There was a slight pause. “I know you might be busy with all the gates popping up. I’m sure everyone is contacting you about it. Is there a way you can squeeze in another one?”
So news about the abundance of gates was finally getting out. Just sitting in the coffee shop, I had felt two more gates form within a four-mile radius of me.
“I’m not busy at all actually. I can stop by and poke my head through real quick.”
“Oh thank you! We’re all scared right now. We heard about the gates used to attack the different communities, and we’re only human. The only reason we know the gate exists is because a witch came to the shop, and she sensed it and told us. She broke the spell hiding it, but she refused to go through. Said something about witches being banned from going through until things settled down.”
“Well, I don’t have a ban so I’ll do it. In fact, I’ll give you a twenty percent discount off my normal rate.”
“Really? Are you sure? I’ve called other hoppers and they all upped the prices. I thought I would give you a call before we settled on someone. And they all can’t even come out for a couple of days.”
“Don’t worry, Jordie. I’ll be at your shop in about ten minutes. I’m just down the road from you.”
And I already knew her gate was a calm one, just there, waiting patiently.
“You’re awesome, as usual,” she gushed over the phone.
I smiled. “Of course, see you soon.” I hung up and grabbed my things.
I cocked my head and looked at Landus, who still sat across from me, all yummy and comfortable in his chair.
“Wanna come?” I asked.
“Better than me stalking you,” he replied and stood up.
I chuckled and went to my car. He growled and grabbed me, steering me towards his truck. “No one can fit in that tiny car of yours.”
“My car is perfect.”
“Maybe for you, you’re small.”
“Really? I’m five-eight. I’m taller than most females.”
“You’re still small.”
I snorted and climbed into his overly spacious truck that still seemed pointless to me. He had all these gadgets on the dashboard that I didn’t understand the purpose of.
Hmm.
Landus turned on his monster truck. I reached over, turning a knob. Sound blasted through the truck just as Landus put the car into drive. He smacked my hand away and turned the noise back down.
“You know, Slade has no trouble riding in my car.” I eyed more buttons.
“He’s just too kind and won’t say anything to your face. I’ve heard him grumble about it plenty of times.”
“More like he’s scared of me.”
“I doubt that.” He pulled out of the parking lot and headed toward the shop. Of course, him being the leader of all beings supernatural, he knew the place. Despite the shop being owned by a small group of humans, the shifters enjoyed the place because they sold unscented supplies, making it easy on a shifter’s precious nose. While he was distracted by the road and some asshole who decided to cut us off, I pressed more buttons. One of them opened the sunroof on top, and warm air rushed in.
I stuck my hand out of the sunroof and smiled, feeling the current of warmth slip between my fingers. I grinned at Landus, who was looking at me with a goofy grin laced with curiosity. Eventually, I settled back down in my seat and hit the button again, closing it. Then I pressed another button, changing the music from something hard to something softer and slower. I hit the button again and the music shifted, the beat picking up.
“Don’t you know how to keep your hands to yourself?”
“Nope.” I hit the button again and the music was rough and sounded like someone scraping their nails against my eardrum. I was quick to hit the button, the music turning soft and melodious, almost like one of the songs Cecil hummed to me while I was healing. And while I cried.
I wasn’t big on music. Actually, I was barely aware it even existed. I didn’t like the distraction music seemed to put people in, making them unaware of their surroundings as they walked around outside with their earbuds in and their music blasting through it.
Grabbing the knob that made it loud, I turned it slowly down so I didn’t break my eardrums. Another button called to me, and I pressed it. A moment later, there was a dialing tone and then someone talking.
“Hey, Landus, what’s up?”
“Slade?” I looked around the car, not understanding.
Landus sighed. “Seriously, Nyssa. Keep your hands to yourself.”
“Nyssa? Why are you calling from my Alpha’s car?”
“Holy shit, what’s going on?” I asked, trying to figure out where the cell phone was and why I could hear it so well.
