Mob Man’s arm is now wrapped around the front of my shoulders and pulling me into him so my back hits his front, his coldness seeping into my being. Gross! I don’t want his tainted spirit germs invading my new body.
The guys look ready to lose it, but I stay as cool as a cucumber. Honestly, that phrase has never made any sense to me, but whatever. No time for rambling thoughts, Fate. Keep it together.
I give them a slow nod, letting them know it’s okay. That this is exactly what I wanted to happen. They each nod back reluctantly, and a shaken Reggie is standing next to Cole with a determined look on her ghostly face.
See you there, she mouths before giving me a small nod. Since Mob Man’s gaze is fully locked onto the guys, he doesn’t notice.
“Now. Your queen and I are going to leave. You don’t follow, or she’s dead.” He brings up the signet ring, making a show of running it down the side of my face.
The guys all snarl. Even calm, peacekeeping Macklin. I kind of dig it.
I roll my eyes at Mob Man. This dude is so clueless. And fucked. Definitely fucked. And not the fun kind either.
Slowly, I bring my hands together in front of me, hoping he misses the movement. I can’t really see them since my face is tilted slightly toward the ceiling, but I say a small prayer that this is going to work. Otherwise, I’ll look like the loser he currently thinks I am. Only one way to find out.
My right hand grips the inside of my left wrist. The guys’ eyes dart down to my hands, then quickly away, as if they know I’m up to something but don’t want to attract Mob Man’s attention. They’re looking at me with varying levels of curiosity, anger, and fear. I’m totally going to get disciplined for this little stunt later. Might need to lend them my paddle.
“Alright!” Mob Man growls. “Take me to the book. Now!”
“You got it, Mob Man. I’ll see you guys soon. Don’t freak out.”
With that, I close my eyes and think, Gateway.
Before I even finish the word, our bodies start to dematerialize. One quick look at the guys tells me they are, indeed, freaking out, and I can feel their all-consuming panic. Hell, I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t a little nervous myself. I will see them again. Reggie won’t let me down. I somehow know that down in the depths of my soul.
The last thing I see is Thad and Levi bursting through the front door, both with matching looks of horror on their identical faces as they take in me and Mob Man slowly turning into wisps of smoke. I shoot them a quick wink before the smoke completely consumes us, sucking us into the vortex.
Gone. Her and the slimy Scarface wannabe vanished right before our eyes. I search inside myself, that spot I’ve reserved just for her, but it’s just a small spark. Wherever she is, she’s too far out of reach.
“Where the fuck is she?” Cole growls. He’s on the verge of totally losing his shit, and I don’t even have to be an empath to sense that.
“She took him to the Gateway,” Reggie offers quietly, looking at Cole like he’s an enraged bull, ready to charge.
“The fucking Gateway? How the hell are we supposed to get to her? What the fuck was she thinking?” He’s pacing now. Never a good sign. “I should have tied her to the damn bed and left her there.”
“I think she would’ve liked that actually,” Thad retorts.
Cole just growls at him. Literally.
Reggie eyes him warily as he continues to mumble to himself. “Is he going to be okay?”
“Don’t worry about him. How can we find her?”
“I can get you there, but first I need to mark all of you.”
“Mark us?” Macklin asks. Not even Fate’s spectacular vanishing act or the fact that she could be in danger can quell his eternal curiosity.
“You know, with the mark of the Gateway. It’s similar to the marks you all share,” she replies simply.
“Only two of us are marked,” Macklin responds.
“Bro, make that four of us,” Thad says proudly, lifting up his wrist and showing it off as Levi does the same.
“Wait, only four of you share her mark?” she asks, and I can sense her steadily growing concern.
“Why? Is that a bad thing?” I question.
“That’s a terrible thing!” she exclaims. “How did I not realize that? It explains so much.”
“Explains what?” Cole snaps.
