Unleashing Chaos

Chapter Three

I'm sitting on Jace's plush couch in the living room while he moves around the kitchen cooking pasta that smells delicious, but even though my stomach is totally growling, all I can think about is how to even start on my search for the perfect eternal partner.

In Infernis, everyone is so chaotic and open about their sexuality that they just march right up to people and say, "Hey, wanna fuck?" And then if they like the person, they do. And if they like sleeping with them, they'll do it again, and so forth and so on until they decide they want to do it with that same person forever. I have a feeling that won't work here on Earth, and I don't operate that way anyway.

Hence the need for me to be here in the first place.

I heave a sigh as I type into the search engine on my brand-new iPhone, where to find guys to date in Denver. There are so many options, and most of them look either 100% sketch or completely lame. This is impossible. I could hardly keep up a conversation with Jace and Cannon. How will I ever be able to find a man to date, let alone take to another realm?

The only thing I keep seeing over and over that seems marginally successful for some are dating apps. But even those are confusing because there are so many. I look over at Jace who is washing dishes as he cooks, which I have to admit is an extremely admirable habit.

"Have you ever used a dating app?" I ask, my sudden question making him jump.

"For fuck's sake," he spits, running his hand through his hair. He snatches a dishtowel from the counter and dries his hands. "No. I've never used a dating app."

I bristle at his reaction. "Sorry," I say with raised eyebrows. "Is there a rule against talking between the hours of 6:00 and 8:00 PM as well?"

"Sorry. No. I'm just 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. Jerking his head toward the barstools at the counter he says, "Come and eat something."

Before I can even get up, a noise sounds through the house and Jace's voice is amplified through the sound system. "Cannon, dinner's ready."

"Coming!" Cannon's disembodied voice comes from upstairs.

I jump to my feet and my eyes dart around the room. "What the hell was that?"

Jace raises an eyebrow and looks at me like I've got a head injury. "Uh, Alexa? I can use it as an intercom? You've never—"

"Oh, right. Yes, of course," I say quickly, nodding even though I have no damn clue what he's talking about.

Folding the blanket neatly over the arm of the sofa, I climb onto the barstool next to him and peer into the dish in front of me. Fettucine alfredo. My favorite pasta that my dad always has the chefs cook on our Friday night dinners even though he doesn't really like it. A smile creeps onto my face and I look at Jace out of the corner of my eye before lifting my fork.

"Thank you. This is actually my favorite food, so you're already winning on the roommate front. Not that you have any competition. I've only ever had six brothers as roommates, and, well...anyone could win against them because they are the literal embodiment of—" I stop myself before I say too much. "Well, they're royal pains in my ass."

"Hey, Jace has some competition now," Cannon says as he enters the kitchen, hopping up on the barstool next to me and flashing me a grin before digging into his pasta. "This smells fantastic, Jace. Thanks."

Jace twirls his fork, wrapping the pasta around it and nods to Cannon before turning back to me. "Six brothers, huh? And you couldn't ask any of them about their experience with dating apps?"