Hidden Gates

by D T Dyllin

  Instead he leaned over and whispered in my ear, “I’ve been on a lot of dates with a lot of Seers lately because of my Sudding, and none have piqued my interest like you have. Not only are you smart, funny, and stunning, but also, your power calls out to mine. You’re who I want P.J., and I don’t mind waiting around until you can be mine.”

  My heart thrummed in my chest with him being so close to me, and it wasn’t just because he was a hot guy and my hormones seemed to be set on overdrive lately. No, it was something else . . . something more. It made me think about what Khol had said to me about me eventually craving . . . well, more. Was it his power that was calling to mine like he just claimed that mine called to his? Would the yearning to discover more grow with my developing powers? “Jeremy—” I tried again, but with a smile, he turned and trotted off down the hall.

  “Wow,” Jenna said as she fanned herself. “Some girls have all the luck.”

  I grimaced. “Yeah, but it’s not necessarily good luck.”

  “Only you would complain about having multiple hot guys vying for your attention.” Jenna stuck her lower lip out at me.

  “Too bad the one I really want has been shipped off to who-knows-where, and I’m the one left here to deal with the fallout of everything. Or do you consider it lucky, too, that everyone in school thinks I’m such a big slut now?”

  “Oh, stop being so over dramatic. We’re seniors, and school’s ending in less than a year, not to mention when you graduate, you and Bryn can do whatever the hell you want. Things could be worse. At least you have Jeremy to keep you occupied.” She smiled wistfully, and I rolled my eyes.

  “Seriously, what don’t you understand? I’m not interested in him like that.”

  Jenna sighed. “Speaker here, something that you keep forgetting. I’m totally awesome at reading body language, and yours was saying something completely different just now. You might love Bryn, but Jeremy could definitely get you going. Why not use him until Bryn gets back?”

  My jaw dropped—she couldn’t be serious. “Are you suggesting that I sleep with Jeremy until Bryn gets back?”

  She nodded her affirmation. “Yep, that’s exactly what I’m suggesting. It could be the solution to all your problems. You could marry Jeremy and take Bryn on as your lover slash Guardian.” She clapped her hands together excitedly. “It would be perfect.”

  Jenna was worse than a guy sometimes. Her plan was a horrible idea, even if it were something that I was interested in, which it so wasn’t. I could just imagine trying to explain it to them. Oh, hey, Jeremy, even though you’re my husband, I’m going to keep on having sex with Bryn. Hope you don’t mind sharing. And Bryn, you know I love you, but I need to have sex with my husband in order to try and get pregnant with his baby. You know, duty calls and all. You okay with that? “You’re absolutely insane, you know that, right?”

  “Insanely smart.” Jenna giggled as she absentmindedly worked some of her rainbow hair into a curl with her fingertips.

  “Yeah, you keep telling yourself that.” I grappled with swapping some stuff out of my locker and into my bag before I turned in the direction of homeroom with dread.

  Something must have shown on my face, because Jenna looked at me with sympathy. “The first day is always the worst. People will move on to the next big thing really soon.”

  I inhaled and exhaled deeply, trying to center myself. Who does that ever really work for in real life? It certainly wasn’t working for me. “All right, here I go.” It wasn’t just the rumors and whispers that I’d have to deal with that were bothering me; it was also my first day back at school without Bryn at my side. There was an emptiness like a huge gaping hole in my chest left by his absence. I moved forward on shaky legs, ignoring the small groups of people whispering about me as I passed them. The first warning bell rang, and I hastened just a little, looking back only once, wishing that Jenna could come with me. She wasn’t much, but at least she would be some kind of buffer. She waved at me with fake cheer and turned to go off in the opposite direction towards her own homeroom. Okay, I can do this. I mentally steeled myself. Oh, for the days when my biggest worry was someone getting wind of my middle name and telling everyone.