“It explains why her powers are acting all crazy and why she’s not at full strength yet. She had to sacrifice pieces of herself to tie you all to her. Those pieces were gifted to you and sealed with a mark that each of you wore. Through those marks, your commitment to each other was sealed and the bond created. Those powers of yours, they used to be hers. Only residual bits of each one remain within her. Without that bond in place, she’s…” Reggie trails off, searching for words while we all stand back and wait in stunned silence, “unbalanced, for lack of a better word.”
“You’re telling me this is our fault?” Cole says quietly. “That she went off to the Gateway, with a man that could very well kill her, missing integral parts of herself because she doesn’t bear all of our marks?”
“Your mark,” I add softly. I’m trying really hard not to blame him right now, but I’m fucking pissed. His eyes cut to mine, and the regret and despair I feel pouring off him are enough for me to temper my next words, even if my soul is seething inside. “She doesn’t bear your mark. You hesitated. Don’t get me wrong, I understand why, but she’s ours. Even you have to admit that now. She’s lodged somewhere deep inside our souls, and there’s no getting her out. I wouldn’t want to even if I could.”
The room is silent while we all process those words. She’s ours. We’re hers. Now it’s time we go get our girl.
“Do it.” I look at Reggie and stick out my wrist. “Give me the mark.”
“Are you sure?” She looks around at the other guys.
Macklin steps up next to me, holding out his wrist. “We’re sure.”
Levi steps up next. “Let’s get this done. We need to save Fate.”
Thad follows his twin. “Do it. I need to get to my woman.”
Reggie looks at Cole. He’s standing in front of us, head hanging down, shoulders slumped, guilt and blame flowing off him faster than raging rapids.
“Cole, man, I know we don’t say this enough, but we appreciate all you do for us. We respect your judgment and understand why this entire situation has been hard for you. We’ll discuss your hard-headedness later. First, we have to do this. Now.”
Cole raises his head, his eyes connecting with mine. “I’ve let her down. I’ve let all of you down.”
“And you can make it up to her, right now.”
He glances around the room, meeting the eyes of each of our brothers. Walking up on my other side, he holds out his wrist.
“We need to save our girl. I can’t let her down again.”
Reggie smiles, looking at each of us. “You all may be a bunch of douche canoes, but, for the record, I love you like brothers. Damn glad to see you again.” Walking up to Cole, she clasps his left wrist with hers.
“Do you swear your allegiance to the queen and promise to protect her from here on out with your life?”
Without hesitation, Cole responds, “I do.”
“Good. We have witnesses in case you forget that again.” She snickers and walks up to me.
“What the hell?” he mutters.
As she clasps my wrist, I feel a slight warmth before she’s moving on to Macklin.
“Why didn’t he have to say the oath?” Cole asks.
“The oath wasn’t a required part of the transfer. I just wanted to hear you say it.”
“Fucking temperamental spirits,” he grumbles.
We all chuckle as she moves on to Levi and Thad. Once we’re all staring down at the new marks on our wrists in the shape of a small solid star, she stands in front of us again.
“Okay, quick crash course on how this works. Let’s call it Gateway Dynamics 101. The mark on your wrist i
s what ties you to the Gateway. To move to and from, all you need to do is touch your wrist with the intent to go there. The intention part is important. Right now, since it’s your first time - or at least your second first time - you’ll need to actually say the word in order to move through the vortex. Damn. Bet non-virgins everywhere are jealous of you five right now. Not everyone gets a second first time.”
“That’s totally not helpful,” Cole scoffs.
“Now...Fate is likely trying to stall until we all come to save the day. She’s not familiar with the Gateway, but the Gateway will be familiar with her. Hopefully, she’s still got her mental link in place even if she doesn’t know it, so the Gateway knows to keep her secrets.”
“That’s reassuring,” I deadpan.
“I know, right?” she quips. “Ok. I guess I should’ve asked this before, but you all do have your powers, right?”
“Yes,” we all say in unison.
“Thank fuck for small miracles. Then light ‘em up, boys.”
On both sides of me, my brothers let their powers free. Reggie steps back, next to Cole.
