Chapter 6 #2
No, I’m in Illinois now. Long story. Big gateway. You in?
Not until I’ve heard the long story. Call me later. Taking the boys to the gym to kick their asses.
Have fun!
“Sorry, okay. When I say we guard the gateways, I don’t mean like what you’ve been doing here.
We don’t just have people watching to warn us when something comes through.
There’s a group of people with a special skill set.
They’re kind of a cross between mediums and hunters.
Or maybe a subgroup of hunters. Whatever, they have the ability to…
let’s say screen off the gateways. They’re called gatekeepers. ”
I watch Kieran, and yep, there goes his hand, right into his hair. The tufts of red are sticking up in every direction, glinting brightly in the overhead lights.
“Say more,” he orders, and wow. That’s sexy.
“What’s the magic word?”
His face goes the color of a ripe tomato.
“Please!” Josh blurts. “Please. We’re all tired, and I know we’ve said this already, but weekends here are really busy. Please can we get this done?”
I’d feel bad if I wasn’t doing them a whole bunch of favors.
“Since Josh asked so nicely, let me explain some more. A gateway like the one you have here is called open and unguarded. That means demons and other beings from the otherworld can come through at will. An open and guarded gateway is one with a gatekeeper. The gatekeeper’s energy prevents anything from crossing through that isn’t summoned. ”
“But if a demon’s summoned, it can still come through? That’s a pretty big loophole,” Ewan says.
“It is, but we haven’t been able to find a way around it.
A summoning is an invitation. It seems to overrule the gatekeeper’s presence.
On the plus side, the gatekeeper is aware of every demon that crosses through and can tell a hunter its name, where it’s going, and the name of the person who summoned it. ” I sit back smugly as their jaws drop.
“The name of the person who summoned it?” Kieran asks, seemingly over his snit. “Really? How?”
I shrug. “You’d need to ask a gatekeeper that. It’s tied into the summoning, I think. Whatever it is, it allows us to track and get rid of every demon who comes through a guarded gateway.”
“So the gateway our demon came through must have been unguarded?”
The beginning of a headache stabs at my temples as I think about how much work it’s going to take to trace a fifty-year-old gateway that’s hopefully closed. “I assume so, yes. I have to track it down while I’m in the area.”
He makes a gesture that clearly conveys that’s not his problem. “What you’re telling us is that we need a gatekeeper.”
“He’s a clever fella,” Uncle Norval whispers loudly. “Is he a gay? Connor needs someone to settle him down.”
Joe shakes his head. “Kieran’s bisexual,” he whispers back. “But he has terrible taste in boyfriends and girlfriends.”
“Oh my god,” Josh mutters, and I’ve never been so glad in my life that not everyone can hear ghosts.
“What?” Ewan asks Josh, who shakes his head.
“It’s fine. Later.”
I make a mental note to find out more about Kieran’s terrible taste in boyfriends and girlfriends and turn back to face him. “Yes, you need a gatekeeper. And it’s not a once-off thing, when they come out for an hour and then never have to come back. They’ll basically need to live here.”
“Okay,” Kieran says. “Here, here? Or is town close enough?”
“I’m not sure,” I admit. “I think initially, at least, it’ll need to be on site. But the only person who can tell you for sure would be a gatekeeper.”
“Great.” He sighs. “Well, where do I find a gatekeeper? And how much do they cost? I don’t know how I’m going to hide this in the budget at tax time.”
Finally, some good news for him. “Don’t worry about that,” I assure him. “It’s covered. And if they need to build a cabin or whatever on the grounds, that expense will be covered too.”
“Cabin,” he mouths, freckles standing out against his pale skin, and I hurry on.
“As to where, I was messaging an excellent one before. Hopefully we can get him out here to help you all. If not, I’ll put in an official request and see who we get.
But I’ll take care of that end and stick around until whoever it is arrives and gets settled.
” That’ll give me time to teach Skye to shield and begin training Josh, who really is wasted here.
“Thank you,” Kieran says, and it only sounds a tiny bit begrudging. “If you could keep me informed, that would be great.”
Before I can say anything else, a strident ringtone cuts through the room.
“Fuck,” Josh says, pulling out his phone. “Hello, Josh speaking.”
“It’s one of the guests,” Kieran explains in a low tone. “Josh is on call for them overnight.”
I glance at my watch, surprised to see it’s nearly eight. Still early, but considering these people have put in a full workday already, they’re probably eager to get home.
“A bingo tournament sounds like a great idea,” Josh says in a chirpy tone that’s belied by his horror-widened eyes and slow shake of the head.