Landus chuckled as I opened up the glove compartment, thinking it was hiding in there.
“Nyssa, stop. There is no phone or anything. I just have Bluetooth hooked up, and you dialed the last person I called. I told you to stop pressing buttons.”
Slade broke out laughing on the other end.
“Shut it, Slade. While I have you on the phone, make sure to call the Elders. I want to have a chat with those old goons. Also, I’m taking Nyssa to another gate.”
“Is it a bad gate?”
“No,” I replied, leaning back in my seat, still confused as to why I could hear Slade’s voice as if he were in the truck with us. “It isn’t one of his. This one’s calm, so I don’t suspect anything going wrong. Jordie called and wants me to check it out. Apparently all the other hoppers are upping their fees.”
“And you gave her a discount.”
I chuckled. “You know me too well.”
“Well...” Even Slade’s sarcasm came through the speakers clearly. “What I do know is after word gets out that you’re giving discounts, those hoppers will lose their clients and they won’t be happy. You just alienated all your co-workers.”
“Please.” I snorted. “After I worked with Sirus, I wrote them all off as idiots. He had no reason to bring a goddamn Uzi through a gate and scaring the crap out of those people. They were just trying to throw a surprise party and instead they were the ones surprised.”
“If I remember correctly, you couldn’t stop laughing when you told me about that incident.”
“Well, dumbass Sirus got fined a pretty penny. Besides, I gave Jordie the discount because money is stupid, and I don’t need it while all the other hoppers are using this for extortion.”
There was a whooshing noise as Slade sighed. “Just admit you wanted to piss them all of. That’s the truth underneath it all. You don’t care about anyone’s bank account or about clients being ripped off.”
“No, I don’t,” I admitted so he would let me off the hook already.
“Yeah, well, if anyone bothers you, let me know.”
“Why?” I snapped. “I don’t need you fighting my battles.”
“Oh, I don’t want to fight your battles either. You would kill me if I even tried. I just want to be there to watch.”
“I can do that,” I said in agreement and with a nod.
“Thanks.”
“Now that you guys are done chatting, we have to go.” Landus hung up, his movements jerky, expression dark.
“What’s wrong with you?” I asked, tilting my head to the side.
“Nothing.”
“Something is.”
He was quiet for a moment, his hands tightening on the wheel. “How long have you and Slade been friends?”
“Hmm, around four years now. We met through Cecil, and he helped me with a gate. We’ve been good friends since...” I turned to him as an impossible idea formed. “Landus, are you jealous? Is that why you look like you swallowed a cup of salt water?”
He cleared his throat and shifted in his seat, and I just stared at him with wide eyes. I never really paid attention to jealousy before. Not even sure what it felt like. Maybe it’s that emotion I felt when I saw someone drinking hot chocolate and I didn’t have one. Was it something li
ke that?
Holy shit. Landus was jealous. Something in my chest warmed right up, and I broke out in a massive grin, feeling like a winner.
“I’m not jealous.”
“Then why did you get all grumpy after I talked to Slade?” I laughed and then sang out, “You were jealous. You were jealous.”
“Nyssa,” he warned, his knuckles turning white.
“What?” I asked. “I can’t help it. I don’t think I ever witnessed someone being jealous when it came to me.”
“Then you don’t pay close enough attention,” he snapped.
I didn’t let his Debbie Downer ruin my mood. My smile stayed wide and true to my emotions. “What do you mean?”
He sighed and pulled into a small parking lot already filled with cars. He illegally parked but I doubted any police would dare do anything about it.
“People stare at you, Nyssa. You are a very beautiful woman and men take notice. Hell, women do too. They see you with someone else and you can practically taste the envy that comes off them. They want you, but they’re too scared to ask for you.”
“Oh, I never noticed.”
“And that makes you all the more attractive. You don’t pretty yourself up at all, and yet you’re still beautiful.”
