Chapter 10 #2
This time he outright laughs. “No. I’m not sure if you’ve noticed, but Kier can be kind of oblivious about this stuff. I guarantee he hasn’t even realized you’ve got a thing for him, and fuck knows you haven’t been subtle.”
“I don’t—”
Skye gives me a level look.
“It’s not a thing, exactly. Uncle Norval was right about me liking redheads. And I have a competence kink too. Kieran’s the type who pushes all my buttons.” That’s my story, and I’m sticking to it.
“Well, he’s clueless, believe me. So if you decide you want his attention for good reasons, you need to be obvious about it.”
I study him. “Why are you so eager for me and Kieran to hook up? You did hear me say before that I travel a lot, right? Believe me, that doesn’t help relationships. Kieran’s your friend—do you really want him miserable?”
“Kieran works a lot,” he counters. “He’s here more than he needs to be, and his last two relationships failed because of it.
And because he has crap taste,” he adds.
“His last girlfriend got so freaked out that he was working with ghosts, she used to sprinkle him with holy water before their dates.”
I wince. Ouch.
“He deserves someone who can see that the work he does here, the family he has here, is part of him. Someone who can fit in when they’re around and understand if he’s late coming home or has to pull an overnight shift.
” He leans forward and pats my arm. “I’m not saying that’s you, but what’s the harm in trying? ”
I go in search of Gabe with packets of sandwiches in one hand and two bottles of water in the other.
We had a chance to speak briefly this morning—I snuck out of the room while Kieran was in the shower and hid in the gateway room until I was sure he was done.
I’m pretty sure he’s not going to be weird about last night, but I didn’t want to take the chance and risk spoiling the whole day.
Gabe was so distracted by reinforcing the temporary barrier, he didn’t bother to ask questions.
But I know better than to think that’s going to last, so I’m going to tackle it on my own terms.
I find him in the barn, talking to Daniel about farming equipment. Which is weird. Gabe’s never had any interest in farming before.
“Hi,” Daniel says, smiling at me. “How’d it go with Skye?”
“Great.” I’m not sure how much Skye would want me to share, even if these people all seem to be closer than at most workplaces. “It’ll take a while for him to have full control, but he should be able to go home tonight.”
The frown is instant. “Tonight? But you just said he doesn’t have control yet. Shouldn’t he stay where we know he’s safe?”
I flick a glance at Gabe. I’m honestly not sure if Daniel’s being an overprotective friend or if he might not be as straight as everyone thinks. Skye’s an adult, not a child—he doesn’t need a guardian. A concerned boyfriend, on the other hand…
Gabe shrugs. He knows what I’m thinking but has no clue about the answer.
“I can shield him temporarily,” I say. “That will keep him safe.”
“Before you do that, we need to talk.” Gabe grabs a sandwich and a bottle of water. “These are for me, right? Thanks for the farm tour, Daniel. See you later?” He grabs my arm and hustles me out of the barn, Daniel’s confused farewell following us.
“What’s got up your ass?” I ask, pulling my arm free. I look around, then lead him away from the buildings toward Daniel’s herb garden. There’s a fence there we can sit on, and nobody will overhear us.
“Nothing. I think I’m going to stay.”
Only the inborn grace of a thousand years of hunters keeps me from tripping over my feet. “What? You’ve decided already?”
He shrugs and unwraps his sandwich. “Why are you surprised? You knew I’d love it here before you texted me.”
That’s true, but I was sure he’d take longer to think about it. “That’s great. You’ll have some stability and plenty of time to work on your PhD.”
“I’m looking forward to it,” he agrees. “I’m going to start the permanent screen on the gateway as soon as I’ve spoken to Kieran, which is why—”
“Which is why you want me to hold off shielding Skye,” I realize.
Building a permanent screen on a gateway is a long, hard, exhausting job, and it’s Collective policy that there needs to be a hunter or another gatekeeper present during the process, because the gatekeeper won’t have the energy to deal with anything that tries to force its way through before the gateway is guarded.
