The Gatekeeper's Secret: Gatekeeper's Saga, Book Five (The Gatekeeper's Saga) (8 page)

“I’ve been covering for
Than, and now I have to return to my own duties,” he explained. “But I wanted to drop by in between to snatch a kiss from you in person. They taste so much better this way.”

He leaned over where she lay and touched his mouth to hers.

She had to admit the kiss was exquisite. A soft, involuntary moan escaped her throat.

He squeezed her shoulders and looked at her longingly. “You make me so happy,” he said.

She felt the same way but didn’t say it. Even though they rarely met outside of her dreams, every minute with him was worth the long wait.

He kissed her again. His flesh against her flesh was warm, and his breath smelled like musk. She pushed her fingers through his hair and held onto him. Maybe he could be the one to help her get over her issues. As he leaned closer and allowed the weight of his upper body to lie against her, she heard him groan. Her grip moved from his hair to his shoulders. He felt so good. She could barely breathe, but she didn’t care.

“I have to go,” he said, though he remained on top of her.

She was partly relieved, though she wanted him to stay. She said nothing as he stood, blew her a kiss, and disappeared.

***

The next morning, Than followed Therese’s instructions in making sure he looked as though he had been sleeping all night. He mussed up his hair, put on a pair of pajamas Therese had bought specifically for this purpose, and twisted up the bed covers. It was actually kind of fun. Never in his ancient life had he needed to play act. Well, that wasn’t true. He supposed he had to play act when he first came to the Upperworld to try and win Therese’s heart. But this was different. He waited until the others were awake and moving around, until the smell of fried eggs and potatoes and coffee wafted down the stairs, before he headed up to greet them.

“Merry Christmas Eve!”
Carol called from the kitchen.

“Thanks,” he said.
“Merry Christmas Eve.” He was a little familiar with the various traditions around the world celebrated during the winter solstice, and Christmas was no exception. For centuries, people in the Northern Hemisphere had created ways to make the darkest season brighter and cheerier with wreaths and trees of lights. Before electricity, they used candles. In recent history, Than could see whole blocks of houses alight with strings of electric-powered lights as he flew across the night sky to retrieve the souls. He learned over the years that people were especially heart-broken to lose a loved one during their holiday season, a time spent celebrating peace on earth and goodwill toward one another, a time when families spent days together and were thankful for their blessings.

Richard stood beside Carol in the kitchen turning the eggs. He asked
Than how he liked his cooked.

“Oh, any way is fine with me,” Than said. He had no idea how he liked them cooked. Eggs, for the most part, were not a common food item for him.

“Did you sleep okay?” Carol asked, handing him a mug of coffee. “Sugar, right?”

Than
smiled. “Right. And I slept fine, thanks. Where’s Therese?”

Lynn slapped her hands against the tray of her high chair. “Terry!
Where Terry?”

Than had a brief thought of what it would be like to have a daughter with Therese.

Two, but none immortal.

“She’s already eaten,” Richard said. “She’s up in the attic, looking for something.”

What are you doing in the attic?
Than asked Therese.

Don’t come up! It’s a surprise!

Richard handed Than a plate of eggs and fried potatoes. “Here you go, son.”

“Thanks.”

Carol gave him a fork and napkin and put shakers of salt and pepper in front of him. “How would you feel about driving into town with me today, Than?”

“How would I feel about it?” He wasn’t sure what Carol was asking him. He shoveled in the food and found it tasty. He’d forgotten it had
been a long time since his last meal.

Carol sat on the barstool beside him and leaned her elbows on the granite countertop. “I want to get something special for Therese for Christmas, but I need your opinion. She’s been gone so much these past two years. I hardly know what she likes anymore.”

Richard gave Than a sympathetic look. “I doubt the boy wants to go shopping on Christmas Eve. The traffic will be a nightmare, and the crowds can get pretty ridiculous.”

Than had never been shopping before in his life, though he’d fetched souls from mobs of shoppers over the years.
Fighting the crowd for merchandise did not sound enjoyable.

“I have something in mind, though,” Carol said. “I just want
Than’s opinion before I make the final purchase. One store. That’s it. Please?”

Than could not deny his future mother-in-law. “Of course, Carol,” Than said. “I’d be happy to go with you.”

“Wonderful!” She squeezed his shoulders and seemed a little surprised by their girth. He hid a smirk as she recovered and added, “Then you can drive. I hate holiday traffic.”

Than
gave Carol a forced smile.
Did you hear that?
he asked Therese.
She wants me to drive.

Mak
e sure she fastens her seat belt,
Therese replied.
Boy, is she in for the ride of her life!

***

Therese admired herself in the dusty attic mirror. The scooped neckline and capped sleeves were simple yet elegant. The skirt was not too full, either, and reached to the floor. It might even need to be hemmed, Therese thought. She wished she could remember the time her mother dressed her up in it, but she could not and could only imagine how her mother must have pinned it in the back to keep it from slipping from her little shoulders. She sighed at her reflection now and couldn’t believe she had gone all these years unaware that the dress was up here, waiting for her.

You look beautiful
, her mother chirped from the little round window.

I can still recall how your mother looked the day she wore that dress
, her father said.
She looked just as lovely as you.

“And more,” Therese said, though she had to admit that her own looks improved the day she became a goddess.

Don’t sell yourself short, kiddo,
her dad said.

Therese turned toward the window and her parents. “I wish you could give me away,” she said to her father.

Her father didn’t reply, and Therese fumbled with the beads on her bodice, regretting her words, sure she had only dampened everyone’s mood.