“Thank you.”
“For what?” He looked momentarily confused.
“For saying I’m beautiful.” I gave him a shit-eating grin and hopped out of his monster truck.
He followed behind silently, but I could feel the wheels turning beneath his eyes as they stayed focused on my back the entire way to the shop.
Chapter Twenty
I remember large strong arms scooping me up. A deep voice laughed, and I smiled in response. I liked his laugh. I remember burrowing deeper into his chest as he held me close, talking, his voice making me feel free and happy.
—Nyssa’s Journal
A small bell went off when I opened the front door. I would have expected a little trinket shop like this to be full of different scents, but in preference to the shifter population who liked to come here, Jordie did a great job keeping it scent free.
“Just a minute,” a female voice called out. I walked up to the cash register and started looking at the little figurines on display, picking them up, getting a close look, and putting them back down.
“You really can’t keep your hands to yourself, can you?” Landus whispered into my ear, sending a delicious shiver down my body.
“Maybe someday soon, you’ll learn how much I really can’t,” I whispered back as a woman came through a beaded doorway. Landus’s energy and excitement flared, but he didn’t say anything to me.
“Nyssa, thank you for coming.” Jordie swept me up into one of her bone crushing hugs. For a human, she really knew how to squeeze.
“Why do you look like you’ve been crying?”
She sniffled and rubbed at her baby blues, probably wondering why the make-up didn’t help.
“I heard about Cecil from the witch who noticed the gate.”
“Ah, I see.”
“I mean, I know our breakup was bad and I was the one to end it, but it doesn’t mean I’m a cold-hearted bitch who doesn’t give a shit. I still care about her and no one deserves what happened to her.”
And apparently I hit a sore spot with her. I shifted on my feet, uncomfortable with Jordie for a moment. She had dated Cecil last year for quite a few months and then one day just up and ended it. Cecil’s heart broke, and it was my turn to nurse her back to health, though I failed miserably. All I did was stay by her side and keep her distracted. Cecil said I did a good job. I still felt like a total failure. And I couldn’t even hate Jordie for breaking it off. She was too much sunshine trapped in a skin. She was always smiling and laughing, making days fun and exciting. She also loved my photos and bought a few of them. In fact, one of my pieces hung just behind the counter on the wall. It was a field of flowers with a wild horse with horns sunbathing in the light.
“Cecil will be alright, and I’m going to take down the guy responsible for doing that to her,” I promised Jordie because those kinds of promises were the only ones I was good for. I could be a very scary hunter when I wanted to be, and Baron was in my sights now. If his men hadn’t hurt Cecil, I probably would have had a better rein on my anger. And I wouldn’t feel so hopeless.
Jordie blinked a couple of tears back when she felt my sincerity and nodded. “I believe you.”
“The gate?” I asked.
“Yeah, right. Follow me.” She turned around and led us through the beaded curtain of the doorway she had come out of.
Landus placed his hand on the small of my back, and the tension that built while talking with Jordie went away. He was like a cure-all drug. Almost. His touch had a way of making me feel better, and I wasn’t so sure if I liked that or not. The idea of someone having that kind of control over me was unnerving.
In the other room, Jordie disappeared through another door and like dutiful children, we followed behind quietly.
A few moments later, after going up a couple flights onto the rooftop, I stood in front of one of the most beautiful gates I’d ever seen. I’d heard humans talk about the gates to heaven, and this one looked like it could be a match.
“You’re scared of this gate?” I asked Jordie. I didn’t even have proper words to describe what I saw. Or felt. The gate was about eight feet tall and five feet wide. The haze of energy within the gate was a mist of beauty, swirling and swaying to its own tune. It kind of made me feel like what Cecil made me feel, just not as warm. Just very welcoming.
“We’re wary of all the gates right now, and as humans we aren’t really in a position to try one out. I’ve heard the stories.”
