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“Welcome, Ms. Raven. I take ityourtrip was good?” he asked, his teasing more polite and covert than my own had been.
“Very.”
I grinned as the four guys followed me into the car. It was a tight squeeze, but no one wanted to sit up front. I ended up across a few laps, my head resting on Rueben’s chest. The drive was quiet as the guys observed the scenery as it passed by, taking in my world and where I’d lived for twenty years.
I knew the second the mansion came into view as they sat up straighter, peering out the window. The fountain at the front was bubbling as we neared, driving down the cobbled drive. The white columns stood out brightly against the tan color of the house. I tried to remember what it had been like the first time I saw it. It was the biggest house I’d ever seen back then. It had become my home, my place of refuge and comfort. I’d grown into the killer I was today inside this house.
Though that didn’t fit quite right either. I had become a killer, an assassin. But I’d also become more confident, funny, strong, and educated. Perhaps more importantly, I’d become a sister, a friend, and a protector.
As it turned out, my biggest flaw was not perceiving myself for all the parts I was. The time to embrace every aspect of myself was now. I couldn’t keep living and only think of myself as a killer. That wasn’t even the coolest part of me, and I needed to drop all my shields to live out the life I’d dreamed up in my stories.
“You guys ready to meet my sisters?” I asked, excited at the idea.
“They’re not going to kill us on sight, right?” Porter asked, gulping.
I shrugged and headed toward the door. “Depends on who we run into first.” The guys shared a look, their faces going pale at my words. Giggling, I couldn’t hold it in anymore. “Relax. You’re with me. You’ll be fine.”
Rueben was the first to step forward, followed by Otto and then the twins. I opened the heavy door and took a few minutes to inhale all the different smells that were unique to the Belladonnas.
Gasoline and oil from Tabitha’s tinkering in her workshop.
Chocolate and sugar from Karma’s latest baking creation.
Roses and hydrangeas that Royal cut, probably after conversing with them.
And the faintest whiff of Man’s cologne, letting me know he probably had retreated to his office hours ago and hadn’t been out in a while.
Darcy stumbled around the corner eating a piece of pizza, stopping in her tracks when she spotted me. Her blonde hair was piled high on her head with her panda headphones visible. As usual, she wore her favorite sweatshirt and leggings. She blinked owlishly at the guys behind me. I looked around, ensuring I didn’t spot any dick-spraying drones. I didn’t need the glitter bomb today.
“I think I’m hallucinating,” she mumbled as she took another bite.
“I thought that too. But there’s actually two of them.” I nodded, pointing at the twins. Darcy blinked, her face twitching like she wanted to smile at me but wasn’t quite sure if I was joking or not. “Oh! Remember that search we set up to find my friend?”
“Brown hair, gray eyes, cute smile one?” she asked, glancing from me again back to the guys.
“Yes! Ta-da!” I did my bestWheel of Fortuneimpression as I showcased Otto.
Darcy seemed to regain some of her consciousness now; my theatrics confirming she wasn’t hallucinating, and nodded as she finished her pizza. “Cool. Have fun with all that.” She gave me a wink as she twirled her hand around at the four guys behind me.
“Wait!” I shouted, rushing her and body-slamming her in a hug as much as my five-foot frame could muster. Darcy let out an “oof” but accepted the embrace. Out of all my sisters, she was the most open to touch and had given me many hugs over the years. This time, I gave her one.
“I’ll miss you, Darcy. But don’t think this means our war is over. We’ll just have to be more creative,” I mumbled into her sweatshirt.
“Whatever, dork.” I could hear the smile in her voice as she paused. “I’ll miss you too.”
With that, I disentangled our bodies and let her return to battling monsters.
“So, that’s Darcy,” I said, spinning to face the guys. They had varying degrees of amusement on their faces.
Smiling, I took off up the stairs, suddenly very excited to show them my room and pack. I’d miss the house and living with the girls, but it wasn’t like I wouldn’t ever see them again. I understood that now. We were never all here anyway, someone was always off on a mission, yet it didn’t take away from our bond. So, this wouldn’t either.
The guys followed me into my room, and I watched as they took in all my possessions. Porter flopped onto the bed, cuddling with my pillow and burrowing his nose into it.
“It smells like you.” He sighed, not blinking when Phoenix slapped him as he sat beside him. He stared at my collection ofPhoenix Hospitalmerch, from the figurines to the signed photos I’d gotten. Otto looked over my chemistry table, reading off some of the labels. Rueben went to my closet and opened the door. I didn’t take him for fashion, but you learned something new every day.
When he emerged, he had a suitcase under his arm, a duffle on his back, and a pile of clothes on hangers under his other arm. My eyes bulged as I watched him dump it on the bed, pointing at the twins to start packing.
“In a rush, Ruebear?” I asked, a warm feeling spreading through me. Rueben gave me a look that could melt ice in a blizzard.
