by Erin Danzer
Chapter Twenty Three
Ronnie felt a sense of déjà vu and gripped Gavin’s hand tighter as he led her through the inky blackness. Outside the veil, she could see shapes and people from her world. As the shapes became more indistinct, her panic started to rise. Gavin stopped and looked at her, sensing her distress.
“There’s nothing in here that’s going to hurt you,” he declared, his eyes meeting hers. A cocky grin stretched his lips as he added, “And I can take care of whatever thinks it can.”
The look was so like him that she relaxed and nodded. “Okay,” she agreed. “But where are we?”
“The In Between, which is exactly as it sounds. It’s how Spiral Defenders travel from one place to another. It’s the easiest form of travel, especially when we have to go to other planets.”
“So where are you taking me?”
The cockiness left his smile, leaving her knees weak. “Home.”
They stepped out of the shadows and Ronnie blinked in the sudden brightness of sunlight. She gasped after her eyes adjusted and she looked around. The rolling emerald hills and golden fields were exactly like they had been in her dream yesterday morning. In the distance, on top of a hill, sat the white castle with purple flags.
“It’s so beautiful,” she breathed. Gavin grinned at her.
“Come on, we don’t have much time. I want to leave again before the queen knows I’m here,” he told her as he squeezed her hand. She grinned at him.
“So, this is kind of like an unauthorized trip home?” she asked. He nodded. All of her sadness dissipated as he led her down a path past a wheat field towards the castle. She tried to take in everything as they walked, but it was all so dazzling that it was hard to believe she was actually here. When Gavin veered off the path into a small grove of orange trees, she wanted to stop and pick one or two but Gavin shook his head and kept walking. She gasped and her eyes widened with delight at the small stone cottage they came to. Almost as soon as Ronnie took it in, the front door burst open and Osirah ran out to greet her brother, embracing Gavin in a tight hug.
“You’re home,” Osirah exclaimed, laughing as she stepped back and turned to Ronnie. “And you’re here!” she added and embraced Ronnie before she realized what was happening. Ronnie tentatively wrapped her arms around the blue-winged young woman, the silk of her light blue gown cool against Ronnie’s skin.
“You’re so much prettier in person,” Osirah declared, beaming as she stepped away from Ronnie, who blushed and grinned. It was so nice to have someone welcome her home, even if this wasn’t her home.
“Brendan’s at training and Amethea went to the market,” Osirah reported as the three of them headed towards the house. Ronnie could hear the noise of pots and pans moving around from inside and wondered what she would find once they walked in. What she saw was not what she expected.
Dusana stood at the stove stirring a big black pot with her back to the door. A plate of chocolate chip cookies, four brown ceramic cups, and a glass pitcher of milk sat in the middle of a round table. Herbs hung drying from the rafters above the sink. Everything looked so normal that Ronnie burst into tears as Dusana turned away from the stove to greet her children.
“Oh, dear child,” Dusana murmured as she crossed the room to Ronnie and embraced the girl. Gavin’s mom smelled like fresh herbs and vanilla soap, making Ronnie cry even harder. She couldn’t remember the last time her own mom held her while she cried. When Ronnie’s tears finally subsided, she meekly smiled as she stepped out of Dusana’s embrace.
“There is no need to be embarrassed, paidaki mou,” Dusana declared. “We are all family here.”
Ronnie looked into Dusana’s face and could feel another round of tears forming in her eyes. She blinked them away and looked at Gavin and Osirah. Both sat at the table watching her with their mother. Osirah grinned warmly but Gavin’s expression was unreadable. She wondered if she had done something wrong as Dusana moved around her to stand behind him.
“Stop worrying so much, paidi mou,” she told him and bent down to kiss the top of his head. Gavin’s cheeks pinked as Ronnie wondered what he was so worried about.
“Come, sit down,” Dusana told Ronnie, interrupting her musings. Ronnie smiled as she sat down between Osirah and Gavin. Dusana looked out one of the windows by the door and sighed.
“You have about ten minutes to tell me what’s going on,” she told Gavin, who nodded like he already knew this.
“Why only ten minutes?” Ronnie asked as she nibbled on a cookie. It was still warm and the chocolate melted on her hand.
“Because that’s how long it’ll take for the Queen’s Page to get here from the castle,” Gavin replied warily. “And if we’re not gone before he gets here, we’ll both be asked into an audience.”
“Why would that be so bad?”
“Because bringing you here is what the queen sent me out to do. If she learns I’ve accomplished my mission, you won’t be allowed to return home.”
“Why not?” Anger stirred in the pit of her stomach. Who did this queen think she was? The only people allowed to make rules about her life were her parents. She frowned as Gavin stayed silent, sheepishly looking down at the crumbs in front of him. Ronnie looked up at the other women, but they both looked confused. They obviously didn’t know anything.
“It has to do with the part you can’t tell me about,” Ronnie guessed. Gavin nodded as he looked up at her, his dark eyes begging her to understand. She sighed and nodded. “But someday you have to tell me everything,” she added. He nodded.
“I just want being here to be your choice,” he told her. She smiled.
“It will be,” she promised. Just like coming here now had been her choice, Ronnie knew she wanted to return someday. She liked his mom and sister and looked forward to meeting the rest of his family.
“Okay, so tell me what brings you home,” Dusana spoke up in the silence. Ronnie and Gavin exchanged an embarrassed look, neither one of them keen to tell his mom what happened. Unfortunately, Osirah figured it out.
“Oh my goddess, you slept together,” she exclaimed. Ronnie’s cheeks flamed to life.
“You make it sound so dirty when you put it that way,” Ronnie muttered.
“Whatever happened, it’s never dirty,” Osirah argued. “Love in all forms is beautiful.”
Ronnie glanced at Gavin and then looked away when he looked at her. Her cheeks grew even warmer as she wondered about her true feelings for Gavin. Sure, she was attracted to him and she loved how safe he made her feel, but she didn’t truly love him. She loved Shawn.
Thinking about Shawn made her chest ache and tears spring to her eyes. She hastily wiped them away; they didn’t have time for her to break down again. Gavin reached for her hand and she looked up at him. Her breath caught in her throat at the affection she saw in his dark eyes and she worriedly wondered about his feelings for her. Did he love her? She didn’t have any time to think about it because he stood up and pulled her to her feet with the hand he still held.
“We have to go,” he stated. She nodded. Of course they had to go. He didn’t want to be forced into an audience with the queen.
“Go out the back and through the grove,” Dusana instructed as she quickly hugged Gavin and Ronnie.
“Come back when you can stay longer,” Osirah added and headed out the front door.
Ronnie said goodbye as Gavin led her through the cottage to a door at the end of a long hallway off the kitchen. Gavin paused outside a closed door next to the door leading outside.
“Next time I’ll have to show you my bedroom,” he told her with such a confident, cocky grin that Ronnie laughed out loud. Gavin grinned, apparently getting the reaction he hoped for, and opened the door to the outside. As they walked through the grove and into the inky darkness that would take them back to her world, she knew she would never be able to thank Gavin enough for sharing this with her.