In truth, he was a handsome specimen of a man. But he was invading my territory and I didn’t like that one bit.
“May I ask what you’re doing here?” I folded my arms over my chest and adopted my best “I’m the boss and you have to announce your intentions whether you like it or not” face.
Rather than tremble in the face of my obvious authority, the man snickered. “We’re here to commune with the dead. May I ask what you’re doing here?”
His response was so matter-of-fact I faltered. “Commune with the dead?” Even as I asked the question, my brain did a dance of dread. When he mentioned communing with the dead, my mind immediately went to the gate. It could be argued that the gate signified a way to communicate with those who had passed on. However, the gate was a secret — even many who worked with the reapers had no idea it existed — and it seemed impossible that this man could know of the its existence.
“There’s a door here,” the man replied, his gaze moving back to his followers as he watched them march in a circle, hands raised to the sky. “We’re here to find that door.”
A door? Could he possibly be referring to the gate? There was no way I could come out and ask him directly. That would serve as confirmation of his supposition — and that was the last thing I wanted.
“Okay, well, I think we should start over.” I forced a placating smile. It was meant to reflect disbelief and pity, as if I suspected there was some form of mental illness at play. Even as I adopted the most likely persona to fit this scenario, my heart raced. “What is your name?”
The man’s smile never faltered. He seemed amused rather than insulted by my reaction. “Titus Weaver.” He extended his hand in my direction. “I’m president of The Hidden Fellowship.”
He delivered the last line as if explaining something. “I’m sorry, but I don’t know what that is.”
“The Hidden Fellowship,” he repeated, unruffled. “We believe the line between life and death is only in our minds. Haven’t you ever considered the fact that most people follow rules because they fear what comes after death? Those are the only ramifications that matter.”
I was back to being lost. “What?”
“He’s talking about religion,” Paris volunteered. She’d appeared behind us without me noticing and she seemed entranced — or perhaps terrified — by our visitors. “He’s saying that religion, fear of punishment for eternity, is what keeps people in line.”
Titus nodded appreciatively as he lifted his chin and regarded Paris. “Exactly!” He beamed at her. “What is your name, sister? I can’t help but think you should be one of us.”
That was interesting. Titus’s reaction to Paris was completely different to his reaction to me. He seemed disinterested when I addressed him, as if he was just going through the motions when answering me. But legitimate curiosity reflected from the depths of his eyes as he regarded Paris.
“Yeah, I don’t think I would fit in with your group,” Paris hedged, clearly uncomfortable as she looked around to avoid his gaze.
“That’s not true.” Titus was calm, his eyes gleaming. “You’re a true believer. We recognize our own when we see them.”
“Oh, yeah?” Paris’s voice was shriller than normal. I sensed there was something rippling beneath the surface — panic, hatred, desire — and I was determined to figure out what had gotten my new aide so worked up. “What makes you say that?”
“Because your aura is that of someone who wants to absorb knowledge,” Titus replied. “You’re a curious soul. You want to nurture knowledge and you’re not likely to believe something simply because the masses tell you it’s true.”
“I would agree with that,” Paris replied. “The thing is I also recognize what you are. I get what you’re doing here. This isn’t the first time I’ve come across people like you.”
Titus’s smile never wavered. “People like us? I don’t follow.”
“You’re a cult.” Paris practically spat the words, taking me by surprise. The word wasn’t wrong, but I couldn’t believe she’d gone there so quickly — and with such vehemence. “You’re trying to control these people, point them toward what they believe is a common goal, and then you’re going to sacrifice them to get what you want.”
For the first time since we’d crossed paths with him, Titus appeared agitated. His jaw tightened and a vein throbbed in his forehead. Almost as fast as the reaction took him over, he calmed his features. “I have no idea what you’re talking about.” His voice was smooth. “We’re here because we seek enlightenment. Nothing more.”
“Uh-huh.” Paris didn’t look convinced as she turned to me. “You should call for backup right now. Don’t deal with him alone. Believe me, that’s the last thing you want.”
She sounded so sure of herself that I hesitated only a moment before turning my eyes to Braden. “Call your father. This is above our pay grade.”
He looked relieved at the order as he dug for his phone. “Dad will know what to do.”
“I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT YOU EXPECT ME to do here.”
Cormack Grimlock’s expression was blank as he stood on the sidewalk in front of the aquarium surveying the circling strangers with suspicion. “Is that guy wearing a dress?”
I followed his finger and shook my head. “It’s a ceremonial robe. Does that matter?”
“In Dad’s world proper attire is the biggest concern,” Braden drawled, seemingly amused. “I don’t think the robe matters but obviously Dad does. We should just go with it.”
Cormack shot his son a withering look. “I don’t care if it is a dress. I’m simply asking because there’s a symbol on the back of it. I wanted to see if there was a clue there as to the true motivations of these people.”
I perked up at the suggestion and craned my neck, frowning when I recognized the symbol. “That’s a Chinese symbol,” I offered.
“It is?” Braden appeared intrigued. “What does it mean?”
“I don’t know what it means, but it’s the same symbol on the window of that Chinese place on the other side of the bridge,” I replied. “You know, the one that has the egg rolls you like? Yeah, I’m pretty sure that robe is part of the uniform for the wait staff.”
“Oh, you’re right.” The excitement vacated Braden’s eyes just as fast as it had appeared. “That’s kind of a bummer, huh? But now I kind of want an egg roll. We should totally go there for dinner tonight.”
“Oh, no.” Cormack immediately started shaking his head. “Your grandparents arrive tonight. In fact, they’re probably landing right now. and you’re all expected at the house for dinner this evening. No exceptions.”
Braden made a face. “Why do we have to put up with your parents? I mean ... I get that you’re our responsibility. When you start acting out of sorts and need to be locked up in a home later in life, I’ll make sure you have a really hot nurse.”
“Oh, geez.” Cormack slapped his hand to his forehead.