The Final Link_The Gateway Saga

by Erin Thornton

  Eldon wrapped his arms around her and turned her to face him. With his one fingers he gingerly wiped away the tears causing the butterflies to zing to life around her faster than ever, as though she was wrapped in a tornado. Aggie didn’t care though. This closeness was just what she needed and was going to take all she could get. Leaning into his touch, Aggie let Eldon take the burden of supporting her, if only for a moment. Eldon began to shake and Aggie glanced up at him with concern. His face was taught with concentration boarding on painful.

  “What are you doing?” Aggie reached up and placed her hand gently on his cheek and his trembling ceased, though he didn’t open his eyes even a crack. She chose not to move her hand instead believing she was helping him in some way.

  “I’m reaching out to the twins.” His reply was rushed and through clenched teeth. Aggie’s heart broke for him and kept her hand fixed in its place but brought her other hand up to mirror the first on the opposite side. She didn’t know what he was talking about but let him finish before pelting him with questions.

  Since they were wrapped around each other, she felt when his body relaxed and his face went back to normal. Looking up to meet his eyes, she saw they were still their brilliant blue, “Did you just use part of your magic? I’ve no idea what all you are capable of even and now I can’t help but be curious. Though my first priority is to be sure you’re okay.”

  Eldon placed his finger over her lips to silence her. “Be still, I’m perfectly fine. That is just one of my powers that I don’t use very often because it takes so much out of me. Unfortunately, this was one of the times I decided the alternative was much less pleasant. I couldn’t bear to leave you alone and I didn’t think it would be wise to leave this room to anyone else who would seek to destroy it further, or you for that matter.” Embracing her tighter, he placed his chin on top of her head.

  Aggie absorbed what he was saying before having a dawning moment, “Are you saying Gryson doesn’t need to put his spell together and you could just talk to the guys in your head if something were to go wrong?”

  Eldon chuckled softly and she felt the vibration from his throat pressed against her skull. “No, I can’t call on that power so easily. As you saw I don’t exactly hide it as well as Gryson’s spell will. If we were standing in a hallway and I started to shake like that, I would think it would draw some unwanted attention. That is why I didn’t say anything about it before. It wasn’t the best course of action at the time.” Aggie thought about this and nodded quietly. “You are the one who said we should trust our strengths and if someone says they can handle something we should believe in them. I knew Gryson was the best one for the job and I allowed him to be in charge of that situation. I on the other hand have another job to do and that is to keep you as safe as I can while we get any information we can. I can’t do that by drawing attention to us and taking mine off of you.”

  With that there was a commotion in the hallway and Aggie’s hackles rose and she grew stiff in Eldon’s grasp, then in ran Mitchell and Ren. Aggie visibly relaxed in Eldon’s arms and she audibly sighed. The twins stopped as quickly as they ran in and took in the space. “What the hell happened in here? Did you leave a curling iron on?” Ren’s hands were on his hips and though his words were full of humor it didn’t reach his eyes. Aggie realized immediately he was trying to defuse the situation with his usual comedic relief and for that she was grateful for him.

  “This is a bit more damage than my tiny haircare products would have resulted in, but thank you for assuming my incompetence. I haven’t set anything on fire before in my life.” Aggie wasn’t angry but it took her mind off of the horror that was her room by playing along.

  “Well, you’re what, twenty-two? You’ve got time. I can work with you one on one and we can up your game. There is always time to learn a new skill. We can even talk to Gryson or Mathius and get them in on it. They have fire wielding skills. You could screw up one of their spells and best-case scenario blow something up.” With a wink, he joined his brother who was already working his way around the room. They took in every aspect of the disaster and Aggie wasn’t sure what all they were doing since Mitchell said they were more than just sniffers. Aggie silently observed as they made quick work of the space.

