Andvari leaned forward, scooting away from the wall with a deeper scowl. “When you were so young?”
“Yep. But my dads found us and we’re fine now. They taught us how to be strong and take care of ourselves. So, see, I don’t like it when you act like I can’t.”
“Your brothers and sisters… they were with you.”
Henry nodded. “All of us. That’s how we all live with the pack, even though some of us aren’t wolves.”
“I didn’t know,” Andi said. He reached out and laid his hand across Henry’s knee, lowering his head briefly in the shifter way of apology.
“I know you didn’t. It’s something I need to work on. And when you add my overprotective dads, my overprotective uncle, my overprotective pack, my uncle’s overprotective pack, my overprotective siblings… you see where I’m going with this?”
Andvari nodded. “You aren’t weak, Henry. I never thought you were. Your magic is bright and crystal clear. You are a force to be reckoned with, and will be even more so once you learn more about your abilities.”
“Which is what you were trying to help me do by getting me to practice with you.”
He nodded. “But I also wanted you to be physically stronger. Humans are… different from vampires. More fragile. Not weak. I don’t think you’re weak, but your body isn’t like mine. I can heal most wounds by drawing from the power of the earth. Blood magic heals the rest. But when you’re hurt… I mean, look at what just happened to Sawyer. What if that had been you? Yes, you have magic, but your body is human.”
“I know. I’ve thought about that a lot, actually. Did you ever wonder why you were sent to me and not straight here? I mean, Draco got here years ago. But you were sent straight to me. Why?”
Andvari shook his head. “So I can protect you until your visions lead us to the chosen one.”
“No,” Henry said. “Because I’m a guardian just like you are. You were sent to me for a reason, though.”
“What reason?”
Henry sighed and scooted closer. He grabbed Andvari’s hand in his and linked their fingers together. “You think that maybe we both needed to learn to work together before we can really function as guardians? That the chosen one will need us to be a team before he or she arrives, and that until we’re all able to work together to keep them safe, they won’t show up?”
Andvari stared down at their joined hands before shrugging one muscled shoulder in reply. “Possibly.”
“Probably,” Henry said. “I mean, Eduard’s been learning about the money thing forever. And Draco’s allI am Dragon hear me roar. But you and me? Well, we’ve got a few issues I think.”
“I won’t let anything happen to you, Henry. I can’t.”
“You better not. But you also better remember that my job is to stand beside you not behind you. The chosen one is who we protect, okay?”
“Yes.”
“Good. Now what’s this I hear about you wanting to do really naughty things with me?”
Andvari sucked in a startled breath and tried to scramble away. But Henry was ready. He pounced up and draped himself over Andvari’s lap, wrapping his arms tight around his neck.
“Henry—”
“I’ve thought about it, you know? Imagined you and me. Doing some of those naughty things. I’ll tell you a little secret. Part of the reason I had to quit lessons with you was because I kept imagining you naked. I mean, the awkward boners were becoming a serious issue.”
Andvari made another surprised noise, but his hands had come to rest on Henry’s hips. He’d count it as progress.
“And then when we were on the bus and Eduard was being all weird about driving because goddess forbid one of us take a turn—”
“You don’t even know how to drive a bus.”
“And you do?”
Andvari’s hands drifted a bit lower.
“You were there in my space and I couldn’t get away. I’d go back to the bedroom and touch myself, hoping you’d walk in on me and maybe offer to help me out.”
Andvari’s eyes had begun to glow, a light green haze forming over them. “I… I could hear you back there,” he whispered. “I knew what you were doing. And… I could smell you. Like I smelled you when you walked in here a few minutes ago.”
