Seal of Solomon (Journeyman Book 2) (28 page)

KELI WALTZED THROUGH
the command center, emboldened by their recent victory. She stared between the crusty walls and the shiny displays and back again. Bored by the lack of change on either of those, she looked to the speaking circle imprinted on the floor and began to wonder where all of this would lead and also where Paimon had disappeared to.

Her thoughts hadn't formed for a second before she was interrupted by a female lesser, seated at one of the monitoring stations.

“Your Grace,” she said. “You may want to take a look at this.”

Keli was irritated but walked over anyway, overlooking the lesser’s shoulder. “What is it?” she asked, half expecting another false report of Journeyman activity. She could care less what all of them were doing right now, except one.

“It's Gage,” the lesser said, renewing Keli’s interest. “By the looks of it, there was a brief signature from the Ire. It looks to be on an airship, heading south from New York City. Shall we intercept?”

“No,” she said. “We need him there.” Keli thought for a moment about what this would entail, suspecting she knew where they were headed. She rose and addressed the communications officer on duty. “I need you to send a message. I need a group of troops ready to leave for to South America within the next hour, two at the most.”

“Your Grace,” he responded. “How do you plan to get there? The place cannot be teleported to from the outside and since you also plan to have a large entourage with you, that makes transport there much more difficult.”

Keli felt stupid. How could she have forgotten that the ancient energies surrounding the doorways and vortices prevented their conventional means of travel?

Fuck,
she thought.
That does complicate things.
Then an idea popped into her head so outlandish that it just might work. “Well then send word to the gamekeepers and beast masters to ready my steed and any creature that can bear us there.”

“That may take some time Your Grace,” the lesser responded anxiously.

“Time isn't on our side; they shall have the same two hours to do this,” she was not playing around. “Cut our numbers slightly if you have to, we are retaking what is rightfully ours. No matter what it takes.”

GAGE STOOD BESIDE
the large windows in his quarters, wearing nothing but his own nakedness. He let the sunlight stream in to warm his heart, disquieted with turmoil. It felt good to have a minute to think without anyone around and with an arm propped up on the glass, he watched as the landscape fell into the distant haze and the ocean churned in its vastness below. It was all so beautiful, enough to nearly make the problems he was facing seem small in comparison to the wide open world.
Immerse yourself in the depth of the world,
he was told before all hell broke loose in Denver and that is exactly what he planned to do from now on.

Joey had just stormed out; the absolute heights of emotion being reached between the two of them that day. As he rubbed a finger across the chink in the glass, evidence of the other night’s activities, Gage recalled Joey’s last few words before he left.

I wish that we never did anything, G!

Those particular words rang out the loudest of them all. Gage wished that was the last of it, but there was more.

It’s tore a hole much bigger than I expected right here in my fucking heart. I can’t continue with my life, least on the path it’s currently on – frantically holding onto the vague hope that something more would develop. Hell, we know that’s impossible now, especially that Adrienne is back. We’re going to fucking rescue her right now! Ugh. Part of me finally got you and now has to let go again. I’d be a fucking liar if I said that was in any way easy.

The words echoed in Gage’s mind; Joey was right and he knew it. They shouldn't have given in. What was he thinking going through with that? Was he wrong? He had no idea.

Gage tried to shift his focus over to something else. He wondered what could be wrong at the Lodge; absolutely no way were the protections down. It was just weird and not in Joey’s nature at all to be so bent out of shape, but he truly did seem worried about it, worsened by their evolved dynamic. Gage would also be the first to admit he missed his pistol, it having become a bit of a good luck charm over the years.

All those other thoughts swiftly found themselves swept away again, replaced with the immediate realization that he and Joey were going to grow apart. He needed to figure out how to stop it yet the unknown bothered him significantly. He liked having control over things, especially his own life. At that moment though, he had no clue if it would get better or become much worse. He yearned for the former, not wanting the pain of love to strike through his family again.

So that’s where his thoughts took him, around to family. The thing the three of them had become over the last couple years of adversity. Adrienne was alive and well after all, Gage fully invested in her. He loved her like a soul mate and found himself the happiest when they were together. When he thought she had died, he mourned wholly at the loss and felt that a part of him had sunk into the depths of the abyss, never to return. Yet, as fate would have it in this fucked up supernatural world, she did return.

Thoughts decidedly meandered to Joey again. The both of them truly had a different kind of relationship. He could not ignore that they had crossed a line, sharing in something special, but he knew that in reality it wasn’t needed to solidify the love they had for each other.

Gage, that was such a dumb thing to have done,
he chastised himself, emotions still split like a raw nerve between the two of them. He knew that he could not change the past, only look to the future. That’s when he decided to make Joey understand that their love for each other meant the world to him, but that it was something greater than just physical sex. He respected him and owed him that. He wouldn’t be lying as it was the God’s honest truth, but it wouldn’t be a cake walk with Adrienne back.

Fuck, why did life have to be so damn complicated? Gage shuffled his way back over to the window, planning to immerse himself again. But instead he found himself plucking fingers through his hair, desperately searching for something to kick.

MARCUS WAS PASSING
through the narrow ship corridor when he rounded the corner, crashing straight into Joey, speeding in the opposite direction. An array of trinkets – rune stones, palm sized artifacts, and an antique pocket watch – fell out of his pockets and hit the carpet with a soft bounce.

