Chapter 6
Shae dislikedit when Dagan flashed with her, but stepping through an eerie opening splitting the air unsettled hermore.
As she stumbled into sunshine, exhaling a relieved breath, the crack in the dimension closed with a soft hiss behind her. The icy chill here seeped beneath her jacket. Shae hastily let go of his hand and buttoned up herjacket.
Tall, spindly trees grew sporadically along a shallow riverbank, and the cool, earthy smell of damp soil drenched the air. Boulders covered with varying shades of lichen were clumped about. In the distance, a mountain range meandered into a forest and beyond. Heavy clouds enclosed granitepeaks.
She searched the place for signs of habitation, a village, or even a hut. Nothing. “Where arewe?”
“Romania.”
It made sense why he’d open a portal. “So where exactly is your house—” She broke off and peered at the mountaintops as the clouds drifted apart for a second. Far, far up, there was something. Shae gaped. “Is thatit?”
Hegrunted.
The Guardians’ abode appeared like a disjointed series of blocks with towers which were stuck to the rock face of the soaring cliffs. Then the clouds merged, hiding the buildings oncemore.
“Whoa!” Laughter spilled free. She pivoted to him. “Are you competing with the eagles for homespace?”
His mouth twitched, and her tummy tripped. She wished he’d stop doing that. She didn’t want to like his smile, too, not when his handsome face was already so damndistracting.
“C’mon.” He slid his hand around her waist and drew her close. Again, her body appeared to dissolve. Crap! Shae grabbed him, eyes shut tight. Moments later, they reformed on the sky-high courtyard. She bit back a moan, so darn grateful that he hadn’t let her go or she would have landed face-first at hisfeet.
Midday sunlight spilled over the building. From a distance, the place had appeared charming with its mismatched turrets and balconies meandering along the rock face of themountains.
Up close? The abbey-like building didn’t welcome orcaptivate.
It loomed. Menaced. Made her want to hotfoot it out ofthere.
She shivered and rubbed the goosebumps flooding her arms. “This looks like an abandoned…monastery?”
“It was. After a minor tremor destroyed part of the building, we convinced the previous residents, the good monks, to take the dwelling we’d procured at that time, and we moved in here.” He headed for the arched, black, woodendoor.
Frowning, Shae followed him. It seemed they hadn’t bothered putting things to rights after the quake either. The courtyard sported spidery cracks in the dusty granite surface that crept into the main building. She entered the cool foyer and warily eyed the spindly fissure on the worn floors. “How long have you livedhere?”
A shrug rolled off those broad shoulders. “Since the fourthcentury.
Whoa! “And you didn’t think to fix this place up in all thattime?”
“Why?” He cut her a questioning look. “It’s been stableenough.”
Okaaay. Hopefully, the building wouldn’t slide off the mountain anytime soon. “So, where’s thechurch?”
“The worship place was on the other side of the monastery and collapsed after thetremor.”
Ugh. That wasn’t very reassuring. But if they still resided here, it probably—hopefully—wassafe.
Shae slowed to a stop and simply stared. Soaring walls and a faded, patchy biblical ceiling fresco that had suffered some damage through the passage of time surrounded her. Sunlight streamed through the dome-shaped windows into an enormous split-level living room ofsorts.
On a wooden coffee table lay a spilled deck of playing cards as if someone had started a game and left. A couple of recliner armchairs surrounded the table. Two arcade games, along with a foosball and a pool table took up space along on the opposite side. And the most important equipment for men’s survival?No TV.Nada.
“Who else liveshere?”
“Two others. The kitchen’s in there.” He waved a hand to his right. “Down the hallway are the bedrooms,” he said, pointing left to the shadowy corridor, “and upstairs. We don’t usually have guests, so most of the unused rooms are uninhabitable. My room is the second to last one down this hallway. Use it until I get something sorted out for you.” He pivoted, then swung right back. “The other Guardians’ rooms are off-limits. I’ll see you later.” Then he shimmered and just sort of faded like aghost.
Really?That’s it? She scowled at the spot he’d been moments ago. More rules, then hedisappeared?
Damn man. But with exhaustion weighing her down, it wasn’t like she could simply leave and go book a room at a hotel. No matter how beautiful this open mausoleum of a living room appeared, or inviting the leather recliner was, two other Guardians lived here. They could walk inanytime.
