The Cardinal Gate

by Amy Cissell

  After about forty-five minutes, I turned around and followed the trail back to camp. I slowed down a bit on my way back—the bulk of my crankiness and restless energy having been burned off. When I reached our campsite, I downed a bottle of water, ignored Finn’s pointed glare, and headed off to the shower.

  When I left the bathroom, Finn was leaning against a tree with his arms crossed. He was staring past my head with narrowed eyes and an otherwise vacant expression. I thought about saying something about his obnoxiously obvious and mostly unnecessary body-guarding, but thought better of it. I was irritated that he thought I couldn’t take care of myself, but it was better to have a slightly bruised ego than a completely eviscerated abdominal cavity. He glanced at me once and then headed into the men’s room.

  Isaac, still in wolf form, was waiting at the campsite. I opened a beer and eyed him speculatively. Should I fill a bowl with water? With beer? I was unsure of the protocol for hosting a wolf for dinner. His tongue lolled out. He stepped forward, head-butted me, and I put my hand on his neck and scratched. His tail thumped and he made an odd, almost purring sound.

  “Oh, you like that, do you?”

  He rubbed into me again, and I was reminded of a giant house cat. I kept scratching his ruff while sipping my beer until Finn returned from his shower, and Isaac trotted off into the trees.

  Finn started dinner without looking at me. “Practice grounding and centering, Ellie.”

  I sat down in dirt and reached inside. The power was there waiting—almost anticipatory. I pulled it into me and reached down into the earth. In seconds, I was balanced and solid.

  “Done, elf boy,” I said, a tad smugly.

  “I’ve never told you what I was.”

  He was right; he’d never said elf. “I don’t know where that came from, but I’m right, aren’t I?”

  “Yes.”

  I grinned. “So, I’m awesome. I’m also grounded and centered, and you can’t knock me over.”

  Something shoved me hard enough that I almost tipped over. There was no one near enough to me to have touched me. I looked at Finn. His self-satisfied smirk was infuriating.

  “What was that?”

  “A mental push. Now that you can ground and center easily, it’s time to see if you can hold it under physical and magical attack.”

  He narrowed his eyes and pushed again with his mind. The force of his offensive was palpable, but I let it slide right past me without losing either my physical or metaphysical balance.

  “Wow, Ellie. Not bad. You are ready to go.” He turned back to the Coleman.

  I knew better than to trust that he wasn’t going to test me again. I relaxed and slumped a bit, trying to convince him that I was letting down my guard. There was a rush of energy, my shields rose to meet it, and the magic cleaved around me, barely rippling my hair.

  I tried hard not to look too pleased, but I failed.

  Finn finally looked at me instead of in my general direction. “Now, I’m impressed.”

  I grinned. “I knew one test wouldn’t be the end of it. Try again later when I’m truly off my guard. If I’m still grounded enough to let your attack slide past me, then tell me that I’m winning.”

  “Fair enough.”

  I stood up and grabbed a couple beers, tossing him one. “Tell me about elves.”

  “Elves are one type of Fae—like brownies, or goblins, or centaurs, or pixies. Generally speaking, they tend to be on the more powerful end of the magical spectrum, and most of the higher-ranking Fae in both courts have at least some elf blood.”

  “Your ears aren’t pointy.”

  “Tolkien didn’t get everything right.”

  “Do all elves have teleportation and mental magic skills?”

  “Mind magic is the most common power that manifests with the elves. Not everyone can teleport, though—that’s a pretty unique skill. It’s rare that someone who has as little Fae blood as I do would be able to do it.”

  “What else can you do?”

  “I can teleport and attack mentally, as you now know. I am half human, though, and a lot of the mental magic available to elves doesn’t usually appear in someone like me.”

  Finn and I each scarfed down two reconstituted freeze-dried meals before the wolf finally reappeared. He trotted over to the truck and stared at us. Finn caught his meaning before I did and grabbed his duffle bag. He opened the door to the truck, tossed in the bag. After Isaac bounded in after his stuff, Finn closed the door.

