Free Unhidden (The Gatekeeper Chronicles Book 1) by Dina Given Page A

few blocks from my apartment.
    Fear crept in then, like an uninvited rodent scurrying silently into a house after dark, burrowing its way behind the walls.

 
     
    I must have passed out because, when I became aware of my surroundings again, it was the smell that hit my nose first. It told me that I was still in the alley. The sounds of angry male voices came to me next. My heavy lids fluttered opened, and the excruciating pain that pulsed through my head made me question whether remaining alive was a good thing.
    Relying on discipline, training, and more than a little experience, I forced the pain down deep to be dealt with later. The solid surface of the brick wall was at my back, so I used it to stagger to my feet. When my vision cleared, the tall, lean figure of Alex emerged out of the darkness at the mouth of the alley.
    He entered the narrow space cautiously, eyes alert and darting around, taking in the scene before him. He held a long, smooth shaft of wood in his hand, holding it in front of him. If he was planning to bash someone’s skull in with it, that wouldn’t have been the best grip to use. Amateur , I thought absently.
    Zane was facing Alex and hadn’t noticed my awakening, but I was blocked in by Zane on one side and the shadow demons on the other.
    “Zane, let her go,” Alex said in an authoritative tone.
    “You know him?” I directed the question to Alex, my voice raspy and hoarse as I tried to speak through my damaged larynx.
    Both men ignored me—typical.
    “Alex, my old friend,” Zane said, not sounding friendly at all. “I was wondering when you were going to show up. I knew the Council would send their favorite attack dog for her. So, what’s the play: kill, capture, torture, or maybe the Council’s favorite … manipulate?”
    Alex’s eyes darted to me then back to Zane. “You have the Council wrong, Zane. I am not here to hurt her. They want her protected.”
    “It doesn’t matter what they want. She belongs to Marduk, and you know it. I’m just taking her back home where she belongs. He will decide her fate.”
    “That’s not going to happen,” Alex said, not sounding at all intimidated. “You know that, after what happened, this is no longer a family matter and is the responsibility of the Council.”
    Confusion morphed into frustration. How dare these two Neanderthals stand there and discuss my fate as if I wasn’t even present?
    While Zane and Alex were occupied in their my-dick-is-bigger-than-yours contest, I looked around for my weapon, finding it about twenty feet away, lying between the two men. I then remembered the sword strapped to Zane’s back, which was in perfect reaching distance. I had never wielded a sword before and knew that, if it came to a fight, I would lose miserably. However, all I had to do was brandish it well enough to make them think twice about attacking me, giving me enough time and space to make my way to the Glock.
    The sword slid free of its scabbard in one smooth pull, letting loose a light chime. It was a large sword, not like those Japanese blades that ninjas in the movies used. This was more like Conan the Barbarian’s sword, yet it wasn’t as heavy as it looked.
    Using two hands, I hefted it with only a little effort, finally getting their attention. When Alex and Zane turned to face me in surprise, I swung the sword in a figure eight, hoping I didn’t look like a complete novice.
    “Emma,” said Alex, as if he were trying to calm a spooked horse. “I’m here to help you. Give me the sword.”
    I snorted in response. I know, not very lady-like of me .
    Zane wasn’t quite so accommodating. “You had your chance to die peaceably,” he snarled in his Mr. Hyde persona. “I’m done negotiating.”
    Negotiating? Was that what he thought of what had happened between us only moments earlier?
    Leaving me no time to be further affronted, Zane commanded, “Take her!”
    His shadow demons wasted no time closing in on either side of me.