Finding My Pack (6 page)

  "Um...yeah so uh...the owner tries to pay me in cash but on occasion she can't so I get paid in free skate time. I like it there."

  He nods his head, drumming his fingers on the desk. "How about this? I'll talk to the owner at the ice rink and see about getting you hired on part-time with a set wage as a trainer. You drop the dishwashing job altogether. And I'll pay you twice what you made doing laundry if you do it for us. That way Finn will have time to catch you up on your studies when you're not working, laundry will actually get done around here, and you'll have a task at home so you won’t feel like you are living off of us. Sound reasonable?" Remy states matter of factly, but I'm still stuck on the word 'home.'

   I stare at him. Is he serious? He doesn't even know how much I make at the hotel and he's offering to double it? Then again I'm sure he could afford it no matter what it is.

  "Uh, yeah, that sounds fine. I should probably work full time. I don't need Finn to catch me up on anything. I've spent most of my life in a library, reading anything I could. Between the books and using the computers there, I met the standards to pass high school when I was twelve."

  "There is always more to learn young Kitten, is there not?" He asks, acting like he's more than a few years older than me. I nod anyways, though, he's right, there is. Getting to spend more time with Finn sounds like fun anyway.

  "Alright, we're agreed," He says, standing. "I'll have Jace show you where the laundry room is. Ash and I have somewhere to be. I'll see you for dinner." He walks to the door and opens it, standing to the side to let me pass. We walk through the house until we come upon a room done in cream and dark blues. A large screen dominates one wall, on it are characters shooting each other. A couple of the boys are playing the game, one of them being Jace.

"Excuse me, Jace, I need you to show Kitten where the laundry room is. She's going to be doing our washing from now on." Remy says in an authoritative voice. I now realize that he hadn't used that voice with me in his office.

  The guys pause their game and all have a deer in headlights look about them. Ash stands and claps his hands, rubbing them together. "Finally! I hate washing clothes. You know how to keep black from fading Kitten? I swear, I wash something once and it's like half the color leaves it."

  That makes me giggle. I still think it's a strange sound. "Yeah, you wash them in cold water. I think they even make special soap just for dark clothes. You also turn dark jeans inside out so they won't fade as fast and you hang dry certain types of fabric." How do I know this simple thing and they don't?

"Oh yeah, this gonna be great. Logan can stop hassling me about my shit now." Ash says to Remy.

  Remy looks back at Ash, "We leave in ten, get ready." The two share a look and Ash's face becomes hard again. He nods once and follows Remy out into the hallway.

"Let's get you to that laundry room then," Jace says, laughing. "You might become the most loved person in this house, we all hate washing and folding with a passion. Logan loves to buy them so mostly we just get new ones once they're dirty." He shrugs. That has to be the stupidest thing I've ever heard. Wasteful too.

  Turns out they call the entire basement the laundry room. Although I don't know why they don't call it 'The Land of Forgotten Clothes. The washer and dryer are state of the art. They even have a folding table, drying racks and an ironing board with the iron sitting on top of it. Clearly, someone tried to keep up with it but gave up. There are piles of clothes everywhere. Some as tall as me. Washing clothes really isn't that difficult for crying out loud.

  Jace walks around the piles like they might bite him or something. I can't help but laugh at him. Big, strong guy afraid of socks and t-shirts. I look around for the bleach to start a load of whites, but I don't see it. There's a cabinet next to the dryer so I poke around a bit. Several different types of soaps, softeners, and dryer sheets take up most of the space. The bleach is on the top row. I stand on my tip-toes, but it's still out of reach.

  "Who's laughing now fun size?"

  "What?" I ask

"Come on, nobody's ever called you that before?" He says with a disbelieving look.

  "No, I don't think so, what does that mean?"

  "Holy shit you're serious!" He laughs. "You know, like the fun size candy, it's smaller than the regular size candy?" I just stare at him, I have no idea what he's talking about.

"Basically, I'm calling you short, but in a friendly way. And you girl, just earned yourself a nickname". He winks at me.

  "Sorry, I wasn't the type of kid that was given candy."

  "Hey," Jace nudges me out of the way to grab the bleach, "I'm sorry, I didn't mean anything by it."

