Chapter 4

Four

Atlas wished he'd squeezed onto the other couch beside Gavin. Watching his face as he absorbed the truth about carriers, about mages, was hard. The disbelief, the denial, and finally, the resignation.

Something sharp twisted in Atlas's gut. Would these truths drive Gavin away? He'd never been able to fully explain why Gavin appealed to him the way that he did. A random stop at a coffee shop on a cool, rainy day had changed his life. Gavin hadn't treated him differently than the half dozen other customers in line, but Atlas had been transfixed by his warm smile all the same.

Rhea was being gentle with Gavin. Atlas was thankful for that. The seers were generally amicable, but sometimes their visions left them in dark moods.

When Gavin sat for a full minute without saying anything after Rhea's last statement, she turned to Atlas. "I think that's enough for now. Will you show Gavin where he can rest and feed him?"

"Of course," Atlas said, climbing to his feet. Before he could stand up fully, Rhea was already gone. Atlas scowled. Gavin was in enough shock without all the theatrics. Of course, the seers didn't see their strange comings and goings that way. They didn't operate on the same wavelength as everyone else, so expecting them to act human was moot.

Gavin startled, staring at the empty cushion where Rhea had been. "How…"

Giving him a gentle smile, Atlas moved to stand in front of him. "Sorry, they do that. Come on, let's get something to eat."

Climbing to his feet, Gavin stepped around Atlas and moved a couple feet away. "If there are other things you need to do, I'm sure I can figure it out if you'll tell me where to go."

Atlas frowned, hurt that Gavin already wanted to be away from him. "Gavin…"

"It's just," Gavin said, voice low and not meeting Atlas's eyes. "You don't have to babysit me anymore, you know? I'm here now and…safe. I don't want to take up any more of your time."

Atlas's thoughts spun. Insecurities he'd held for a long time tried to rise up out of his chest to choke him, but he beat them back. Gavin was scared right now—vulnerable—and he thought he'd been a burden to Atlas all this time.

Reaching out, he gently took hold of Gavin's chin and urged his face up. Once their eyes met and held, he took a breath and bent lower so their faces were close to the same level. "Ask me when I found out you're a carrier."

Gavin searched his face, gaze sweeping from Atlas's eyes to his lips and back again. "When?"

"Today," Atlas said succinctly. He moved the hand he still had on Gavin's chin to cup the side of his face, rubbing a gentle line just beneath Gavin's bottom lip with his thumb. "About two minutes after I left the coffee shop."

Gavin's breath caught. "Then why?—"

Atlas smiled. "Isn't it obvious? I have a crush on the cute barista."

A blush rose in Gavin's cheeks, and he gave Atlas the sweetest little smile. "You're not the only one with a crush."

Thundering hope spread through Atlas's chest. "Yeah?"

Gavin's gaze dropped to Atlas's lips again. "Yeah."

Leaning forward, Atlas brought their mouths together. It was a simple press, the soft, warm skin of Gavin's lips molding to his like they were finally where they belonged. He pulled back all too soon, but he needed Gavin to really understand. "You're not a burden," he said into the warm space between their faces. "You could never be."

Gavin swallowed hard, eyes suspiciously shiny. "The lady said something about feeding me? I'm starved."

"Come on." Atlas stood up straight and reached out for Gavin's hand. "I'll give you the tour on the way to the kitchen."

"What are all these doors?" Gavin fell into step beside him.

"This room is one of the reasons we call this the Hub. They're gateways. Doors to other cities where the seers and mages have a presence."

"Wow." Gavin's head swiveled around, looking at the different doors. They weren't labeled in any way, but they were each unique. He'd passed through several during his time here, going to assist other mages or using a door as a means to travel quickly. It certainly beat standing in line at the airport.

"So, the other cities, do they have rooms like this, too?"

"No. We really are the main Hub. Seers, mages, and others pass through us if they need to go to a different city where we have a presence."

"Others?"

Atlas bit at this lip, afraid he'd said too much too soon. New carriers didn't always take the news of some of the mage affiliations well. "Allies."

