THE GATES OF HAVEN: HEART'S HOME

CHAPTER 14

Calgary, Alberta. Home of the Calgary Stampede. Just a short jaunt from Banff and the Canadian Rockies and hot springs. I should have been happy, excited. We were finally out of the dreary prairies and in the one place in North America outside Texas where almost every other person wore a cowboy hat, or so I'd heard. However, none of the club dancers that we passed as we walked in had a hat on, so maybe it was just a myth. The club was hoppin', though. While it wasn't as big as Crystal, the music was similar, and so was the lack of clothing. Fascinating as it all was, I had to focus on scanning the faces of each individual male as we made our way to the back of the club.

With the sun setting earlier, we'd been getting on our way sooner and arriving in each city with even more hours in the night. Here in Calgary, it was only two-thirty in the morning and the sun didn't rise until eight-thirty, so we had plenty of time to get ourselves figured out. Did we have time before he came after us? I didn't think that he would attack us as a group, though, or in a place with so many people. It would be too dangerous for him, unless he somehow brought an army with him. This thought scared me so much that I started to laugh with nerves. Alex glanced over at me, his forehead creased. He was unbelievably tense now that we were here. A girl grabbed my hand and tried to drag me onto the dance floor. I grinned but shook my head. Alex stepped in between us, with daggers in his eyes. That's a first . I laughed and pulled him along with me to keep him from doing something he'd regret later. The familiar vibe of New Order's "Blue Monday" was actually starting to calm me. At least here, now, I was in an environment where I could be myself and feel connected.

We headed for the staff doors at the very back only to be stopped by security.

"You can't go back there."

Even though the guy was plenty beefy himself, he still had to look up at Marek as he placed a hand on his chest to stop him. Marek flashed him a million-dollar smile that left the guard blinking.

"We are here to see Kansen. Please tell her that Marek has arrived."

"Oh."

Terminator shifted uncomfortably in his boots as he spoke quickly on his little radio.

"I have a Marek here to see Kansen."

"Roger that," was followed by a few chirps and a quick buzz from the device and then, "Yeah, bring 'em down."

"Right this way, please."

He led the way through the back to a pair of fire safety doors with a thumb reader device that reminded me of the security at the Gates of Haven. Once the code was entered, his thumbprint opened the lock with a swish. He swung the door open and held it for us. Behind the door was a wide set of red carpeted stairs heading downward. The floor they led to was made of the same glass that could be found in Haven and glowed from beneath in an aqua colour. I wondered if this Kansen had it imported. Red and white textile waves criss-crossed on the walls. At the bottom a clean white buffet table held aqua-coloured glass bowls filled with keys and other items. The ceiling had multilayered recessed lighting and miniature chandeliers with sparkling crystals lining the centre.

Once we had descended, Marek led us to the right, even though the T-shaped hall opened up at the bottom in both directions. We found ourselves in a large room with similar decor. Loads of huge, boxy, red velvet lounge chairs, sectionals and sofas were carefully placed along the right side. Sitting on one of the sofas along with several other people was an Asian woman. She had long, thick, wavy brown hair and was clad in a barely-there black leather bodice, which emphasized her shapely yet muscular upper body, and skin-tight black leather pants. Her long legs were crossed and extended into black stilettos. With a lazy smile up at Marek, she extended a hand, which he bent to kiss. The music from upstairs was pumping down here as well, so I wasn't able to hear the words that they exchanged. Alex took me by the hand and led me to sit with him on one of the benches. In the thumb lock safety of this area, he too seemed to have relaxed somewhat. I wrapped my arm around him, and he leaned in to gingerly kiss me on the lips, setting off cheers from some of the admiring onlookers.