"I know, it’s okay. And hey, I am short, it doesn't bother me. I have a lesser chance at falling over in case of an earthquake." I stick my tongue out at him. He laughs.

  I start the load of whites and move on to the first pile. I start sorting through it, dark clothes, jeans, things that will need to be dry cleaned, towels. After a while Jace says he'll see me upstairs. I guess he got bored. A few items have stains on them that sat here for so long that I doubt they will ever come out. Bunch of crazies. They should have just washed them.

  I stay down there for about four loads of laundry and call it quits. I found a bunch of racks filled with hangers so I just hung everything up. I don't know what belongs to who yet. I decide to go find Logan and ask him. I'm sure if anyone knows he will.

  As I'm rounding a corner near a back door I've never seen I see a sleek black dog sitting on the deck. I open the glass door and whistle for it. It looks ready to bolt.

  "Please, don't run away. I won't hurt you." The dog still looks unsure, but I approach it slowly with my hand out. When I get close enough, I kneel next to it and run my fingers through its shiny fur. It looks well-groomed so it must belong to someone. The guys never mentioned having a dog, but clearly it's theirs. It was at their door. They should really get a collar and tags for it.

  I scratch behind the dog’s ear and it closes its eyes in contentment. "Oh yes, I'd totally steal you puppy, I'll make sure you get a pretty collar tomorrow."

  I stand to call the dog to come with me. It still looks unsure but comes in anyway. I watch behind me to make sure it follows. I find the living room, but no one else is here. Oh well. Someone left the TV. on so I sit on the couch. I figure one of them will eventually come in here. The dog jumps up and sits beside me.

"No! Bad dog, down, get down." I snap my fingers at it. I don't know if they let the dog on the couch or not but it looks pretty expensive.

  I feel bad for yelling at it so I slide to the floor and lean my back against the couch. "Sorry puppy, come here, I'll sit with you." I pat my legs so the dog will come closer. With its ears pulled back it comes over and lays its head in my lap. I stroke my hand over its head and down its back. I love the feel of the silky fur between my fingers. The dog rolls over so I scratch it's....his, belly.

  "You're such a pretty boy aren't you puppy? I wish I knew your name. You have such pretty puppy eyes, don't you boy?" I say, rubbing under his chin. He leans into my hand, I guess he likes that. I continue to pet him until my arm grows tired.

  I look at the dog lying lazily in my lap. He looks up at me with his mint green eyes. If I had to guess I'd say this was Finn's or Kellan's dog. I've heard that pets tend to look like their owners. Or maybe that was a commercial?

  "Well, I'm thirsty, what about you?" The dog just looks at me. I sigh, "I have no idea why I'm waiting for an answer." I stand again and he follows me to the kitchen. Tristan is in front of the stove, probably preparing dinner.

  "Hey, Tristan." I wave when he turns around. "Where do you keep your dog bowls? We're thirsty. Although I'd like my water from a cup." I smile at him but it dims a bit when I notice how he's just staring at the dog, looking mad.

  "Umm…he was at the back door, he didn't have a tag, and I just figured he belonged here. Is he yours?"

  "Certainly not mine." Tristan mutters.

  "Oh, well.....can we keep him? He's so well behaved and...I like him. I'll take care of him, I promise." I beg. I don't want to send him back outside without knowing if he has a place to go. He probably does, I just don't know where.

  Tristan looks even angrier now. I walk up to him and wrap both of my arms around one of his. "Please, Tristan? You took me in when I was alone. I'll try to find his owner. He's been groomed and smells real nice so someone might be looking for him. Don't make me put him back outside."

  I think Tristan knows how hard that would be for me because his whole body deflates. He untangles his arm from mine then brings me in for a hug, kissing the crown of my head.

  "Okay, if my Kitten wants a puppy, my Kitten can have a puppy." He says and I laugh. When you put it that way it just sounds weird. I lean up on my toes and kiss his cheek.

  "Thank you, Tristan." He shakes his head and gets me a bowl from the cabinet. I fill it with cold water and grab a few ice cubes out of the freezer, putting them in the bowl and swirling them around. I get my own glass of ice water and sit at the island. I hear Tristan chuckling so I raise an eyebrow in question.