  As I entered homeroom, every pair of eyes looked up to stare. Some tried to do it more covertly, and others openly gawked. A weird kind of quiet settled over the room as I made my way to my seat. I slumped down in my chair and dropped my bag at my feet, staring straight ahead as the final bell rang. Everyone’s eyes burned into me, and my face heated as the whispering began when I couldn’t help but glance to my right at Bryn’s empty desk. Why was everyone so completely obsessed with what was going on with me? I understood my kind being thrown for a loop with the whole Seer hooking up with a Guardian thing, but we didn’t make up all of the school, and it seemed like more than just my people had taken an interest in the gossip surrounding me. It hadn’t escaped my notice that not one person had greeted me when I entered the room. I had become the local pariah. Yay, me!

  A chime echoed three times from the loud speaker, signaling the morning announcements were soon to follow. “Quiet, everyone,” Mrs. Averton said loudly. I simply slumped in my seat even lower and waited for homeroom to end. This was going to be a very long day.

  It was official: I was never going back to school again. Not one single person had asked me how I was doing all day, and when anyone, male or female, deigned to actually utter a few words to me, it was always some kind of lewd remark or insult. The guys all wanted to sleep with me, and the girls all wanted to scratch my eyes out because the guys all wanted to sleep with me. I was beginning to think that Bryn was the lucky one, getting shipped off to somewhere where nobody knew who he was. But then again, he’d probably be getting all kinds of pats on the back if he were the one who was left behind instead of me. It was all so unfair.

  “Hey there, my little Seer.” I looked up from my spot under a tree in my backyard to meet Khol’s vivid green eyes. I had come to sit here after school because I wanted to be left alone, but my parents obviously wanted to be able to keep an eye on me. I guess they were worried I’d throw myself at the next available Guardian now that Bryn was gone.

  “I’m not your little Seer,” I snapped, focusing back down on the ground and ignoring the almost suffocating pressure Khol’s appearance caused in the air. I also wasn’t going to acknowledge the buzz of excitement that burned through my entire system.

  Khol sat down beside me, but not close enough to touch. “Oh? But you are. We’re linked, you and I.”

  I lifted my head to glare at him. “Look, I’m in no mood to deal with you right now. Why did you come this time? What do you want? Wait—” I glanced over towards my kitchen window to see if either of my parents had spotted Khol yet. “You better get out of here before my parents see you. After what happened with Bryn, they’ll blow a gasket if they see me out here with some guy they don’t know. Apparently, I can’t be trusted around anyone with a penis anymore.”

  Khol laughed. “Well, I don’t think that is true. I think they just do not trust you in general now.”

  “That’s all beside the point. I don’t want them to see you here—with me.” I glanced back over at my kitchen window again. Not to mention I didn’t want any little rodent spies to see me either, although it wasn’t like my reputation could get any worse than it currently was.

  “They are busy at the moment. I can hear them talking.” He tilted his head and smiled. “And I will be able to hear them if they approach.”

  Huh. Good to know. So he has superhuman hearing of some kind. I tilted my head to study him, almost mirroring his body language. “What are you?” I murmured. The more I was around him, the less creepy things, such as his eyes, became, and I noticed other little things more. For instance how handsome he was, even with his ginormous proportions. And he had dimples. I’d always liked dimples; Bryn ha
d dimples—Bryn. I mustn’t get distracted by Khol’s handsome face and forget my Bryn. It was as if Khol was enchanting me somehow. “Are you using some kind of . . . I don’t know—power—to distract me? Some kind of whatever-you-are mojo to make me forget about Bryn when I’m with you?”

  Khol met my eyes for a moment before responding. “I possess no such powers. Whatever you feel when I am near is completely you.” He leaned closer to me, letting his leg brush against mine, the heat coming from him washed over me, causing my breath to catch in my throat. Maybe what Jenna had said was true, maybe being with Bryn had sprung me, and my hormones were just going crazy now. If I knew that was the case, I could control it.

  “Your friend Jenna knows nothing about these things,” Khol rumbled.

  “Stop doing that.” I scowled at him. “It’s creepy.”

