21. Darcy

Chapter 21

Darcy

T his was the place I'd been looking for my whole life. This place was home. It reeked of mold, and Lyndon warned us to only walk where he did because most of the floor was unsafe for us to put weight on. Spiderwebs, and dozens of other things I didn't want to think too hard about, covered the walls, floors, and appliances. Appliances that hadn't been replaced since 1947. The entire middle of the staircase was just gone, making it impossible for us to go upstairs. I could probably have shifted and made it up, but Lyndon wasn't having it. He couldn't judge the security of the floor from down here and wouldn't risk it. I couldn't hide the smile I got from that little act of protectiveness.

"Guys, what color is the carpet supposed to be?" Lyndon asked as we gingerly made our way through the living room.

Aria gagged. "I really don't want to know." I scrunched my nose. Yeah, it was better not to ask.

It didn't matter though. None of it did. I'd been happy with my life before going through the portal. I loved my friends and my job. I liked living in the human world and all the new things I discovered every day. Even when the loneliness had become too much, I had thought I'd found my home. I'd never realized how big the hole in my heart was.

When I'd met Lyndon, it had started to fill. Even when he hadn't wanted me, my heart hadn't cared. That hole had become smaller when I'd seen the vision. But it had filled completely while standing in this house that probably should have been knocked down 30 years ago. This was my home. This was where I was meant to be.

I didn't even need to be thrown into one of Lyndon's visions to see it so clearly. The carpet would be removed, the walls and stairs fixed. The appliances would be from this century. I could see kids running up and down the hallways, their laughter sounding so real. We would make Lyndon his own workspace in the shed outside, so he didn't have to take over the kitchen table and we wouldn't have to worry about little ones getting into things they shouldn't. There was plenty of room outside for Lyndon to make a garden—oh, maybe even a greenhouse. Even with that, there was enough land on the property for any kids we might end up with to run, and some woods toward the back for any shifters. We'd make a sunroom, with a nest so I'd have a place to lounge when I wanted to. The kids would all know they had a place where they were safe and happy and no one would judge them for what they were.

I startled when something brushed my hand, but smiled when I realized it was Lyndon. "This really is the place, huh?"

He seemed a little less enthusiastic than I was, but I was pretty sure that was just him thinking about the practicalities. "Do you see it, Lyn?"

"I do, sunshine. Something about this shitshow of a house is calling to me."

I turned to him, a smile on my face, but before I could say anything, Aria interrupted me.

"Hey, guys, we have company."

We all rushed to meet her at the window, where a black SUV was pulling up to the house.

"What should we do? Can you get us out of here?" I whispered to Aria.

"Not quick enough, no. Just leave it to me." Aria ran her fingers through her hair, smoothing it down, then straightened her shoulders as she walked out of the house. Shrugging, I took Lyndon's hand and followed.

The door opened, and a heavily pregnant woman climbed out. She was wearing a professional-looking suit, and her dark brown hair was in a smooth bun.

"Excuse me, but you're not supposed to be here without an appointment."

Aria smiled. "I'm so sorry about that. My cousin and his husband saw a posting about this house and were intrigued. We were in town visiting family, so we decided to stop by. It was a last-minute thing. I didn't even think about calling first."

The woman narrowed suspicious eyes at us as she rounded her car. Her cell phone was in her hand, and I was afraid she was going to call the police.

Her gaze locked on Lyndon and then Aria before she looked at me. The brown eyes that met mine blinked, and then they were silver. I licked the air, clearly tasting an unfamiliar magic.

"Lyndon . . . ,"I breathed. Her silver eyes were an exact match of the little boy's from the vision.

An unspoken conversation transpired between the three witches. I didn't know what they were saying, but some kind of trust must have been established because the woman blinked again and her eyes were the muddy brown they'd been originally.

"This house has been on the market for a while, but I'm sure the buyer will be excited to hear about your interest." She fished something out of her bag and held it out to us. Lyndon took it from her. It was a business card. "Just call or shoot me an email and we'll get an appointment scheduled." She rubbed her belly. "I'm sure you understand, but I can't be the one to take you in there, and for legal reasons you're not allowed on your own."

"Of course. We're sorry about that," Aria said cheerfully. "Congratulations by the way."

The woman beamed, suddenly more excited than before. "Thank you! My husband and I tried for years. It came as a huge surprise when we found out we were having twins. They're the first babies in our family in a while. There are going to be spoiled little boys."

I shot a glance at Lyndon, but he was staring intently at the woman. Twins . . . Could one of these babies be the little boy in our vision? If he was, what would happen to his brother? None of my questions would do any good right now, so I held my tongue.

"Thank you so much for your understanding. We'll be in touch," Lyndon said roughly, not able to produce the same pleasant tone his cousin had.

The woman finally closed the distance between us and held out her hand, shaking each of ours. She started with Aria. Lyndon was next, but when she touched him, everything shifted and the world went black.

The woman looked exhausted but happy as she stretched out on a four-poster bed. She was holding a little boy in her arms. She looked lovingly at the man next to her, her silver eyes shining brightly. Then she looked down and smiled at a second baby he was holding.

The scene shifted.

A fireman ran out of a home that still burned down behind him. He held a small bundle in his arms. He ignored everyone except the paramedic that was hovering by the ambulance. "He's still alive!" The fireman placed the bundle on the stretcher, revealing a toddler boy with big silver eyes that took up most of his face. He didn't appear to have a scratch on him.

The scene changed again.

"The boy is a fire mage. We think maybe his powers manifested and he lost control, since he's so young. It spread before his family could stop it and they all died," a woman whispered. She was standing in front of an older car, holding a sleeping toddler in her arms. "No one will take him. They're all afraid of him. You're our last hope."

I was thrust out of the vision just as quickly as I'd entered it. The woman was standing in front of me, looking confused but no worse for wear. Had she not seen it? I looked over at Aria and Lyndon, but they were both just staring at me, full of concern.

The woman seemed to be waiting for something, and I realized she was trying to say goodbye. "Sorry," I replied sheepishly, grateful I managed to keep my s's from elongating. I gave her my hand.

Her eyes narrowed, but if she noticed anything about my glamour, she let it go, smiling at the two witches and then waddling back to her car.

I managed to hold it together until she drove away, and then I collapsed to the ground and sobbed.