  "Why in the world did you give him ice cubes?" he asks.

  "Why wouldn't I? I like ice water, he probably does too. Dogs aren't that different from people you know." I state.

  He laughs harder. "For one, that isn't a dog, it's a wolf, and I've never seen anybody give a wolf iced water."

  I look back to the dog. It sure looks like a dog. "How do you know he's a wolf?" I ask.

  "Trust me, that's no dog. It's a wolf. He's probably not even housebroken," He smirks when he says this. The dog or wolf growls at him.

  I hop down from my seat and kneel beside the wolf. "It's okay," I tell the wolf, stroking his silky fur again. "He didn't mean it. I'm new here too. We'll figure it out together." The wolf nuzzles his face into mine and it makes me giggle. I stand, glaring at Tristan as I leave the room with the wolf on my heels.

  We walk around the house, looking into rooms to see what they are. We come across a set of large oak double doors. I open one and peek my head through. It's dark so I can't see what's in here. The wolf nudges my leg, pushing me into the room. I leave the door open for light.

  Finding a table with a lamp, I pull the little cord. The amount of light it gives off is small, but it's enough to spot a light switch beside the door. As soon as the overhead lights come on I let out a shocked gasp. It's a library! I jump up and down, letting out a squeal of delight. "Mr. Wolf, we found a library! Can you believe this?" I hug his neck and he licks my face.

   Rows and rows of books line the walls with shorter shelves in the middle. No way is this normal. I run my fingers over the bindings, walking down the aisles, exploring my new found treasure. There are several seating areas, one with a grouping of big pillows in front of a floor to ceiling window. Looks like the perfect spot for reading.

  I search the shelves for a book. I find a nice thick one and call for the wolf to follow me. I sit Indian style and the wolf props his head up on my thigh. I decide to read aloud so the wolf won't get bored and wonder around. We stay that way for hours. With me reading to the wolf, with one hand on the book and one hand petting his head. I eventually shift so I'm laying down propped up on my elbows, the wolf snuggled into my side. I expect him to drift off, but he keeps his eyes on me the whole time.

T
he next thing I know, I'm being shaken awake. Remy's gruff voice calls my name. "Kitten, thank God! We've been looking all over the house for you. Why are you sleeping in here?" He asks in an annoyed tone.

  I sit up and look around. "Where is my wolf?" I ask.

  "Remy looks stunned for a moment. “What wolf? What are you talking about?"

  "I found a wolf at your back door. I thought he was a dog, but Tristan said he was a wolf. He said I could keep him. He was right here with me when I dozed off."

  Remy bites his bottom lip. He looks just as mad as Tristan did. "Are you sure you didn't dream the whole thing?" He has the nerve to ask.

  I huff. "Yes I'm sure, I'm not crazy. Are you sure you didn't see him?" I ask. I feel like crying. My wolf left me?

  He must see the tears that threaten to fall. He reaches out and tucks my hair behind my ear. "I'll help you look for him, come on." He pulls me to standing and walks with his hand at the small of my back to the door. We search every room we come across but still no wolf.

  Later, I'm sitting at the dining room table, pushing food around my plate. We couldn't find him and I'm positive someone must have let him out and he ran away. I must be the worst pet owner in the world. Less than a day and I lose my dog. Wolf. Maybe he ran away because I didn't feed him? Why didn't I feed him!? I wipe a tear away and give up playing with my food.

  "Want me to make you something else Kitten?" Tristan asks me. I shake my head no. I look up and around. The guys are sharing looks between each other and giving me sympathetic looks. Finn, I notice, just stares at his plate, pushing food around like I am. I lost a wolf, what the heck happened to him?

  Since I'm not eating and he's not eating I ask him, "Hey Finn? Do you want to go for a walk with me?"

  He starts to answer when Remy speaks up, "You shouldn't leave the house when it's dark out Kitten. It's dark out. Besides, Finn has some things to take care of tonight." He glares in Finn's direction. Finn looks up at me with a guilty look.

  "I'm sorry Kitten," Finn says in a voice that would break my heart if it wasn’t already broken.