  “Looks like the majority of the wreckage is concentrated in the closet area.” Mitchell pointed at the angry message on the wall. “Not just because that is written up there either. I’m sure that is what you were thinking, but it is actually the darkest part of the burn pattern as though they used an accelerant of some kind. Anyone with any magic at all would have circumvented that and just cast or used their powers on this and it would have been much more efficient.” Mitchell squinted his eyes at the smoldering clothes still inside the closet. “Looks like someone has a bone to pick with you.” Pointing his finger at the words that Aggie imagined were also once blazing on her wall.

  “How would anyone have a problem with me? I haven’t spoken to anyone with the exception of the eight of you. Who would have done this?” Aggie was grateful for Eldon’s supportive hand still placed protectively on her lower back. She could almost close her eyes and imagine better circumstances for him having felt the need to place his hands on her. Instead, life was getting in the way with yet another problem. Would she ever have a calm moment in her life again? First, it was missing children, then weather attacks and now personal attacks on Aggie herself. Squaring her shoulders, she silently resolved to get through this as unscathed as possible.

  “Well, based on what I can pick up, your attacker was female. So, she is likely threatened by your presence. Perhaps she once fancied herself at one of our sides and is now disappointed by your appearance among us. It is no secret how the Brotherhood of Guardians mate. For us, it is all or nothing and we take that oath upon accepting the role laid before us.” Aggie had never heard them voice this to such an extent which got her thinking.

  “How old were each of you when you were asked to accept your role?” She almost didn’t want to hear the answer.

  “It was a different age for each of us. Our cultures are different and society standards vary. Me, for example,” Eldon had pulled her attention away from the twins as they went back to searching the room for clues. “I was a prodigy and I knew I was next in line for the guardian succession. I was only eleven at the time of my choice to accept my destiny.”

  “ELEVEN?” Aggie practically screeched her question. “You’re saying that you weren’t even fighting your voice change and learning about who you were and you were expected to make a life-changing choice that you wouldn’t be able to change back?”

  “I wouldn’t change a thing. My waiting to settle down until I met my one true equal was the best choice of my life!” Eldon’s chest puffed out to show his honorable choice and how he truly believed he was doing the right thing.

  “Are you saying you’ve never…” Aggie didn’t finish her thought because even though they all swear they are in this as a group the idea of talking about sex in mixed company still bothered her.

  Figuring out her train of thought Eldon proceeded to answer her, “I assure you I’m no virgin. I have had my share of women.” The thought of any of them with another woman successfully burned painfully inside her chest. She had no rights to feel anything about them before she met them, but that didn’t change her reaction. Eldon reached down and took her clenched fist in his hands. Slowly he released each finger one by one. “There is something you should know about us. When we accept our roles in the Brotherhood, we agree to have a spell cast upon us. We aren’t required to be celibate, but we are unable to procreate.”

  “That is your safety precaution, a magical condom?” Aggie was trying to put his words in a way she could actually understand.

  “No, this is more than a condom,” Ren joined their conversation. Aggie was so caught up in this she didn’t even care anymore that they were openly discussing sexual relations with each other as a group. “The spell isn’t broken until we ar
e bonded to our one true mate. In our case, we all know who that is intended to be so it isn’t a guessing game or even a game of Where’s Waldo, or Wendy, in this case. So, if we have sex to scratch an itch then we aren’t worried about possible ties to her when it is all said and done.”

  “What if you were to fall in love with one of these placeholders, in the meantime?” Aggie didn’t want to hear the answer but that was becoming a reoccurring trend. Steeling herself she prepared for the answer that was bound to crush her.

  “While that hasn’t been an issue, if it were to have happened, then we could have chosen to live out our life sterile and give up our place in the Brotherhood.” Mitchell decided to add his two cents worth and Aggie was thankful it was him who answered that. While she didn’t hate him, they weren’t anywhere as close as any of the other guys. They had shared one very sexually charged kiss earlier, but that didn’t mean she was ready to stake her claim and give up the fact that they hadn’t seen eye to eye from the get-go. He always had a comment or some sort of attitude for everything she said or did. That wasn’t any way to start a relationship if they were ever going to do so. They would have to find some common ground. This conversation wasn’t her favorite one and if anyone was going to deliver bad news it should come from her least favorite guy.