“Whoa there!” he said in a huff. “Where are you going in such a hurry?”

“Nowhere… Anywhere but here right now,” Joey replied, bending over to help clean up the mess. He wondered if it was obvious that he was perturbed about something.

It was, the statement he just made being the prime indicator, plus Joey was unable to hide it in his face or body language, many a poker game was lost from his tells.

Marcus had no trouble guessing who this was about. “Issues with the big guy?”

Joey bit his lip embarrassingly and nodded.

“Well, I’m always available to lend you an ear, a shoulder, or any other body part you may need during times of distress,” replied Marcus warmly. He put the trinkets he had collected back in his pockets and reached over to collect the ones out of Joey’s hands. As he pulled them away, he found himself drawing the motion out, feeling the surprising softness of his skin. For some reason he expected a field Journeyman to be calloused and hard; this was a welcomed mistake.

Joey smiled then stepped away, as if to continue onto wherever he was headed. Marcus’ next question stopped him mid step.

“You have feelings for him, don’t you?” Marcus asked.

“For who?”

“Don’t be ridiculous Joey,” he said, shaking his head. “You know who.”

Joey sighed and let out a small laugh. “I guess I do.”

“Well, honestly it's not unexpected or unheard of,” Marcus said reassuringly. It suddenly looked as if as an idea flashed in his mind. “You know what? I have a spot that we can talk more about this. It always helps clear my head.”

Grabbing Joey’s arm, he rushed off, leading him through a maze of halls without even waiting for a reply. Left, right, right, down, left, up… it wasn't long before Joey was lost, unsure where on the ship they were.

“Um, where are we headed?” Joey asked as the sound of dull humming rose from the end of the hall they had entered.

“The engines,” Marcus replied. “Well, technically the hallways outside the engine room. Much quieter out here than in there.” He took up against a section of wall, just to the side of one of the emergency bulkheads and settled on the floor. Stretching, he kicked his legs out as though he was in his own quarters. Gesturing to a matching space on the other side of the corridor, Joey was antsy but took a seat anyway.

“So tell me what's up?” Marcus asked him bluntly; beating around the bush wasn't really his style. “These feelings you have for Mr. Crosse.”

Joey's mind swirled as he tried to pick a good starting point. “It's complicated.”

“That's why I brought you down here, in the hopes of making your mind a little clearer.” He stopped talking and took in the low rumbles. “It may seem counter intuitive, but the noise down here is quite relaxing. I've known Om for, hmmm, nearly five years and have been coming here for at least four and a half of those. I think the first time I came here, I ended up falling asleep; it was so soon after the Incursion and I found myself severely exhausted. Work was certainly suffering, as was I.”

“You actually
slept
down here?” asked Joey as he shifted his weight on the hard deck. His ass was already feeling sore and he looked down the hall, finding it dreary, ashen, and cold. He knew for a fact that he wouldn’t be able to do it, even if he was pumped full of sleep meds.

Marcus nodded. “Sure enough, like a baby, too. Now I come and sit from time to time to clear out my head. The sounds help the thoughts flow.” He chuckled. “Been down here more times than home I think, especially since the Herald struck the sky.”

The mention of that massive blast brought Joey's back full circle to Gage. He and Marcus sat in awkward silence before Joey finally broke it with a question. “What should I do, about all this?”

That was a wide open question if Marcus had ever heard one. “Want me to give my honest assessment of it?” Marcus asked, raising a pierced eyebrow.

“Sure thing,” Joey answered, bracing himself for the honest lashing he was about to take.

“Well if I'm honest, with a little bit of selfishness mixed in, I think you are going to have to pull your head out of there and fucking breathe; something other than what he has you breathing. But you're letting him get to you, Joey and it’s starting to be noticeable. I haven't known you for that long so please don't take it the wrong way, and I like Gage but he has thrown you for a damn loop. Now that Adrienne is back in the picture you feel relegated to the back burner again, but Joey, that's where you've always been in this trio.”

Those words smacked him in the gut harder than he thought they would. He mulled over them and found himself in complete agreement. “I’m such a fool, Marcus,” Joey admitted, thumping the side of his head against the bulkhead. “A big fool to think for a second that I would ever have a chance with Gage.”

Marcus chuckled. “I think you'd stand a good chance, my friend, in a different time with different circumstances. Gage: he’s alright but there is better out there, at least for you.”

“Are you serious? My God, you've seen him right?” Joey continued to probe, astounded that Marcus had such little interest in the big guy. “Or have you been drinking?”

“I have not!” Marcus said with a playful kick to Joey's leg.

“Putting Adrienne aside,” Joey continued, “what would a guy like him, hell anybody, see in a geeky all-around immature guy like me?”

“Lots,” was the reply, with no effort at all.

Joey was surprised by how comfortable Marcus had made him and unexpectedly, some walls were torn down. “I guess, truth be known, I am just desperate for any form of attention – so much so that I would fabricate feelings that aren’t really there in the interest of getting some tiny sliver of it.” He cast his stare to the floor, ashamed. “I’m forever going to be looking for that person that's able to make me feel special, aren’t I? Make me feel whole?”