  "Fine. I just wanted to look for my wolf." I grit out, trying to keep my tears at bay. I leave the table, stomping off to...well… I don't know. I don't know where to sleep and I'm not sure if I could anyhow. I'm worried about my wolf. I head back to the basement and do laundry until I fall asleep, exhausted, on one of the piles.

……..

  I wake up with a stiff neck, shivering from the lack of heat in the basement. I forget why I am down here. Oh yeah, I lost my puppy and went crying in a corner like a two-year-old. I swear I'm acting so unlike myself lately. The plus side of my temper tantrum is that I got a crap load of laundry done. If this is going to be a continuous thing I might make the suggestion that they all have the same kind of socks. Pairing that many different kinds was ridiculous. I really need to find Logan so I can start sorting where all of this stuff goes. Also, I have a few ideas to run by him.

  I make my way up the stairs, trying to work the kink out of my neck. When I open the door, I'm shocked to see a sleeping Ash sitting across from me. I close the door as quietly as I can, but he still stirs awake.

  "Hey there," He mumbles.

  "Hi. Did you sleep there?"

  "Yeah, I know you wanted your space, but I didn't want to leave you completely alone." He gives me a meaningful look. Though I don't know what it means.

  "I'm sorry about how I acted. I don't know what came over me. Would you like to get some food with me? I'm no Tristan, but I make a fantastic bowl of cereal."

  He snorts out a laugh. "Sure thing, little one."

  We walk in comfortable silence to the kitchen. Just as I'm about to enter, Ash grabs my upper arm, surprisingly gentle for such a huge guy. He lets out a breath. "About yesterday, I get it. You have abandonment issues. I'm not the most talkative of the group and I know I come off a little... reserved. I just wanted to let you know that the wolf didn't run off because of anything you did." He says.

  I look up to his face. His masculine features make him look scarier than some of the other guys, but the thought that comes to mind when I really take in everything about him is ...deadly attractive.

  "Ash?" I say quietly.

  "Yeah?"

  "Thank you for saying that. It's because you're the quiet one that makes your words mean more when you do speak up."

   Ash looks way for a moment before gesturing with a nod of his head that we should enter the kitchen. I think we might be the first ones up. There's no sign that anyone has been here yet. Ash walks over to a coffee pot, getting it started. I've always liked the smell of coffee so I stand beside him as it brews.

  "Want some?" he asks, once the pot is done filling.

  "I've never had it."

  He takes down two mugs from a shelf. He pours one to the top and the other leaving a few inches of space. He walks to the fridge so I take the less full one and take a gulp. Burning the ever-living-crap out of my tongue!

  "Damn it! Kitten, I was getting you some creamer to cool it off.

Here, put that on it." he hands me an ice cube.

  I take the ice but put a hand on Ash's arm. "It's okay, I'm fine."

  Ash shakes his head at me. He takes both our cups to the island and motions for me to sit. I do and he brings me a container of liquid creamer and sugar. I watch as he drinks his without any of that. I take another sip of mine too. This time slower. I like this how it is. It's bitter but I don't think I've tasted anything like it before. Not even a little. Maybe that alone is why I like it.

Ash nods and his lips lift in the corners. I think that's approval. I continue to sip on the hot concoction as he gets things out to cook.

  "I thought we were having cereal?" I frown.

He snorts again. "As if I'd ever feed you cereal for breakfast. I'm no Tristan either so don't go getting excited. I can make scrambled eggs, though."

  I really like this side of Ash. I thought he was going to be a mean type of person, but I think that's just a front. Maybe. He starts making eggs and I seek out the cabinet with the ibuprofen.

Finished cooking, he brings over two heaping plates for us. I get the coffee and refill our cups, grabbing forks as well. We eat in the comfortable silence I'm starting to realize comes with being around Ash. It's nice to be around someone who I don't feel pressured to speak. Ash only talks when he has something to say. I like that.

  We finish, so I pick up the dirty dishes and place them in the dishwasher. I turn back to Ash and pat my stuffed tummy. "That was delicious, thank you. Next time I think we should put bacon in them."

   He smiles. "I knew I liked you for a reason." Ha! I got a full blown smile out of him.

  He gets up, taking his coffee with him. I grab mine too and follow him. He looks back and raises an eyebrow at me, I just shrug. What else is there to do? We end up in a garage full of vehicles. I'm pretty sure the white SUV is Reed's but beyond that, I don't know.

