by Scott
“Mom, you do realize, don’t you, that you can’t keep all of this stuff?”
“Yes, I do, but those mugs were your daddy’s favorites.”
“I know, and I also know that you always hated them, so here’s your chance to get rid of them. You’ve wanted to for years.”
“Well, now I don’t.”
It was early afternoon, they’d been at this since just after breakfast and Slade was at the end of his rope. “Oh, for God’s sake, Mom, you’ve got to get rid of some of this sh-uh, crap. Those cabinets in your apartment won’t hold all of this stuff.”
First she teared up, which he hated, then she gave him the look. It was the look that she gave him when he was a kid and she meant business. “You watch your language to me, young man. This is very hard for me.”
He felt like shit. He hated arguing with his mother. “I know it is, but we have to make some progress here. I have to go back to work in a couple of weeks.”
“I know. I just wish your brother could have been here, but he said that he trusted us to make the right decisions.”
Ah, the fair-haired child. Taylor. The heterosexual Marine, destined to give her grandchildren. Taylor was younger than Slade by three years, making him twenty-five now. They weren’t close, had never been, not really. Slade loved and worried about him, he was on his second tour of duty in Afghanistan, but Taylor didn’t understand Slade’s sexual orientation. None of his family did.
His father had been furious when Slade had come out to him and had refused to accept it. That day, the day of his high school graduation, was not a happy memory for Slade. He’d thought his father was going to have a heart attack or stroke. No son of mine is going to tell everybody around here that he’s gay. Gay? Is that what you called it?
Things were different after that day. He went away to college, joined the Army after graduation and did his own tour in Afghanistan. And he never came home to live again.
His mother’s voice brought him out of his reverie. “Slade? Slade? Are you listening to me?”
“Uh, no. I was thinking about something. What did you say?”
“I asked if you’d talked to your brother? Have you discussed what you want to do about the house?”
“No, Mom, I haven’t talked to him. Haven’t you asked him?”
“I have and he said that he didn’t want me to sell it right now, said that he might want to live here someday.”
“Okay.”
“Okay, what?”
“Okay, you have an answer about what to do about the house.”
“Well, you have as much right to it as Taylor, legally and morally.”
“Legally and morally, my ass. If Taylor wants the damn house, then give it to him.”
“Well, I would like for this property to stay in the family and Taylor will probably settle down here, eventually, and have a family—children he can pass it down to.”
“There you go. And I certainly don’t have any intention of ever living here again or having any children unless they figure out a way for a man to get pregnant.” He was in a pissy mood and knew that he shouldn’t have said that to his mother, but he didn’t care at this point. All those years ago when his father had refused to accept him as gay, his mother had gone along with it. That had probably hurt the most, so hearing her say those things just brought the pain to the surface.
His mother gave him a long stare. “I think we’re done for today. Why don’t you drive up to Gatlinburg and have some fun?”
It was obvious that she’d had all could take of his smart mouth, and nothing sounded better to him than going into town for a few drinks. He still knew of a couple of places to go that wouldn’t be overrun with tourists. He might even meet up with some of his old friends and find out if there was any kind of training going on in the mountains. If anybody would know, those guys would.
When Slade walked into the bar that used to be the favorite hangout, he saw three of his old high school buddies sitting at a table across the room. It was Bobby, Randy and Joe, just the three that he needed to talk to. As he approached, one of them looked up and said, “Well, hell, boys, look who just walked in. It’s the FBI agent. How ya doin’, Slade? Have a seat.”
Slade sat down, after much high-fiving and back-slapping. “How are y’all doing?” A waitress appeared next to the table and he ordered a beer.
Bobby, sitting across from Slade, said, “Same old, same old. You know that nothing ever changes around here. How about you? What are you doing back?”
“Came to help my mom move to an apartment. The house is too much for her since my dad died and Taylor and I are both gone.”
“Yeah, I heard that Taylor was in Afghanistan. Where are you living now?”