“The cards and everything else you need are in the games cabinet in the parlor. I’ll be right there to help you set up.
Would you like some prizes for the tournament? ”
“Who needs help setting up bingo?” I can’t help but wonder. Isn’t it just a bunch of cards and tiles with numbers?
Skye nods sagely. “Those are the types of questions I often ask after assisting guests.”
Josh ends the call with the promise to be there in a few minutes, then sighs and glances around. “I have to go, and it’s a pretty good bet I’m going to be roped in to judge. Last time this group was here, Mrs. Henderson cheated at canasta and there was an ugly scene.”
“Why would you cheat at canasta?” Daniel asks.
“According to Mrs. Henderson, for the thrill. She was very open about the fact that she’d cheated, but she just didn’t like being accused of it. It turned into a whole big thing, and I’d like to avoid that this time. Can someone fill me in tomorrow?”
“Actually,” I jump in, “why don’t we call it a night?
We’ve covered the most urgent stuff. I need to talk to Skye about shielding and you, Josh, about your abilities, and I want to see if I can do anything more with the gateway.
Plus start the search for whichever one the soul-eater came through back in the seventies.
I’ll definitely be here for a few days, maybe a week, so we’ve got plenty of time for questions. ”
“A week,” Kieran says flatly, and Daniel laughs. “I mean, a week. No problem!”
“He doesn’t like you much, boy,” Uncle Norval informs me. “That’s going to make the big seduction much harder.”
“And on that note, I’m out,” Josh declares, kissing Ewan and beelining to the door.
“On what note?” Skye asks.
Thankfully, Joe chooses that moment to make himself visible to them all. “If you don’t need me anymore, I’ll show Norval around and introduce him to the others,” he says gruffly to Kieran, who nods.
“Of course. Uh, please make sure he’s aware of the rules, especially the ones that apply to the guests.”
Joe’s bushy brows lower. “I would never put the guests at risk.” He pops out before Kieran can reply.
“See you later, boy!” Uncle Norval bellows at me, then also pops out.
Kieran glances at me. “Are they gone, or just…”
“Gone,” I confirm. “I think you offended Joe.”
“Pfft,” Skye says. “Joe’s always offended or pissed off. It’s why we love him.”
Shrugging, Kieran says, “That’s true. Well, I guess this is a good time to wrap up for the night. Skye, are you okay to get home?”
He pulls a face. “I thought I might stay another night. Just until Connor has time to teach me how to shield. I don’t think I could sleep at home knowing something could crawl into my body at any time. At least here, Connor’s just a couple minutes away.”
“Of course,” Kieran assures him. “I should have thought…” He glances at me. “You’ve made Skye as safe as possible, right?”
His caring, responsible streak really shouldn’t be this attractive. “I’ve done everything I can. I’d offer to show Skye how to shield now, but it can take some practice to get right, and he’s had a rough couple of days.”
Kieran nods and bites his lip. “Yes, of course. Okay. Um… Ewan, could—”
“I’ll crash with Josh tonight, and someone can have my room,” he offers, and Kieran’s smile is full of relief.
“Thank you.” He seems to be thinking, and then finally, with a barely visible wince, he says, “Skye, you stay here. I think it’s best if Connor’s close to the gateway, so he can stay in the staff crash room.”
“What’s a crash room?” I ask.
“A room we crash in when we have to stay overnight,” Skye explains.
“Usually if Josh needs a night off when we’ve got guests, or if someone’s here late for some reason.
It’s in the attic near Josh’s place. My stuff’s in there, so I’ll come and show you, and Kieran can just go home.
” The last is accompanied by a steely gaze at his boss.
Daniel laughs and begins putting away the chairs we dragged in from the kitchen, but Kieran shakes his head.
“I said before that I wasn’t leaving until this is resolved, and I meant it.”
“Besides, he still doesn’t trust me,” I add helpfully.
“So where are you going to sleep?” Skye demands, and Kieran shrugs.
“The same place I’ve slept for the past few nights. The crash room has two beds.”
Oh, really? Well, now.
“We’re gonna be roommates?” This could be a lot of fun.
“You’re going to share a room with Connor?” Skye seems more shocked than the situation warrants.
Daniel puts down the chair he’s been carrying and sits on it, staring at us, seemingly not wanting to miss a thing.
“There are two beds,” Kieran repeats. “You and I have been sharing. Which reminds me, the bedding needs to be changed for Connor.”
“Yeah, sure, but…” Skye glances over at me, seeming to realize there’s no argument he can make that won’t sound bad with me standing right here. “Sure,” he concedes. “I’ll grab some clean sheets on the way.”