“Now that’s what I’m talkin’ about. Nothing like showing up to a fight with all this glowing man meat. Good thing we don’t need the element of surprise on our side. Everybody ready? On the count of three?”
We all mumble our agreements.
“One…” Reggie starts.
“Two…” I say.
“Three…” Cole adds.
“Gateway,” we all say in unison.
As our bodies all start to dematerialize, I finally understand just why Fate hates this part. The lack of control. The disconcerting notion that your body is spreading out into the unknown and you can only hope and pray it all gets put back together the same way it came apart. There are certain parts of me I’d rather not lose if you know what I’m saying.
I send all of my thoughts across the ether to my little ghost, telling her to hold on tight. That we’re on our way. Hopefully, it’s enough. Hopefully, we’re not too late.
The Gateway is not what I expected. In my head, I had concocted this image of some ancient castle, all stone walls and cold stone floors. Drafty windows and bad lighting.
This place is...none of those things. It feels warm and inviting with its white and black damask walls covered in photos that I have not had the opportunity to explore because dickhead has me backed into a corner, literally. I finally give up on standing and slide to the floor. The tile under my ass is sparkly and totally something I would’ve chosen myself. Though, I guess I did.
Huh. Good to know old me and new me share the same sense of style at least.
The main room is like a large conference room, mostly empty except for the totally amazing chair sitting up on a raised dais along the far wall. It’s slightly ornate, with a white frame and black tufted back and seat. A red runner flows from the chair straight out the door.
Damn, I’ve got good taste.
Mob Man is pacing the space in front of me, waiting for his crew to show up. Every once in a while, he’ll pause and aim that ring in my direction as if to remind me who holds the power here. When we first arrived, he contacted his friend who assured him he had nothing to worry about but insisted he wait for reinforcements.
His friend sounds like a dumbass to me.
“Do they not trust you to do this yourself?” I ask, sounding bored. Probably because I am. We’ve been here for what feels like hours but has realistically been thirty minutes. I’m hungry and tired and honestly starting to get a little worried. My power isn’t cooperating - again. I’ve tried to shoot some of those electric sparks at the turd-waffle, but do you think anything happened? Nope. I’ve got nothing. Static electricity is more powerful than I am at the moment.
“She trusts me. I was told to wait here for back up, so that’s what I’m doing.”
“She? Who’s she?”
“None of your damn business.”
“Well, I mean...it kind of is my business since it involves me and my book.”
“Just shut the hell up. Where the hell have you been for the last hundred years anyways?”
“That’s none of your damn business. Unless you’re my thong, don’t be up my ass.”
He side eyes me like he can’t believe the words that are coming out of my mouth.
”Dude, no one is coming.” Even I can hear the whine seeping into my voice. They should’ve been here by now. Unless Reggie and I weren’t on the same page like I’d thought. Or maybe something happened to Reggie and the guys. Or maybe the guys didn’t want to get involved. I mean, one command from Cole and they’d be forced to stay put. Lord knows Cole and I aren’t on the best terms.
As the minutes tick by, hope diminishes. Mob Man becomes increasingly agitated while I sit with my back against a wall, a numb ass, and a bad attitude. Out of nowhere, five apparitions appear, startling the dead mobster.
Quickly recovering from his shock, he growls at the men, “Where the hell have you been?”
“Do you have it?” asks a gravelly voice. It comes from the one in the hoodie and baggy jeans that are about ready to fall off his ass. I mean, he’s wearing a belt, but it’s doing a piss poor job of keeping them in place. How do they get those damn things to defy gravity like that?
“No. I was told to wait and not to attempt to retrieve it myself.”
Hoodie Man rolls his eyes. “Dude, she doesn’t even trust you enough to get a simple book?”
“She trusts me,” Mob Man sputters, glancing at me.
I just shrug my shoulders. “See, guy. She totally doesn’t trust you.”
“She just wanted back up with me in case anything goes wrong.”