“I was assigned to Charlotte, North Carolina, six months ago. Listen, I’m glad I ran into the three of you because I need some information and if anybody knows what’s going on around these parts, it would be the three of you.”
They all laughed and Randy spoke up. “Slade, you know we do like to keep track of anything happening in the mountains.”
Slade chuckled. “I know. That’s why I was going to look y’all up.”
Joe asked, “What do you need to know? Now, you know that we’re not going to rat on any of our friends.”
“I wouldn’t ask you to unless it was something really serious. What I was wondering is, have y’all heard anything about training going on in the mountains? Maybe some kind of survivalist training or something like that?”
They all shook their heads and Bobby said, “I don’t know of anything and I haven’t noticed any strangers around, other than the regular run-of-the-mill tourists. Course, they can be pretty strange.”
They all laughed and nodded. Then Randy asked, “Why do you ask?” He paused. “Or is it a secret?”
“No, no secret. This guy I went through the Academy with supposedly came down this way on a special assignment, and I haven’t been able to reach him on his phone.”
“Well, you know what cell service in these mountains is like. One minute you have a signal and the next you don’t, so if he is down here, there’s no telling when you’ll make contact with him.”
“That’s the truth. It’s no big deal, I was just going to have a beer with him if he was in the area.”
They talked for a while longer, laughing about old times and gossiping about people they went to school with before Slade told them he needed to get back to his mom’s and check on the progress she’d made. “It was really good to see you guys. Maybe the next time I come, we can go fishing or something.”
They all agreed and Slade left, heading back to his mother’s house, even more curious about what Cole would be doing here. If anything was going on, those guys would know it. Even the FBI wouldn’t be able to hide it from the redneck underground.
The next day went a bit smoother. Slade had decided that the best thing to do would be to let his mother keep whatever she wanted to, but put it in storage until she was ready for it. He knew that she would forget some of that stuff immediately and that one day, he and Taylor would have to sift through it, but it seemed to pacify her and speed up the process.
“I’m glad that you suggested this, son, but I’m a little concerned about the storage fee.”
“Don’t worry about that, Mom. I’ll pay it.”
“Can you afford it?”
“Yes, I can, but you know what? Since you’re not going to sell the house, we could just leave them here. We can always move them later if we need to. Now, let’s get this done and you might be able to get moved into your apartment and settled before I have to go back.”
I thought that you had another week of vacation.”
“I do, though it’s really not a vacation. My boss just let me off to do this for you and I wasn’t sure how long it would take.” The truth was, he was ready to get back to Charlotte and his job and also to check on what had happened to Cole. It had become a mystery
that he had to solve.
He and his mother finished the house and he had her moved into her apartment by the weekend. He stayed at the house and told her that he’d make sure everything was closed up tight before he left. He’d said his good-byes the night before and was on his way in a rental car early the next morning.
He was passing an area where his favorite hiking trail was when he was growing up. What the hell? It’s early and it’ll be fun to take a walk up the old trail. He pulled over and parked, getting out of the car and starting up the trail. At least, he was dressed for hiking in an old, worn pair of jeans and a t-shirt with FBI emblazoned on the front.
CHAPTER THREE
Slade had made it far enough up the trail that he couldn’t see his car anymore. It was a beautiful morning, sunny and warm, but not hot. The woods around him were quiet, the only sound the chirping of birds, as he arrived at his favorite spot. It was a small, shaded clearing just off the trail that had a couple of large boulders where he used to sit and think about things, mostly how he was going to tell his family that he was gay.
He walked over and sat down on one of them to think about the puzzle of what had become of Cole. He’d only been sitting there for a couple of minutes when the air in the center of the clearing began to shimmer. What the hell? He’d never seen anything like it before.
As he watched, a man appeared, a gorgeous man—just fucking appeared out of thin air. Slade shook his head a few times and looked again. He knuckled his eyes and stared.
