Unhidden (The Gatekeeper Chronicles Book 1)

by Dina Given

  Jason was tall, about six-foot-three, and built like a fighter, broad and muscular. He didn’t have the bulk of a football player and also didn’t have the leanness of a runner or swimmer; he was somewhere in between. He had golden skin and dark wavy hair, hinting at his Latino heritage, even though his eyes were a pale green. They were all the more striking against his full, dark lashes. His features were strong and chiseled, but it was his stunning smile that drew people in. Infectious and warm, it set off the dimples in his cheeks and made his eyes crinkle at the corners.

  That full wattage smile was now directed toward me, but I faced the challenge and tried not to respond in kind. He was impossible when he thought he had a willing audience. “Hey, sugar!” he drawled, over-emphasizing his Texas accent. “You look hotter than two rabbits screwin’ in a wool sock.”

  I stared just at him, having never really gotten used to his creative southern colloquialisms.

  A smaller, slighter figure slipped out from behind Jason and into the booth to sit on my left, giving me a warm hug. No one else except Daniel would have been able to get away with that kind of uninvited physical contact.

  “Hey, little bro.” I hugged him tightly in return.

  “You scared the frack out of me,” he said in a rush. “What happened? I saw … I don’t know what I saw. I mean, I think I know what I saw, but …”

  “Take a breath, Danny.” He must have been worried. He didn’t even berate me for using my old nickname for him. Years ago, he had made me start calling him Daniel instead of Danny because it sounded more mature. “I am feeling much better, by the way. Thanks for asking.” I smirked in amused disapproval.

  He looked abashed for not having asked after my well-being, given the injuries I had sustained. Jason snickered, enjoying Daniel’s discomfort, as he slid into the banquette on my right. Jason was an ardent fan of schadenfreude, taking pleasure in the pain of other people.

  “Your bodily condition is always top on my mind,” Jason said with a wink, making an obvious show of looking me up and down. “And you are looking quite healthy to me.”

  I gave him a light jab with my elbow while Daniel ignored the exchange. He was used to Jason’s ridiculous, over-the-top flirtations.

  The waitress came by and took beer orders for Jason and Daniel and a refill order for me, closing the curtain again on her way out. As she did, the mood in the banquette became more subdued.

  I looked down into my empty glass, wishing the waitress would hurry and bring me another. I wanted the added liquid courage before starting this conversation. I needed to know what they had seen, what they had experienced. I was hoping they had seen the same things I had so I would know I wasn’t going crazy. At the same time, if they had seen those things and they were real, what did that mean for the world? I couldn’t even fathom the implications of it at that moment.

  I took a breath and steeled myself for their answers either way. “I need you guys to fill in the blanks for me. What happened after … after I came running out of the house?” I couldn’t bring myself to say, “after I was bitten by a little snake girl.” God, that sounded completely ridiculous.

  “I’ll show you mine if you show me yours,” said Jason, waggling his eyebrows, but with curiosity and expectation in his eyes.

  I supposed it was only right for me to get the ball rolling. I played back for them everything I had experienced that night in the compound. I considered holding back or glossing over the description of the creatures that had attacked me, worried they would think me completely insane, but I knew I needed honesty from them, and they deserved nothing less from me. After all, we were in this together, and we needed to share information if we were going to figure it out.

  After I finished my story, I looked expectantly between the two men. Jason gave nothing away, his poker face firmly in place, whereas Daniel looked concerned yet thoughtful.

  “Ghouls,” he said after a few moments of silence. Jason and I shot him a questioning look. “What you described,” he clarified. “Those creatures sound like a description of ghouls. Geez, didn’t you guys ever play Dungeons & Dragons?”

  That got a reaction from Jason. He snorted in derision, as if he would never in his life have been caught dead acting in such a geeky fashion as to play fantasy role-playing games.

  Ignoring Daniel, I turned to Jason. “Tell me what you saw.”

