Henry gasped and tried to put his hand over his heart dramatically. Of course, it made him lose his balance again and he ended up flipping off the float and splashing into the water. When he made it back to the surface, Sawyer had fallen off his own float from laughing and he was hanging off the edge of the pool.
“All the books,” Henry sputtered as he spit out a mouthful of pool water. “All of them.”
“Excuse me,” a quiet feminine voice said from nearby.
Henry wiped pool water from his eyes and looked up. Two beautiful women were standing at the edge of the path coming from the garden with vampire guards on either side of them. One of them looked absolutely disgusted, her nose wrinkled up and turned away from Henry and Sawyer. The other was smiling sweetly at them.
“Hello,” Sawyer said. “Can I help you?”
“Oh, I was looking for my cousin, Eduard?”
“He’s not here right now,” Sawyer said. “I can tell him you came by? Or you can hang out with us until he gets back?”
She glanced at the other woman, whose scowl had deepened. “That would be lovely.”
Henry followed Sawyer to the pool steps and climbed out of the water behind him. Cecil had given them big fluffy towels to dry off with so they both used them then pulled on T-shirts. Cecil had left a tray of drinks on the table, so Henry poured them each a glass of lemonade.
“You said you were Eduard’s cousin?” Henry asked.
“Yes, I’m Magdalen,” the sweet one said. She glanced warily at the other woman then back to them with a soft smile. “This is Helena.”
“It’s lovely to meet you both,” Henry said.
Draco ambled over, giving both women the stink eye before burying his face in Sawyer’s neck. Sawyer snorted out a laugh and shoved him away. “Go back to sleep. We’re fine.”
Both ladies eyed Sawyer and Draco curiously and raised brows when Draco released Sawyer and pulled Henry against him instead. Henry kept one eye on them even as Draco nuzzled into his neck.
“You want me to have Vivian make you a coffee?” Henry asked.
Draco nodded pitifully. He’d not been sleeping enough with all the training they’d been doing prior to leaving the house and from the way he’d tossed and turned in the bed at the back of the bus the night before, that hadn’t changed. But Henry knew better than to suggest that he go back to sleep. No way would he leave Sawyer without claws and fangs at his side while strangers were around.
“Take my chair. I’ll be right back. And be nice, this is Eduard’s family.”
Draco sucked in a breath and straightened. He pecked a kiss on Henry’s lips before donning one of his pretty smiles for the ladies.
Henry escaped into the house as Draco began introducing himself, pouring on the charm he was capable of when he made an effort. Luckily, Vivian was in the kitchen and he didn’t have to hunt for long. He was really curious about Eduard’s cousins and didn’t want to miss the conversation. “Hey, Viv. Can you make Draco one of your super powered coffees please? We have company and he’s a cranky kitten.”
She snickered but nodded. “Company? Do you need anything else?”
“Uh… I don’t think so? We had lemonade out there from earlier.”
She rolled her eyes and shooed him out the door. “I’ll send Cecil out with Draco’s coffee and to see if anyone needs anything else.”
“Yes ma’am.”
She mock-growled at him. “You’re lucky you’re cute. Get out of my kitchen.”
Henry snickered and hurried back outside. Helena was still glaring off to the side, but Magdalen and Sawyer were chatting about the trip. Even Henry could see the awkwardness of the conversation, but he had no clue how to fix it. Luckily, he didn’t have to worry long. Eduard and Andvari appeared at the edge of the path. Eduard didn’t look overly thrilled to see their company, but he masked his displeasure quickly.
“Helena, Magdalen. I’m surprised to see you.”
Finally, Helena’s ice began to thaw. She rose and almost smiled at Eduard. “Cousin. It’s good to have you home.”
Eduard kissed both of her cheeks before turning to Magdalen. “Mags, how are you doing?”
“I’m well,” Magdalen said with a smile. “I’m glad you’re home. It’ll be nice having you back.”
Eduard smiled again, kissing both of her cheeks before looking at the three of them. Draco seemed as puzzled as Henry was at Eduard’s actions. He was usually proper, but there was a coldness to him that didn’t quite fit. Sawyer stood and reached for Eduard’s hand and he took it with a smile.
