Wicked
Page 95

"You don't need to thank me," he said in a hushed voice.
"No, I do. It was probably my favorite day in, well, forever." The heat had moved from the tips of my ears to my face. "I just wanted you to know that." He smiled, showing off both dimples, and I decided it was way past time to change the topic of conversation before I was lost to that smile and ended up acting like a goober. "So, the gateway? Where is it?"
Ren glanced at the doorway across the room. "It's in the master bedroom. Want to check it out?"
Nodding, I followed him across the hall and into a large room that was empty. I imagined that at one time, back in its heyday, it probably contained a four-poster bed and beautiful, handcrafted furniture, but now its bare floors were dusty, its fireplace cold.
I started to ask where the gateway was when Miles turned sideways, responding to something Rachel Adams said, and that's when I saw it with my own eyes.
I assumed it was the door to a closet or maybe another room, I wasn't sure, but there was no mistaking that it was not a normal doorway.
The shimmering blue light shining through the cracks all around the door might've given it away. Or it could be the numerous locks on the outside, because seriously, who had deadbolts on doors inside a house. And if none of that was glaringly obvious, it could be the fact that the door was shaking and rattling, as if something on the other side was trying to get through.
That was because something was trying to get through.
Holy crap. That was a legit doorway to the Otherworld. Part of me couldn't believe I was actually seeing one. As terrible as what the gateway represented, I was still awed being in the presence of one.
I stepped forward. "Is it . . . is it always like that?"
Miles answered. "Normally, it's quiet, but as it gets closer to either the equinox or the solstice, it starts to act up."
"And it was always here?" I glanced at him. "This doorway, even before the house was built?"
"I imagine so," he explained. "Before the house, I have no idea how it appeared, but it would've been on these grounds somehow. Once the house was built, our records indicate that the doorway appeared in this room. People never lived long in this house."
Obviously.
Before the Order discovered the door and closed it, the fae had used it to move back and forth between the realms. Coming through the door with humans living in the house had to have been mighty convenient for the fae.
I saw Val walk into the room, her red shirt standing out so brightly amongst the darker tones everyone else was wearing. She headed in my direction, but like me, she was staring at the door.
"That is crazy," she said, stopping between Ren and me. "It's like an episode of Ghost Adventures or something. I mean, can you imagine moving into this lovely two-story home and it comes with a door that glows blue and shakes just four times a year?"
I snorted, but Ren appeared largely unamused as he glanced down at Val, but she seemed unaware of the coolness radiating from him. I frowned, having no idea what the deal was with that, but this wasn't the time to question it.
Downstairs, Order members were forming a first line of defense, so to speak. Their job was to block the stairs, and our job was to keep the door protected. I assumed the same thing was happening at the church, as needless as that was.
Something struck me then, and I turned to Miles. "How active is the door at the church? Is it like this one?"
He scowled at my question but nodded. That didn't make sense to me. If the brownies had destroyed that door, why would it be like this one? Or did destroying the door even affect the light show going on right now? I'd have to ask Tink later.
"We can't let an ancient near the door." Miles was talking, but my gaze was fastened on the door. The light was deepening into a sapphire blue. "If one happens to get close, do not cut it. Remember, their blood opens the gates. Push them back."
There were many nods, and as the clock ticked away, the idle chatter ceased, and with the exception of the rattling door, the room became so quiet you could hear a fly sneeze. It was the same downstairs until David announced that it was five till the equinox.
Every muscle in my body tensed as I tried to prepare myself for anything. I reached down, unhooking the iron stake from my boot and clenching it tight. I wasn't going to break out the thorn stake until I needed it. Not even a tiny part of me believed that they wouldn't come in full force, but when we were a minute away, I looked at Ren.
He was looking at me, and I buried my concern and fear, buried it so deep that I felt nothing inside me. Doing so was the only way I could do my job tonight and not end up in a corner rocking.
Ren winked at me.
My lips twitched into a small smile.
"It's time," David announced.
I held my breath as I faced the closed bedroom door. Seconds tiptoed into minutes, and when nothing happened, those in the room began to shift. The door was still rattling like an army wanted out, and I exchanged a quick glance with Ren, the tension in my back starting to ease.
A shout rose from downstairs, sudden and violent, followed by more. My hand tightened on the stake.
"They're here," whispered Val.
Rachel started for the door, but David called out, "Stay."
She sent him a wide-eyed stare as the shouts turned into screams. "But they're . . ."
I winced. She didn't finish the sentence, but there was no need. My breathing hitched as the sounds from downstairs turned wet and sickening. How could we stand here like this? Ren shifted a step forward.