Golden Keeper Ch. 08

"No. I mean, I can feel the other dimension, my mother taught me to be vigilant about my surroundings…especially ones that I can't see. So it shouldn't be too hard. But if something were to go wrong…"

"No worries, dear." Phaedra popped up and out of her seat, excited. "I'll be right here."

"I, uhm… could-could Grant be here, too?" She didn't look at his mother when she asked.

Phaedra smirked. "Of course, darling." She went to door and stuck her head out to call his name. Seconds later, Grant was bounding up the stairs to his parents' suite.

"Did you have a good time?" he asked as he walked over to May, who was still sitting in her chair.

"Yes," she smiled up at him, "but I'd like to try something. I just wanted you to be here in case something went wrong."

She saw worry streak across his features. "Not that anything should… it should be fairly simple."

"What are you going to do?"

"I'm going to try and cloak my wings in a different plane."

Grant didn't understand the extent of it, but he trusted her. "I'll be right here," he said encouragingly.

"So will… your…" May looked around for the missing female. "Where did your mother go?"

"Oh, she went to check on my dad."

May tilted her head. "Is he alright?"

"Later," he cut her off.

"Ready?" he asked, once again smiling.

"Okay," May answered as she closed her eyes.

It was definitely easier than she thought it would be. However, she had to try hard to make sure that it was only her wings that stayed on the plane when her presence left, nothing else. She could feel the weight on her back lighten as she forced her mind back into her body's present realm. She could still feel where her wings should have been, though. May figured that this would get easier with practice.

When May's eyes snapped open, she was surprised to find herself back in Grant's bed.

"Grant?" she called out, looking around the room.

He answered from the bathroom, "I'll be right there, hon."

May squealed when she found that she was flat on her back, she could feel the soft linens rubbing against her back… without feathers. Grant came rushing in. "What's wrong?"

"Look!" she squealed again.

He smiled warmly down at her. "I know, baby. You look gorgeous."

He bent down and kissed her inviting, pink lips. May, overjoyed by the lack of discomfort, pulled Grant down on top of her and swirled her tongue on the roof of his mouth. He rolled them over so she was on top and slowly massaged her shoulders and her back, reveling the silky smooth feeling of her skin against his.

"Where did my clothes go?" she mumbled between breathless kisses.

"I took them off of you."

May rolled her eyes and bit his neck. "When will they be here?"

"About a half hour or so…"

That stopped May short. "Thirty minutes!? I have to get ready! No time for this. Come!"

She pulled him with her into the bathroom and turned the water on. Taking another shower with him may not have been the best idea, but she didn't really care.

"No funny business," she scolded him as soon as his hands fell to her hips.

After ten minutes of soaping and cuddling underneath the scalding spray, May turned off the water and hopped out. She opened the door with the flick of her wrist and ran into his bedroom, looking for something to wear.

"Grant? Where are the clothes your mother gave me?"

"In the dresser by the window," he said as he stuck his head out of the bathroom, shaving cream still on his face, to watch the droplets of water that were still on her skin, slide seductively down…

"Hey!" she squeaked.

May held out her hand and a towel flew off the rack to her outstretched arm. It wrapped itself around her form as she harrumphed at him, giving him an exaggerated glare while she willed the door to close.

"Grant," she called out while smiling at the fact that Phaedra's yellow sundress was able to fit without cutting holes in it, "how did Rebekah know to leave? I don't remember you calling her…" She tried to think of a time when Grant wasn't by her side.

Like this, she heard, only it came from inside her head.

She clutched at her scalp, confused. "What was that?!"

It's just something I can do, Grant answered.

"Stop! It's freaking me out!" May was unnerved by having someone else in her head.

"Sorry, Chara," he said to her, wrapping his arms around her torso from behind. "But, I love the dress," he finished, dropping a kiss in her hair.

"How do you do that?" she asked, and turned in his arms, her wings no longer proving to be an obstacle.

"Some of us can do things like that…"

"You mean people like you? Uhm, werewolves?"

"Yeah. Madeline is able to teleport… that's probably the strangest thing any of us can do. All of us have the power of telepathy. It's stronger between mates and family members, though," he trailed off, staring down at her.

"Oh. No one can do what I can?"