  Jason was quiet, looking off in the distance, as though he was trying to find the right words. When he started speaking, it was slow and deliberate, but he used a calm, matter-of-fact tone, like he was giving a military field report to a commanding officer.

  “After I took out the hostiles guarding the grounds so you could gain access to the compound, I moved to a higher position on the ridge overlooking the front of the building to be in a position to cover your exit if needed. A little girl emerged from the house twenty-six minutes after you went in. I saw her head for the gates and figured Daniel would pick her up since he was waiting for you just outside the perimeter. But she was just hanging out by the compound wall. I was about to radio Daniel to go in and retrieve her when you came out. You were running at break-neck speed, and two seconds later, a large, reptile-like creature emerged from the house, hot on your heels.”

  I had to give him credit; he didn’t even hesitate when he said it. There was no sign of uncertainty, surprise or embarrassment. He was a soldier through and through.

  “It sort of looked like a Nidoking,” Daniel interrupted.

  “A what?” Jason and I asked at the same time.

  “A Nidoking. It’s a reptilian Pokémon that causes damage by smashing things with its tail.” We both stared at him in silence. “What?” he asked, turning up his hands in a bewildered shrug at the exasperation evident on our faces.

  Jason gave him a withering look then continued. “I took it down with five rounds to the head and neck. Tough sucker. Then I saw you approach the girl and figured you would take her out of there. I didn’t really see what happened next, but you went down. I didn’t realize the girl was a threat until you blew the C-4. I figured you wouldn’t have risked her life with an explosion that close unless you meant to.”

  I nodded, affirming his suspicions.

  He continued, “That’s when things got a little weird.”

  “That’s when it got weird?” I asked. “And here I was thinking it was odd that I had been attacked by ghouls and a Pokémon.”

  With a quick, cheerless smile, he continued, “That guy walked right out of an inferno without even a singe and deflected an entire clip of ammo. Then he picked you up and started to carry you off. That’s when Kung Foo Panda here”—he nodded at Daniel—“ran in to kick his ass.”

  “It didn’t work so well,” said Daniel, dropping his head. “Even while he was holding you, he blocked every one of my kicks and punches single-handedly then just waved his hand, and I felt this wall of energy slam into me. It threw me back about one hundred feet and knocked enough wind out of me that I couldn’t recover on time to get to you. When I was finally able to get back on my feet, you were both gone.”

  “I was watching it all,” said Jason, “but I didn’t see what happened either. It was like you were there one second and gone the next. When that guy waved his hand, my night vision goggles just shorted out. They went completely white, like someone had turned on a spotlight. But, when I tore them off my head, it was still pitch black outside, and you were both gone.”

  “I didn’t see any flare of light,” Daniel said.

  “So, how did you find me in that cave?”

  “That was just pure luck,” Jason answered. “You know we had a chopper on standby about five miles away, so we radioed the guy. He picked us up within ten minutes, and we flew in a spiral, increasing our distance, and looked for signs of life. It was hard to see through the canopy, but as the sun started to come up, we saw Jeeps parked in a clearing. I guess, even if the guy who had you could travel instantaneously, his hired muscle couldn’t. So we rappelle
d from the chopper and tracked them on foot until we found the cave. About six, heavily-armed guards stood on patrol, but we had the element of surprise, camouflage and long-range rifles. The rest is history,” he said with satisfaction, leaning back in his seat and putting his arms behind his head. I thought he even used the movement to flex his biceps for a quick, obnoxious display of his musculature.

  “Okay,” I nodded, satisfied I at least knew as much as they did about what had happened. “Daniel, in the future, we’ll need a way to track each other in the event something like this happens again.”

  “Sure,” he responded, perking up at the prospect of a new project. “I can have GPS chips sewn into our armor, or maybe affixed to our weapons. I’ll have to think of the best place to put them, but I’m on it.”

