章 23: The Door

Megan was in the library reading her fourth book in three days. The woman loved to read. Gabriel had been curious about what kind of books she liked to read and read a couple of the backs. He had to chuckle when he realized that she was involving herself with characters from fantastical lands full of magic and supernatural creatures. Megan didn't realize she was a character in her own fantasy story. Only this one was very much real, and she might not find it so entertaining.

Afton was in Plymouth doing surveillance of Chloe Steele. He said he was looking for similarities between Chloe and Nicole to help verify that he wasn't somehow mistaken about what he thought he knew. Afton had already pointed out her children's names were Nicole, Tyler, Megan, and May. Nicole's mother's name was May and her siblings' names were Tyler and Megan. Gabriel believed Afton about Chloe being Nicole.

Afton wasn't prone to jumping to conclusions ever before so if Afton said it was a fact that Nicole's soul had been reborn in Chloe then it was a fact to Gabriel. Gabriel encouraged Afton to go to Plymouth because it would do Afton good to be doing something and he knew the man would feel better to be near his soulmate.

That just left Gabriel here with nothing to do but stare at this door. His nemesis, the door. The door was arched wooden planks with ancient looking hammered iron fittings with a black iron doorknob. Currently this door opened to a gray stone wall. The wall to either side of it was not stone but it didn't matter. The door opened to a stone wall and would for another twenty days.

This door allowed himself and others from his castle to enter the human world. It would emit faint blue light and the doorway would look hazy every six months for twenty-four hours if during that day someone crossed into the human world and didn't come back that day. The door would once again open thirty days later for an additional twenty-four hours for people to have a chance to return to Tetra, his realm.

Then the door would not open again for six months. The door didn't necessarily bring a person to this place in the human world. These doors were all over the world. This was simply Gabriel's personal door between this home and his door in his study back in Tetra.

The issue was that this door would open in twenty days and be open for one day no matter what he did. He could not take Megan to Tetra unless he claimed her, human bodies could not handle his realm. Claiming Megan would allow her to be altered to her full potential which meant she would be capable of entering Tetra. When the door closed, he would be stuck in whatever place either here or Tetra for six months.

Gabriel was afraid to claim Megan in case it went poorly but if he stayed here with her for six months he would be abandoning his realm to the forces of the darkness for six months. If he returned to Tetra, Gabriel would be abandoning Megan to live without him for half a year. A lot could happen in six months.

The plan had always been to find his mate, claim her, and take her back to Tetra and live their lives. This was before he had been through six disastrous attempts at claiming and seeing what happens when it was wrong. His bite made monsters when he was wrong. He cared too much for Megan to risk that outcome and that had him sitting here staring at this door and wishing he could change the rules for just this once.

Twenty days was nothing, that amount of time could pass in a blink. So how was he supposed to know what to do, especially now that Afton was busy with his own situation. Afton would have to face the door just like him. Gabriel wondered if his friend had realized that yet. Afton would have to make the claim as well, but at least his friend could see the soul bond. There was too much darkness in Gabriel's blood to see soul bonds like an angel could.

Gabriel forcibly turned himself away from the door. He was beginning to feel like it was mocking him anyway. As if maybe, it knew the hell it was causing. Gabriel opened his laptop to the various databases that Afton had been going through. Gabriel looked through previous search terms and then typed in something new. He started sifting through the rubble searching for what would happen if this, this, and that were all true.

An hour had passed when there was a knock on his study door. Gabriel got up and answered the door to see Megan standing in the hall. He wrapped his arms around her pulling her lips to his. Their kiss began to heat up quickly and Gabriel pulled away before he could lose control over his thundering heartbeat. He hadn't known it was possible to want someone like he wanted Megan.

Gabriel pulled Megan down the hall to the living room, the office door closing and locking behind him automatically. There were just too many things in that room for Megan to ask questions about.

"I forgot to ask you earlier," Megan said, as she sat down next to her husband and leaned into him. "You said you would tell me who designed the house."

