Henry hugged him close then glanced up at Eduard. Eduard’s gaze was directed to his father and his eyes were softer than Henry had ever seen them. Henry smiled and hugged them both more tightly to him. They’d needed this, and even though the acceptance of Eduard’s father had been easier than Henry expected, it proved to him once again that Sawyer was absolutely who they needed in the role. Who else could convince someone so set against them with a simple conversation? Henry didn’t even know what Sawyer had said, but he had a way about him, something that let him see to the heart of a person or a situation. He was definitely very observant and picked up on subtle things about their mates that Henry would have missed. But it was more than that. He had an instinct for it. Henry would call him an empath if he didn’t know better. Empaths had a very particular brand of magic that Henry had experienced once when he was younger and his dad had helped heal a powerful member of a coven. One of the younger men in the group was an empath. Henry had avoided the guy like the plague, his magic insisting that he stay far away from the stranger. Anyway, it wasn’t that, but it was close.
Before he could think about it further, Augustus announced that the food was ready. Henry followed the others over to a low to the ground table that had pillows sitting on the sand instead of chairs. There were huge pots filled with steaming food that the chefs poured out into large metal containers spread along the table. Henry peeked over the edge of one and was surprised to see corn on the cob in with the rest of the seafood. He hadn’t had a lot of seafood growing up in a pack of wolf shifters, although his brother Ben was all bear when it came to his love of salmon. He’d eat it at every meal if they would have let him.
Henry ate until he was stuffed, as did everyone else. It was such a different experience from the night before, with everyone chatting and smiling and relaxed. Before long, they were mingling and talking and getting to know the extended members of Eduard’s family. His cousin, Victor, had about a million questions for Henry about life in a wolf pack, and even ice queen Helena thawed a little bit under Sawyer’s undivided attention.
A couple hours later, Henry had his feet in the water, throwing a ball back and forth with Andvari, when the wind turned and a sudden chill ran down Henry’s spine. He barely managed to catch the ball before it smashed into his face. He turned and immediately searched the beach for Sawyer who was standing further up toward the path with Helena. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary but Henry looked at Andvari and let the vampire see his sudden worry. Andvari straightened and his eyes began scanning the beach as well. Henry hurried toward Sawyer with a fake smile plastered on his face. When he stopped beside Sawyer, he could see that he was a little pale and the smile he had was as fake as Henry’s.
“Hey, Helena. Can I steal him for a second?”
She scowled but turned away with a spin of her skirted sundress that was really impressive. Once she was out of earshot, Henry leaned in and put his arm around Sawyer’s waist. “What’s wrong?” he asked quietly.
“Nothing. Well, my stomach is a little upset. I don’t think clams agree with me.”
“Uh oh.”
“Yeah. I think I should head back to the cottage. It’s kind of embarrassing, but I think I’m going to need a bathroom pretty quickly.”
“No worries. I’ll grab the others.”
“No, Henry. Don’t. I’ll be fine. You guys are having fun. Draco is actually in a grown up conversation with Eduard’s cousin. Eduard and his dad are actually smiling at each other. You and Andvari were having fun, too.”
“It’s fine, Sawyer. It’s not like we can’t come back to the beach tomorrow.”
“You guys stay. I’ll get a couple of the vampire guards to walk back with me.”
“Sawyer—”
“Henry, don’t argue with me on this. I’m fine. I don’t want you there while I’m doing… what I’m about to have to do. Besides, if I need anything, Cecil and Viv will be there. Come on, don’t make me be embarrassed any more than I already am.”
A subtle throat clearing drew their attention. “I’m sorry to interrupt,” Magdalen said quietly. “Is everything okay?”
“It’s fine,” Sawyer said. His stomach chose that moment to make a sound that was anything but fine.
“Oh dear,” Magdalen said.
Sawyer turned beet red.
“Come on, dear. I’ll walk you back to the cottage. You shouldn’t be alone.”
Sawyer let her guide him away and the wind whispered around Henry. Two of the vampire guards appeared behind Sawyer on the path, shadowing him and Magdalen as they walked away. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. Henry shifted his focus inward, opening himself to his magic. He looked around the entire area, searching for some sign of anything unusual. Nothing anywhere.
“What is it?” Andvari asked.
“I don’t know.”
“Where did Sawyer go?”
“To the cottage. He needed the bathroom. He didn’t want us to come with him. Magdalen was with him and I made sure two of the guards were as well.”
“Good.”
“We should go,” Henry said. “Something… is in the air. It’s close.”
Andvari nodded. “Go get Eduard. I’ll get Draco.”
Henry nodded and hurried over to the low slung chairs where Eduard and his father were sitting. “Excuse me,” Henry said. “Eduard, I hate to interrupt but I need to—”
“What’s wrong?” Augustus asked.
