“No one.” I step back, looking up at the house, and wait for Hasan to join us. “The neighbors stopped by, and I wasn’t sure if I’d be able to get them to leave before you woke up. If someone sees you…” I shake my head. “I don’t know what would happen.”
“You’re worried about us,” Gilbert says with a smile. “It’s nice.”
“It could be a total shit show if someone got you on video. I’m pretty sure it would be seen as a hoax and not taken seriously, but if it was…I don’t know.” I bite my lip and look down the driveway again. I could install a fence and a gate, keeping people from driving up to the house. But I don’t have the time or funds for that right now. “Do you have to go onto the roof?”
“Yes. It’s part of the curse,” Jacques says.
“Dammit. It’d be so much easier if you could hide out in the basement or something.”
“We weren’t always here.” Thomas looks at his spot on the porch. “Before you, Ace, the last place I remember being was…” He closes his eyes, thinking back. “…A church.”
Gilbert nods. “Yeah. I remember it now. I think. It’s there.” He taps the side of his head. “But I can’t bring it to the surface.”
“You’re older than the house,” I say, and lead the way up the porch stairs. “It’s been something I’ve been meaning to look into but haven’t had a chance yet.” I open the door and go into the kitchen. All I know is this house was built by a relative and has been lived in by someone on my mom’s side of the family ever since. Before my aunt died, she rented out the house for the cost of the property taxes.
“And we’re in Philadelphia. Someone went through a lot of trouble and probably expense to get you here.” I wash my hands and start making dinner. “It’s on my to-do list.”
Thomas comes up behind me, pulling the pen from my hair, letting my locks cascade down over my shoulders. He puts his lips to my ear and both hands on my hips.
“What else is on your to-do list tonight?”
Chuckling, I turn around and rest my head against his shoulder, not fully realizing just how fucking scared I was of the guys getting seen until right now. Jacques’s eyes narrow ever so slightly and he turns, wings creating a cool draft.
Is he jealous? None of the others have an issue with our arrangement. Thomas and Gil enjoy sharing—as do I—and Hasan doesn’t quite believe in monogamy.
Maybe the issue is Jacques does.
Thomas kisses my neck and squeezes my ass. “What are we making for dinner?”
“This,” I say, and pull up the recipe on my phone. Hasan and Gilbert go into the living room to watch TV, and Jacques gets the grimoire and sits at the table, working on translations, while Thomas helps me make dinner. If anyone were to look in on us…I laugh to myself at the thought.
* * *
“Close your eyes.”Jacques takes my hand in his. “And try again.”
I push my shoulders back and try to relax. The floor beneath me is uncomfortable. My jeans are too tight and my underwear is riding up my ass. Don’t get me started on my bra.
Trying to channel my energy into my fingers, my mind shifts from everything I’m trying to block out to wondering if I’ll burn Jacques.
“It’s not working,” I huff, pulling my hands back and shaking them out. “I can’t concentrate.”
“Keep trying. You can get this, Ace.”
I uncross my legs and nod, taking in a deep breath to try and center myself. “I don’t understand how magic works.”
“I think that’s part of your problem,” Jacques starts, getting to his feet. He reaches down and takes my hand, pulling me up. “You want an explanation for everything.”
“That’s what I do. I find things out. If I knewhowI was conjuring flames, I could make it happen again.”
“You bring in energy and are able to convert it into magic.”
“But how?”
He smiles. “Those same questions used to haunt me.”
“Really?” I pick up my glass of wine and take a small sip. I don’t drink often, and one glass can do me in. Setting it back on the coffee table, I sit on the couch, angling my body toward Jacques. He brushes his thick, wavy hair back and sits next to me, his proximity sending tingles down my spine. Just being near him is soothing, like he’s one of the missing pieces to the puzzle that is my heart.
“I used to be a lot like you, Ace. I didn’t always believe that those claiming to be victims of black magic were telling the truth. And then my sister got possessed by a demon.”
