Page 18 of Bound By the Moon

“Jessica?” My dad’s voice boomed through the housefrom downstairs. I snatched my robe and ran down there before hemanaged to wake the babies.

“What the hell is all the yelling about, dad? Thereare sleeping babies upstairs and the sun’s not even up.” I took onelook at his face, and started to worry. “What’s going on? Is Mikaelokay? Asi? What’s happened?”

He waved off my concern, and moved out of the way sothat I could see he wasn’t alone. “They’re fine. They checked in alittle earlier. They won’t be coming back just yet, because theypicked up a healthy trail. Serena showed up a little while ago andfilled me in on what she’s been doing over at Avery’s. I thought itwas something you’d need to know right away.”

“Well, let’s go to the kitchen then. I need somecoffee before I can work in any capacity, let alone an officialone.”

My father chuckled and Serena shook her head at me,but both of them followed me to the kitchen and waited patientlywhile I put a pot of coffee on. “Does this have anything to do withyou remote viewing the caves?”

“How did you know?”

“Avery mentioned something about it yesterday whenhe left to warn you about Louis.”

“Louis, yes, we’ll get to him later. I want to talkto you about the gateway to the dead right now though.”

“Coffee?” I offered each of them. My dad nodded andSerena just waved it off.

“If you have tea, I would prefer that.” I didn’teven need to respond, I just set about making some tea.

“Cream, sugar, anything?”

“Honey if you have it,” Serena smiled at me as I satthe cup, a spoon, and some honey in front of her. She raised hereyebrow about the same time as she raised the honey bearcontainer.

“Hey, it’s not honey if it doesn’t come in thelittle bear thing.” I sat down with my coffee and watched the smirkappear on Serena’s face as she poured the honey straight from thebear into her tea and stirred. “So, what’s going on with thisgateway? Did you manage to find it?”

“I think I am confident about its general location.”Serena was studying my face then. “It is a protected portal, Jess,and as far as I can tell it’s not just in the caves, it isunderground. I spoke to Layla. She’s on her way here, by theway.”

“Wait, what about the Fiul Sange? Louis?”

“What about him?”

“Won’t he be a danger to you and Layla?”

“He’s already Fiul Sange, he has no need to drain awitch.” She peered at me over her tea cup as she took anothersip.

“I get that, but he has a horde of dark ones withhim. If any of them realize how a Fiul Sange is created, that putsyou in danger.”

“Well, if we were young and naïve still, maybe. Donot worry yourself about my sister and I, Jessica. We will be fine.Besides, Layla has a special gift and dominion over the dead. Whatare the dark ones, but mostly-dead creatures walking?”

“I suppose.” I was kind of thrown by how dismissiveSerena was being about the dark ones. She had to know, with a FiulSange around, she was quite possibly in a lot of danger, especiallysince he appeared to pretty desperate to get his hands on me and myblood. “We’re also blood though. What if he has learned thatsomehow?”

“Then he’d be smart enough to run. If he knew youwere family, I doubt he would attempt what he’s trying.”

“What exactly is he attempting to do?”

“He wants to open the portal. I can only assume hemeans to bring some dead friends back across into our realm. Evenif he gets the portal open, it won’t be as easy as all that forhim. The other side doesn’t just let go of its dead for nothing,and besides, that particular gateway is guarded by some ferociousbeasts.”

“What kind of ferocious beasts?”

Serena eyed me for a few minutes, took another sipof her tea, and then sat back. “Jessica, he needs your blood toopen the gateway.”

“I figured that part out. Why my blood, and whatferocious beasts?”

“He needs the blood of the portal’s guardians inorder to gain entry to the other side.” After noting my blankstare, she smiled briefly, then continue. “Your blood and theirblood are the same.”

“How the hell can that be? I…” Then it hit me.Clearly, I should have had more coffee before we started thisconversation. I was a bit slow on the uptake. “Wait,” I thought itthrough one more time, and then eyed Serena suspiciously. “You’resaying I’ve seen the portal.”

She didn’t answer, only inclined her head slightlyand then continued sipping her tea. I wanted to throw the tea cupacross the room by that point.

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