  Ten minutes later, Isaac emerged from the truck wearing nothing but blue jeans and looking a little gray and sweaty.

  “Are you okay?” I asked.

  “It takes a little more effort to shift when it’s not a full moon, especially when I shift to the wolf and back in such a short period of time. My skin feels a bit raw, hence the lack of shirt.”

  “Why jeans, then?” I asked.

  “That’s all I brought to cover my lower half,” Isaac laughed. “Unless you’re both okay with me wandering around in my underwear.”

  “I’m okay with it,” I said. Isaac laughed. Finn did not.

  “If you’re in pain, don’t let my delicate sensibilities get in the way. As long as you’re wearing something, I’ll be fine.”

  Isaac grinned and stripped off his jeans. Somehow, watching him take off his jeans was even more erotic than seeing him in his underwear. I fought to look somewhere—anywhere—else.

  He walked over to the picnic table. “Any food left?”

  “There’s water boiling, so in eight to ten minutes, you can be enjoying some delicious freeze-dried beef stroganoff.”

  “In the meantime, would you like a beer?” I asked.

  Isaac was gone the next morning when I crawled out from under the picnic table. There was fresh coffee brewing, and Finn was standing at the stove. “Where’s Isaac?” I asked.

  “He went to find a store to restock our ice supply and pick up some perishables,” Finn replied.

  “Best sidekicks ever.”

  “Someone needs to take care of you,” Finn said. “You’d probably get scurvy without us.”

  “Or maybe rickets. I’ve no idea what causes rickets. Maybe it’s lack of coffee, in which case, I’m safe.”

  “A diet of coffee, beer, and cheese is no way to live.”

  “Unless you want to be happy.”

  I finished my breakfast before asking what was on tap for the day.

  “How about some sightseeing?”

  “Seriously?” My high-pitched squee made Finn flinch. “I get to look around like a regular person? Can we go to Old Faithful?”

  “Of course. It’ll be a good test of your control. I don’t want you to accidentally grow a tree in a geyser or float off above the crowd to get a better look.”

  “No problem,” I promised. “When will Isaac be back?” I was bubbling over with giddiness at the thought of playing tourist.

  “About a half hour. What’s the deal, Ellie? Anyone would think you’d never been sightseeing before.”

  “It’s the first time since June twenty-first that I haven’t been focused on magic, or gates, or training. I can be a regular person on vacation.” I bounced over to Finn, Tigger-style, and gave him a big hug and a kiss on the cheek. His arms tightened around me, and my body pressed against him. The hug went from casual to something more, and I stiffened in his arms. He let go of me immediately, and the sudden release caused me to stumble back. Finn grabbed my arm, but as soon as I regained my balance, he let me go.

  “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable, Ellie,” he said, not meeting my gaze.

  I took a moment to reply, trying to find a way to absolve him without uttering an untruth. What I wouldn’t give for the ability to tell a white lie at this point. Before the silence grew too long, I heard a vehicle approaching. I turned, hoping it was Isaac. He pulled my truck into our campsite and hopped out of the truck. A smile crept across my face, and I found myself moving towards him before I’d consciously regis
tered the decision to do so. I slid my arms around him and kissed him lightly, trying to ignore the flash of hurt on Finn’s face.

  We hit up all the major scenic spots. No unexpected trees appeared, I managed to keep both feet on the ground, and no errant breezes swept through the large throngs of fellow tourists. We saw Old Faithful, stopped at Yellowstone Lake, and visited countless geysers and sulphur springs. There were moose in the distance, bison in the roads, and once, I was sure I’d seen a bear, even if no one else did.

  Every once in a while, Finn would push at me mentally, but my shielding was solid and stayed up under his assault.

  The following morning, Isaac slipped off into the trees to do a patrol. I saw a few flashes of motion as he removed his clothing and then felt more than saw the strange magic that allowed him to change forms.

