Seal of Solomon (Journeyman Book 2) (23 page)

Evans looked to Gage and they exchanged long glances up on that stage.

“I know you,” said the vampire, “I know what actions you've taken in the past against my kind.”

Gage nodded, acknowledging his past proudly. “What of it?” he asked, habitually balling a fist.

“Well done,” came the answer, much to the surprise of all; Gage's fist loosened. “I can highly respect that, Gage Crosse, fighting for what you believe in against those who have brought you harm. What I cannot respect nor abide by is the brazen disregard of this world by beings that are not of it – the demons being the pinnacle of my contempt.”

He struggled to get himself on his feet, barely managing to do so. He stood, locked in position swaying like a tall frond of grass in the breeze. There would be no walking the stage tonight like that day in Durango.

“I hereby pledge in front of all the species present, that the Houses under and aligned to mine will work with the Journeymen against the demon threat and attempt to sway other covens to our cause. It will not be an easy task, but nothing worth fighting for ever was.”

He held out a hand to Gage, an offering of truce between the Journeymen and the vampires, at least until such time that their common enemy was defeated.

“It's not my place to make this deal,” Gage said to Evans, keeping his hand down at his side. He thought for a moment that if his pistol were there, the decision would be that much harder.”

“I've already stirred the pot quite a bit with Fenran’s departure,” interrupted Jane. “You have expertise in this and also investment. I shall say that we will follow your determination on this matter, whatever it may be.”

The crowd was in utter shock at what was happening.

Evans had kept his hand out, waiting for his fate with a smirk, fangs showing just below the line of his upper lip.

Gage stepped up to him, so close that he could grab his head and end him if he wanted to. It wouldn't be hard to do, especially with how weak he was.

Evans still waited, even after seeing the look in the human’s eyes. When no handshake came, he closed his own eyes in acceptance of his fate. His heartbeat climbed and perspiration formed in his armpits and temples.

That's when Gage grabbed hold of Evans by the hand and shook it, the crowd applauding in response.

Jane smiled. “So be it. Please escort our new guest to the hospital floor and tend to him, on my authority. Despite what has come to pass here, make sure guards stand watch over his room twenty-four-seven. This alliance, if it can even be called that yet, is new and therefore fragile on both sides. Not all will be pleased it has transpired, but we will show them we can ally ourselves with far more success than the Noctis.”

Jane finished and sat down at her table, taking a sip of white wine as she watched Gage mingling his way off the stage and through the waiting sea of people that had moved up closer. He didn’t know a stranger, speaking to everyone with an equal measure of respect, admiration, and politeness. Those were the highest qualities every Journeyman should strive to possess down to their very cores and something many had lost touch with since the Incursion. Perhaps now was indeed a rekindling of that spirit – all as a byproduct of that one man.

She knew that at some point later in his life, barring illness or death, he would make a welcomed addition to the leadership of the Journeymen, should he want it of course and despite his roughness around the edges. Something told her that he likely would not do it, but those were decisions to be made on a day far beyond tomorrow. A much more pressing need stood before them in the present. Chiming against the wineglass, the hall quieted again as she stood, issuing the final words of the first day.

“As someone once told me, very recently,” she spoke to the crowd, eyes looking directly to Gage, “it is incredibly evident that we, as protectors of the Earth, must not sit idly by while those not even of this place take it away from us. We cannot continue to run or hide from this. For our very existence, we must fight.”

EVEN THOUGH HE
was exhausted, Gage couldn’t bring himself to fall sleep; his mind was still racing with thoughts that had accumulated over the day. Alone in his quarters on deck three, he laid there on his comfy bed in the dim light, staring up at the intricate wood panels on the ceiling. With one hand behind his head, he rubbed at his square jawline with the other, working out the soreness from a day’s worth of non-stop smiling.

Speaking of smiles and happiness, the mood in HQ had never been higher. At last, progress was being made – a lot happening over the first day of the Assembly. The bulk of the Order was represented and were now fully aware of the Noctis and their plans. Solutions were likely being devised that very night, waiting to be built and implemented globally against the rising threat. Now, at least, there was hope to stem the tide – something that had sorely been missing leading up to this day.

As Gage looked over to the wide expanse of windows, he could see the twinkling lights of the city along the bottom whilst the stars and clouds wheeled their way overhead. They looked exceptionally bright tonight and for some reason, he couldn't help but think at that moment none of this would be possible or happening without Joey.

He was the one that pushed Adrienne and him to Denver, which led to the discovery of two of the Solomon Six...

He was the one who helped piece himself back together after he had been gutted by Adrienne's death…

He was the one that made Gage come to New York. No matter how hard he tried to think on something else, J kept on creeping back into his mind.

Fuck! Gage, Adrienne was your brightest star, not Joey,
he battled with himself.

That’s just it
.
She WAS… and now she's gone. Wouldn't she want me to be happy?

Yes, I am sure she would… but isn’t this way too soon?

Gage struggled with himself on what to do and he wished the voice in his head would shut up. He sure as hell didn't want to place Joey in the same risk-filled crosshairs as Adrienne had been, nor did he want to tarnish her memory. Yet, here he was thinking about it.

God how a part of him longed for the old days, before anything supernatural was involved in his life; the days where carefree fucking and no emotional attachments were the staple. Sadly, those days were in the past. He shut his eyes and tried one more time to will himself to sleep.

That’s when the comm speaker chimed, soaring through the silence like an arrow. He ignored it at first, bringing the pillow up to his ears to shut out the dings. It didn’t help at all, so he finally answered in a deliberately groggy manner, “Yes? Can I help you?” A fake yawn added some realism to the scenario.

