SONS of DON

by Brenda L. Harper

  Cei leaned over and handed it back to Tony.

  “What’s it used for?”

  “It’s supposed to aid in the performance of the ritual,” Tony said. “The literature is pretty scarce, however, because—as we all know—the Druids were not good about writing things down. All we know is that it has something to do with the gate. The fact that the box has suddenly revealed itself suggests that it can help us find it.”

  Cei moved away from where their little group had gathered beside the bed, pacing to the window that overlooked the narrow street that served as the main avenue in this town. Tony watched him and then looked at Gwen, his eyebrows raised. Gwen shook her head, only vaguely aware that Morgan had moved close to Cei.

  “When can we go see this artifact?”

  “It’ll have to wait until tonight. There are too many people wandering around during the day for us to get into the basement undetected.” Tony moved close to her, concern clear in his milky eyes. “You should get some rest. It’s been a long few days for you.”

  Gwen nodded. “I will.”

  Tony held out the room key to her. When she reached out to take it, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her in closer to him. “Paul has expressed a deep concern for you. You should probably give him a call as soon as you have the chance.”

  “I will,” she repeated, offering Tony a smile for his kindness. “Thanks.”

  He smiled. too, and he seemed about to say something when Cei loudly demanded, “Stop that!”

  Gwen looked over just in time to see Morgan blushing furiously, as he stepped away from Cei. Cei watched him, a dark cloud over his handsome features until he realized Gwen was watching. He lifted a shaking hand to his face, rubbing at his eyes as he turned back to the window.

  “Someone should get him to lie down for a while, too,” Gwen said. “I think he’s hurting a little more than he’s willing to let on.”

  Tony seemed troubled as he studied Cei. But he nodded and patted Gwen’s arm. “You go. I’ll take care of him.”

  Morgan followed Gwen out into the hallway, pointing out her room directly across the hall. “I’m here,” he said, gesturing to the room beside hers.

  “Good. It’s nice to know I’m surrounded by people I know.”

  Morgan forced a smile, but she could see that Cei’s reaction to whatever was happening between them weighed heavy on his shoulders. He looked as though his best friend had just publicly bullied him. She handed him the key and gestured for him to open the door for her which made his smile become something a little more genuine.

  “It’s something, you and Tony finding that artifact,” she said as she walked into the room and dropped her bag on the floor, reaching up to massage her sore shoulders.

  “It was mostly Tony.”

  “But you were here. You should get credit, too.”

  Morgan shrugged as he slipped into a chair by the door. “I did see it first.”

  “See?” Gwen sat on the end of the double bed and slipped out of her boots, her feet aching even though today had been the easiest hike they had done in days.

  “Cei seems…off.”

  “He’s worried we won’t find the gate in time.”

  Morgan grunted. “Tony told me about the whole holiday thing. But he seems to think you could do it on almost any day, if you wanted. He thinks the whole holiday thing is just a superstition that Cei is buying into.”

  “Does he?”

  “Yeah. I think he’s a little worried about Cei. Said he was acting weird even before you were kidnapped that night.” Morgan leaned forward a little, balancing his body on the palms of his hands with his elbows against his knees. “I feel a little responsible for what happened. I mean, if not for me, you wouldn’t even know Rhein.”

  “It’s not like you think.”

  Morgan looked up, his eyes round and bright, almost like a child on Christmas morning. “Tony told me that Rhein helped those people kidnap you.”

  “I don’t think it was Rhein.”

  “Really?”

  There was so much hope in that one word that Gwen wanted to give Morgan a big hug. Instead, she did the next best thing she could. She gave him some good news.

  “Rhein’s in Wales. In fact, he should be arriving here shortly.”

  “How do you know?”

  “I saw him.”

  Morgan stood up and paced a few steps before he stopped. He gestured back toward the door. “Does Cei know?”

  “No. And it’s probably better if he didn’t know right now.”

  Morgan nodded. “But you think Rhein’s innocent.”

  “I do.”

  Morgan continued to nod, as though it helped him make connections in his mind. He leaned back against the low dresser that sat against the far wall. “Can I ask you something?” he said as he stared at the floor, the wall, the window…everywhere but at her.

  “Anything.”

  “Why am I here? Why am I a part of this?” He ran his hands over the thigh of his pants, again and again, as though trying to rub something dingy off of them. “You…you’re the one whose supposed to break the curse. Tony and Cei and Rhein, they’re all immortals who know all about this god and magic and whatever stuff. But what about me? Why am I here?”

  Gwen crossed to him, taking his hands lightly in hers. “You saved my life after the dance that night.”

  Morgan nodded, his gaze still stuck on the floor.

  “You’re my friend, Morgan. And you’re the only other person in the world I’m aware of who is in the same boat as me, as far as all these powers and screwed up parental issues go.”

  He grunted, but still did not look up.

  “You have a role here. We just haven’t figured it out yet.”

  She ran her hand over his thick, blond hair, feeling a rush of affection for him that was more sisterly than anything else.

  “He’s exhausted, Morgan. It’s been a long couple of days.”

  He nodded, his head bobbing against her hand. “I know,” he mumbled.