She sighed. I'm always the freak. Only now, I'm a freak among freaks. Hah.

May made the drawers in Grant's dresser open and his normal ensemble of jeans—she added a shirt for fun—floated out to him.

"No," he said as he dressed himself, "although your ability is extremely awesome!"

May looked up at him and her heart melted. He looks like a little kid!

He was sporting a giant grin, and a single dimple formed in his right cheek. His eyes sparkled with amusement. "Could you move me, you think?"

"I'm really not supposed to…" she trailed off after his smile drooped a little.

"Alright, alright," she relented.

He beamed like a kid in a candy store once more, and backed away from her. I'm such a sucker, she thought.

May put her left arm out, palm up, and curled her fingers slowly towards herself.

___

Grant watched as she curled her fingers into her palm. He didn't feel anything yet. She looks so innocent in that dress, he thought as he gazed at her appreciatively. Her dress was yellow and strapless, but it flared out at the bottom. There were tiny white and orange flowers on vines that traveled up from the bottom hemline. He smiled.

His smile was replaced by a frown. It felt like someone was pushing him…

No, not pushing… pulling me forward? He had no idea how she was doing it, but he was suddenly one foot closer to Charamaine than he was before.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed. He saw her fingers twitch and he was lofted up into the air, and she kept him there, hovering.

He heard her sigh. "I did it," she said, softly.

"Was it hard? I'm sorry, you didn't have to—" He was cut off—his mouth had been sealed shut.

"Hmm, that's nice," she joked. "You know, this isn't that bad. Momma always told me not to though… it leads to bad things. She only taught me to move inanimate objects. That's all she could do, too… I think. Regardless, it's weird because I have to focus on getting each limb up, not just your body as a whole. Maybe with more practice…"

She grinned up at him. Grant was now upside down; the blood was rushing to his head. He tried to speak but found his voice was still muffled by his closed lips. He tried reaching a hand up to pry open his mouth, but found his hand rendered immobile as well. Grant was now very, very glad Charamaine was on his side.

"Oh! You want to come down, yes? Sorry. It's just so cool!" She snickered.

Grant maintained his equilibrium as she set him down on his feet, his head was pounding from the new blood flow, but it was fading. "Baby," he said, pulling her closer, "you are amazing." He lowered his head and kissed her, sparking the fire again.

___

The silence was heavy in the small room; one man was still staring at the other incredulously. After another minute or so, someone had to clear the awkward atmosphere.

"Hey… you alright?" Orion asked as he stood and went over to the side of the other man's bed.

Emmett closed his eyes. He felt a headache coming on. Can I even get those anymore? Vampire? Seriously? What the fuck are these people on?

When he opened them again, he saw Orion staring at him, braced for an attack or something. Emmett sighed. "Okay. Really."

"No, I'm serious. Why is this so hard to believe? You're already part of the supernatural world anyway."

"What?" Emmett responded, confused.

"Well, there's Charamaine. She has wings, for Pete's sake. Then the fact that we're all werewolves… I would think that you're being a vampire would not be so extraordinary."

"Excuse me," Emmett was almost at a loss for words, "What? Werewolves?"

"Oh." Orion looked away. "I thought you knew…"

"What?!" he yelled again, this time he sat up in his bed.

"Yea… look—uhm. I though they told you. Otherwise I wouldn't have said anything…shit," He added at the end quietly.

Emmett pushed his hair back off his forehead. "I—I can't stay in here. I'm claustrophobic… I'm going for a walk."

What the fuck is going on?! he thought again.

"Alright. Hey, listen, man. Take time to think about it. Talk to Charamaine, I know she's worried about you."

"Yeah, yeah," Emmett replied as he swung his legs over the edge of the bed.

He was pleasantly surprised to find that he was wearing drawstring sweats. They'll do, he supposed, and he dashed out the door in a fast streak of movement.

___

"They'll be here in five," Grant's voice was muffled as he nibbled at May's neck.

"Oh!" She was so excited to see her family again.

Grant bit her neck harder then licked at the bite. "So everyone knows you're mine," he said to her, only half joking.

May smiled and dropped her hands. She walked out of his bedroom and through his mini-kitchen to get to the front door. May stepped outside to the front porch steps. There was a sudden breeze and, with her sharp eyes, May spotted someone running by awfully fast… someone…

"Emmett?" she called after the retreating figure.

