Page 51 of Nexus
Chapter Thirty-Eight
“HI, MOM,” I SAID WHEN she answered after a few rings. She knew this wasn’t just a social call from the tenseness in my voice and the fact that I was whispering.
“Is it time for you to make that trip we spoke about?” she asked, just as tense as I was.
“Yeah. I might be gone for a while and I’m not sure when I’ll be back.”
“Be careful and always trust your gut, Saige,” she advised me.
“I’ll try. I’d better go before Ruen kicks the door down and drags me out by my hair. I love you, mom.”
“I love you too, kiddo,” she said in a choked-up voice. “Come home soon.” We hung up before we could burst into tears. Neither of us got mushy very often, but this might be the last time we ever spoke to each other.
I used the toilet, then washed my hands, knowing Ruen would be able to smell it if I didn’t. This was supposed to be a secret mission. His boss might be pissed if he found out I’d told my mom about our plans.
Since I couldn’t take my phone with me, I placed it on the charger and grabbed my gear. Unlocking the door, I strutted out, wiping my damp palms on my jeans. “Okay, I’m ready. Let’s go.”
Ruen straightened up from his slouch, then took the lead. One of our escorts climbed out of the SUV when we exited from the building. “You should leave your car here,” he suggested. “We’ll drive you to the gate.”
Ruen wasn’t happy about leaving his precious sedan behind, but he didn’t argue. He retrieved a backpack almost identical to mine from the back seat of his car, then locked it. We climbed into the back of the SUV and became enshrouded in the smell of pine scented air freshener.
The locations of the gates were highly confidential. Since we were supposedly envoys, there was no point hiding their whereabouts from us. I was pretty sure the lions didn’t think we’d be making it back from the way they kept sneaking glances at us.
We drove to an area that was dotted with warehouses and pulled into a parking lot behind one of the structures. Several vehicles were parked in the lot and lights were on inside the warehouse. I could sense a mixture of shifters inside as we climbed out. They were more powerful than the wererats we’d encountered in Sector G. I could take on a few of them without too much trouble, but I’d have my hands full if I had to face a group of them.
One of our escorts knocked on the metal door. A panel slid aside and the guard examined us closely. We were clearly expected, because he shut the panel, then opened the door without asking us our names.
“Follow us,” our escort said, then stepped inside.
The warehouse smelled like dust and shapeshifters. Nothing had ever been stored in here. It was just a façade to hide the gate. Speaking of the gate, it was hidden inside a huge metal box that stood ten feet high and six feet wide. A low hum came from within it. The bare concrete floor vibrated slightly beneath my sneakers.
“I wish I’d brought a snack with me,” I said as nerves hit me hard. “I might never get to taste chocolate again.”
One of the guards reached into her pocket and tossed me a candy bar. “Everyone should be given a last supper when they’re facing potential death,” she said when her colleagues flicked looks at her.
I nodded in thanks, then tore the wrapper open and stuffed half of the bar into my mouth as a shifter took a key out of his pocket. He inserted it into the lock on the metal box, then swung the door open. I almost choked on my snack when bright blue light blazed out. Ruen flinched and closed his eyes, half turning away from it.
“How have humans not discovered the gates?” I asked.
“They’re only visible to supernatural beings and people who can use magic,” one of the guards replied.
Squinting hard, my eyes still watered, but the light was bearable. I finished my snack, then stuffed the wrapper into my backpack.
“Here’s the letter Lord Gilden entrusted to me,” one of our escorts said and handed it to me.
“Thanks,” I said and slid it into my backpack. “Any last words, Ruen?” I asked.
“I wish we’d never met,” he mumbled, which made the shifters snicker.
“Yeah, me too,” I said ruefully, then grasped hold of his arm and propelled him through the gate.
My entire body tingled from head to toe and I could feel my hair standing on end. Something drastic happened to my body, but I was too dazed from being transported to another dimension to figure out what it was. The blindingly bright light wasn’t blocked by a metal box on this side of the gate.
Still holding onto Ruen’s arm, I staggered away from the portal. His skin felt different beneath my fingers. It was slick, damp and his wrist was much thinner than it had been on our world. The vampire was doubled over, gasping in apparent pain. The spell that prevented an army from passing through it was still strong even after all this time. It didn’t seem to affect me as badly as the vampire.
We were on a path between rock walls that stretched high into the air. Once we’d distanced ourselves from the gate, I dropped Ruen’s arm and tried to wipe my hand on my jeans. Instead of encountering fabric, they rubbed against my hairy thigh.
“What the hell?” I asked. My vision was still too blurry to see clearly, but I could tell something had gone horribly wrong. Even my voice sounded strange and my mouth felt weird.