  I had first come across Daniel Parkson when he was a twelve-year-old kid being fostered in the same home I had been assigned. The first day I had met him, he was wearing a World of Warcraft T-shirt, playing X-Box in the dingy basement, and in desperate need of a haircut. I would soon learn that every day was pretty much identical to that one.

  Daniel was also a computer genius. He had hidden behind his electronics as a way of shutting himself away from our foster father. I soon became Daniel’s protector and surrogate mother, and when I had turned eighteen, I promised him I would get him out. As soon as I had finished basic training and was assigned to my first military base, I had kept that promise.

  Daniel pointed at my hands and the amulet that I was absently caressing with my thumbs. “What’s that? You were clutching it with a death grip when we found you. We couldn’t pry it out of your fingers.” His line of questioning brought my attention back to the object.

  “I have no idea,” I whispered, turning it over in my hands for the thousandth time, getting lost in its etchings.

  Daniel’s voice broke into my thoughts. “Can I see it?” He asked it innocently enough, and I had absolutely no reason to question handing it over for his inspection, but a shadow welled up in my mind that was suspicious, possessive. It caused me to clutch the amulet tighter and lean slightly away from Daniel.

  This is ridiculous, I thought. Next thing I knew, I’d be calling it “My Precious.”

  I forced my fingers to relax and handed it over.

  Daniel inspected it in the same manner I had, then shrugged and handed it back. “I have no clue, either, but maybe you can take it to an expert.”

  I raised my eyebrows. “What, like a museum or Sotheby’s?” I had no intention of putting it on display or auctioning it off to the highest bidder, no matter how ancient and priceless it was.

  “Hell no. What would they know about something like this? It’s clearly tied to ritualistic magic. I was thinking you should take it to that shop on 53rd, Alfreda’s Antiquarian Bookshop. The owner is very knowledgeable. She has a large collection of ancient texts that might contain some relevant information.”

  With a sparkle in his eye, as if he was trying to hold back a laugh, Jason said, “Isn’t that a witch store that sells crystals and shit like that?”

  “Yes,” replied Daniel, offended, “but they sell a lot more than that. They have a whole section in the back where they sell legitimate mystical objects. I’m telling you, the owner is the real deal, an expert. What can it hurt to stop in and have the necklace checked out?”

  Not wanting to cause an argument, I simply told Daniel I would think about it. He seemed satisfied by that response and all but stuck his tongue out at Jason in a childish “I win!” gesture. Daniel then excused himself to get to his Friday night XBox Live gaming session of Halo.

  As soon as the curtain closed behind Daniel, I could all but feel Jason’s artificially inflated ego deflate. The real man came out as his piercing gold eyes met mine with something sincere behind them, and even more than the crazy Mexico mission, it utterly terrified me.

  “Remember going through basic training together?” he asked with a smile

  “Yeah, of course,” I responded, unsure where he was going with this.

  “Man, I really didn’t like you back then,” he recalled with a smirk.

  “That’s just because you couldn’t handle being beaten by a girl,” I quipped in return. “I bet I can still do more pull-ups than you.”

  “Maybe,” he laughed. “You know, it wasn’t until we were forced to team up for Sandhurst that I really started to respect you. I realized then that we were far better together than we were apart.”

  “Mmm,” I responded noncommittally, staring down at my drink.

  Sandhurst Military Skills Competition was a two-day competition among international military teams in activities such as obstacle course navigation, weapons handling, and rifle marksmanship. Jason and I had known that, in order to win, teamwork was going to be an essential element of the challenge. We had entered the competition as enemies and finished it as allies, the competition bringing us together like nothing else ever could. We had learned to trust and rely on each other and became inseparable after that.

  “Emma, we’ve been together a long time, and most of that time has been really good, then it became amazing … or, at least I thought so. I know things haven’t been that way between us lately, but you know how I still feel about you.”

  I took a long pull of my drink, eyes laser-focused on the ring of condensation my glass had left behind on the table.

