Saeward nodded.
Henry patted his arm gently. “Once Draco gets rid of them, I’d like it if you tell us what you know about what happened. Sawyer’s not really up for talking right now, and I think it’s important that we understand what we can before we start heading back. Can you do that?”
Saeward blushed a little, but nodded again.
Draco came out of the house, giving Henry a dirty look that was met with an equally dirty one from Henry. “Don’t start with me,” Henry threatened. “I’m in a really bad mood.”
“I can tell,” Draco huffed. “I want to go back inside.”
“I know you do. Eduard, will you help him take care of the bodies?”
“Of course,” Eduard said.
He’d only seen this side of Henry once before, clipped and angry and ready for violence, before they’d met Sawyer, when they’d been staying with his pack. He and Andvari had both been called to Henry, had dreamed of him in what they now understood was a message from the mother goddess herself. They’d found Henry with his pack, in the huge family home Henry shared with his fathers and siblings.
Knowing what they knew now, it made sense. Seers had been hunted for years, and Henry was one of the most powerful Eduard had ever met. He’d been sheltered by his pack, both his alpha father and honorary hellhound uncle doing everything in their power to keep him protected from the outside world.
Henry was recovering from his most recent vision, which involved him hanging his head over a toilet and vomiting for hours, followed by a migraine that lasted for a full day. He’d been past the worst of the symptoms, just struggling through the residual weakness that followed after a powerful vision. He’d been describing the location of the house, trying to help Eduard figure out where he could find this mysterious plot of land they needed to buy, when Henry’s older brother Ben had walked into the room.
Ben had only arrived home the night before. He was in his first year of medical school and had arrived home for his week-long fall break loaded down with books. He’d immediately gone into Henry’s room to help, obviously accustomed to what happened to Henry after a vision.
Eduard had sensed that something was off with the young man, but had chalked it up to his being a bear shifter. He’d only heard rumors of how an alpha werewolf came to be the parent to a menagerie of shifter kids plus a powerful seer, but it wasn’t a subject Henry seemed willing to discuss.
The next morning, Ben wasn’t around so Eduard resumed his place by Henry’s side, jotting down notes and doing internet searches with the limited clues they’d found. When Ben walked in again, he was obviously upset.
“What happened?” Henry sat up, his face twinging in pain as he moved too quickly.
Ben had shrugged one big shoulder. His head was hanging down and his shoulders were slumped. He looked defeated. And Henry got pissed.
“What did he say?”
Ben’s voice was the barest whisper. “That I was obviously too needy to be in the program.”
Henry had jumped off the couch and ran to his brother. He wrapped Ben up in a hug, his head barely reaching Ben’s chest. He’d glared over at Eduard, begging with his eyes for Eduard to do something. It was the first time he’d felt a flutter of something other for Henry, and he’d wanted more than anything to fix whatever was broken.
He kept quiet, though, at least until Henry was able to comfort his brother. “He’s an asshole. We’ll figure something out. Why don’t you go talk to Papa about it? He can use that teacher wisdom of his and maybe help you come up with a work-around.”
“Okay.”
“I’ll get Nana to make us a blueberry pie for dinner.”
That got a small smile out of Ben and he turned and ambled out of the room. Once he was out of earshot, Henry spun around and grabbed the laptop out of Eduard’s hand. He sat back down on the couch, his fingers flying over the keyboard. Eduard looked at the screen, seeing an internet search for a man’s name. In minutes, Henry had an address.
“I’m leaving. If you’re coming, you need to come now.”
“Let me get Andvari and my keys.”
“Fine. Meet me back here in five minutes or I’m leaving without you.”
It was the strangest sensation. Henry was a pain in the ass most of the time, but Eduard would never describe him as hard, mean, or even ruthless. He was kind and had an easy smile, and even when he and Andvari were driving each other to the brink of insanity, Henry never took it out on the rest of his family. He was the one who everyone came to for warmth and laughter. But now all of those words could easily be used to describe their young seer.
Eduard found Andvari in the guest house they were staying in for the duration of their time with the Jerrick pack. He didn’t give the vampire details, simply told him that they were leaving. Andvari grabbed his weapons and followed Eduard back to the main house. Henry and his younger brother, Ollie, were standing by the front door.
Ollie was red faced and clearly furious. Henry had a very determined look on his face.
“What’s going on?” Andvari asked.
“I’ll tell you in the car,” Henry barked. “Let’s go.”