  But he said nothing; instead, he leaned into me and pushed the hair on the right side of my head behind my ear, letting his fingers blaze a trail of heat down my neck before pulling away. Warmth pooled in my core, and my breathing was coming fast and sporadic. I balled my fists at my sides in order to resist touching him. Just because my body was reacting to him didn’t mean I would betray Bryn. I stared into Khol’s electric green eyes as he leaned back into me, his face skimming along my neck, his breath hot, but his lips never actually touching my skin. He moved up my jaw and towards my mouth, never making contact, stopping just millimeters from me, his face so close I was afraid to breathe. “I told you, I will not take again what isn’t freely given.” His lips almost touched mine as he spoke, which sent a shudder down to my core. My chest heaved as I willed myself to move away, although I seemed unable to. He ran his hands through my hair, grasping tightly at the base of my neck, and oh, I wanted him to kiss me—so badly. I felt like a traitor for wanting Khol’s lips on mine, but I couldn’t help the desire. I didn’t have to act on it though—I wouldn’t let myself.

  “No,” I whispered. “Stop.”

  Every muscle in Khol’s body tensed before he slowly, ever so slowly, pulled away from me. A part of me mourned the loss of his touch, and yet I knew I couldn’t allow myself to feel that way. He closed his eyes and spoke, his voice low and gruff. “I want you, my little Seer. I will not pretend that part isn’t true. Your power, your body, your very essence is what awakened me from my sleep. I am yours, your willing servant, linked to you first by choice and now by need.”

  I swallowed, trying to combat my suddenly dry throat. “Why do I seem to be the main attraction for all you guys around here lately? Why now? Why all of a sudden, when no one seemed to notice me before?” Besides Bryn that is; Bryn always noticed me.

  Khol’s eyes remained closed as he spoke, his head tipped back against the base of the tree. “Because you were a pretty girl who is now becoming a beautiful woman—a beautiful and powerful woman who deserves to be worshipped, one that can no longer be ignored, one that I’m trying my best to keep my word to.” He moved lightening fast, like he had the night before in my bedroom, stopping with his hands cupping my face, his eyes boring into mine. “I know that a part of you wants me to kiss you, a part of you wants what I’m offering, even if you are not ready.” I shuddered, unable to deny his words, knowing even if I tried, he would know. “But I will not take it from you, although a part of me yearns to do just that. I will wait.” His hands trembled against the side of my face. “We have more important things to worry about than our petty desires. I will come to you later when I have myself more . . . under control.” He stood abruptly and disappeared. How the hell does he keep doing that?

  “P.J.” My mother came bustling out the back door of our house towards me, barely containing her excitement. “You have a visitor.”

  I looked at her balefully from my spot on the ground. “I thought I was still being punished. Must be an important visitor.”

  “The fact that he wants to see you at all after what happened with Bryn—well, it means you still have hope, and I’m not going to let anything stand in the way of that.”

  “Oh, so it’s a he? I guess it’s safe to assume that he isn’t a Guardian or anyone of that ilk, you know the unacceptable kind of guys for me to associate with, ones that won’t be on your Sudding list.” I crossed my arms over my chest and raised my chin defiantly. If my mother wanted me to see this guy, then I had no desire to do so.

  “Now, don’t you ruin this. I only want what’s best for you, peanut,” my mother whispered excitedly as I heard my father’s voice growing closer. “He’ll be out in a second.”

  “Fabulous,” I grumbled. Well, I wasn’t going to get up for whoever it was. I looked up to see my father escorting none other than Jeremy into my backyard. He grinned at me as my mother hurried over to join my father, and the two of them went back inside without another word. Well, I guess I could be trusted alone with a Gatekeeper, just not any Guardians. “What are you doing here?” I asked, trying not to sound too accusatory.

  “Just came to see how you were doing after your first day back at school. I know it must have been pretty rough, all things considered.” He sat down next to me where Khol had been, and just like him, he was careful not to touch me when he sat.