Slade was hesitant to say that a man was beautiful, other than Cole. There was no other way to describe his friend, but here was one that was equally beautiful. He was tall and golden—everything about him seemed to glow. His shoulder length hair was blond with lighter gold streaks and his eyes were a piercing emerald green color that held a look of shock at the moment. Hell, he was shocked. Slade felt ready to fucking pass out. The man’s complexion might have been fair, but the golden tint gave him the look of a healthy tan. He was dressed all in black, from head to toe. His shirt had some kind of logo with the letters W.R.A.I.T.H. above it.
The man gave Slade a long look and muttered, “Oh, damn.”
Slade stood up. “Who, or what, the hell are you? Where did you come from?”
“My name is Dallan, and you must come with me.”
“The hell you say.” Slade took a quick backward step but he was unprepared for how quickly the man moved, and before he knew it, this Dallan guy was beside him, taking hold of his arm. In the next minute, Slade saw the shimmer again and then everything went black. He felt a hot wind swirling around him and had the sensation of falling into nothingness before strong arms wrapped around his waist. He thought he heard a whisper at his ear, saying, “Don’t worry. I’ve got you.”
It had been so faint that he wasn’t sure he’d heard anything other than the wind, but a feeling of calm suddenly washed over him and he felt safe. That’s when he landed with a thump, the air around him cleared, and he was staring into those impossibly green eyes. He managed to break the eye contact and look around him. It was beautiful. Everything was green just like Dallan’s eyes and he was sitting next to a stream that was running over the rocks, making a gurgling sound.
“Are you all right?” Dallan asked, his voice concerned.
“What. The fuck. Just happened? And where the hell am I? God, I must be hallucinating. Did you hit me or inject me with something? I gotta be dreaming.”
“No, it’s real. You’re okay and you’re in the Vargr Realm.”
“Uh huh. And that would be…?”
“There’s really no need to explain because as soon as you’re neutralized, you’ll be back in the human realm.”
To say that Slade was feeling uneasy would be an understatement. Neutralized. That can’t be good. Maybe the guy had drugged him somehow, and this was all a crazy dream. “Just what does this neutralization consist of and why do you have to do it to me?”
“It’s a painless procedure to wipe your memory of me clean. I’m sorry that this is necessary, but once you saw me there was no other choice. As I said, it’s a painless procedure and once you’re back in your realm, you’ll have no recollection of our meeting.”
Yeah, like he was going to forget one of the hottest men he’d ever laid eyes on or this place, for that matter. It was a shame that the man was a total lunatic. Slade wouldn’t have minded spending some quality time with him. The man was obviously certifiable, though, or Slade was, and either way he needed to figure out a way to get away from this guy. Being neutralized didn’t sound like anything he’d want to participate in. The problem was that he didn’t have a clue where he was, or if he was actually at home in bed dreaming this whole thing. He was certain of one thing. It wasn’t someplace called the Vargr Realm. It might be good to get him talking until he could figure out what was happening to him.
“So, what’s your name?”
“I told you, it’s Dallan.”
“Oh, yeah. Dallan what?”
“Just Dallan. In our realm, it means wise.” He looked confused.
“You don’t have a last name, Dallan?”
“Oh, I see what you mean. No, we don’t use surnames here as you do in your realm.”
“I see.” Go along with him. Keep him talking. Try to bond with him in some way. “I noticed that you have on some kind of uniform. What do you do?”
“Do?”
“Yeah, like what is your job?”
“I’m a wizard and a gatekeeper. I open and close the blood gates. Only wizards can do that.”
“A wizard? Like in the Wizard of Oz? Are you shitting me?” Slade took a deep breath. “Okay, so where are these gates, exactly?”
“The one that I’m in charge of is where you first saw me.”
“Um hm.” Keep him talking, keep asking questions. Maybe the men in white coats would arrive soon and take him away. Or both of them. “And where are we now?”
