Page 58 of Incubus
“Yep, right smack dab in the middle of the country,” Sasha said.
Nathan nodded vaguely, catching Jim’s eye when his brother glanced back at him. They were born in Missouri. Their family home had been there.
Their parents had died there.
“Where are we going, Sasha?” Jim asked, with a sense of dread littering his words that Nathan could feel too. “You never actually told us anything about this place.”
“You’ve probably heard of it,” Sasha said. “I didn’t mention the details before because I didn’t want to worry you. It’s safe, though, I promise—the only Power Point on our side of the world, a sanctuary for fae and humans alike called the Gatehouse. ”
Nathan's chest tightened. He had been afraid Sasha was going to say that.
Likewise, Jim’s eyes widened into saucers. “You’re bringing us to the Gatehouse?”
“It’s okay,” Sasha said calmly. “We’ll be safe there, Jim, I promise.”
Nathan wasn't so sure.
The Gatehouse rested just outside the tiny town of Rushville, Missouri, less than a half hour from where Nathan and Jim had grown up. A large building had been built over the main site of the Power Point, earning its name because it should have been the largest doorway in the area, but had manifested instead as a solitary dead zone, even neutralizing some fae powers. If it hadbeen a normal Power Point, Nathan could have gone there to summon the Messenger instead of Wales.
But although the Gatehouse was often considered a sanctuary, allowing for fae and humans to pass through its doors on neutral ground, it was just as likely to houseseals.
“You do remember that there's apparently a fraternity of seals always on the lookout for us, right?" Nathan asked incredulously.
Sasha smiled in reassurance. "Believe me, I usually avoid the Gatehouse for that same reason, just to be safe, in case another seal might discover what I really am, but it can be a great place to gather info. I called ahead, and the caretaker said there weren’t many seals staying there right now, so I figured it would be fine. She said she knew you."
Nathan met Jim's repressed look of panic before speaking. "Yeah...we actually grew up with Alex Ferris. Spent a lot of time at the Gatehouse once. Back when we thought it was safe, before our parents were killed and seals started hunting us."
“Oh...” Sasha gaped, turning to look at Nathan and Jim with equal shock and shame. “I had no idea you grew up here."
Nathan didn’t know how much Jim wanted to share with Sasha, but there was something else he needed to come clean about if they were going to see Alex. He turned to face his brother. “Jim, since you're gonna find out anyway, I may have...called Alex after you were taken into the Veil.”
“What?!” Jim exclaimed, unable to suppress an accusing glare as he whipped around.
“She gave me the book I used to summon the Messenger out of the Gatehouse library.”
“Nathan! Why didn't you tell me?”
“I figured we could sell it. Then you wanted to keep it. And...I may have forgotten to let Alex know that I got you back."
Jim huffed and turned back to face the road. "I can'tbelieveyou."
"Hey, you're the one who forced me to go see Wade,” Nathan reminded him.
“Uhh…is there something I'm missing here?” Sasha interjected.
Nathan and Jim sat in silence a moment before Nathan finally spoke. “It doesn’t matter. The Gatehouse is a good idea. We just have to be careful. Dark fae don’t tend to go there, but regular fae do. And seals. Even if Alex says there aren’t many around, we better keep an eye out.”
“Of course,” Sasha said.
Jim was scowling in his seat, but he didn’t make any further dissensions.
“I don’t know if I like this idea, Nathan,” Walter said, appearing in the seat beside him. “You know the power of the Gatehouse doesn’t allow me to go inside. You will be very vulnerable there.”
“Yeah, Walt, I know you can’t go inside,” Nathan said aloud, for Sasha's benefit. Then he caught Sasha’s eye in the rearview mirror. “We’ll just have to rely on our resident seal here to look after us. Right?”
Sasha smiled widely in the glass. “I got your back,” he said. “One night in the Gatehouse, that’s all I’m asking. We'll be in and out before you know it.”
Chapter 22