“Gage,” came Joey’s voice meekly across the speakers. “It’s me. Sorry to bug you so late, but I… I can’t seem to shut off the old brain to get some zees and needed an outlet. But it sounds like you don’t have that problem though, lucky fucker.”

Gage sat up in the bed and took on a normal tone of voice, “Hey, J. Nah, truth be known I’ve been having the same issue tonight.”

They spent a few minutes exchanging thoughts on how well the day went, both finding plenty to say. Overall, they were in agreement on how rousing it had been to see so many different Journeymen represented at the Assembly. Even though the Order had been declining steadily since the Incursion, seeing all those faces united against the same threat helped set everyone’s smoldering determination ablaze once again.

As the chatter died down, Joey dipped into a period of silence before blurting out his next question. “So… um. Do you mind if I come down to chat with you face to face? But if you're tired…”

“Huh?” asked Gage, the request catching him by surprise. “Oh… yeah, sure thing. I’ll be sure to unlock the door so just come on in.”

“Okay great,” Joey replied somewhat happier. “Be down in about five.”

The comm went quiet and Gage just sat there for a minute with his head in hands, wanting to kick himself. He should have just called Joey back, but something stopped him from doing it. Instead, he walked over to the cabin door and unlocked it before heading back to sit on the corner of the bed.

Before long, the handle turned and Joey came in. He closed the door behind him and looked over toward Gage, bathed in a cool, blue light that managed to highlight everything perfect about him. Like a moth to an iridescent flame, Joey was drawn over. He took a seat in a chair just opposite Gage. With his heart pounding in his throat, he spoke slowly, actively trying to avoid eye contact. “Hey. Thanks for letting me come down… for a bit.”

“No problem, my man,” Gage replied, reclining to get a better look at Joey’s face. There was a loneliness in his expression that seemed vast, far deeper than what was being hinted at on the surface. The headache faded, replaced by a cold sweat between his shoulder blades. “J… are you okay?”

Joey lifted his head a tad, catching a glimpse of Gage’s abs, unavoidably following the lines down. There was a vein there that he never noticed before, diving deep underneath the clothes, begging him to follow, but he wanted to with more than just his eyes. With that one, longing look the mental barriers he had kept up started to buckle and his breathing started to speed
.

“I’m good. Yet… I… and this is tough, so bear with me.” He exhaled deeply, trying to shake the nervousness away. “I think, somewhere along the way I must have stumbled into love… with you. I wish that I could focus on something else, anything else for fuck sake, but I can’t.”

Gage was expecting to hear that, yet aloud it was more difficult to accept than he thought. The sweat between his shoulders started to run. “Joey, we both have feelings like that for each other,” he said, tilting forward and forcing eye contact. “Each in our own way.”

“I suppose so,” Joey muttered, wanting desperately to chew his nails but keeping his hand low to avoid it, “but this is way beyond that, at least for me. Don't they say the grass is greener on the other side?”

“Not always,” he replied, “sometimes you find out it’s astro…”

Out of nowhere, Gage felt pressure on his thigh and when he glanced down, Joey’s hand was resting atop it, squeezing.

“J,” Gage said in an agonizing whisper, “I love ya, but… I just dunno know if
this
is possible.”

Joey wrenched away and stormed to the windows. His heartbeat had fallen from his throat into the pit of his stomach. “I know, right?” he snapped, smacking his hand on the glass. It stung heavily. “What the hell am I thinking?”

You fucking idiot,
is what he thought.
That was monumentally stupid Joey!
He looked out the windows, down to the heavy traffic below – red and white dots underneath a kaleidoscope of neon and fluorescent lights. “I just can’t seem to get you out of –”

His voice trailed off when he felt something approaching from behind.

Gage had stepped up and was incredibly close, passing his left hand through Joey's long hair. “Shut up for a minute,” he said, curling the strands around his thick fingers while savoring the softness – a feeling that he dearly missed.

Joey's heart skipped a beat or two in the provoking silence, unsure if it was going to rise into his throat or sink to his gut. He couldn't form words, realizing what was happening, even if his life depended on it.

Gage brought his right hand down the center of Joey’s muscular back, its sensual curves lit by the expansive city below. When he reached the top of his jeans, a sole finger tugged gently, wanting inside. He leaned forward, dipping his chin into Joey’s neck as a subtle knock on that door. As their beards prickled against each other, the hairs on the backs of their heads stood on end and two caged beasts were awakened, straining for release.

That freedom would come in time, but for now Gage pushed Joey against the window, taking in a deep breath. Joey moved to spread out his arms and Gage grabbed hold, keeping them pinned as their breath fogged up the cool glass.

“You like screaming?” asked Gage, hovering right beside Joey’s ear.

“Depends,” Joey managed to whisper in reply. “If it's pleasurable…”

“I’ll deliver on that,” Gage promised, biting on his earlobe before flipping him around with little effort. He moved right in and they kissed, their unbridled and carnal feelings known. Both their arms scrambled to get their pants off before kicking them away. They continued, locked in an embrace with Gage’s massive frame wrapped all around Joey’s shorter body.

Joey could feel Gage against him, all of him, and he started to flow just from touching the sheer size of it. He tried dropping to his knees, to pay him all the attention he'd been holding and wanted to give, but Gage stopped him. He brought him back up, flipping him around so his stomach was again firmly against the glass.

“Not yet,” Gage muttered with a low growl. “Stay there.”

Joey complied as Gage walked over to his wallet and plucked out a condom, then over to his messenger bag. He reached inside and pulled out a black stone, emblazoned with wards. Joey's eyes had skirted over and recognized the markings; his heart beat so greatly that it hurt. Gage returned and held out the square packet, the XL glinting in the light.