And if I’m exhausted from shielding Skye, I won’t be able to help.
“Sure, I can do that. I’ll let him know.
I think he’ll be more comfortable staying another night anyway. ”
“Thanks. So, staff gossip this morning is that Kieran’s in a good mood. A very good mood.”
I smirk. “Oh yeah?” If I was the kind of douchebag who boasted about sexual conquests, I’d totally be bragging about my skills right now.
“Do you know any reason that might be?”
I shrug and try to look blank. “Maybe he had a good night’s sleep?”
Gabe snorts. “You’re such an ass.”
“What did I do?” That’s so unfair.
“It’s just your natural state of being.” He hesitates. “Are you ready to admit you might have some feelings for Kieran?”
I groan.
“That’s a no, then.” He shakes his head. “At least you did him a favor last night.”
My head snaps around. “Fuck you. He did me a favor. He could get anyone he wanted by snapping his fingers.” I catch myself when Gabe grins wide. Dammit. “Don’t read into that.”
“Whatever.” He starts to whistle. It takes me a few seconds to work out the tune, but then my brain automatically puts words to it.
Connor and Kieran, sitting in a tree…
We find Kieran in the office with Skye. They both look a lot more relaxed than I’m used to seeing them.
“You guys weren’t kidding about weekdays being more mellow than weekends,” I comment, leaning against the doorframe with one hand braced above me. I work hard to stay in shape, and it was pretty obvious last night that Kieran appreciates that. His gaze lifts to my arm, and I flex just a tiny bit.
He swallows.
Then I go flying when my idiot best friend shoves me into the room.
“Hey!”
“Oops. Sorry. I just wanted to squeeze past.” Gabe widens his eyes in mock innocence that nobody with a brain could believe. I glare at him.
Skye coughs. “Uh, yeah, early in the week is the sanest time we get,” he says, pretending nothing happened.
“Do you need anything?” Kieran asks Gabe. He’s not quite ignoring me, but there’s definitely some minor avoidance. I’m not sure if it’s because he regrets letting me get my hands on him or is just feeling awkward.
“To talk to you,” Gabe says. “I’ve decided to stay.”
Kieran’s face lights up. “Really? That’s great! I didn’t think you’d decide so soon, but this is great news.”
Gabe shrugs. “I like the energy here, and you’ve got good people. I’m looking forward to it.”
Kieran practically bounces, he’s that excited.
I’m a bit miffed that it’s Gabe who gets that reaction from him and not me.
After all, I helped with the demon, I got rid of the body-hopper, I brought Gabe here, and I gave him a fucking amazing orgasm.
If anyone deserves to be the recipient of all that happiness, it’s me.
I glower sullenly at them all, but they don’t notice.
“What can we do to get you settled?” Kieran’s asking. “We don’t have any guests tonight, so you won’t have to sleep on the couch again, but we need to sort out something else before the weekend. What kind of accommodation would you prefer, long-term?”
Gabe grimaces. “Ideally, something removed from the guests. For the first few weeks, at least, I need to be in the house, but after that anywhere on the property should be fine. I will sleep on the couch tonight, though. I’m going to start building the permanent guard on the gateway this afternoon, and I don’t want to be far from it until it’s done. ”
While they discuss the kind of space Gabe needs, I sulk. Seriously? After everything I’ve done, I don’t even get a glance?
“How’d it go with the insurance company?” I interrupt.
They stop talking and look at me, Skye and Gabe with an edge of amusement, Kieran with just the faintest hint of a blush. That’s more like it.
“Uh, good. They’re sending an assessor out tomorrow morning. Ewan went back onto the roof this morning and he says it all looks good except for the broken tile, which he or Daniel will fix today. So, you know… there’s that.” He looks away, then immediately back, as if he’s trying to prove a point.
“Good news. I’ll leave you to it, then. If anyone needs me, I’ll be doing research upstairs. I have a fifty-year-old gateway to find.” I smile at Kieran before I leave.
Maybe Skye and Gabe are right. Damn them.