Chapter 5

Five

Something was wrong. Atlas couldn't say exactly how he knew because Gavin was putting up a pretty good front, but ever since he'd looked at his phone earlier, he'd been…off.

Not wanting to pry, Atlas carried on as if everything was okay. He made sandwiches and answered Gavin's questions about the building. Strange that Gavin hadn't asked a thing about how to unlock his power or what would happen if he chose not to.

Looking down, Atlas carefully placed their dirty plates in the dishwasher. He didn't want to think about what it would mean if Gavin chose to let his power remain dormant. With HAP knowing who Gavin was, they'd have to move him out of the city. Atlas swallowed. Their connection was too new to say he'd follow Gavin anywhere, but that's how he felt.

"Atlas?" Gavin asked, voice subdued.

Atlas turned from the counter to find Gavin standing beside the island.

"Um, would it be okay if I laid down somewhere? I'm pretty tired."

"Of course," Atlas said, feeling off balance. "We've got guest suites. You can stay in one of those."

He led a quiet Gavin back to the elevator. Their hands brushed together in the hallway, but Gavin didn't reach for him. Atlas tried not to read into it. The day had thrown more than a couple surprises at Gavin. He probably just needed some time to sort through it all.

When they made it to the guest floor, Atlas walked Gavin to the first suite. He pushed the door open and reached in to turn on the lights. "There's a house phone you can use to reach any of us, but if you want, I can give you my cell. That way you just text if you need anything."

"That'll be good." Gavin pulled out his phone and poked around, then looked up at Atlas expectantly.

Atlas rattled off his number. "Will you text me so I have yours, too?"

Lifting his face from his phone, Gavin had his lips pulled into a little smile. The first one since after Fred had shown up in the kitchen. "Of course." He swallowed as his gaze swept over Atlas's face like he was searching for something.

"Gavin—" Atlas started only to be cut off when Gavin lifted up on his toes and wrapped a hand around the back of Atlas's neck, bringing their lips together. Atlas kissed him back, half startled by the desperate way Gavin's lips moved against his and the demanding entrance of his tongue, caressing against Atlas's.

Reaching up, Atlas slipped his hands up Gavin's back and over his shoulders to cup his face. He tilted Gavin's head, getting a better angle and slowing the kiss. Making it deeper.

Gavin sighed into it, both hands wrapping around Atlas's shoulders and holding on like he never wanted to let go. But he did. All too soon, he pulled back, pressing one last kiss to Atlas's lips.

With a strangely shiny blue gaze, he looked over Atlas's face again. "Thanks again for saving me."

"Gavin," Atlas said, voice still rough from the kissing. "What's going on? Are you okay?"

He smiled and pulled away, stepping into the room. "I'm fine. Just tired. Goodnight."

The door clicked closed between them.

Standing there, Atlas pulled out his phone. Gavin hadn't sent a text. Pulling up his contacts, he pressed Lark's number.

"Hey, bro," Lark said a moment later.

Atlas pressed the phone harder against his ear and moved back toward the elevator. "Hey. How's it going? Will you have Charlotte back here soon?"

There were sounds of movement through the phone. "Charlotte? She's not back yet? The police took her down to the station to make a statement and were going to give her a ride to the Hub after. I was getting ready to head home, but I'll stop there and see what the hold-up is. I really thought she'd already be back."

Atlas frowned. "Did Derek go with her?"

"No. Him and the hounds got called to another disturbance. Charlotte asked me to stay at the coffee shop and wait for the guys coming to board up the windows. Don't worry, I'll spring her from the police."

"Okay. Thanks."

"How's Gavin?"

"Quiet. He seemed fine, but I think it's all starting to set in."

Lark made an understanding noise. "Yeah. It's a lot. Which one gave him the rundown, Violet or Fred?" Lark knew Rhea's name, but since he was in public, he wouldn't use it…just in case someone was listening.

"Violet, but Fred popped in while we were in the kitchen. Their teleporting freaked him out a little bit, I think." Bypassing the elevator, Atlas pushed open the door for the stairs and down a floor.

Lark snorted. "I bet. The crew is almost finished with the windows, so I'll be heading out soon. If Charlotte shows up, shoot me a text."

"Will do. Thanks."

"Yep." Lark disconnected.

Biting his lip, Atlas stood in the stairwell and stared down at his dark phone. He had a bad feeling. He wished he knew if something was actually wrong or if Gavin was having a hard time adjusting. And wished again that Gavin had texted him so he'd have his number.

With a sigh, he stuffed his phone back in his pocket and headed for his own quarters. There was nothing he could do right now except give Gavin the space he needed.

The suite was nice.Gavin stood just inside the door, looking over the sitting area. There was a couch, TV, and coffee table. An arched opening to the left revealed a bed with plush-looking bedding, bracketed by bedside tables and a dresser.

He walked to the dresser. On top, there was a laundry basket with an unopened pack of underwear, socks, sweats, t-shirts, and all manner of toiletries. All the clothes were his size. Had the seers been able to see that, or had someone made a really good guess? With a shake of his head, he went into the attached bathroom and splashed cold water on his face.

It didn't matter if they'd bought clothes his size. He had to go save Charlotte, and he knew he wouldn't be coming back. Tears stung his eyes again. Fuck, it wasn't fair. He'd only just found Atlas. Just found out about this whole secret world of mages and seers. A world he could be—was—a part of, and before he'd even really had any of it, someone was taking it away. Worse, they'd hurt Charlotte and damaged the coffee shop to get at him.

He sucked in a hard breath, the edge of the counter biting into his hands where he gripped it so hard.

His phone buzzed.

Standing up straight, he reached for the towel hanging beside the sink and dried his face. Staring at his reflection showed him a man with too-bright eyes and nervous blotches trailing up from under the collar of his shirt. He took a couple more deep breaths, finger-combed his hair somewhat back into order, and reached for his phone.

Charlotte:The fountain in bloodsucker park. One hour.

The image they sent this time showed all of Charlotte tied to a chair with duct tape still over her mouth and a dark strip of cloth covering her eyes. The park they meant had to be the one named for the vampire leader of the city, Lenette Cabot. It was a nice place, but usually completely empty at night.

Fear spiked through Gavin. He was in way over his head, but all he could do was what they asked. Somehow, he knew they'd know if he told someone. Knew they'd see back-up coming with him from a mile away.

He was on his own, and he didn't have a moment to waste. He wasn't one hundred percent sure where the Hub was located exactly. He'd been too worked up to pay attention on the drive here.

Lifting his phone again, he pressed the icon for one of his rideshare apps. While it calculated his location, he headed back to the door. Opening it a crack, he peeked out into the hall and breathed a sigh of relief at finding it empty.

He typed in the name of the park into the destination address on the app and waited for it to calculate. A ride could be here in five minutes. Perfect. He selected a driver and headed for the stairs, crossing his fingers that he wouldn't run into anyone.

He couldn't think about Atlas. Or a future that could have been his. He needed to save Charlotte. That was all that mattered now.