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Clay refused to allow Grey inside his head, and he’d declared Dane off-limits.
That left Grey to prey on poor delivery people who stopped by the house to deliver goods for all of them as well as any hardware products that were dropped for Dane. Personally, Clay was starting to hope that Dane’s brother-in-law Greg popped by for an unexpected visit.
Since Grey attained his powers, they’d made only one quick run off the plantation grounds to pick up Grey’s possessions from the hotel he’d been staying in. Apparently, the rest of his things were back in Oregon in storage, waiting for his return.
From what Clay could tell, Grey was gaining more control of his powers, but they came with a cost. There was both a physical and emotional drain. After mucking around in a person’s brain, he tended to withdraw from him and Baer. He’d disappear into the bedroom he’d chosen for himself, which was also as far as he could get from both Baer and Clay.
A couple of times, Clay had gone up to his room to check on him only to hear the clatter of keyboard keys. He turned around without knocking, hoping the man was losing himself in a new book. It was as good an escape as any from their insane world.
But restlessness was wearing on all of them. They’d been given powers and told they were needed to stop an evil threat, but that was it. There had to be more to it than waiting for the last three members to show up.
Right at sunset, when Dane had shuffled off to his own apartment for the night, the three women appeared on the rear porch. Flo’s usual stern expression was in place, while Jo was bubbling with happiness to see them.
And the elusive Willie.
Clay had thought Flo and Jo couldn’t be bigger opposites.
He’d been wrong. Willie was pure sunlight with the attention span of…well, there wasn’t one as far as Clay could tell. She seemed flighty and whimsical with just one look.
Her outfit reminded him of an aging hippie. All bright colors, tie-dye, and light, flowing materials. Her brownish-gray hair hung just past her shoulders and was held back by an orange bandana of sorts. A chain of daisies was draped around her neck, and dozens of bracelets clanked and jangled on her wrists when she moved. She sounded like a wind chime when she twirled through the house, dancing her way to the kitchen.
“We heard your summons,” Flo said as she stepped past him.
Clay’s cheeks immediately heated and Jo giggled, patting them with one gentle hand. “Oh, it was so sweet. We were touched.” Flo snorted and Jo threw her a look. “We were.” She gave a little shake of her head before looking up at Clay again. “We understand you boys need some information and we thought we’d take a break, make you all some dinner, and try to answer some questions.”
“With the fluffiest Angel Food cake and fresh strawberries,” Willie sang out.
“It was also time for you to meet Willie,” Jo murmured.
“Thank you. Are you—”
“And whipped cream!” Willie continued to shout.
“How about you peel some potatoes first?” Flo snapped. Clay looked up to see her pulling food out of the pantry and handing it over to Willie, getting her to sort of stand still for a moment.
“Willie is a bit much to take in when you first meet her,” Jo murmured.
Clay started to ask her again if they were any closer to finding the remaining three members of the Circle, but Baer and Grey descended on the kitchen in that moment, stealing Jo away. It could wait.
He settled at the breakfast table and watched the other five people in the kitchen interact. The noise had become nearly deafening. Flo was busy snapping at Willie, trying to get her to focus, while Willie laughed and teased Flo like she was the silliest thing Willie had ever seen. Jo talked with Baer and Grey while working on various bits of prep. It was all very cozy and normal but missing something.
Clay looked across the table at the empty chairs around him. Dane should be there. Sitting next to him. A big, relaxed smile on his handsome face while he watched Willie and Flo’s antics.
But that thought was wrong.
Dane wasn’t one of them. He was just a human. Fragile and vulnerable. He was still getting over the death of his family. The poor guy didn’t deserve to have his life put in the crosshairs when he was just getting back on his feet.
Even with all that logic weighing him down, he couldn’t shake the empty little hole that ached in his chest.
Flo made an exasperated sound and whipped around to face him across the counter. “I swear I say this every lifetime, but you are the most stubborn man.”
