The Gates

9

SECRETS

The Amaranthian sun became a bright, cardinal-red ball of fire that pushed through the sky’s gray canvas each morning and at the end of every night, sinking into and rising from the ground, similar to the rise and fall of earth’s sun. Throughout the day, its surreal red glow penetrated the hazy gloom, muted like the gray that engulfed it. Still, the sunset wasn’t nearly as spectacular as earth’s. It was alien and frightening, making everything feel as desolate as a desert. The redeeming quality was the vast greenery that spread throughout the outskirts of the city, bringing vibrancy to the otherwise eerie landscape.

I rushed toward the windmill as I eyed the strange red sun, peering behind me every so often to make sure I wasn’t being followed. All it would take was one witness for word to spread to Scarlet of our meeting.

“Gavin?” I whispered as I stepped inside and secured the wooden door behind me, pulling my cloak’s hood down to peer around. He appeared from the corner, a basket in his hand, and rushed to meet me. He took my hand in his but kept his distance. I gently tugged at the tips of his fingers; the touch of his skin sent a warm current through my body. He exhaled when he saw my expression, looking rugged and in need of a shave, but I thought he wore his exhaustion well.

“Camille …” His eyes danced with excitement and he gestured to the basket, pulling at his collar as he spoke, a nervous smile creeping across his lips. “I’ve brought you some dinner. It’s so good to see you. I’m glad you came.”

My eyes narrowed and I faltered, allowed myself to plop down on a stack of hay. “It’s good to see me?”

He kneeled down and leaned toward me. “What’s wrong? I didn’t think you’d want to see me.…”

“Of course I do, I miss you so much.” I let my shoulders slump. “It just hurts.”

“I know.” He held my hand tight, rubbed his thumb across my knuckles. “But she won’t get away with this for much longer, baby. Even with the new spell she has, the second the resistance gets here, her threats will be no good.”

That damn new spell. How did she figure out how to conjure at the last minute? Could she conjure other spells we didn’t know about? Gavin guessed that she stole some things from Cecile’s place, but it seemed unlikely to me that she was able to steal from right under Cecile’s nose.

“And then what?” I said. “Has she told you? Is she going to let us stroll on by and continue with our attack? She could rat us out the second before the resistance arrives.”

“What good will that do, though? Samira will be bombarded and help will come anyway. And after Samira killed Andrew for bringing you here last time, it’s pretty clear Samira’s not very fond of snitches. Scarlet isn’t opposed to the attack, could care less about what happens with this war. She has her spell to protect her regardless. All she cares about is getting what she wants. She won’t stand in our way as long as she gets to have it.”

“And right now she has it. Have you touched her?” I leveled my eyes with his. I’d blotted out all possibility of this, didn’t dare allow myself to wonder, but I had to know before I kissed him. “Because that’s all I care about. I know you wouldn’t have done something like this unless you absolutely had to, but …”

He inhaled and dropped down to sit with me, still holding my hand. “She kissed me.” He released my hand then hung his head, silence surrounding us. A single tear trickled down my cheek but I couldn’t blink, couldn’t move. I just sat there on the hay, arms at my sides, staring forward. This was to be expected, but the truth, the sharp kick to the gut, still stung.

“I stopped her, Camille. I haven’t touched her, why would I even want to? After all we’ve been through, I thought you’d have faith in me.”

“I do, but …” I breathed, my voice strained, the image of her lips on his making me flinch. “How many times?”

“She’s … persistent. But I swear to you. On my life. Nothing happened.” He reached up and cupped my face in his hand, rubbed the tear away with his thumb, placed his other hand on my knee. “Camille, I’m yours. You’re who I want. That will never change.”

I rolled my eyes to his, whispered, “I know.”

Hesitantly, he inched his mouth toward mine, his breath catching as the distance closed between us. He ran his thumb across my bottom lip before he kissed me, exhaled when I surrendered to him. “God, I missed you.” His fingers moved through my hair to the back of my neck, gently tilting my head back as he parted my lips with his, his tongue finding mine. I gripped his shoulders tight, then clasped my arms around his neck, allowing him to pull me onto his lap. I wanted this humble, gorgeous man. I couldn’t take it anymore. His quiet charismatic demeanor was irresistible, and being separated from him was unbearable.

Coming up for air, his usual reflex kicked in when I worked to unbutton his shirt. He laughed, heaving me forward and tossing me to the floor with a thump, landing on his back next to me.

Confused, I let out an exasperated chuckle. “What was that for?”

“Just wanted to see your smile.” He refastened his buttons and tilted his head to stare at me. “I’ve missed that as much as I’ve missed your lips.”

I nudged him with my shoulder, my grin widening.

“How are Gabe and Audrey?” he said. He lifted one arm back to prop it under his head, instantly relaxing, as if the past week had never happened. “It’s still taking some getting used to, not being able to mind-speak with Gabe anymore now that he’s human.”

I let out a sigh of relief—Scarlet, Samira, and the whole world of Amaranth had faded away into a distant chasm—yet also a sigh of frustration at his impenetrable self-control. How could he be so unfazed by me? His skin brushing mine was enough to knock the wind out of me, but he could just turn the switch off, apparently. It was beyond maddening.