  When I didn’t respond, he continued, “I was really worried about you this time, Em. I’ve never seen you hurt before. I didn’t think it could ever happen. I don’t want to lose you.”

  I knew he was no longer talking about the mission.

  “You’re not going to lose me, Jason. We’ve been friends for a long time, and that’s not going to change. We’re just going through a rough patch. We’ll get past it.”

  He turned away momentarily, although not before I saw the flash of frustration and disappointment in his eyes. That was not what he had wanted to hear.

  “Look, Em, we moved past friendship a while ago. I know getting close to people isn’t easy for you, but this is me we’re talking about. I’ve always had your back. You know you can trust me.”

  “Jason, it’s not about trust.”

  “Then what is it about?” he said, his voice rising. In the next instant, he looked slightly apologetic at the outburst and brought the volume back down. “I just want things to be like they were before.”

  “So do I, Jason. I made a mistake when …”

  Just then, the curtain swung open and a new waitress appeared, all tall and leggy. She took one look at Jason and her demeanor changed from professional to sultry. She put a hand on her hip and took a deep breath to accentuate her ample assets, tossing her blond hair behind her shoulder.

  “Hi, Jason. I haven’t seen you in a few days. I’ve missed you,” she said with a pout on her bright pink lips.

  “Hey, Lacey. How ya doing?” He couldn’t stop from eyeing her up and down appreciatively; however, his voice held annoyance at the interruption.

  “Oh, I am doing fantastic. Is there anything I can get for you?” She shifted her hips provocatively.

  “Sure, how about another beer?” Jason shook his empty bottle.

  “It would be my pleasure.” She took his empty and turned to leave when I stopped her.

  “I would love another drink, too. Thanks, sweetie,” I said with a saccharin smile. She shot me a look that she had probably used a million times in high school to bully and intimidate the less than popular girls. I simply blew her a kiss and added, “Now I know why you’re Jason’s favorite waitress. You’re so attentive.”

  She stormed off in a huff.

  “Was that really necessary?” Jason asked.

  “She brought it on herself. Next time, maybe she’ll stop being such a dick tease and just take my damn drink order.”

  He knew better than to argue with me, instead conceding the point.

  “So, what were you saying before we were interrupted?” he asked.

&nb
sp; “I was going to say I made a mistake taking our relationship to the next level. I knew it wouldn’t work out. I guess I just wanted to see whether it was possible to thaw my inner ice princess. Now I know.”

  “You didn’t give us a chance. If I did something wrong, just tell me what it is and I’ll fix it. We can make this work.”

  I sat there in silence, unable to look him in the eye. Shouldn’t I feel loss, or guilt, or even jealousy? For the most part, I only felt uncomfortable with continuing this conversation. Jason meant the world to me, and I would die to protect him, but I didn’t want to date him.

  “Is this because of Lacey?” he asked.

  I really didn’t care about Lacey, or any of the other women who threw themselves at him, so I merely shook my head, fidgeting with my empty glass.

  “Goddamn it, Em! Just say something, anything. I can’t stand the brick wall treatment.”

  “I’m sorry, Jason. As much as I want to —as much as I tried to —I just can’t.” Not wanting to be the cause of all of that hurt, I tried to soften the blow. “I don’t know… Maybe I just need some more time. It’s been one hell of a week, and I have a lot to think about.” That seemed to have given him the small crack in my armor that he was looking for.

  “Yeah, I can do that. I can give you more time. I’m not saying you need to fall head over heels in love with me immediately, but I know that, if we spend more time together, you’ll get there.” Of course he would think that. No woman had ever not fallen for him.

  “Maybe, but I think we should keep it to friendship for the time being.” That set him off again.

  “This is bullshit, Em. You would rather go around fucking strangers than spend time with me? How does that make any goddamned sense?” Trying to regain control over himself, Jason took a deep, calming breath. “Just come home with me instead. I promise I won’t rush you into a serious relationship you’re not ready for. I only want us to spend time together.”