Gavin hummed. "How many mages work here?"

"Live here, really. There are only three of us right now. Me, my brother Lark, and Pike. We each have quarters in the building. There are also common areas. A big kitchen, a gym, and a rec room. The seers have their own space, but sometimes they join us for dinner and movies."

"Sounds nice," Gavin said as they reached the door to the hallway. "Charlotte is my roommate. We've been living together for a couple of years now."

"You're close?"

"Oh yeah, she's practically my sister. Will she be able to come here after she finishes up at the shop?" Gavin shook his head. "I still can't believe that. I can't believe they'd just attack the shop like that. I haven't even done anything."

They made it to the elevator. Atlas pressed the down button. "I know. Hate makes people do senseless things."

"Charlotte will be alright, won't she?"

"Yes. Lark and Derek will stay with her and help deal with the police and getting the coffee shop secured. I'm sorry that I dragged you away, but?—"

"No, I get it. Please don't apologize for saving my life." Gavin squeezed his hand. "Thank you, by the way."

Atlas squeezed back. "You don't ever have to thank me for that."

Gavin settledon a stool at the island in the largest kitchen he'd ever been in. The appliances were all shiny stainless steel, and he'd never seen a bigger refrigerator in his life. The ones in the back of the coffee shop weren't even that big. "How many people live here, again?"

Atlas shot him a smile over his shoulder. "Three of us mages and two seers full-time, but lots of seers come through here."

Gavin frowned. "The seer I just met…she never told me her name."

Atlas's gaze turned apologetic. "Yeah, sorry about that. They don't give their names away easily. It's a seer thing. You can call her Violet. That's generally what she tells people."

"What do you have to do to learn her name?" Gavin leaned his elbows on the island, more curious than he'd imagined feeling when they were on their way here. It was like a whole other world. A world that had apparently always existed right here, but he'd been clueless about it. Now, he might be a part of it.

Atlas turned from the fridge, setting deli turkey, cheese, and a couple condiment bottles on the island. "If you choose to unlock your power, she'll tell you. The other one, though…he's a little more finicky. We call him Fred."

"Is his hair a normal color?"

Atlas chuckled. "Not exactly."

"It's not nice to talk about people behind their backs, you know."

Gavin jumped at the sound of a voice behind him. He spun around on the stool just in time to catch a short man with fire engine red hair gelled into spikes heading into the pantry.

Atlas sighed. "Fred, I was only telling Gavin who lived here."

Fred popped back out of the pantry, a box of crackers and a canister of cheese whiz clutched to his chest. Gavin tried not to stare and was pretty sure he failed miserably. Fred must have been shorter than Gavin, who was only 5'8". He was wearing Squishmallow slippers, tube socks, neon blue basketball shorts, and a white tank top underneath a knee-length leopard print robe.

The outfit alone was enough to warrant a second look, but it was his eyes Gavin couldn't look away from. The man didn't look a day over twenty-five until Gavin met his gaze. The same deep lines framed eyes the color of pennies in Fred's pale face. Gavin wondered what his real name was and how old he really was.

Fred tsked at him. "Sorry, Gavin. You're a nice guy, I can tell, but I prefer to keep my secrets. Atlas," Fred said, turning to the mage. "We're out of cheese whiz." Then he was gone.

Gavin blinked at the empty spot Fred had been standing in. "I don't think I'll ever get used to that."

Atlas chuckled. "Oh, you'd be surprised."

Gavin watched while Atlas went about making them some sandwiches and pulling packets of chips and cakes out of several different cabinets. His phone buzzed in his pocket. As he was reaching for it, he asked, "Why do you keep things all over the place?"

Atlas leaned over the island and said in a whisper, "Because seers can't see objects. Just people."

Ah. Gavin chuckled. Poor Fred. He must have more than just a cheese whiz addiction. Looking down at his phone, he saw a text from Charlotte. A picture. He opened the text. Charlotte's face, tear-streaked with a piece of duct tape over her mouth, looked back at him.

Charlotte:You'll meet us where and when we tell you. Tell no one. Come alone. Fail to follow these instructions, she dies.