“Bro, she doesn’t trust you,” Hoodie Man says. “And I don’t have time for this shit. Let’s get the book and get the hell outta here.”
As I watch the interaction, I feel a weird tingle inside my brain. Like someone’s trying to get in. Are one of these guys a telepath? Is it my guys? Am I developing a brain tumor?
Hoodie Man glances my way and snorts. He’s totally mature, I can tell. “So this is the Queen of the Gateway. You’re sure? She doesn’t look like much to me.” He eyes me up and down, disbelief written all over his ugly ghost face.
“Yeah, it’s her. How else would she have brought me here?”
Hoodie Man crouches down in front of me, his forearms resting on his knees.
“You don’t look as badass as stories would have people believe. Maybe we’ve all been worried for nothing.”
“Here’s a tip,” I say, leaning forward to place my forearms on my bended knees, mimicking his position from the ground. “You might want to pull up your pants because when my guys get here, it’s going to be impossible to run in those things. And you will want to run.”
“Oh, Sugar Tits, your guys aren’t coming or they’d be here already.”
“You lookin’ at my tits? That’s your second mistake. My guys won’t take kindly to that either.”
“How about you just tell me where the book is so we can all be on our merry way, yeah?”
“How about you eat a dick?” I reply, throwing in a head tilt for good measure.
“Okay, boys, she wants to do this the hard way,” he says to his cronies in the back while getting to his feet.
“I like it hard, just not from you. Or at least I think I do. It’s been awhile. But I do know I’ve got enough hard things of my own,” I retort, really just trying to keep stalling in the hopes my damn men actually do come for me.
As all of their eyes start to glow red, I get to my feet and back myself against the wall. Right before they lunge for me, all the doors around the room start opening and closing. I now fully understand just how creepy that shit is because this time it isn’t me. Though, whoever it is has good timing - a ghost girl can appreciate another, right? I’m all about solidarity.
The cronies pause, all looking at each other nervously.
“What are you waiting for? Grab her already!” Mob
Man orders.
That tingling is back in my head, and I tap it a couple of times with the heel of my hand. The cronies haven’t moved an inch and look even more worried now. Oh, right. Queen of the Gateway. Tapping her head like an insane person. I’m totally going to roll with that. With my evil smirk firmly in place, I take a step forward and twitch my head for good measure. They take a step back.
“What’s the matter, boys? You aren’t scared of little ol’ me now, are you?” I ask with a little more confidence than I’m feeling.
Hoodie Man throws his arm out, halting his crew.
“No. Not really. All you’ve got is a couple parlor tricks from what I hear. We’re not afraid of you.”
The tingling is becoming an incessant buzzing in my brain. It’s like the feeling you get in your hands or feet when the circulation has been cut off for way too long and then you try to use them. It’s a strange mix of constant tingling with pinpoints of pain.
“Oh my ghost! Can you stop it already?” I yell out, smacking the heel of my hand against my head a couple more times, and a little harder, for good measure.
Hoodie Man shares a look with Mob Man. “She’s out of her damn mind, bro. You sure she even knows where the hell the book is?”
“Well, I mean…” Mob Man responds, looking as nervous as the other guys now. “She said she hid it somewhere.”
“Well that’s fucking great,” Hoodie Man states, throwing his arms in the air in frustration. “We’re all going to have our asses handed to us if we don’t get that book.”
As they start arguing amongst themselves, I try to pay attention, but the constant brain buzz is driving me crazy. All of a sudden, the buzzing stops, and a wealth of information floods my brain. It comes so fast, I grab my head with my hands, bending over as the room spins - or at least it feels that way as my stomach does a flip.
It’s over as fast as it began, and I stand up straight and shake my head back and forth to make sure there was no permanent damage. Mind melding is not for the faint of heart. Oh wait, that’s a Vulcan thing, right? Well, whatever the hell that was, it was probably a lot like that.
A Fate Unknown: A PNR, Why Choose Novel (The Ghost Girl Series Book 1) Page 20