I
can
give you away,
he sang suddenly.
Ask Richard to do it, and I’ll be sure to fly just above you. We’ll both do the honors.

The corners of Therese’s mouth nearly reached her eyes.
“Really? That would be so great! That would mean the world to me!”

Her nervous anxiety over the plot to bind Zeus was for the moment replaced by sheer thankfulness and gratitude for the gift of her parents and their involvement in her wedding. In the months after their deaths, she could not have imagined that her mother would be there to give her a wedding dress and her father to give her away. Tears pooled in her eyes as she went to the window and kissed the tiny beaks of her favorite cardinals.

***

Than rarely drove the orange Lamborghini he purchased with Therese over a year ago in memory of their first driving lesson together with Hermes. As he ushered Carol outside and into it, the memory of that first driving lesson made him smile. He missed his cousin. It seemed he had just gotten to be good friends with the messenger god when the conflict broke out and spoiled their trust. He hoped one day they could rebuild that trust and enjoy one another’s friendship again.

“This is one fancy car!” Carol said as he flipped open the doors.

“Thanks.”

“Aren’t you cold?” Carol asked from the passenger side as
Than climbed behind the wheel. “You forgot your coat.”

He felt a blush coming on. Unused to relating to mortals, he’d forgotten he needed to blend in. He and Therese had brought coats, but he had left his in the basement. He conjured a replacement coat in the backseat and grabbed it before laying it on the console between them. “I’ll put it on when we get there. I don’t like to wear it while I drive.”

Luckily, it hadn’t snowed since the day before yesterday, so the driveway didn’t need shoveling. The sun shined in a cloudless sky and melted some of the white powder, which dripped from the branches of the evergreens surrounding the cabin and roadside. As Than pulled the car from the gravelly drive, the car slid and turned ninety degrees in the wrong direction.

“You probably aren’t used to driving in the snow,” Carol said, gripping her armrests. “I didn’t think about that.”

“Don’t worry,” he said, sounding more confident than he felt. “I’ll get us there and back in one piece.” He maneuvered the car back in the right direction and, after spinning the wheels, slowed down, gained traction, and headed onward.

Once Carol had guided him past the dam and off the country roads to the main road toward Durango, she told him about her gift for Therese.

“I had a locket made with a photo of her parents on one side and a photo of Richard and Lynn and me on the other,” she explained. “It’s even waterproof, so she can swim without taking it off, if she wants.”

Than knew Therese would be pleased. “She’ll cherish it,” he said.

“I hope so. She’s not easy to buy for anymore.” Carol pointed ahead. “Mind that stop sign!”

Than
slammed on the brakes, causing the car to fish tail for several feet before coming to a stop in the middle of the intersection.

“Sorry about that,” he said. Luckily the only other car in sight was ahead of them.

Carol patted her chest with one hand, calming herself. “That’s okay. I should have warned you it was coming.”

He eased his foot onto the accelerator and continued toward town, trying not to get flustered by the prayers she unwittingly sent to him

Please don’t kill us, Than. What was I thinking asking you to drive?

“The reason I asked you to come with me to the jewelry store is so you can help me decide how she would most like to wear the locket. I noticed she already wears one around her neck.”

“My aunt, Athena, gave it to her.”

Than knew better than anyone how much Therese treasured her locket. She never took it off, and he couldn’t imagine ever looking at her and not the round, golden object hanging just above her heart.

“It’s lovely,” Carol said. “Therese showed it to me once. I’ve forgotten what it says.”

“The most common way people give up their power is by believing they have none,” Than recited.

“That’s right,” Carol said. “I like that. So inspirational.”

“It’s helped Therese,” Than said.
“It reminds her of her inner strength.”

“Well, since she wears it around her neck, I thought I should give her something other than a necklace. Like maybe a bracelet or a ring. They make these really cute ring charms. What do you think?” Then she added, “You do see that truck ahead of us, don’t you?”

Than eased on the brake pedal, and Carol sighed with relief.

“I think a bracelet or a ring would get in her way while she’s doing her work,” Than said, thinking specifically of the way Therese drew her bow and shot her arrows. A dangling locket at her wrist or on her hand could be cumbersome.

“You mean with the animals?” Carol asked.

“She uses her hands a lot. I’m afraid the locket wouldn’t be easy to wear every day if she had to wear it on her wrist or finger.”

“Oh, dear. Maybe this wasn’t a good idea after all.” Carol frowned. “Oh, turn left at the next light, but slow down a bit more, maybe.”

“Her locket from my aunt reaches her breast bone,” Than said as he yielded to oncoming traffic before making the left turn. “Why don’t you have your locket fitted onto a shorter chain, so that it would sit higher, near her throat?”

“You don’t think she would mind wearing two lockets?” Carol asked.

“She would love them both,” he said, this time feeling as confident as he sounded.

“Turn into the next parking lot,” Carol said. “You’ll have to slow down if you don’t want to donut.”

When they reached the jewelry store, Carol took his hand and squeezed it. “I really like you,
Than,” she said. “I’m so glad you’ll be a part of our family.” Then she wrinkled her nose. “But, if it’s okay with you, I’ll drive us back home.”

***

Jen opened the oven door, lifted the lid from the roasting pan, and checked the ham.

“It looks good, Mom,” Jen said. “I think it’s ready.”

Her mother stood over the counter mashing sweet potatoes. “Did Therese say we would eat at six, or to arrive at six?” her mother asked.

“Eat at six. We should probably get there earlier. Like five, maybe.”