  Finn and I worked on altering my personal shields to encompass others. By noon, I could extend my shield out about three inches from my body, disrupting sound and making me look—as Finn put it—as though I was behind warped glass. I could only hold it for a couple of minutes at a time, but we were making progress.

  By dinner time, I was able to hold the shield almost a foot away from my body for upwards of five minutes at a time.

  “I’m looking forward to testing this with another person,” Finn said. “When Isaac comes back, let’s see if you can shield both of you at the same time.”

  I let the shield collapse back around me and wilted towards the ground. I was hot and sticky with sweat. Metaphysical work is as sweaty as plain, old physical work.

  I heard Isaac return before I saw him—the wave of his shift energy washing over me. I turned towards the tree line and a few second later he emerged from the trees dressed in a pair of clinging running shorts and nothing else. I tried not stare, but I knew I was unsuccessful when I heard Finn behind me.

  “You’re damaging my ego, Ellie. You never look at me like that.”

  I didn’t answer and didn’t look at him. It was getting awkward. I hated awkward.

  Finn explained his idea to Isaac, and I tried to ignore the rift forming between me and my best friend. Isaac walked up to me. “How close do we need to be?”

  “Touching, probably. Unless your skin’s still too sensitive from the shift,” I said.

  Isaac smirked at me. “I’ll be able to stand it for a couple of minutes.” He moved in close until there were only a couple of inches between us. I took a step forward to bridge that gap. When my body met the bare skin of his chest, I gasped at the surge of electricity that ran through me. I tried to ignore the desire that was infusing me and concentrate on my shield. I pushed it out, attempting to encompass Isaac completely inside. The shield appeared faster and with less effort than my previous attempts. Everything looked the same from my side, and I couldn’t tell from the complete lack of expression on Finn’s face if anything had changed.

  “We’re supposed to talk in a normal voice to see if the shield blocks sound.” My voice came out more breathily than I’d intended.

  “We could talk,” Isaac said, “although there are other sounds I’d like to hear you make.”

  “The shield doesn’t make us invisible, and I’m pretty sure that the things you’d do to elicit those sounds might get us kicked out of Yellowstone.”

  “Doesn’t keep me from thinking about them, Princess.” He leaned down and lightly brushed my lips with his. I slid my arms up to his shoulders and pressed myself even more firmly into him. It was fairly evident that there was nothing on under the running shorts, and his rising attention almost immediately made itself known.

  “We need to stop,” I said.

  “Why?” he murmured against my ear, before darting his tongue in and then nibbling my earlobe. His teeth were a bit sharper than human—a remnant of the change—and the almost-pain elected another gasp.

  “Hey, guys?” Finn’s voice sounded from far away. “Unless you’re just moving your lips, the sound barrier is working, so you can stop any time now.”

  “That’s why,” I said. I pulled the shield back into myself and stepped back from Isaac at the same time. He made no move to hide the erection straining against his shorts and stared at me until I blushed under his gaze.

  “I need a shower,” I squeaked. I grabbed my toiletries bag from the back of the truck and practically ran towards the showers. I saw Isaac start after me and managed to get in the building and slide the deadbolt home before he could catch me.

  I let the cool water of the shower flow over my naked body in an attempt to cool my ardor. “Don’t open that door,” I muttered to myself. “That is a terrible idea and will only result in even more awkwardness.” I threw my concentration back into my shower. “Concentrate on clean things.” After cleansing my body, if not my thoughts, I opened the door to the bathroom full of resolve to put the brakes on whatever it was that was going on with Isaac out of respect for Finn’s feelings.

  Isaac was waiting for me. He pushed me back into the bathroom, locked the door behind him, and then pressed me towards the wall. “We should test your shield to make sure you can hold it while being distracted.”