  “He didn’t mean whatever it was he said.”

  “He did.” Morgan finally looked up, his eyes red from tears she hadn’t seen him shed. “They always do.”

  She rubbed her hand over his cheeks, wiping away the residue of his tears. “I’m sorry.”

  He shrugged. Then, he surprised her by grabbing her around the waist and pressing his lips to hers. It was a rough, determined kiss, but a confused kiss all at the same time. She didn’t have the heart to pull away, but she didn’t want to mislead him either. She touched his face, pulling away at the moment he paused to catch his breath.

  “What was that?” she asked.

  He looked at her for a long minute. “Someone told me that you are my soul mate. That you and I were born to be together.” He shrugged. “I guess I just wanted to see if it was true.”

  “Is it?”

  He shook his head. “You’re not really my type. No offense.”

  Gwen smiled. “None taken.”

  Morgan laid his head against her shoulder, pulling her closer and still holding her around her waist. “Somehow, I think coming out of the closet to my dad would have been a whole lot easier than all of this.”

  Gwen ran her hand over the back of his head again. “Who told you that you and I were meant to be together?”

  Morgan shrugged, moving his head against her collar bone. “This guy. He works at the bookstore at Texas Tech.”

  “Just some guy?”

  Morgan sat up again, catching the tone in Gwen’s voice finally. “Do you think he’s important?”

  “What does he look like?”

  Morgan tilted his head slightly as he tried to think. “Blond hair, very good looking. Well built.”

  A cold shiver began deep in Gwen’s belly and began to move slowly up her throat until she thought for a moment she might rid herself of all the food she’d eaten earlier as Cei had been worried she might. She stepped away, her thoughts swirling.

  “Did he
tell you his name?”

  “I never bothered to ask. He was good looking, and he was paying attention to me. I didn’t want to ruin it with stupid questions.”

  Gwen almost felt sorry for him, for the pain she heard in his voice. But she also wanted to throttle him for being so close to Bran and not telling anyone.

  “How did he know you? How did he know about me?”

  “We saw you crossing the campus…it was a couple of days before school started. You must have been out with the Langleys.”

  Gwen nodded, remembering a weekend trip into town for school supplies that ended at Texas Tech. Tony always had to be dragged away from his office when he got involved in some sort of research. She remembered crossing the campus, fantasizing about the day she would arrive on the college campus of her choice, all primed and ready to become something other than Gwen, the orphan.

  “And he told you we were meant to be together?”

  “I thought he was teasing me at first. I was sitting in that little reading alcove they have, you know, over there by the door. No one ever bothers me there, and I can read all the crap my father thinks is inappropriate for a future tycoon. I happened to look up and saw you crossing the quad, and he came up beside me and said that I should go ask you out.”

  Morgan reached up to smooth down his hair, carefully pressing every strand back into place from the chaos Gwen had caused with her touch. “I thought he was just making small talk, at first, but then he starts talking about star-crossed lovers and how there’s one true love for every person and that he had a special skill to see who should be together. He said you were my soul mate.”

  “Had you ever seen this guy before?”

  Morgan looked down at the floor, his hands again pressed to the thigh of his jeans. “It’s funny you ask that,” he finally said, looking up again. “I can’t remember ever meeting him, but he looked incredibly familiar to me.”

  “Listen to me, Morgan,” Gwen said, approaching him again, taking his face between her hands, “if you see him again, run the other way.”

  “He’s one of them, isn’t he?” Morgan asked.

  “He is the one.” Gwen rubbed his cheek lightly under her thumb. “Promise me you’ll be careful; you won’t go anywhere on your own; and, you’ll let us know if you see him again.”

  He nodded. “I will.”

  She kissed him lightly. “We may not be soul mates, but I still adore you and would not want to see anything bad happen to you.”

  He smiled. “The feeling’s mutual, Gwen.”

  She ran her hand over his head one last time then pushed him gently toward the door.

  “Now go…that shower is screaming my name.”

  Chapter 15

  You never realize how much you value the simplicity of running water until you don’t have it. Gwen stood under the showerhead for a long time, initially embarrassed by the amount of dirt and debris that ran off her body into the drain. After it was all gone—her hair washed three times—she simply couldn’t force herself to leave the luxury of the heat and the soothing massage of the running water.

  It was exhaustion that finally pulled her out. She dried off on two towels before wrapping a dry, clean towel around her body. She walked out into the main part of the room with her hairbrush in hand, combing carefully through the knots and tangles that made her scalp scream for mercy.

  “Water feels good, doesn’t it?”

  Gwen jumped, and nearly lost her towel, when she realized that Cei was sitting in the same chair Morgan had occupied earlier.

  “What are you doing in here?”

  He leaned back in the chair, the dark circles under his eyes like the smudge of paint a football player wears to cut the glare of the sun. “I wanted to make sure you were settled,” he said. “And that you understood that our deadline is just a week away.”

  “I’m aware.”

  “We’ll go see this artifact tonight, but I think, in the morning, we should concentrate on your connection to the earth. I need for you to find out where the gate is, and I think that is the only way it’s going to happen.”

