Page 2 of Unleashing Chaos
The three of us resume our stroll down the sidewalk, and after a few seconds, Mandis breaks the silence. “Why don’t you just stay in a hotel? You have the money to pick the best one in the city.”
My jaw drops and I place my palm against my chest with an overdramatic gasp. “You can’t be serious! I want all the luxuries of home. What if someone wants me to cook a meal? Besides, I want to prove that I’m reliable. Staying in a hotel says I’m here for the short term.”
My brother and his husband share a glance, and Glen is the one to say, “But you are here for the short term.”
“Not to mention, you don’t cook,” my brother adds.
“I am aware of that,” I say with a growl. “But everyone else doesn’t need to be.”
Mandis unbuttons the front of his tailored suit jacket and pulls at the knot in his silk tie. I tried to convince him to wear something comfortable, but he refused. I’m not the only one who was raised to believe first impressions are important. Dad always used to tell us that you have to dress the part. If you want respect, dress respectfully. If you want to invoke fear, look terrifying. I suppose that’s why my father carries a gigantic ax with him wherever he goes. The king of Infernis might be scary to some, but I know the loving demon underneath the leather and metal spikes. He is the one who gave me this chance to find something different.
“What about this one?” Glen asks, handing me his phone.
The first picture piques my interest. The modern façade is sleek with cherrywood trimmings and a limestone base. Tall windows look out on a sandstone walkway that leads to a black front door. The outside is perfect, and something tells me the inside is too. For the first time today, I’m excited about a house.
“Let’s go,” I say, bouncing on my heels and handing the phone back to Glen.
Mandis lets out a puff of air that makes his lips rattle. “Eighth time’s a charm.”
Glen calls for a car using an app on his phone, and within minutes we’re driving to the other side of the city. It’s strange how humans use their phones for everything. My brother, Lux, once brought me a phone after one of his trips to the human realm. He loaded some games, books, and movies on it, but it never worked like it does when it’s connected to the service in this realm. I could only play the offline games, and after a couple of weeks I ended up placing it in my keepsake box. Now it’s in my pocket and I’m using it again.
I take advantage of the drive, attempting to tame my curls and touching up my makeup. I clean up the eyeshadow around my green eyes and freshen up my lipstick. Out of all the houses we’ve toured today, this one makes me the most nervous. Something tells me it’s the one, and I plan to put my best foot forward to impress my potential landlord.
We arrive, and my hand trembles as I open the car door. It’s even better in person. We walk up the stone path lined with chrysanthemums. I take in the outdoor chairs and ottoman arranged around a copper fire pit to the side. The pictures of the outside didn’t do justice to the enormity of the windows running from the floor to the ceiling. Bursts of giddiness pop inside me. This house will give the best first impression to my future partner.
“Hi there!” All three of us turn our heads toward the cheery voice piping up from the yard next to us.
Kneeling in the flower bed in front of an equally beautiful house is a petite woman. She looks to be around thirty-five, with shoulder length black curls, brown skin peppered with a smattering of freckles over her nose, and deep-brown eyes. She gets to her feet and brushes her palms off on her jeans before crossing the yard to us. “I’m Meredith. Are you guys here to talk to Jace about the room he’s renting? I hope so; he’s been wanting to get that room filled for a while now.”
She places her hand next to her mouth like she’s about to divulge a juicy secret. “Between you and me, I think he’s lonely and using this as an excuse to make new friends. But he’d never admit it.”
My brother and Glen exchange a quick glance, each with his eyebrows raised. “You don’t think he’s the kind of guy who makes ‘new friends’ and cages them in his basement in hopes of eating them for breakfast, do you?” Mandis asks.
Meredith playfully slaps my brother on the bicep. “I hope not. He has all that fancy workout equipment down there, not to mention the rec room. That would be one hell of a mess to clean up.”
“I had a friend like that once. He caged his best friend, an imp—”
“Okay!” I cut Glen off before he scares the neighbor and she puts in a bad word about me. “It was nice meeting you, Meredith. Maybe if I get the place, you and I can grab a drink sometime.”
“I’ll take you up on that. It’s been a while since I had a neighbor to gossip with.”
We wave goodbye and walk to the front door.
“I like her. She seems fun,” Glen says.
“Of course you do, my tiny macaron. She smells like strawberries and cream,” Mandis says, brushing his thumb over his husband’s cheek.
“Okay, okay, behave, please. Stop discussing people’s scents. It’s weird.” I knock and smooth down the cashmere of my blue deep V–neck sweater.
Glen brushes my hands away from my chest. “Stop fidgeting. Your tits look great.”
With a sly smile, I wiggle my eyebrows. “I know; that’s why I chose this sweater.”
“Don’t encourage her, darling, or her ego won’t fit through the door,” Mandis grumbles.
“Okay, okay, I get it,” I say, feeling guilty about how obstinate I’ve been all day. “I’m sorry I’ve been a beast, but I am so nervous about this. It’s really important I find the perfect place, or you know that Dad is going to—”
I clam up when I hear footsteps behind us, and the three of us turn in unison.