“Brody is taking good care of our sister, then?” Chasen asked as he leaned on the arm of the chair.
“That and eating all of the dragon’s food supply. Po Panda eats everything.” Chelsie rolled her eyes and snorted out a gust of air.
“Sounds like a typical growing shifter to me.” Chasen shrugged. He’d always had a big appetite, too.
“Well, I need to be getting back. I don’t like leaving Reiya for too long.” Chelsie stood up and looked at Hunter and Asher, making sure it was okay for her to leave.
“We need to be going, too. I want to be back when Lita gets back, to find out what’s going on.” Asher stood up and looked atGrayson, who nodded in agreement. “Go ahead and go, Chelsie. Thank you for delivering the messages for us.”
“Yes, thank you, Chelsie. Remember, if Reiya needs anything, just come and get me.” Hunter watched as she nodded and left quickly.
“I’ll walk you out, Dad.” Hunter and Chasen followed Grayson and Asher outside where they’d left their hippogryphs.
Asher stopped and turned to look at his two boys. He frowned slightly and ran his fingers through his hair. “Man, I really miss having you guys around. It seems like only yesterday you were a bunch of little kids racing about. I wish I could just take you all with me.”
“Aww, Dad.” Chasen walked up and wrapped his arms around his father. “We’ll be able to visit more after we get these demon problems figured out. For now, enjoy your kid-free vacation, because it won’t last long. Hunter and Reiya will soon be shipping your grandkids for you and mom to raise.” Chasen laughed.
“What about you? Are you going to ship us grandkids, too?” Asher asked, giving his son a side grin.
“You know, taking a mate or not is a personal decision for us guardians. I decided that Asher and Lita were too much like children for me to ever dream of settling down. My life is complete with them and you kids. It was all I ever wanted. This is the life I chose,” Grayson added, seeing Chasen getting ready to reject the idea.
“Okay. I promise that whatever decision I make will be my decision and not because I felt forced into it.” Chasen wasn’t going to live his life celibate or anything, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted a mate. It just wasn’t usually done among guardians. Mates couldn’t take priority over charges. Hunter would always be his number-one priority. That was the way it worked with guardians ... they were bound to their person. The relationshipwas difficult to explain. It was strong like a mate bond in that a guardian could sense their charge’s feelings and could even take their pain away, but it wasn’t like a mate bond in that there was no intimate attraction.
“I know there’s a lot going on right now, but take time for yourself, too. You have to have a luna, son. And somewhere out there is the perfect one for you. I’m sure of it.” Asher hugged Hunter tightly and patted his back. “If you need us, send a fairy messenger. They can get to us quickly. You might be a werewolf, but you’re a fairy prince, too. Don’t forget that.”
“Thanks, Dad. I promise, if anything else comes up, we’ll let you know.” Hunter smiled but was quickly strangled in a big bear hug from the side.
“You just need to get roughed up a bit more. Chasen here is going easy on you.” Grayson chuckled and then smiled down at Hunter. “You know, your uncle Grayson is always here for you, too. So if there’s something you can’t tell your old man, you just come to me.”
“Pfft, old man.” Asher rolled his eyes. “We’ll see you soon. I love you both.”
“Love you too, Dad,” they said in unison.
They stood there and watched the two hippogryphs fly away, taking the two men with them. Hunter leaned back on his heels. It was good to see them.
He turned and shoved his brother.
“Big mouth,” Hunter hissed.
“You were in a slump. I thought for sure you’d at least tell Dad when we visited, and you didn’t. So, I decided to send him a message and explain what had happened.” Chasen shrugged and smiled. “It was nice having them here for a visit, wasn’t it?”
Hunter looked up at the empty sky and nodded. “Yes, it was.”
Just as he started to turn to walk back to the pack house, a warm air swirled around him, playing in his hair and twirlingaround his clothes playfully. The wind carried the soft sound of a giggle. He snapped his head in the direction of the pack border. “Did you hear that?”
Chasen stopped walking and turned to look at Hunter staring off in the distance. “No, I didn’t hear anything. But I am sensing something. Something strong.” His voice reverberated in a low growl as he took a protective stance near Hunter.
Hunter started walking toward the sound when a firm hand landed on his shoulder.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Chasen looked at him, astounded. Was his brother seriously going to walk toward something strange and unknown, away from the safety of the pack?
“I need to see what it is.” The wind gushed over Hunter again and seemed to gently nudge him toward the sound he’d heard. He smirked and tilted his head back to Chasen. “You aren’t scared, are you?”
Chasen snorted angrily. “Trouble. That’s all you are for me is trouble.” He stomped in front of Hunter. “Fine, let’s go. But I’m leading the way.”
The two men walked out of the pack territory and paused in a clearing, the tall grass tossing back and forth in the breeze. The sunset cast an orange glow over the field, and in the distance, they could see someone. A girl with green, wavy hair stood looking into the forest. She turned her head toward the two men, and a sweet smile spread over her face as she started walking toward them.
Chasen stood in front of Hunter and growled at the girl, though his growl didn’t scare her at all. She kept walking toward them confidently, her cute smile resting on her face. When she was a few feet away from Chasen, she folded her hands behind her back and leaned forward, smiling directly up at him.