  “But Tony has maps and pictures and—”

  “Tony doesn’t understand the truth of this thing.” Cei jumped to his feet and came toward her, his eyes flashing in a way that made a cold lump settle nauseatingly in her stomach. She stepped back, almost unconsciously, horrified when the backs of her legs hit the side of the bed and she fell back. Cei leaned down over her, his face inches from hers. “You are the only one who can finish this thing. And you’ve only got seven days left to do it.”

  “I’m trying, Cei.”

  “I’ve waited a long time for this, suffered a lot of disappointments. I’m not doing that again.”

  He grabbed her wrists and pulled them up over her head. He pinned her arms against the mattress as he climbed onto the bed, stretching out beside her. She stared up at him, afraid to show weakness by looking away. She wanted the hard edges of his eyes to soften, wanted to see the kindness that once lived there. But she was beginning to wonder if that Cei was just a part of her imagination.

  “We’ll end this, Cei,” she said softly. “It’ll all be over very soon.”

  He squeezed her wrists with one hand while the other moved to her head, playing with a strand of her wet hair. “I saw Morgan leave your room a little bit ago.”

  “We were talking about Rhein. He apparently knows what happened the night we left Lubbock.”

  “Is that right?” Cei wrapped her hair around his finger and tugged it gently. “I’m sure Morgan’s pretty heartbroken over his friend.”

  “He doesn’t know what to think, just like the rest of us.”

  “I could tell him. I did tell him.” Cei shook his head. “Teach him to listen to me.”

  “What did you tell him?”

  Cei unraveled her hair from his finger and picked up another strand, almost as though he was playing a game or trying to curl her hair for a party. He cocked an eyebrow as he studied her hair, watched it wrap slowly around his finger.

  “I told him not to trust Rhein. Everyone seems to forget that I know Rhein better than anyone else. I knew him before all of this happened, before the curse and immortality.”

  “You knew him before he became a servant?”

  “Yes.” Cei let her hair go and focused on her face. “We grew up near the same village. His father and mine were acquaintances.”

  “You were friends?”

  “No.” Cei touched her temple and let his finger move slowly down the curve of her face. “He was studying to be a priest. He was kept separate from the rest of us ‘normal’ kids.”

  “Did he know your wife?”

  The movement of Cei’s finger stopped. His head was tilted down so she couldn’t see his expression, but she could feel the tension in his shoulders, his arm, and in the way his body just seemed to shrink a little. Even his breathing changed. His slow, easy breathing turned into something a little heavier.

  “Why do you ask?” he finally said.

  “I don’t know. I just figured if the two of you grew up together—”

  “We didn’t grow up together,” he said, his tone decidedly sharper than it had been before. “I just knew who he was, who his family was, before we were forced to work together as servants.

  “I’m sorry.”

  He looked at her, the blue of his eyes haunted in the way the color seemed to darken as he studied her. “Rhein is not who you think he is, Gwen,” he said, his finger resuming its path over her cheek. “We ran into each other many times in the time between the curse and now. He was not always…there is a lot more to him, to his past, than he would want you to know about.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like the fact that Amaethon was not always known to be a kind master. He controlled everything about Rhein’s life. When he suddenly found himself free, with no one to answer to, he took every advantage of it.”

  “You mean he enjoyed his freedom.”

 
; “I mean he did things that a gentleman shouldn’t do.”

  “Like what?”

  Cei shrugged as his finger dipped down under the top edge of Gwen’s towel, his fingernail caressing the rounded mound of flesh that was hidden just out of sight.

  “I ran into him outside a couple of brothels,” Cei said, his lips moving close to—but not really touching—her chin. “And there was the time he was nearly hanged for a murder. Some wealthy gentleman who had taken pity on him and taken him into his home. I had to save him from that one, or both our secrets might have been revealed to the world.”

  “I didn’t realize the two of you interacted quite that often.”

  “He wouldn’t have told you that. Wouldn’t have wanted you to know what a bad boy he was before he saw the light at the turn of the century.”

  “He said that the two of you only met once or twice over the millennia since the curse.”

  “Not quite true.”

  “He said he came across you at the beginning of this century. When the last female demigod was alive.”

  “He would mention that to you.” He slid his finger even lower under her towel as his lips brushed against her lower lip. “Did he tell you I murdered that girl?”

  Gwen turned into him, her movement causing her towel to come loose a little. She wanted to pull it back into place, but he still had her hands tightly secured over her head.

  “Is that true? Did you murder someone?”

  “I’ve had my hand in the deaths of many people over the years.” He picked up the edge of her towel and ran his fingers over it, as though he was trying to decide if he wanted to pull it back into place or if he wanted to pull it away from the things it hid. “You have to understand that the world I was born into was much less civilized than this one. And—in a way—was much more civilized. Murder was defined differently back then, and people were far less vicious about their desires then as they are now. I’ve had to do many things that might shock you.”

  “Did you kill that girl? That other demigod?”

  “I did.” Cei surprised her by admitting. “But it’s not what you probably think.”

  Gwen rolled onto her back again, her eyes focused on the ceiling in an effort to keep her emotions from her face. “I’m sure you had a good reason.”