ALICE “The house getting completed in a timely manner is important to me and I’m prepared to pay whatever it takes. As soon as you can clear your calendar of other commitments we can begin. Mine has already been emptied to take part in this project and to be at your disposal as it comes together.”  He wanted to participate? An active client can be hard to handle, but this? This was a nightmare and a dream all wrapped in one.  “Absolutely, I’ll get Ted on clearing things for this and will reach out within the next few-” “I would like to start tomorrow,” he interrupted, and a slightly smoky scent filled the space around me. The harshness of smoke didn't exist here, it was smooth and almost tangible as I could feel it sliding along my skin like fine silk made of sedu

  ALICE I was surprised to see Rian step out of the SUV-looking vehicle. I assumed he would be the type to have the driver come to the door or wait in his vehicle until I arrived, not that he would have driven himself and was currently on his way up to get me.  Ted was fiddling with my hair to swoop its length over one shoulder and the girls were smoothing down their own outfits as they nervously tried to find somewhere to stand. I have to keep my head tonight. Amara will be looking for any opportunity to get close to him, but this wasn’t the type of situation to just let loose in, and besides that, not only was he a client but I had no clue WHAT he was yet.  Ted opened the door before he had a chance to knock, and his mask of indifference only lifted for a brief se

  ALICE For two days Rian watched me closely, but respected every boundary of a work relationship, while Ted and I walked through the house and his options with him. At times I was envious of how easy he made ignoring our bond look. He was calm and collected, while it took everything in me to not let Amara’s rumbles rip through my glamour. She was smitten with him but it was a dangerous balance, full of choices, that I wasn’t sure I could make.  We picked out paint colours and talked over the colour scheme for accents but I should have known by the dress that he would lean towards blues and golds. Occasionally he would surprise me with pops of red and brown, but overall he wanted a strong clean-cut vibe that bordered between minimalist and modern farmhouse.  By the end of the day on Friday, it was extremely hard

  LINDEN  When Alice let go of Westley and turned around there was a heat to the air that suggested Onyx was out instead, and as I circled around his black eyes confirmed it.  Onyx wasn’t like Ace or Amara, there was never any verbal communication and he could be unpredictably aggressive. For the most part, Nixon kept him under control but when it came to his possessive streak over me and Alice, we learned to placate him.  Alice stood there and waited, knowing that Onyx needed control back as he gripped her chin roughly while he inspected her for injuries before drawing the back of her neck towards him and pressing his forehead to hers. I don’t know how it started because we were too young to remember when it did, but this was one thing that he was extra possessive over and I almost learnt that the hard way

  LINDEN The morning air was also so crisp and relaxing that it was hard not to notice when Alice was around. The thick texture her scent brought was like a warning and a blanket of safety all at once.  She slipped her hands around my waist, pressing her cheek into my back and giving me a gentle squeeze before I turned in her arms and cradled her head against my chest. Her jet black hair was always pin-straight, and as it flowed in the breeze it never escaped me how at peace she was like this.  “I do miss this,” she whispered, “miss you all,” her jaw tensed and she swallowed roughly, “please don’t make it harder than it needs to be to leave tomorrow.”  “If it’s hard to leave, that has nothing to do with my actions.”