The Gathering by K. E. Ganshert Read Free Book Online Page A

there?”
    “If I’ve ever been in contact with anyone on the other side.”
    “Have you?”
    “No.” Her cheeks turn pink, like the idea horrifies her. “Never.”
    “Did he say when we’re going to leave? Or where we’re going to go?” Now that Luka’s safe, I’m eager to make sure everyone else is safe, too.
    “No. Just that Link’s working on it.”
    Link .
    He’s been so busy helping Cap, I haven’t seen him since we rescued Luka. I glance again at the entryway. This time, it’s not empty. Luka strides inside the common room with a confidence that’s as much a part of him as his green eyes and messy hair. My muscles go weak. I still can’t believe he’s okay. Apart from being moderately dehydrated, there haven’t even been any of those ramifications Cap warned me about.
    He nods at the board. “Who’s winning?”
    “Who do you think?”
    “You aren’t doing so bad,” Jillian says.
    I look up at Luka. “She’s being nice.”
    He smiles and gives my knee a gentle nudge with his shoe. “You’re up.”
    “ I’m up ?” Why would Cap need to interrogate me?
    Before I can voice anymore of my confusion, Luka pulls me up off the floor, threads his fingers with mine, and kisses my temple. “Just go with it,” he whispers.
    And so I do.
    Luka tells Jillian he’ll finish the chess game for me in a little bit and everyone stares as we walk out of the room, Danielle and Ashley most intensely. As soon as we reach the empty hallway, Luka pulls us to a stop. With the subtlest turn of his wrist, my entire body moves. Somehow, I’m leaning against the wall with his lips on mine and for one heady moment, my frantic thoughts disappear. All that exists—all that matters—is this.
    He stops much too soon and presses his forehead against mine. “When I was in that chamber, only one thing kept me sane.”
    “What was that?”
    “Replaying our last kiss on the beach.”
    Warmth swirls in my chest. I relived it, too. A hundred times. Once, in front of Link.
    “I promised myself if I ever saw you again, I wouldn’t stop kissing you like that.”
    “Why’d you stop then?”
    The corner of his mouth quirks into a delectable half-grin. “Because Cap is waiting. And purpling is against the rules.”
    Purpling . Cap-lingo for boys and girls getting too close. “I think Cap has more pressing matters to worry about than purpling.”
    “And there’s the silver lining.” He places his hand against the wall, right above my left shoulder, leans in and kisses me again, slower. Like we have all the time in the world. His lips travel across my jaw and find my neck.
    It feels so good, my toes curl. “Hey, um, Luka?”
    “Hmm?”
    “W-why is Cap interrogating you and me?”
    He pulls away, his face turning serious. He glances over his shoulder, takes my hand, and gets us moving again. “Very few people are aware the other side is after you , specifically. There’s no reason to make it public knowledge.”
    “So Cap didn’t actually question you?”
    “Not about my allegiance, no.”
    “What did he question you about, then?”
    Luka’s eyes flicker. Become guarded. “If I learned anything.”
    “You mean, while you were …”
    “Away?”
    Away . It’s way too tame for what really happened. I tug at my shirtsleeves. “Did you?”
    “I was too preoccupied to pay much attention. The only thing I could think about was making sure you were safe.”
    I shake my head. Luka was being tortured and yet all he could think about was my safety? I can’t tell if that’s a Keeper thing or a Luka thing. “Do you trust everyone here?”
    “I don’t know everyone here. Not well, anyway. I don’t think it hurts to be extra cautious. I’m glad Cap’s doing the interrogations.” Luka stops in front of the classroom door and presses a kiss against my temple. “I’m gonna go perform some triage on your chess game. See you when you’re done.”
    Inside the classroom, amidst antiquated textbooks, Cap sits in