“It is a type of zombie, more dead than alive.” Ivor finally let go of Rowan’s hand. A burst of cold wind swept through the parking lot. “We’ll take you to your apartment for clothes before we go to Seattle. I’ll warn you, the draugr destroyed a lot of your things.”
“I caught a glimpse of my apartment before I took off, but some changes of clothes would be seriously nice right now. I was too scared to shop for any. Too scared to do anything other than keep running, really.”
“You’re obviously very smart to have eluded it for so long.”
“I don’t know about that. Fear is a powerful motivator.”
They were close to the same height, with Ivor just slightly taller. Even in his bulky coat, Rowan looked slim, his thin body shivering, probably from both cold and complete exhaustion. Ivor wanted to see him rested and especially unafraid. He wanted to see healthy color on his face and he really, really wanted that haunted look in his eyes to disappear.
“How did you know that thing was going to come after me?” Rowan asked.
“Your arm ring is a part of a treasure it guards. It had been trapped for many years, and as soon as it was released, it went after the family with the treasure.”
“But how did you know that was my family?”
“There is a journal that was found with the jade that held the draugr. My employer has been working to translate it because it’s written in code, but your family name is in there. We took a chance that’s where the draugr was headed.”
“And it attacked my family first?”
Ivor nodded. “They are fine outside of your sister’s broken arm. We got there just in time. Your mother is the one who told us where to find you.”
“That’s still surprising,” Rowan muttered before looking at Ivor. “My family has nothing to do with me.”
“She seemed very worried.”
“But not my father, right?”
Ivor didn’t answer because he was still angry over the way the father had acted about his son. His silence must have clued Rowan in because sadness flitted briefly over his face.
“Good to know he wouldn’t even care if I died,” he said, bitterness deepening his voice.
“I got the distinct impression he is not a man you should ever grieve about.”
“That’s the right impression,” Rowan answered. “He cares only about how he’s perceived by the high society he’s a part of. Real things like love and family only exist for him as long as he deems them worthy. Though, I’m not sure he even knows how to feel love.” Rowan looked away and frowned. “I’m not even sure why I’m telling you all this.” He looked back at Ivor. “Again, I’m so thankful you guys are trying to help me.”
“It’s why we came to Canon Beach, Rowan. It’s why we stayed even after you disappeared on us.”
Emory jogged back to them. “Sorry it took me so long. Xavier called to make sure we’d found Rowan.”
“Are you guys ready to go?” Lake asked.
Ivor had completely forgotten he was standing there, his focus so hard on Rowan.
“What exactly did you mean when you said warp earlier?” Rowan asked. “Because I’m imagining that beaming stuff on that show,Star Trek, and yeah, I’m not so sure I want to do that. Being split into millions of tiny pieces does not sound fun.”
Lake smiled. “It’s more like when they reached warp speed in their ships. I have the ability to take us fast through space to wherever we need to go. Don’t worry, it’s quick. But it is disorienting for some.”
Rowan just blinked at him a moment before shaking his head. “I should be surprised but after an entire life knowing about you guys, I’m not. Though I didn’t even know that was a real thing. I just thought it was something in fiction.”
“A lot of things in fiction actually come from what’s real,” Ivor said. “You’ve always been able to see us?”
Rowan nodded. “And I’ve always kept it secret. Ever since I figured out other people don’t see you. The first person I saw who was different had wings a lot like Emory’s, only black.” He still looked at Ivor as he then asked, “So, how do we do this?”
Ivor smiled at him. “All you have to do is put your hand on Lake’s arm.”
Chapter Eight
Rowan
