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Wiley nodded. “When I was caught up in the moment, running out the bakery after those people shot it up, and you…changing into a freaking cougar, it was this great adventure. Maybe my brain had shut off and decided to just go with it.” Wiley shoved a slightly trembling hand through his damp hair. “But you know, now I’m kind of realizing I was a bit hasty, maybe.”
Baer smiled a little knowingly. “You just realized that you jumped into a Jeep with a total stranger who can shapeshift, he took you to this house in the middle of nowhere, and now you’re expected to stay.”
Heat made his cheeks burn. “Yeah, something like that.”
“Totally understand,” Baer said with a laugh. “Got your cell phone handy?”
Wiley reached into his back pocket and pulled it out. He breathed a quick sigh of relief that the screen didn’t get cracked in all the insanity. He thumbed it on and smiled to see he even had three bars.
“Got a friend or some family you can check in with? You can say you made a friend and are hanging out for a while. I’ll give you the address to this place. That way someone knows exactly where you are.”
“Are you sure?” Wiley asked as he pulled up the last message he’d sent to his grandmother. “What about the pestilents?”
Baer shrugged. “We’ve been here a while. I have a feeling they know how to find us. It’s the magic barrier that keeps them out.”
Wiley typed out a message to his grandmother, including the address that Baer gave him. He was about to tuck his phone away when she sent back a sweet Have a great time!
She always worried that he didn’t have enough friends.
That message sent helped to quell some of the fears tangling in his stomach. Someone knew where he was. He hadn’t disappeared off the face of the earth into this weird cult obsessed with goddesses and magic.
“Don’t worry,” Baer said with another one of his wide grins.
Wiley wanted to follow his advice. He seemed to be genuinely excited to have Wiley there. There was no feeling of malice or evil. He was a nice guy.
“Everyone is great, and the house has a cozy feel despite how big it is. Dane has been working on it.”
“About the brotherhood…”
“They’re a nice bunch of guys. The Circle has six total, but everyone isn’t here yet. You make number four. Clay and Grey will be thrilled to meet you.” Baer clasped a hand on his shoulder. “How about you just meet them, and we’ll figure the rest out from there?”
Nerves sizzled throughout his body, and his palms were sweating again. Wiley squared his shoulders. He could do this. It was just meeting two other guys who might have powers. At worst, he could sneak out and call for a car to pick him up down the road. Yeah, that was a good plan.
Wiley followed Baer up the porch steps, counting each step under his breath. One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Ruby trotted alongside them and when Baer opened the door, Wiley hoped to feel some kind of wave of belonging, but all he felt were the nerves still wracking his form.
They walked into the grandest entry Wiley had never seen with a spiral staircase at one end. His heart kicked up, and sweat beaded on the back of his neck at the sheer number of stairs winding up to the second floor. His eyes darted over to Baer, checking to make sure the man hadn’t noticed anything. The last thing he wanted to do was have one of his panic attacks in front of Baer.
A dining room with old-fashioned wallpaper was on the left, filled with items cluttering the massive table. Chairs were stacked against one wall.
“We mostly eat in the kitchen or outside since Dane hasn’t gotten to this room yet,” Baer explained with a wave of his hand at the insanity. “Clay and I are helping him renovate now, so it has been going faster.”
“You mentioned Dane before. He’s…Clay’s boyfriend.”
Baer nodded. “Well, he started out as the handyman hired to fix up the house, but he and Clay fell hard. He lives here now. Those two are so in love, it’s sickening,” he finished with a roll of his eyes.
Wiley found nothing sickening about love, so he kept his mouth shut on that one.
“Over here is the library. It’s still needing work, too. Dane’s mostly focused on the back of the house and some of the bedrooms. There are two kitchens, including a summer kitchen near the apartment over the garage. Grey lives out there because he needs more space due to his powers.” Baer paused and rubbed his jaw. “He’s one that takes some getting used to. He can basically read your thoughts.”
That was bad. His thoughts were chaotic at best, and he spent a lot of time worrying, so he sure as hell didn’t want someone poking around in his brain. “Why didn’t we park in the garage?”