Gabriel sighed, "You did, Megan. The house determines what the lady of the house needs to feel comfortable and designs the house accordingly." Gabriel waited for the fallout.

"So, if my need changes, the house will change?" Megan asked quietly. Gabriel nodded in response to her question.

"I see." Megan thought for a minute. "Where does the house get the power to make this happen. A house is an inanimate object so it has to come from somewhere."

Gabriel looked at Megan stunned. Did she see straight to the substance of every matter? Here goes nothing, Gabriel thought pensively.

"Megan, the house gets its power from me." Gabriel watched his wife closely for panic.

Megan nodded sagely. "I figured as much. It only makes sense." She gave Gabriel a tight smile. He chuckled lightly and kissed her forehead.

"Is this why you came to get me?" He asked her.

"No, my mom reminded me they are having the festival this weekend in Plymouth. With a carnival and everything. Can we go? Maybe meet my mom and siblings for a little while? We could have some fun and have Angie, Cade, and Eli meet us there. Maybe spend some time having a date night too." Megan asked sweetly. Gabriel would bet anything that this was already happening, and he was last to know.

"So, this is already planned right?" Gabriel asked Megan as he stroked her cheek.

"Of course, either get on board or stay home by yourself." Megan grinned cheekily at her husband. He snorted a laugh.

"We have a date then," Gabriel said his level of sarcasm high.

Megan climbed onto her knees next to him on the sofa seat and wrapped her arms around his neck. She kissed along his jaw and then along his neck. "I'll make it worth your while." Megan told him sweetly.

"Baby…" Gabriel groaned his forehead falling against her shoulder. When he went to pull away, Megan didn't let go.

"Breathe, everything will be fine." Megan whispered in his ear, she felt Gabriel go unnaturally still and realized he was fighting with himself. Megan tugged his chin up looking into his eyes that were solid black. He was watching her with what could only have been a predatory look. Megan watched him for a moment longer seeing his eyes start to clear and leaned in kissing him softly.

Gabriel held Megan to him kissing her roughly for a long minute, but he wasn't losing control, not like before. Something about her acceptance of him and lack of fear helped him keep it together. It wasn't easy but not quite as dangerously perilous as before.

"You're not going to hurt me, Gabriel. I don't think you could, and I am not afraid of you." Megan told her husband in a quiet voice filled with conviction. Gabriel kissed the side of her head and pulled Megan into his lap wrapping his arms around her.

"So, what is the plan tomorrow?" Gabriel asked Megan after they had been sitting for a few minutes in peaceful silence.

"You, Afton, and I… Where is Afton?" Megan asked her explanation derailed when she realized she hadn't seen the hulking man for two days.

"He had business to see to, he'll be back later." Gabriel didn't explain and hoped Megan wouldn't pry. He didn't like lying to her.

"Anyway, we will meet them all the day after tomorrow at the entrance to the boardwalk. Then we are going to get truck food and take it onto the beach to eat. We will check out the booths and go to the carnival when it gets dark. Then later, you and I will get our date night but it's a surprise so don't ask." Megan grinned looking up at Gabriel biting her bottom lip unconsciously. Gabriel felt a growl building at the unknowingly alluring look.

Gabriel cleared his throat and took a rough breath. "You planned something for us, baby?"

"I did, nothing fancy but it should be nice." Megan answered with a soft smile. "I thought it would be nice for us to act like a real couple." she said awkwardly.

Gabriel turned Megan to face him, "baby, we are a real couple. There is no place I would rather be than with you." He leaned in to kiss her until they both panted for breath. Gabriel groaned under his breath as pain jolted through him with every beat of his heart.

After a few minutes he told Megan that it was a date, but he had to get back to work. He just needed a little separation to let his body calm down so he could continue to function normally. Gabriel went back into his study and looked through the databases until dinner trying to find anything specific about the claim. His situation was so specific that it seemed unlikely that he would find anything to help him feel better about claiming Megan.