Page 5 of Unleashing Chaos
Damn, Cannon. That was unexpected.
“I—”
“This is the room,” Jace says, completely oblivious to what he just interrupted.
It is the exact kind of room I imagined staying in for the next ninety days. It’s open and sunny with a picture window that takes up the entirety of the side wall, looking down onto an inground pool and across to the other side of the house. The furnishings are modern and clean with lots of white and grays, and the bed is plush, king-size, like I have at home. There’s plenty of closet space and a small en suite bathroom. The only thing that it doesn’t have is a garden tub. It has a shower stall, which I’m not used to, but I am not complaining.
“It’s perfect,” I breathe, forgetting for a moment to be calm, cool, and collected; I’m looking at this room like it’s the love of my damn life. “I only need the room for ninety days. Can’t you let me stay in here, let Cannon stay in another room, which there must be in this massive place, and then I’ll be out of both your hair in three months? I’ll even pay extra rent. Anything you want, Jace. I just cannot bear to look at another house. Please. I’m begging you.”
The two men exchange glances, and Cannon says, “I’m fine taking another room if you got one, but this is your place, so the call is up to you.”
“Three months?” Jace asks.
My heart lifts. “Three months. Not a day more.”
“No drama, keep my house clean, and you go in ninety days.” Jace’s firm tone sends a shiver through me. I’m not sure if I want to run or drop to my knees and say Yes, sir. Either way, he isn’t messing around.
I find my voice, and when it comes out, it’s raspy and low. “Absolutely. No drama, I’ll leave everything cleaner than I found it, and I’ll be gone before midnight on the ninetieth day.” I take a step toward him and stick out my hand. “I swear it, Jace.”
He moves to wrap his hand around mine and hesitates for a moment. When we touch, his skin is warm and the handshake firm. “You got a deal. Let me show Cannon his room then I’ll take you both downstairs to complete the rental agreement.”
With that settled, I’m free to turn my attention to the real reason I’m here.
I’m officially on the hunt for a human partner.
Two
DESI
I thought coming to the human realm was going to be the solution to all my problems, that I’d just know how to attract the ideal eternal partner.
Wrong.
How foolish I’d been.
In Infernis, everyone is so chaotic. Demons don’t follow the same type of social norms that humans do. We celebrate sexuality, especially in its rawest forms. All we require is consent, so seeing a demon walk up to someone they don’t know and ask if they want to hook up is normal.
I may not be bold enough to operate the way everyone else does in Infernis, but at least I know something about the way the world works.
Here, I am totally clueless.
I heave a sigh and stare at my iPhone, which seems to be a good deal smaller than Jace’s. He’s been tapping on it between stirring an unknown concoction and taking sips of some drink he says is healthy. I think the juice looks and smells like liquified grass. Why humans choose to torture themselves by consuming disgusting beverages all in the name of fitness, I’ll never understand.
I refocus on the problem at hand. Jace and Cannon always seem to be typing on their phones. Even Glen found this house using his phone. Maybe it has the answers I need. I stare down at the little rectangle in my hand and wish an onslaught of terrible things on my brothers. How could they let me come to this realm without teaching me more about the technology humans rely on?
“Can my phone help me find someone to date?” I blurt.
Jace drops what sounds like a large utensil into the sink and it clatters in the metal basin. He curses under his breath, clearly startled, before saying, “You mean like a dating app? I’ve never used one before.”
I chew the inside of my cheek, feeling a little guilty for practically screaming at the man; we have been sitting in comfortable silence for over an hour now. But instead of apologizing, I crack a joke. “My bad, I didn’t realize there was also a rule against talking between the hours of six and eight.”
His shoulders relax and his face betrays the slightest hint of a smile. “Very funny. I have not imposed a no-talking rule.” He glances at me from the corner of his eye. “Yet. I’m just still not used to having anyone around. And you’ve been so quiet all night.” He grabs three dishes from the cupboard and spoons pasta into them. “Dinner is ready. Will you let Cannon know?”
I remove the blanket from my lap and fold it, wishing I could use my power. I hate manually completing all these small human tasks—folding, sorting, and placing. How do they have time for anything fun? It is such a waste of energy, but I can’t upset Mr. Clean by leaving it balled on the couch.
Standing at the bottom of the stairs, I yell, “Cannon, dinner’s ready.”
“I’ll be down in a second,” he calls back.