  I picked at some blades of grass, averting my eyes. “Yeah, don’t really wanna talk about it. But thanks anyways.” I lifted my head and met his deep brown gaze, unable to keep myself from being annoyed with him. “You know, I do appreciate you helping me today, and being so nice—I do—”

  “But? I sense a ‘but’ coming.” Jeremy eyed me with his deep brown, soulful eyes.

  I sighed. “Yeah, there is, if you come over like this, my mom is going to start printing up our wedding invitations and naming our first child. She seems to think you’re my only prospect at the moment, and well, I’m sure you know how it is.”

  “Yeah, I do. My mom is the same way. It’s just, well, I wouldn’t mind all of that—with you.”

  My mouth dropped open. “What? You can’t be serious? You barely know me. You can’t—”

  “There’s just something about you,” he interrupted. “I can’t quite put my finger on it. I wanna be with you, P.J. I thought girls all believed in the whole love at first sight kind of thing. I mean, I don’t love you.” Jeremy flushed. “Not yet anyways—but I could. I know that I could.”

  “Whoa, whoa, whoa. You know I love someone else. You know that. It’s been like a week since he was ripped out of my life. And I don’t plan on giving him up so easily.” Seriously, what had I just asked Khol about guys noticing me so much more all of a sudden? I’d gone from a drought to a flash flood. But the one I really wanted was nowhere to be found.

  Jeremy frowned, picking at some blades of grass himself. “You love him? No, I didn’t know that part. I just knew you had feelings for him.”

  “Even if I had feelings short of love for him, it’s still only been a week.” I sighed. “Look, Jeremy, you’re wasting your time with me.”

  “So what do you plan on doing? He’s a Guardian, P.J., and even though I would never judge you for your indiscretion, are you willing to give up your friends and family for him? Are you willing to become an outcast to be with him? To be completely shunned from our world?”

  I didn’t even have to think about it. I would do anything to be with Bryn. “Yes,” I whispered. “I would do anything to be with him.”

  “Oh,” Jeremy said. “Even still—I can’t just give up on you. No girl has ever gotten into my head like you have. I can’t stop thinking about you. And your power—the way it feels when it connects with mine is beyond believable.”

  I let out a frustrated groan. “I don’t wanna hurt you, Jeremy. Despite not wanting to be with you romantically, I still like you. I still want to be friends.”

  “Friends,” Jeremy grunted with displeasure.

  He then abruptly leaned into me, crushing his lips to mine. I barely had time t
o mentally process what was going on before his tongue was sliding into my mouth, and just like with Khol, I found myself kissing him back. And as much as I hated to admit it, my body responded to his as well. His hands snaked up into my hair, his thumbs pressed against the sides of my jaw, and I couldn’t help but let out a little moan. He’s such a good kisser, I numbly thought as his tongue massaged and played with mine.

  And then it happened—I wasn’t quite sure what it was at first, but I somehow knew it had something to do with his powers and my powers intermingling. I was yanked out of my body like when I had visions before, and yet at the same time, I was still very aware of Jeremy’s body touching mine. I gasped into Jeremy’s mouth as a vision slammed into me—white-hot light, images coming at me almost too fast to interpret. It was more of an impression than a vision, but it was bad, very bad—those things, those “aliens” in so many people. They were everywhere, hiding and yet in plain sight. They had a plan, a plan they’d already set in motion. I could almost see it, and yet it was just out of my grasp.

  Then I was jolted back into my body when I felt myself begin to peak. Jeremy’s powers swirled in and around me, pummeling all of my senses at once as he kissed me. His hands slid down my body to pull me closer to him. Everything about the kiss was overwhelming and all encompassing, and yet he wasn’t actually doing anything with his hands or body that should have caused that kind of reaction in me. My whole body was spasming with ecstasy from little more than a kiss. I moaned into his mouth, my hands digging into his shoulders. He then pulled away, staring down at me as my eyes fluttered open, little aftershocks still racking my body. I bit my lip, not knowing what to say to him.

  He didn’t seem to have the same tongue-tied problem. “That was amazing,” he murmured.