Oh yeah. Sometime I pitied humans because they never got to feel the wonderful rush of going through a good gate. Without energy or magic to protect them, there was nothing to hold their cells together, and they would be torn apart the moment they touched one. Even lesser beings held that same risk if they didn’t have enough to keep them together.
I smiled at the gate and closed my eyes, letting the emotions wash over me. They were so foreign to me. Something I never felt before, hadn’t even known could exist. A new emotion. I tasted the energy, trying to wrap my mind around the word to describe what I was feeling. I didn’t know the name.
“Nyssa,” Landus’s voice was a soft wonder, and I peeked over at him. He was staring at me with widened eyes. “What are you feeling?”
“Like I can let go and be my true self and not worry about a damn thing.”
He reached over and grabbed my hand gently, his fingers playing with mine as if hoping for some of the emotions I felt to transfer to him.
“Safe. You feel safe.”
“Safe?”
He nodded and smiled a slow smile, his eyes lighting up and turning into the moonlight I used to bathe in during the full moon in the Woodlands. “Safe.”
I returned the smile. Safe. A strange concept. Cecil told me all the time early in our relationship that I was safe. I never believed her. People told me the gates were safe, that they weren’t harmful, and I ignored them. I only believed what my eyes witnessed and safe was never one of them.
“I like it.” I laughed and practically danced around. I tugged on Landus before he could say anything else and pulled him through the gate with me.
The transportation was a gentle wave, a refreshing breeze. A motionless reprieve. Then we were at our destination, and I was speechless.
It was night out, moon bright in the sky. The stars were close enough to reach up and touch. The temperature was just perfect, not hot like in Teragona or cold. A light breeze brushed by my face, and I closed my eyes, enjoying the sensation.
Maybe we had walked through heaven’s gate.
“Do you know where we are?” I finally asked after a good ten minutes flew by while we enjoyed the restful moment.
“I think we’re somewhere in the Woodlands. Far away, maybe on the other side
of Terra Firma since it’s nighttime and by the moon, peak hours.”
We walked around while I held onto Landus’s hand. I let go only long enough to take my shoes off so my feet could feel the plush ground underneath.
“Magic. I smell a lot of magic,” Landus said.
I nodded. “Maybe a protection to keep others out, especially if we’re in the Woodlands.”
“Someone made a little safe haven here.”
“Or it formed on its own,” I shrugged. “We really don’t know. But Jordie has a little piece of heaven right on her rooftop.”
“You look happy.”
I stopped and turned to him. “I am happy. You said this feeling is safe. I’ve never felt that before.”
I laughed and danced around on bare feet, still holding onto Landus and forcing him to move around with me, though he did it clumsily, which only made me laugh even harder.
“You’ve never felt safe?” he asked.
“I don’t think so.” I dug deep into my memories and jerked to a stop, tilting my head to the side as if trying to listen to the memory that was so close and yet still out of reach. “Once maybe. When I was little. I remember feeling safe but it was brief, too brief.”
“Sorry, I shouldn’t have asked. Don’t force yourself.”
I shook the thoughts away when that moment of safeness turned into loneliness and pain. Still just emotions but no memories to go with it.
“It’s fine. I’m fine.” I gave him a peck on his lips. His hands circled around my waist, and he deepened the kiss, his lips warm and soft against mine.
The moment grew, emotions swelling inside me as we tasted each other, explored each other’s skin. He was so damn good. Pressure built up inside of me but hit a wall again, and I growled in frustration, pushing myself closer to him, deepening the kiss, feeling him against me. Right where he needed to be.
Finally, I pulled away, using my determination to do it.
“This is a really good second date.” I smirked and stepped away. I was hot. So hot. I felt like I was going to burst into flames at any moment.
“Second? When did we have a first?”
I laughed and danced a little more to a tune in my head, in Cecil’s soft melodious voice. “When we went through our first gate together and beat up a bunch of bad guys.”
Emergence Page 18