It stopped. May looked at her tall, blonde, shirtless friend, and wondered where he was going. "Emmett? What's wrong?"

She watched him turn around and was just as surprised as before at the scars that slashed and crossed all over his body.

"What's wrong?" he asked her in a low voice after he reached her. "May, do you know what they are?"

May thought he was on the verge of losing it. "Emmett, please. Relax, sit. Please?" she pleaded.

He huffed and jerked down onto the top step. She sat next to him and pulled his head into her lap, stroking his hair. "It's okay, Emmett. They're just trying to help."

"So you know?" he whispered.

"Yes." She heard him sigh.

"Do you know what I am?" he asked in an even softer tone.

"Hmm, my best friend, perhaps?"

He looked up at her and smiled, but she could see the conflict in his eyes. He looked back down, ashamed. "He—Orion—told me… May, he told me I was a vampire."

She stopped petting him. "Oh."

An immediate silence followed, the only sound was May's heart beating. "You're not going to… kill me… right?" she half-joked with a nervous laugh.

He shot up. "May, honestly," he chided, "how could you ever think that? Besides, I don't think your—or their—nonhuman blood is very… appealing."

May looked out to the sun, setting in the purple sky. "So… how come you aren't being burned alive-er…dead?" She giggled and started to stroke his golden hair again.

"I don't know," he answered. "The sun hurt before…when it was really high up… but now that it's setting I seem to be okay… I don't really know anything about this stuff. It's really frustrating. Hell, I don't even know if I can eat anymore!"

That stopped them both cold before they burst out laughing. May wasn't able to honestly imagine life for Emmett…without food. Food and sex are the only two things a person will ever need, he always said.

"They'll be here in a minute… I don't know if you want a shirt, Emmett," May heard Grant as he spoke from behind her.

She hadn't realized he was there. She turned her head around, her corn silk hair flying, and saw him staring at the spot where Emmett lay in her lap. "Oh, come off it, Grant. Emmett is my friend."

He sighed. "Emmett?" he repeated.

"Yeah, I guess I'll take one. Thanks."

They heard Grant go inside briefly and then return with a loose, gray tee shirt. As Emmett put it on he spoke, "I don't know if I'm ready to see them yet. Maybe in a little while, okay? Just call for me. I know I'll hear." He sighed.

"Are you sure?" May asked, concerned.

Emmett just nodded and jumped off the porch, speeding off into the forest. "He doesn't even know where he's going," she said after he left.

___

He lay there, looking up at the clouds, trying to see images that weren't there. He hasn't even come to see me since that first time. I don't know what's gotten into him. It's like… like he doesn't want me anymore. He sighed and closed his eyes, pictures of their last encounter running through his mind…

"Hey, babe. Where've you been all day?" He gave Jase a kiss on the cheek.

Jase just grunted.

"What's wrong?" he said and straddled Jase's lap in the rocking chair. It groaned underneath their combined weight.

"Nothing. I'm not in the mood, okay?" Jase shoved him and looked away.

He sighed. He's been like this since he got back from that fucking mission Grant sent him on.

"Fine," he said and hopped off his lap.

"Bye." He held the front door open. Jase rolled his eyes and stalked out of his cabin and maybe his life.

He shook the memories from his head when he heard the unnatural rustle of some nearby leaves. He sat up quickly, growling at the intruder. Seeing no one, he got up and took his polo off, in case he needed to change forms. His sweats were less of a concern. He slowly walked to forest edge, his blue eyes darting around. He was about to turn around and walk away when a man jumped down from the nearest tree.

___

Oh, baby, he thought as he sat perched up on the branch of a nearby tree, watching the man who was lying on the grass in front of a cabin.

The man's arms were folded underneath his flaming red hair, causing his shirt to rise up and reveal his slight, but toned, body. Emmett was practically drooling. Geez! I'm like some kind of voyeur, sitting here. He immediately tossed that thought aside.