  “I can respect that. I’ll admit this conversation leaves me feeling raw and frustrated, but it is better to know you all weren’t forced to give up happiness in a crap shoot of whether some girl accepts her role as your Ninth and one true mate. As we’ve established it hasn’t exactly been a short wait for you.” She nodded in Mitchell’s direction and placed a hand on each Ren and Eldon’s arms. For the moment, she was thankful the storm had brought on cooler temps and they were wearing long sleeves. No mixed sensations to mess with her already blurred feelings.

  “Actually, time in the other realms runs differently than on Earth. As you can see, we are all not much older than you. While your Grandmother has known us for many years on Earth, it hasn’t been but a few months in our separate times.” A jolt of panic ran through Aggie as she realized what Ren was saying.

  “Are you saying years will have passed before we get back to my house? I’m the last living relative. If the house is presumed to be empty won’t someone try and buy it or take it from me?” That was a reasonable question since the world she knew was always out for something that someone else had or the next big thing.

  “There is nothing to worry about. The rest of the world thinks that you have taken an extended vacation and the Brownies are keeping the house in a suspended state. No one will think anything or be the wiser.” Eldon spoke softly to calm her panic for that she was grateful yet again.

  Chapter 11

  Mitchell, as expected, brought everyone’s focus back to the matter at hand. “Are either of you going to tell us what happened in here?” Aggie didn’t know what to tell him, but she knew shying away from it wasn’t an option.

  “I’m not entirely sure. We just came back in here and this is what we found. Had we come in any sooner it seems we might have seen some of this still ablaze.” Aggie shuddered at the thought of coming that close to open fire.

  “Somehow we didn’t smell any of the fire either. The door was cracked before we walked in for a moment as we finished our conversation in the hall. No smoke came out into the hallway. It was contained by some unknown power. The only problem is I can’t sense the magic. We might need Gryson or Liel to try and see what they can pick up. Did you guys get anything?” Eldon seemed on edge about all of this. Aggie didn’t know if it was a self-conscious issue about not being able to protect her from an unknown threat or something else.

  “Why did you just call them and why them first?” Aggie didn’t understand completely how his power worked, but the best approach was usually the direct one.

  “I told you it was a power drain. I hoped between their power to locate clues most of us can’t see and their strength we could elude anything or anyone that might still be lingering nearby.” Aggie hadn’t thought about them being jumped if they looked too closely at what was going on.

  “Oh, I guess I didn’t consider that the Firestarter might have stayed in the room or hadn’t made it out yet. Thank you for being proactive and not leaving me alone. Come to think of it, if I’m going to be hanging around and staying in this gig, perhaps we should look into training in some way. I’m not the biggest or the strongest person. I haven’t been formally trained in any way. I talk a big game, but nothing really comes of it.” That was a hard thing for her to admit. She’d always liked to think of herself as a bit of a scrapper or a badass, but really, she only spoke up in the times she knew she would win. With what they were currently dealing with it seemed she was the underdog and likely to come out on the bottom in any fight.

  “We can arrange for training in any downtime we have during the investigation. I’m sure my brother and I can lead up that for now.” Ren was always so forthcoming and everything he said or did it was always graced with a perfect smile that made Aggie weak in the knees. Although, she would never admit that.

  “I love when you volunteer me for projects.” Mitchell’s dry sarcastic tone was without feeling but Aggie knew he wasn’t genuinely happy for this new addition to his schedule. “No, all we can smell is smoke, but I did find this beside what is left of the table. Do you recognize it?” He held a scrap of fabric that seemed smudged with some kind of sticky substance. It wasn’t familiar but as Aggie looked closer she noticed it had a faint print. The dark color of the fabric was impossible to decipher after it was smudged, but the design was a rusted gold color and looked a lot like filigree.