  My back hit the wall, and I watched Isaac lick his lips. His body pressed into mine, raising my body temperature by several degrees. I stretched up to him. He cupped my face gently in his hands and brushed the lightest kiss across my lips. Large, calloused hands trailed down the side of my face and grazed my breasts. Teeth that were a little too pointy nibbled against my lower lip and sucked it into his mouth. He grabbed my ass and tugged me closer. The slow, subtle kisses were nice, but I was out of patience for slow. I reached up and knotted my fingers in the tight curls of his hair then thrust my tongue into his mouth. He lifted me up, and I wrapped my legs around him. One hand roamed my body and the other supported my ass, pulsing rhythmically against me. His tongue plunged into my mouth in the same rhythm, and I moaned against him.

  “Shield?” he asked.

  I took a deep breath and tried to concentrate. “Up and around us both.”

  “Good,” he growled. If I didn’t stop things right now, I wouldn’t be able to.

  “Isaac…” His right hand moved under my shirt and over my left breast.

  “Mmm?”

  “We need to stop.” I wiggled against him, trying to get him to release his grip. He growled and pressed harder against me. “Please?”

  He stilled, removed his hand from where it had been pinching my nipple into a hard peak, and took half a step back, letting my feet slide down to the floor. “Why?”

  “He’s my best friend, and this is not okay with him.”

  “Is it okay with you?”

  I reached up and brushed my fingers over his lips, swollen from our kisses. “More than okay. But I don’t want to hurt Finn, so let’s give him some time?”

  Isaac groaned in frustration but took another step back. “You’re a good friend, Eleanor.”

  “Thank you.”

  “What else would I do?” he asked. “If you want to take things slower, there’s nothing else to do.”

  I smiled at him and the stretched up to kiss him lightly. He pushed into me and parted my lips with his questing tongue. I was gasping when he moved away again. My hips tried to follow—traitorous body!

  “As long as I know you want me—want this—I can wait.” He kissed me, then stepped away and turned his back.

  “What are you doing?” I asked, trying to still my breath and my heartbeat.

  “Trying to will this hard-on out of existence,” he said. “I can’t do that when I’m looking at you.”

  “Would you like me to leave and give you a little privacy to take care of things?” I asked, not bothering to hide my amusement.

  “I’m fine.”

  “That you are,” I agreed.

  “Stop,” he said, but there was a hint of laughter in his voice. “Let’s go and see if the shields held up under distraction.”

  Chapter Nine

  ISAAC LED THE way out of the bathr
oom while I admired the view. My determination to resist Isaac’s pull until Finn had reconciled himself to it was waning. My thoughts kept returning to the heat Isaac generated—heat I’d never felt before.

  When I managed to tear my eyes off this man who’d so unexpectedly captivated me, it was in time to catch Finn glowering. The moment my attention shifted to him, his face drained of emotion and became the blank slate I was used to seeing. It was possible that his camaraderie with Isaac was a sham.

  “Do we have a dinner plan?” I asked, then winced at the overdone cheer in my voice.

  “Well, if you’re volunteering,” Finn started.

  “I’ll cook!” Isaac a little too enthusiastically.

  “Hey! I’m not that bad.”

  “Maybe not,” he conceded, “but I am that good.”

  I rolled my eyes. “Fine. You cook. Win/win as far as I’m concerned.”

  We talked about our plans for the next couple of days. More sightseeing tomorrow and then magic practice again on Thursday.

  After dinner, we gathered around the fire in that timeless camping ritual that results in an indelible smoke scent in the hair and clothes.

  I concentrated and pushed the shield out to cover us all. “I don’t think anyone can hear us. If someone is deliberately trying to listen in, they’ll know we’re hiding something, but they won’t know what.”

  “Good thinking,” Isaac said. His arm trailed over my shoulder, and his fingers traced lazy circles on the side of my breast. I shivered, and Finn made a noise that was half growl and half choking cough. I sat up straighter and bumped my shoulder up into Isaac’s arm so he’d move his hand. I was beginning to believe that three might be a crowd.

  “How well could you see through the shield earlier, Finn?” I asked.

  “It was distorted, as though I was looking through water. And I could see your lips moving, but couldn’t hear anything.”