“I’ve already told you that we are in the Vargr Realm.” The man’s exasperated look wasn’t lost on Slade, but he didn’t care how annoyed Dallan was. He wanted some answers and he wanted some that made sense or he would go ballistic in a minute or two.
“Yeah, I got that, but could you be a little more specific? Like, do you have towns in this realm and, if so, what town are we close to?” This guy was truly a nut case, a real shame since he was so fucking gorgeous, but maybe he would let the name of a real place slip, something that Slade could recognize.
“Oh, there is no town, as you have in your world. We’re in the Faery Domain here.”
Slade chuckled to himself. “Well, according to popular opinion, then, I’m in the right place.”
Dallan looked puzzled. “Come with me.”
No sense of humor in this guy. “Where are we going?”
“My home. It’s upstream a ways. I have to live there instead of in the hollow hills so that I’m close to the blood gate. I believe that it will be a better place for the neutralization.”
Dallan had taken hold of his arm again and Slade didn’t seem to be able to pull away. He wanted to, but couldn’t break the contact. True, the other man was bigger than Slade, but not that much bigger, and his fingers circling Slade’s bicep were not holding him tightly. Still, Slade felt unable to break the contact. What the hell?
As they walked along, Slade began to feel something else, a strong sexual attraction, stronger than anything he’d ever experienced before. He looked over at the man walking next to him and suddenly, visions of the two of them naked, together on a bed, appeared in his head. His cock began to respond to the picture in his mind. There was definitely something wrong here. He was about to be neutralized, for God’s sake, and he was horny?
It didn’t seem as if they’d walked far when he felt Dallan pulling him to the left. He looked up and saw a house that was exactly like pictures he’d seen of English cottages. It was small, with a wooden fence and gate, leading into a front walkway
surrounded by colorful flowers. He looked around as they made their way to the front door, expecting to see tiny fairies flying around and elves hiding behind leaves. He didn’t see anything, though. Thank God. He was already afraid that he had fallen somewhere on the trail and hit his head, causing hallucinations.
Dallan opened the door. “Go on in and make yourself comfortable.”
Slade wasn’t sure what he expected, but everything looked normal. There was a sofa with a couple of matching easy chairs with ottomans, all facing a big rock fireplace. It was cozy and ordinary like any other living room or den. There was no sparkling fairy dust swirling around and no magic wand on the coffee table. Slade felt himself starting to relax a bit and took a seat on the sofa.
Dallan stood in front of him and smiled. “I suppose we should begin the process. I’m sure that you would like to get back home.”
Slade stiffened and sat up straighter. “What exactly does this process entail?”
“It’s very simple, really. You won’t feel a thing. It’s sort of like hypnotism. You’ll simply fall asleep and when you wake up, you will be home with no memory of me or this place.”
Slade frowned, not at all sure that he wanted to forget Dallan. What was he thinking? The man was obviously a lunatic and Slade was allowing himself to be sucked into the lunacy. Why? Because the guy was hot? No, it was more than that. It was a feeling of being a part of him, like a soul mate. Oh, God. Surely, he didn’t just think that. Soul mate, my ass. I must have hit my head on something.
Slade looked over at Dallan and their eyes locked. He wanted to look away, but couldn’t. Dallan’s eyes were like green fire, pulling him closer and closer to their flame, but he had to fight it.
CHAPTER FOUR
Dallan had never met anyone like this human. Since becoming a member of WRAITH, he’d gotten to know and worked with other beings from the human realm, but had never felt this attraction to one of them before. Of course, this one was beautiful and strong. His strength was both mental and physical, a compelling combination. Trying to neutralize him was proving to be difficult, and Dallan wasn’t sure if it was all because of Slade’s strength or because his own power was weakened by his attraction to the man. Dallan couldn’t seem to maintain his concentration as images of Slade naked and lying under him flashed through his mind. He wanted to fuck him. Now. Forever.
