Page 46 of Five to Love Him
Leo continued up the ladder, and we decided to follow with one, briefly considering bringing the strawberries, but they would be better as a dessert after dinner. Maybe he’d want to lounge on the floor again while he ate, resting close to us.
“You know what I mean. Superstrength for me. What else can you do?”
“We think we’re getting to be very skilled at hive hugs.”
He made an adorable sound of amusement. “Funny. I mean it. Look, Instructor Arick said you guys—and I mean hives, not thinking of you as several people—anyway, he says you are all very secretive. Can you fly? Glow in the dark? What’s there to hide?”
We had a hunch that after his outpouring of grief, Leo was veering toward overtired and unusually excitable. We’d get him home soon enough. We were considering what drink to take from the Dazzle and picked a plum wine, something sweet and soft, so much like Leo. If he didn’t like it, we could mix it too, turn it into something closer to his taste.
“We don’t necessarily mean to hide things, but hives are private and very protective. We have a knack for picking out supernaturals and knowing what they are, not perfect, but good. Most others think that our real strength lies in being a multiple—” We cleared our throat, some of our hands shaking at the memories this brought. “You see, hives aren’t violent by nature. There are stories of some of our kind being captured and used for things such as magic tricks.”
That was safe to say. It was general, didn’t talk about why what had happened had happened to us. We weren’t even sure why that human had wanted us. We didn’t know that it was because of what we were. For all we knew he liked the way we looked or…we clasped hands where Leo couldn’t see, almost dropped the plum wine but managing to hold on, to calm down enough to gather our things and leave the Dazzle, mumbling a quick goodbye and thank you to Coral. We wanted the one to be close. It would help us stay calm.
Leo didn’t seem to have noticed anything amiss. He was looking around the upstairs, a smile spreading over his face.
“You only have one bed, just like me.”
“We do. We told you. We don’t need to sleep all at once.”
He crossed his arms. “Basically, you never sleep.”
“Not in the way you do.”
“That’s a superpower. I mean, I could tell you stories about college and study drugs. Some of the people there would have done anything to not have to sleep.”
“But singulars need it. We need to not be kept apart, and singulars need rest. It’s your nature.”
Leo looked at us, thoughtful. “I think I get it now. It’s hard enough to hide what you are from other humans. You don’t need me to tell you to only come alone or with two or whatever.” He heaved a sigh. “Communication. Let’s not become Ezra and Tate.”
The panic that had risen in us ebbed, and when Leo sat down on the bed, we sat next to him, close, so that we touched.
“Ezra and Tate will figure it out. They are close. It’s right in front of them.”
Leo smiled. “Yeah. I’m getting kind of tired. We should leave. There are spare chairs in the basement, for the kitchen table. It folds out. Gran’s office used to be the dining room, and if you like moving furniture, then maybe it’s the perfect time to close the office down for good and make it a dining room again so that all of you fit.”
“No.” We stood, put our hands on Leo’s shoulders, and shook him gently. “Leo, no. We…we can’t let you do that. Because of our mating instinct. And remember what you learned about not fighting that.”
This was the definition of a white lie, and we only felt slightly guilty. We couldn’t let Leo give up his grandmother’s business for a dining room though, we knew that.
“Huh?”
We looked up the ladder, wondering whether we should join with the other three, but maybe this would be easier for Leo if he’d have just one to focus on.
“We mean it. You’re keeping the office.”
“But—”
We pouted. “Please.”
“I mean, okay? I was just thinking that you all should have a space.”
“We’ve seen your kitchen table. It’s big enough for you and us.”
“I guess, but…” He shrugged. “I guess.”
“We’ll go there now. We’ll show you. Dinner is going to be cozy. How about pasta? Do you have pine nuts?”
Leo looked at us with big eyes. “No. Didn’t know you can put pine nuts on top of noodles.”
