Read Online Dragon Gate by Gary Jonas - Free Book Online

me with clenched fists.
    I stood toe to toe with him. “You need us.” Sometimes if you say something enough, it will get through someone’s head.
    He struggled with himself for a moment. I knew he wanted to hit me, but the look in my eyes told him it wouldn’t be a wise decision. Graham was in good physical shape, but he knew that he was out of his league if he wanted to get into a fight.
    “We can protect you,” I said. “Both of you.”
    “We don’t want protection.”
    “Nobody wants it. Most people just want quiet, peaceful lives.”
    “Boring,” Kelly said.
    “But when the shit hits the fan, you need people like us on your side. Or would you rather watch some asshole lop off your sister’s head?”
    He stared at me. He tried to look tough again, but I wasn’t buying it. He obviously realized that because he turned away and backed off. “This isn’t how we do things.”
    “It’s your call, sport.”
    Graham glared at me for a long moment. Finally he turned to Rayna. “Do you want bodyguards?”
    Rayna hesitated.
    “Be honest,” Graham said.
    She nodded. “I like my life here, and I don’t want to die.”
    “It’s a violation of the Creed.”
    “We violated the Creed when we came here.”
    “Be that as it may—”
    “I want to live, Graham. If Jonathan and Kelly can keep us alive, I say we let them.”
    “They won’t be able to protect us.”
    “You don’t know that. If Mr. Endar thinks they’re qualified to handle a threat like this, I think we should give them a chance. Would you prefer death?”
    “We’re going to die regardless.”
    “Then there’s no harm in allowing them to stay. Maybe they can give us a few more days to live and breathe. Who knows? They might be able to save us.”
    Graham glanced over at Kelly. “Ms. Chan seemed to think she could take on the entire Clan by herself.”
    Kelly gave a half grin.
    “It can’t hurt to let them do their jobs,” Rayna said. “Please let them. If not for you, then do it for me.”
    “You’re sure about this?”
    She nodded.
    Graham sighed. “Very well.” He slowly turned back to face me. “We shall allow you to accompany us in public. You’ll need to sign nondisclosure agreements in case you learn anything about our businesses. You will also give us privacy when we request it.”
    “Provided that privacy doesn’t endanger your lives.”
    “We are in control of our lives, Mr. Shade.”
    “Let’s get this straight, Dr. Noble. Until the threat is eliminated, you’ll do as we say. We’ll do what we can to not cause problems for you, but for your own safety, you’ll need to follow our directions.”
    “I don’t—”
    “That’s not up for debate. We can’t protect you if you decide to do something stupid. You are not to go anywhere in public without one of us.”
    He looked at the ceiling for a moment then exhaled. “Very well but if you cause too many problems, I’ll fire you.”
    “It’s your life, pal.”
    Jenkins returned with more cups. “Shall I prepare guest rooms?”
    “Three of them,” Kelly said.
    “Three?”
    “We have one more guard to bring in tomorrow.”
    Graham frowned and opened his mouth to protest, but after glancing at Rayna, he said, “As you wish.”
    I sat down and Jenkins brought me a cup of tea. Danger aside, I could get used to this.

CHAPTER SEVEN
    JONATHAN SHADE
    That night, I lay in a king-sized bed wrapped in silk sheets. When I closed my eyes, I found myself drifting in and out of consciousness. My head spun with memories of intense training with various masters around the world interspersed with images of the shadowy demons that haunted the ether. Part of my training had included learning to release my spirit into the realm of those demons via remote viewing. Now it felt like every night, I fought to keep myself attached to my body because those demons were always there, waiting for me. If I ever slipped out again, I knew they’d tear my soul to shreds.
    I’d faced them