“I will. Let me get you the blanket. And a new drink. Did you dump that one on him on purpose? Because if not, please do it every day from now on so I can see that view.”
Sawyer laughed. “Nope, accident. And I’m not brave enough to try it again.”
“Yeah, I don’t blame you.”
Viv went into the pantry and came out with a reusable grocery bag filled to the brim.
Sawyer took it and gave her a quick hug. “You’re the best.”
She grinned and shooed him out of the kitchen. Andvari and Henry were in the backyard working on the wards. Sawyer waved and pointed toward his spot in the woods. Andvari nodded. Ward poked his head out of the pool and balanced on the edge. Sawyer smiled at him. His mates would watch over him. He liked the feeling. He felt close to them always, but something had changed. His bond with them grew deeper and deeper. He loved it and them.
The morning sun was bright, but it was cool and dim in the woods. Sawyer found his tree again and spread the blanket out. He put a couple biscuits on a plate and sat it beside him, before tearing into one himself.
“Hey,” Sawyer said once he’d swallowed a bite. “Sorry to be rude, but man, you have no idea how good these biscuits are. I didn’t make these, but I swear, they’re like magic or something. Um, not literally, in case you’re worried. But they are so good.”
Sawyer took another bite, sighing around the flaky, buttery mouthful. He chewed, leaning back in bliss against the tree. “So good.”
He heard a sound, this one inquisitive. “Yeah, you smell ‘em, don’t you? I’ll close my eyes if you want to grab them. Just make a noise when you’re gone again, okay?”
Sawyer leaned back and listened for the tentative steps. He heard them, but only because he was really trying and the guardian had to come like three feet from him to get his promised treat. He padded away again and Sawyer opened his eyes. His took another bite of biscuit, polishing off his first.
“Man, I always think I can eat twelve of these things. And I’d give it a solid effort, but you can’t. But they are so good. Let me know if you want another one. There’s more inside, so you can have my second one if you want and I’ll get another one later.”
Another noise, this one of approval.
Sawyer laughed. “Yeah, I figured as much. Here.”
Sawyer put his second one down and closed his eyes once more. Tentative footsteps but then, instead of moving away, they grew closer.
“Okay, this is new. Should I keep my eyes closed?”
A little noise.
“Okay. Closed it is then.” A warm weight settled on his leg, a solid, heavy presence.
“Whoa.”
Sawyer slowly lifted his hand and laid it down on the back of his newest guardian. He froze under the touch but didn’t run away.
“Okay. Eyes closed. Hand on back. This is good. So, you mind if I tell you what’s been going on?”
No noise. He took it as a yes.
“So, last night was crazy. Did you see the leader of the vampires? He came and that’s a big deal because his clan is really overprotective of him, even though he’s like a really badass warrior. Andvari explained it once. It’s like a point of pride with them or something. Anyway, he’s sending a bunch more guards. I guess word has gotten out that I’m here and human. People are confused and some of ‘em are mad. Not that I blame them. Even my guardians weren’t exactly thrilled with the idea that I was human at first.”
Sawyer slowly moved his hand and his guardian froze again. Nothing above the neck. Got it. He had smooth, warm fur. Sawyer wondered what color it was. Sawyer couldn’t tell anything except that he had a decent-sized head on his leg. Not as big as Draco’s dragon head, or even as big as Nick’s lion. Something smaller than that, then. Other than that, he didn’t have a clue.
“Anyway, he came to warn me. And he brought a friend. Did you see her? She wanted to come out here. I know you were around, but I wasn’t sure if you were listening or whatever. Anyway, she was really familiar to me. I don’t know how, though, and when I said something to Eduard, he pretty much gave me a look and I knew I wasn’t supposed to ask questions. Weird, right? She was nice, though, and I’m feeling a lot better today so I’m thinking whatever was in those herbs she gave Cecil did the trick.”
He moved a little, trying to get into a more comfortable spot before continuing. “Anyway, that was cool. And Eduard’s dad was here. I love him. He’s awesome. He has all these crazy stories from when he was young. He must be like three or four hundred years old. Or more. I don’t know. I figured it was rude to ask, you know? And then, as if that wasn’t enough, Draco’s parents showed up. His mom is fierce. Did you see her?”
Another small noise in the affirmative. “Yeah. She’s awesome. And terrifying. But then she went and gave me that dragon armor and I just… man, you should have seen the look on Draco’s face. It was intense. I thought I was going to cry. He’s kind of fierce, too, but man, when he loves, he loves hard. It’s the best. I hope one day you’ll find out for yourself.”
Sawyer quieted for a moment, trying to decide what to talk about next. He moved his hand a bit, and the guardian stilled once more. “Sorry. Just… okay, so I’ve been trying to figure out what my sister meant when she said that stuff about having to have a guide to travel between realms. I mean, it makes sense, right? You wouldn’t want just anyone to be able to pop in and out of where the goddess lives. But the part that confuses me is that both my brother and I don’t have one. Well, we have them but not with us. So we’re stuck here. I don’t know. I’m wondering if I didn’t choose to give up my power after all. Mitra said that if I got trapped here without my guide, it would take a lot of energy and it would be bad, right? So what if, somehow, my— what if Palinouros found a way to get my guide away from me? I mean, if I was going to like explode or something then I’d give up my magic to not destroy everyone here, right? I’d totally do that. I wouldn’t want to hurt anyone, ever.”
A low growl sounded and Sawyer honestly had no idea what to make of it. His guardian jerked away and without another sound, he disappeared back into the trees. Sawyer sighed and opened his eyes.
“Was it something I said?”
