“I want to go home. To our home.”
“Then that’s what we’ll do. Eduard will have to stay behind and deal with… the situation, but he’ll be able to join us within a few—”
“No.” Sawyer lifted his head and stared into Draco’s eyes. “We stay together.”
He squeezed them both to him, shielding himself between their bodies. Henry met Draco’s gaze and cuddled close to Sawyer’s back.
“We’ll stay together,” Henry promised. “Will you be okay on the boat?”
“I… I don’t know.”
“Okay,” Henry said. “How about this: we try the yacht, at least to get us to civilization. You don’t want us to separate, but we don’t have a way out of here together unless we walk and you’re not really up for that, right? Then, if we get out there and you’re not okay, Draco will fly you and Eduard will fly Andvari. We’ll have the yacht guys floor it and get me and Ward back to you as fast as they can. We don’t have enough fliers for us to all go together that way, but those yachts can move so we wouldn’t be apart for more than a few hours.”
Sawyer reached back and tugged Henry around so he could see him. They stood huddled in a circle, waiting for Sawyer to think through the options. “Okay. We can try that.”
Eduard
Instead of a frantic, hours-long flight like their journey to find Sawyer had been, the trip back to the griffin’s island lasted three days. Eduard was in constant communication with his father, and the extended time frame had given them time to put some additional security measures in place. Augustus had banned all traffic from the island and insisted that no one on the island be allowed to leave. It had caused quite the uproar among the clan, but at the end of the day, they’d complied with Augustus’s wishes.
The next wave of vampire guards arrived on the island as well, tripling the numbers they had before. Augustus had also brought in a team of specialist werewolves and assigned them to the overall security of the island. They’d teamed up with Andvari’s vampire brothers to secure both Augustus’s estate and Eduard’s cottage. They were also directly responsible for keeping Magdalen secure until Eduard’s return.
Henry had spoken to his uncle, who had sent one of his hellhounds to the island as well. Calliope hadn’t left Magdalen’s room since she arrived, and his cousin believed the hellhound was there as her bodyguard instead of her jailer. According to Augustus, she’d thanked him profusely for the extra protection, claiming she feared for her life against “whoever took her.” His father had wanted to gut her in that moment and had barely restrained himself. Even recounting the event to Eduard had him snarling in rage at her audacity.
Sawyer had spent the past three days below deck, recovering from his injuries. He’d not been left alone the entire time and seemed to grow stronger with each passing hour. Draco had become Sawyer’s barnacle, only leaving his side when he needed to use the bathroom. Henry, Andvari, and Eduard had divided watch between the three of them. Henry had also placed protective sigils around the yacht. Saeward spent hours per day in the water, each time coming back with a trinket from the ocean floor to present to Sawyer as a gift. It was sweet, really, and each time he got a smile out of their wounded mate that soothed the angry ache in Eduard’s chest.
Saeward also reported to them any potential threats in the area, of which there had only been a few. When he found a boat too close for his liking, he reported it to Eduard, who would take to the air with Henry and check for anything suspicious. Fortunately, they’d found nothing. They weren’t taking any chances, though, and Saeward’s abilities made him invaluable to the process. The water was such an unknown, fathomless depths that the rest of them could not explore. His reassurances that they were safe from beneath had done much to soothe Sawyer’s fears as well.
“Excuse me, sir.”
Eduard turned from his position at the top of the deck to the ship’s captain. “Yes?”
“You asked to be informed when we were an hour away.”
“Thank you, Captain.”
He hurried back to the helm, leaving Eduard once again to his musings. Moments later, he heard more footsteps approaching before strong arms wrapped around his waist. Andvari tucked his chin over Eduard’s shoulder, holding him close as they watched the wide blue expanse of water before them. “You okay?”
“I am,” Eduard replied.
“Have you decided how you want to handle our arrival?”
His original plan had been for Sawyer to march triumphantly off the dock, a show of strength and resilience. Unfortunately, his feet were still entirely too injured for any amount of walking. They’d consulted Henry’s father who advised Sawyer to stay off his feet with his legs elevated to ease the swelling. They also iced them for twenty minute stretches throughout the day. He was getting better, but certainly wasn’t well enough for the type of dramatic entrance Eduard had wanted them to make.
Before he could mention other ideas to Andvari, movement caught his eye. It was miles away, still merely a dot on the horizon but it was heading their way. “Something’s coming,” Eduard said. “Get Henry.”
Andvari hurried below deck as Eduard transformed into his griffin form and flew through the air. He was close enough within seconds to recognize the griffin who flew toward the yacht with a bag clutched in his talons. Victor, his cousin, whom he and Augustus had decided to trust with the knowledge of their arrival. Sawyer had shared with him that Victor had helped ease the path to acceptance with his father at that first family dinner.
He’d be faced with another test once they got to the boat. If he intended any harm toward Sawyer or anyone on board, Victor would not be allowed to land. Henry’s magic would make sure of it. He spotted both Andvari and Henry back on the deck as he circled his cousin and they continued their flight toward the yacht.
They both landed without issue and Eduard couldn’t quite prevent his sigh of relief as they both shifted back to their human forms. Victor handed the bag over to Eduard with a small smile. “I’m glad your mate is safe,” Victor said. “I brought clothes. Cecil packed them for you all. Your father said you’d borrowed clothes from the crew.”
They had. No one had wanted to stop and the crew had kindly offered to share. Draco and Saeward had mostly stayed without clothes, as neither of them would fit into the smaller piscine’s clothes, but it wasn’t like either of them minded. Victor looked around nervously as Andvari stood beside him on the deck with his sword clutched in his hand. They weren’t taking any chances, whether or not they trusted Victor until Henry gave them the all clear.
Henry met Eduard’s gaze and nodded then pulled his magic back inside him. Victor hadn’t even noticed, but Eduard had grown used to Henry’s use of the air around him and knew it had been happening from the moment Victor landed on the deck. He’d passed the test of the sigils, and then Henry’s magic gave a second all-clear. The relief was visible on Andvari’s face.
Victor looked between them, waiting for someone to speak.
“Thank you for coming,” Eduard said softly. “It’s been a difficult few days. We’re being very cautious.”