“They seem to be hanging in there,” I said. “Audrey’s her typical feisty self, and Gabe can’t get enough of her, as usual.”

“You miss home. I can tell.”

“Don’t you?”

“I do, yeah. But I feel close to my parents here. It’s hard to explain.” He turned his head to stare at the ceiling, drifting off into thought, his poker face taking over.

“I can’t wait until this is all over.” I exhaled, turned to lean on my side to face him. “What if Scarlet loses patience with you, if you keep rejecting her like that …”

“She’s not stupid. She knows I can’t just fall in love with her. That’s not what she wants, anyway. She just wants to spite you, and have me around as a plaything. I’ve been telling her to be patient. She’s never seen me in love before and she resents it. The question is how long she’ll wait around until she calls my bluff. That fact that she doesn’t have much at stake with this war is unsettling. ”

“That’s what I’m worried about.”

“We just have to keep being careful. This is the best time for me to meet you: just before the sun goes down, or around dawn. She’s busy cooking and cleaning then.”

The thought of Scarlet lifting a pretty finger made me laugh. As it ebbed, he said, “But I can’t stay long.” He sat up and reached for the basket, pulling out a loaf of bread, some cheese, and sliced meat. “Can you meet me again tomorrow night?”

I took the meal from him and picked at a piece of the bread. Not if you keep torturing me like this. “I don’t see why not. Any word on the villagers Samira took?”

“Nothing yet. How is Cecile? All right, I hope.”

I nodded, wiping crumbs from my skirt. “She’s okay now. A little banged up, but okay.”

“Good.” He shut the basket and turned up the lantern, the sky completely dark now. “I’m constantly checking in on you, but please stay close to Gabe and Josh, love. Be safe. It’s killing me, not being able to protect you—”

“Gav, I’m in the safest house in the city, remember? Don’t worry about me.”

“This will all be over soon. Only two more weeks until the crescent moon. Down to the wire now.” He brushed his fingers under my chin and kissed me, stood with the lantern in his hand.

“Already?” I looked up at him, unable to hide my disappointment. He extended a hand to help me up.

“I’m afraid so.” He pulled my body to his, gazed down at me, promise in eyes. “Tomorrow, same time.”

With one swift nod, I released him and gently pushed him toward the door. He killed the lantern and I watched him fly down the hill and into the dark, the jagged pieces of my other half tearing away from me, leaving me broken once again.

The house was buzzing when I returned, everyone gathered around, looking at one another intently while they discussed the return of the villagers Samira had taken captive.

“What’s going on?” I met Audrey in the kitchen, pulling some rum from the cupboard.

“Oh, never a dull moment, you know. Our blood supply is running low, and the villagers came back pretty shaken up. They said she went easy on them, though. It’s strange.” She held out her chalice. “Share the wealth, girl. You know, this place has made me want to take up smoking.”

“Well, I have some hand-rolled cigarettes if you want one,” I said, grinning. “They’re better than the ones doused with chemicals back home.”

I poured her a drink, looked up to see her raised eyebrows. “Not to encourage you or anything …” Chuckling, I put the bottle away.

“After sneaking away to see your lover, I’m sure you could use one, too.” She winked and shooed me upstairs to retrieve them. I returned with the cigarettes and we buried ourselves in the corner of the kitchen, sitting against the wall, hidden behind the table, two teenagers smoking in the girl’s room. “You look flushed,” she said. “Oddly unsatisfied. He still holding out on you?”

“Audrey.” I blew the smoke from my lips, bumped my shoulder to hers.

“For a guy who’s been around for ages, he sure has some serious self-control, Cam. How does he do it? You’re hot, especially in these Renaissance getups.” She laughed, pulled on my sleeve.

“Yeah, it’s not something I’m used to. And knowing he’s been with her makes me a tad insecure about the whole thing.”

“Don’t sweat it, Cam. You’ll rock his world, I’m sure.” She gave me a warm smile. “He really loves you. She’s history, and she knows it. She’s just trying to rile you up.”

“It’s working. So you’re not mad at him anymore?” I cocked an eyebrow, jutted my head back. “You seemed pretty pissed the day he left.”

“No, I understand he’s trying to keep her from ratting us out. I just hate that he’s given her what she wants. It seems so out of character for him.”

I finished my smoke and the last of my drink, took a deep breath. “I think it’s very in character for him. Save the world undercover, be the hero, one dashing smile at a time.” I sighed, rolled to my knees to stand.

“Yeah, I guess you have a point. What is it with these gorgeous, noble men? We sure know how to pick ’em.” She pulled herself up and straightened her shirt.

“Something tells me they’re worth it,” I said, winked, took her hand. “Let’s go find out the latest.”

I towed her toward the living-room area where Gabe stood, talking to the rest of the group. We barely had time to sit down and listen. Cries erupted from the streets, causing everyone to jump from their seats. We ran to the windows to peer out into the darkness, the cobblestone street lit only by the peculiar glow from the villagers’ lanterns.

“She’s back?” Audrey whispered, peeking through the slat in the wooden door, her face filled with fear. “What does she want now?”