  "So... what are we doing?" I ask.

  Ash snorts a laugh out, "We, huh? Do you know how to do an oil change?"

  I bite my lip and shake my head no. "I've never even been in a car, only on the bus."

  "I'll teach you to drive sometime. For now just watch. I'm gonna change the oil in a few of these today." He didn't even blink at my confession and I'm grateful for that. So far, these guys haven't judged me for anything I've told them.

  He works quietly, taking the time to explain this and that to me. Pointing out each tool he uses and how you use it. I stand back, watching and listening, just letting him do this thing. After a couple hours pass, I go back to the kitchen, looking for something easy I can take back with me so I can talk Ash into a break. I'm sure he's hungry by now.

  Tristan is up, cooking. He's still in his night clothes, a white tank top and red flannel pants. He smiles at me when I enter.

  "Hey there, breakfast will be done shortly. What are you doing up? It's only seven." He says in his kind voice.

  "Actually I already had breakfast, Ash made us scrambled eggs. I was going to make us some sandwiches, but I don't know what he likes. Any ideas?"

  "Hmm. I see. I'll fix you up a few BLT's. What are you two up to?" He gives me an odd look.

  "Just changing oil and checking things on the cars. Don't worry, I'm not touching anything." I say playfully, earning me another beautiful Tristan smile.

  He fries up some bacon and puts the sandwiches together, wrapping each in a paper towel. I grab two water bottles from the fridge. I give Tristan a hug and lean up on my toes to peck him on the cheek.

  "You're awesome Tristan. Thank you." He looks a bit shell shocked so I motion for him to bend down to me, "don't tell Ash, but I'd take your eggs over his any day." I whisper in his ear. He barks out a laugh, very un-Tristan-like. I giggle and make my way back to the garage. The door is tricky with my hands being full, but I finally get it after tucking a bottle of water under my chin.

  Ash is bent over the front of an older, shiny black truck. I don't think he notices me so I take the time to check him out. God, the boy is a tower of pure muscle. His rumpled gray shirt is hiked up in the back, showing off a sliver of tanned skin. Is it odd that I want to lick it?

   "I thought you got bored," He says. I blush and clear my throat. At least he couldn't see me.

  "Nope, just went to get some food. You boys are spoiling me. I've never had such open access to food before." I hand him two of the three sandwiches.

  He takes a big bite, like half of it. "Boys?" He asks in an amused tone after swallowing. "Do I look like a 'boy', Kitten?"

  Oh no, I've insulted him. "No I guess not, but you guys can't be much older than me."

  "Looks can be deceiving,” He mutters, finishing his food. I hand him a bottle of water and he nods his thanks.

   So he's older than he looks huh? So... what? Twenty-five? I suppose it doesn't matter in the long run. It makes sense though. Kellan is some sort of physician and they all seem to have skills that exceed what I've seen of normal teenagers. Tristan's cooking, Reed's artistic ability, Ash and his knowledge of cars. Remy has his own office for crying out loud! That's when it hits me. That's why I feel like I fit in so well here, they aren't normal either. I find that comforting and disturbing all at once.

  When I'm finished with my sandwich I stand next to Ash, his head still in the truck. Curious, I ask, "So who does this one belong to?"

  "Why, do you like it?"

  I take a look at all of the vehicles. "Yeah, I think I like this one best. It's pretty."

  He smiles and his chest fills with pride. "This truck here is mine, the red car is Tristan's Charger, and the black Escalade is Remy's, the white one Reed's. Over there is Logan's electric blue R8. Kellan drives a Mercedes, Finn a burnt orange Dodge Ram truck that he keeps parked outside, and Jace, has the flashiest car of course, a yellow Corvette."

  I look around, I don't see the yellow or blue ones, but I do see a motorcycle that looks like it's made of glass. I walk to it and hover my hand over it. I don't want to smudge it. I briefly wonder what it looks like in the sun.

   I look back to find Ash watching me. "I change my mind, if I had to choose, I'd want this."

He raises an eyebrow, "What if it rained?"

  I shrug, "It's just water."

  "What if it was cold?" he asks.