“That’s my guide. Long story.”
“Why’s Ezra here?” Jedrek asked, accepting Sawyer’s word easily. He’d be a great brother-in-law. Sawyer couldn’t wait to get to know him better.
“His brother is one of my guardians.”
“Pip?” Jedrek said, clearly stunned. “Oh wow. That’s… huh. We’ve been trying to find him. Honestly, we didn’t think he was… well, yeah.Pip. I really wouldn’t have thought… Pip.”
“What?” Sawyer asked. He really didn’t like Jedrek’s tone.
“I mean, Ezra, I can see. I just… Pip?”
Sawyer glared at him, and Jedrek backed down. Not that Sawyer blamed him for wondering. On the surface, Pip didn’t seem like a guardian at all. He seemed more like the type whoneededa guardian. But there was something about him, that spark of excitement Sawyer had felt when he met his other mates. They all filled a place in his heart in their own ways. He hoped Pip— and Dakota for that matter— would do the same.
“Holy shitballs, is that a tiger?” Nick yelled.
Robin began to whimper in his arms, and Jedrek gave Nick a glare Sawyer wouldn’t want to be on the receiving end of. Nick returned it, but he also began to sway gently back and forth while… purring. Sawyer didn’t even know lions could purr. Did lions purr? Or was that just another Nick thing? Either way, it worked and Robin settled again with her thumb in her mouth.
Cecil came in with a tray of drinks. He took one look at Robin and melted into a puddle. The moment Viv and Justine laid eyes on her it would all be over. Especially with the dozens of cupcakes Viv had already stress-baked. The entire house smelled like a bakery. Not that Sawyer minded.
Loch appeared at Sawyer’s elbow with a frown on his face. “You okay?”
Instead of answering, Loch nodded toward Robin. “What is wrong with her?”
Jedrek responded. “Her wings won’t go down. We think they’re hurting her back. The weight is too much, you know? But there aren’t exactly answers for this type of thing. We’re doing the best we can, but not even Doc Vaughn knows what to do for some of the kids. Being around Nick helps her.”
Loch glanced at Sawyer again. “Perhaps Puteri could help. She is… there isn’t enough for her here,” Loch said. “And she’d fight to keep the young ones safe. If the young ones need her care, she should go.”
“That’s… why didn’t I think of that?” Sawyer asked. “Her magic is fierce.”
“What’re you talkin’ about?” Nick said. “What’s going on?”
“I’ll tell you later.”
Before Nick could argue, Pearl bounded into the room and brushed up against Nick’s legs. He squatted down, still carefully balancing Robin, and greeted her. She’d missed him as much as Sawyer had.
“We should get a dog,” Nick said to Jedrek.
Jedrek groaned. “Like thirty-six kids isn’t enough on our plate?”
Nick shrugged. “Speaking of, Eduard, we ordered a bunch of shit for the kids. I put it on the card.”
“Not a problem,” Eduard replied.
“I didn’t let them go crazy or anything, but they needed stuff, you know?”
“Nick,” Sawyer said softly, drawing his brother’s attention.
“Yeah?”
“Go crazy. Get them anything and everything. Uncle Sawyer’s going to spoil them rotten.”
“Uncle Sawyer,” Nick said with a grin.
Sawyer grinned back. “Uncle Sawyer is loaded, remember?”
The brothers shared a grin and some of Sawyer’s remaining tension lifted.
“You smell funny,” Nick said. Trust his brother to end the sweet moment between them.
