Page 128 of Poet & Protector

He’d raised the issue of his authority over the Haldis wolves. I wanted to remind him of what it meant to be a Guardian.

He tilted his head, but his expression was one of interest, not offense.

“I see your point.”

“We’re better at what we do because of it.”

“I know.” He sighed. “I’m being selfish. I want time with you without distractions. But it’s good your packmates are making sure you’re not in trouble.”

I was very much in trouble, but my friends couldn’t do anything about it.

“I realize my bringing you here came as a surprise,” he told me. “There’s a reason for it.” He paused, offering me a wistful smile. “A reason beyond how much I crave your company.”

I managed a tiny nod. It was hard to walk the line between not offending Logan while at the same time not encouraging him.

“I wanted to take advantage of the few openings I currently have in my schedule,” he explained. “After the union you won’t see me as much as I’d like, especially during holidays and over the summer. I travel frequently. All Keepers of my rank do.”

And…yes. As I suspected, I’d been transported into a bizarre alternate universe where Logan Bane was trying to be nice and acting like I was his boyfriend, a boyfriend who would miss him when he traveled. It also sounded like I’d be playing the role of his boyfriend for the foreseeable future. Upside: he just told me he’d be gone a lot.

“It must be interesting,” I said, not wanting to touch the boyfriendy stuff. “The travel.”

“It can be.” He shrugged. “Mostly it’s tedious.”

I plucked at the corner of a throw pillow. “I suppose it could be if you do it all the time. I’ve never been anywhere, so traveling sounds great.”

His expression became speculative. “Would you like to travel?”

“Sure,” I replied. “I mean, I’ve never even seen the ocean. But I get why patrol Guardians can’t leave. I’m not complaining. I like Vail. It’s home and it’s where I belong.”

“I could take you with me sometime,” he said, pursing his lips. “It wouldn’t be hard to have you temporarily assigned to my security detail.”

Oh no. No. No. No. I walked right into that, but it was not intentional.

“Wow, um, that’s, uh…generous,” I said. “But I’m probably better off sticking to patrol. It’s what I’m trained for.”

My awkward answer appeared to amuse him. “It can be an open offer for when you decide you want to see the ocean.”

“Okay.”

“You said you have homework?”

“Yes.”

“Boring.” Logan huffed out a breath. “But like I said I have some too, and we should get it out of the way.”

And that’s what we did. All that happened for two hours was homework. Even when he finished his a good thirty minutes before I got through my assignments, he didn’t interrupt me or complain. Instead, he scrolled on his phone until I was done.

I set my books aside. “Sorry. That was a lot.”

He shrugged. “Not a problem. Are you hungry?”

I was, and I nodded.

“Pizza?”

“I like pizza.”

“Do you have a place in Vail you usually order from?” he asked. “I could also have our chef make some, but his leans flatbread rather than actual pizza. I’m not a fan. Pizza should have excessive cheese and grease.”