I felt an immediate bond with them because I knew exactly what most of that felt like. Adrian talked like they were beneath him because of it.
"So, what exactly is it that they can do?" Damien snapped.