That man was just too scrumptious to ignore. His nose was slightly crooked, like it was broken then set back in place too many times to count. His jaw was masculine, but not overly so. His cheekbones had some natural color to them, giving the unknown man boyish characteristics. His auburn eyelashes rested against his cheeks, hiding what Emmett would bet were stunning eyes. Emmett shifted on the tree, sending leaves to tumble down and land quietly on the forest floor. At least, he thought they were quiet.

When the man opened his eyes, Emmett nearly fell off his branch. His eyes were absolutely stunning. They were a deep blue… an infinite oasis. Emmett watched as he stood up and removed his polo, which was covered in grass stains from the lawn. He didn't know, nor did he care why, the man was removing his clothing, but he thanked the Lord for the magnificent show. The man walked closer to his hiding spot and Emmett thought that maybe the man would see him, but his azure gaze swept over him. As he started to turn around, Emmett decided to make his move.

He jumped agilely from his perch down the ground soundlessly.

___

Whoa, he thought, and mentally fanned himself.

The man—being—in front of him was mouthwatering. Absolutely delicious. Golden, curls, long enough to obscure vision but short enough to still be considered adorable. When the man pushed his hair back slightly, he was met with perfect, emerald green orbs staring back at him. Sure, one was a little… discolored… but the man was still gorgeous. His face was chiseled, taking away the childlike quality his hair should've had. The scars on his face did little to detract from his handsomeness. His gaze dropped lower, admiring the man's fit body underneath sweats. When he brought his eyes up again, they just stared at each other.

After a few minutes, the golden man grinned and his heart sped.

"Can I help you?" he asked the beautiful intruder.

A knee-weakening smile. "Just passing through."

"And you are…?"

"Emmett." Sparkling green eyes bored into his blues as he reached his hand out.

"Finn," he replied, taking Emmett's hand.

The coldness of Emmett's skin wasn't what shocked him; it was the current that seemed to pass between them. Finn gave Emmett a dazzling smile and he saw his gaze drop momentarily to his mouth. They dropped their hands but still stood relatively close to each other. Neither noticed.

"Well, Finn," Emmett started in a seductive baritone, "you live around here?" He raised one eyebrow.

"Yeah," Finn said, turning to gesture at his cabin, his pride and joy. "Built her myself. How 'bout you?"

Emmett nodded, appreciating the workmanship. "You live with the rest of them?" he asked, ignoring Finn's question.

"That would depend on who you mean by 'the rest of them.'"

"You know Charamaine?" Emmett asked, staring down at him.

Finn realized that this Emmett must be well above average when it came to height, as Finn was six feet tall himself. That got Finn thinking of all the other things Emmett could be above average in…

"Ah-yes. I haven't seen her since the first day she was brought here, though. Why? Have you seen her?"

"Yeah." Finn waited for him to continue, but Emmett said nothing.

"Right. Well… what can I do for ya?"

Emmett looked down at Finn again with smoldering eyes. His intentions were clear.

___

"Which direction will they come from?" she asked, leaning back into Grant's embrace on the porch.

"North."

May didn't want to have to admit that she didn't know which way that was…but it was true. Boy, do I feel stupid… Grant obviously understood and twisted her body in the right way, chuckling.

"Not funny," she grumbled.

Her annoyance was soon forgotten when she thought about her family. "How will they get here?"

"I should've sent Madeline… but I wasn't thinking," he mumbled. "They'll come by car. Rebekah drove."

"How will they drive through the forest?" she asked, surprised.

He chuckled again. "They won't. They'll get out and walk from wherever Rebekah parked the car."

"Oh." She was satisfied with his answer. "I can't wait," she whispered, and leant back to kiss his neck.

He smiled. "I know. But I don't think you should start something you can't finish. Especially since they're here."

"What? Where?" She sprung down the stairs and ran to the forest's edge, eagerly awaiting the reunion.

"Give them a minute, babe. They've been walking for a while."

She harrumphed. "Fine." She sat, but told herself the moment she heard footsteps she would be up again.

Sure enough, at the first sound of feet on the earth, May sprung up, bouncing. She heard Grant laugh from where he stood on the porch behind her, but she didn't care. May shifted back and forth, trying to see them. She heard them first.

"God damn it! What the fuck? Do you live on a motherfucking reservation in the middle of saintfucksnowhere?"

"Rikita Elsa Hale, you watch your language."

May thought she'd cry with joy from just hearing their voices.