“I just sent for Josh,” Gabe murmured, stepping in front of Audrey to open the door, his own lantern in hand. He wandered outside and we all followed to watch Samira roll into the village with her circle of guards, plucking random villagers from the streets again, tossing them around in midair, up into the blackness and toward her guards for magical binding. She couldn’t hurt our group, but it was still painful to watch her rip innocent Amaranthians from their families while we were helpless to stop her. If we tried to protect the others, it would only give her more reason to be suspicious of our intentions. I spotted Gavin across the street, tucked away near Cecile, mumbling something to her under his breath, Cecile shaking her head in agreement. No doubt they felt as I did.

Samira was gone in a flash, making her way up toward the golden gates again. Gavin and Cecile approached us from across the street, weaving around villagers as they scrambled about, seeming more frightened and confused than before.

“Something’s off,” Gavin said to Gabe under his breath.

Cecile spoke up, hugging Audrey when she saw her. “She’s returning people unharmed, not even questioning them, just holding them in cells. But she’s coming back for more. There’s only so much my magic can do for these poor people,” she looked around at the anxious villagers.

“Where’s Scarlet, man?” Josh chimed in, signaling the others to head back inside.

“She’s not home.” Gavin looked at me from the corner of his eye, “I’m not sure what she’s up to. We need to get together in the morning. I might have to pay the castle a visit.”

“Your blood is running low, Gav,” Gabe continued, his dark, boyish features scrunching up in concern. He stroked Audrey’s back as he spoke and I felt a pang of jealousy at the public display of affection.

“I know,” Gavin replied. “It’s going quicker than I’d hoped. Tell everyone to cut back, and to keep their spells strong. Cecile and I will see what we can do about getting more supplies to feed the mojo bags, to buy us a little more energy to tide us over. It’s not long now until the others arrive, we just need to keep up our strength until they get here.”

Gabe agreed and took Audrey’s hand, ready to head back into the house.

“Ms. Hart,” Gavin nodded at me, a faint smile hitched on his lips. “Tomorrow.”

“Tomorrow,” I confirmed, fighting the urge to smile back in case Scarlet was lurking nearby.

The next few days were busy. Audrey and I helped Gabe monitor the blood supply and cleaned up around the house, while Gavin and Josh helped observe in the villages. The others were growing hungry and weak, and Gabe’s nervousness was beginning to show, making me wish more and more that Gavin would find a way to end his situation with Scarlet and come home. Gabe cracked under pressure, while Gavin was usually the calm, cool, collected rock, always helping to balance him when times became hard.

“What will happen if we run out of blood?” I asked Gabe, pulling him aside as I collected everyone’s empty glasses. “They’re already looking pretty rough. Will we have to take some from the Amaranthians? Gavin said something about getting some from the castle?”

“If we get too weak, we won’t be able to fight when the resistance gets here,” he whispered, folding his arms as he assessed the other’s anxious faces. “Not to mention we’ll be an easy target for Samira if we’re all too weak to move. And we can’t ask the Amaranthians to give blood. Even if they would, that would stir up too many problems around town. There’s a backup reserve stored in the castle, but Gav’s the only one who can request permission to leave through the gates to get to it. We’re so low now, there’s no way he’ll be able to steal a large enough amount on his own and bring it back without the guards noticing. We’ll have to keep a tight watch on the last of the supply, hunker down until the others get here. That’s our only option right now.”

“You can’t just ask for some from Samira? I mean, if she wants Gavin to do his job …”

“That’ll give her the upper hand. No can do.”

“Well, you guys’ll figure something out, don’t worry.” I rested my free hand on his shoulder and gave him a comforting squeeze, then headed to the kitchen to drop off the glasses.

* * *

After dealing with the stress of the blood shortage all day, every day, I looked forward to sundown. In a little over a week, the resistance would finally arrive. Eager to meet Gavin, I hurried to change clothes and wash up. When I entered the windmill, I was immediately whisked into his arms. He hoisted me up and wrapped my legs around his waist; his cunning smile produced a huge grin on my face. He looked tired and weak, but he seemed to be holding up.

“Mmmm, I’d love to come home to this every day,” he said, then eagerly lowered me down onto the hay and peeled his overcoat off, kissing me passionately in between removing each sleeve, never taking his eyes from mine. I reached up and grazed my fingers over his forehead scar, then pulled at his thick brown hair before forcefully closing my arms around his neck, thrilled by his urgent fervor.

He pulled at my bottom lip as his hungry mouth moved over mine, his breathing picking up while his hand trailed down my chest to the corner of my hip. His arm slipped under my back and moved down my spine, suddenly boosting me upward to pull my body flush with his. A sharp intake of breath sent chills down my arms when I heard a soft moan escape his throat.

“Camille,” his lips traveled across my neck, his breathing growing more erratic, “I want you.” Instead of shutting down my advance, he allowed me to loosen his collar, inviting it this time. I pulled harder at his shirt and worked my fingers into the groove of his chest. “Marry me. Now,” he breathed.

My fingers stopped fidgeting with his collar and I gasped, looking up to meet his drop-dead-serious gaze.