  “I don’t recognize it, but it looks like it could have been part of a curtain at one point in time. Look at the design and the texture of it. It is too thick to be worn unless someone in the castle favors very heavy dresses that would slow even the fastest runner down. The filigree that’s stitched into it shouldn’t ever be on a dress design like that. Maybe in a simpler pattern, but this is all over it as though it went from the top of the piece to the very bottom systematically.” Aggie tried to be as detailed as possible, not sure how designer-friendly the boys were. Mitchell cocked his head to the side, examining the scrap of fabric. Then he glanced at the curtains still covering the windows. Ren followed his brother’s line of site. It was as though they were having a conversation in their minds. “Can you speak telepathically with each other?” Aggie blurted.

  Mitchell just scoffed at her but made no effort to answer.

  “No, it’s a twin thing.” Ren offered, but went back to working through the puzzle with his brother. “It looks like these aren’t the same as the ones in this room, but I wonder what room might have this pattern. I guess, we could always ask Mathius for guidance on that matter.” The twins were making their way around the room for final checks to make sure they didn’t miss anything.

  “I think if you’d like to stay with them, I could go and get the others. Were they in the same room as you?” Eldon’s question was directed at the twins.

  “No, we had already split up to work on our separate projects again. I’m not sure where exactly everyone is but they will probably be heading toward their rooms for a little while to prepare. So, you might check there first.” Mitchell graced him with a response and Aggie considered the fact that she wasn’t the one who asked and therefore he got an answer directly.

  “That sounds logical. Aggie, you can come with me if you’d rather.” Eldon sounded meek and not himself. She didn’t know the best answer.

  What does he want me to say? Does he want me to say yes? If I do would it boost his spirits? Is he just asking to be polite? Aggie decided to go with her gut and answer the way she was feeling and not just to make him feel better. “I think I’d rather stay here. I’m still a bit shook up from this encounter and while this is the place it happened at least I don’t have to let my guard down outside these four walls.” Eldon’s face visibly relaxed. She guessed she answere
d the way he had hoped and mentally patted herself on the back, filing away that information for later. Go with your gut, Aggie. Things seem to go over better when you do.

  Eldon turned to leave, but before he did he turned back and placed a sweet kiss on the edge of Aggie's hairline. It was a simple gesture, but Aggie now knew she was his priority and leaving was secondary.

  Turning back to the brothers, Ren wore a knowing grin. Unable to help herself, she just stuck her tongue out at him. She realized he brought out a juvenile side of her that she hadn’t seen in years. “Is there any way I can help, Wolfie?” She was feeling brave and since she was talking to Ren, it was better odds that he wouldn’t literally bite her head off? That didn’t stop Mitchell from growling audibly. “Easy boy, I was just joking.” Gasping she covered her mouth quickly, realizing what she had just said and how it likely sounded. “I’m so sorry! That isn’t what I meant at all.”

  “I bet.” Mitchell mumbled but then immediately turned back to what he was working on. Ironically, Ren thought this exchange was hilarious and was doubled over laughing silently. He had obviously moved past audible and straight on to the silent, can’t breathe variety.

  “Are you enjoying this? He could have eaten me for all I know. His wolf probably didn’t appreciate any of that conversation and is probably not liking me at all right now.” After saying it out loud, Aggie was truly nervous and worried for her safety. “Maybe I should have left with Eldon. At least I know there isn’t a beast inside of him clawing to get out and destroy me.”

  “Let me let you in on a little secret, Princess.” the last word was filled with disdain which hurt Aggie just a bit. “The last thing my wolf wants is to eat you. Well not in the normal sense of the word.” Aggie stood staring at him and she realized her jaw had dropped open in shock. With great difficulty, she forced her mouth closed and her brain to work again.