by Macy Blake
Their big brother was notorious for not answering his phone, but if Nick called them and they didn’t answer? He’d be pissed and they’d never hear the end of it. But Nick had been really busy with work, taking on a bunch of extra shifts, so they never knew when he was working or off. Sawyer had never met anyone who worked more than Nick.
“Okay,” Sawyer said. “I just… I don’t know what we’re allowed to tell him. I don’t want to mess things up, but I don’t want to lie either. There’s got to be a gray area there somewhere, right?”
Mikey gave his neck another squeeze before releasing him. “We’ll find out. We can’t be the first humans in this situation.”
Kavalan waited for him by the door, so Sawyer left his brother’s side and began moving across the room to the prince. He didn’t miss the significant looks he received from each and every one of his guardians. He got it, already. Fix things. Try. Do better. Don’t be an ass. Forgive and forget. Blah blah yada yada.
While everyone else went into the living room to continue chatting and getting to know Mikey, Asher, and Quillon, Sawyer accepted Kavalan’s offered arm and let himself be led outside. It stayed light so late at this time of year. Eight at night, and the sun was finally setting. It did make everything kind of nice for a walk, even if he did feel like he was being courted or something. Kavalan’s guards were all around them, but at a respectable distance. The vampire guards were on high alert because he was outside without all of his mates. Sawyer sighed.
“It is difficult constantly being watched,” Kavalan said quietly.
Sawyer looked up and met his startling blue eyes. “Yeah, it is.”
“My entire life, I’ve had guards with me. My mother had me accompanied everywhere.”
“Oh man, that sucks,” Sawyer said.
“She’s the queen of my people. It comes with a certain risk. I understand that now, even if I didn’t when I was younger.”
Sawyer couldn’t help but smile. “So, tell me about a time when you escaped from your guards. Come on. I know you managed it somehow.”
Kavalan laughed and laid his hand over Sawyer’s where it was hooked in his elbow. “I will confess something to you and only you,” Kavalan said.
Sawyer felt a little flutter of something in his belly.
“I only managed once, and only then for a few moments. The captain of my guard is formidable.”
“Oh man. Once? Seriously?”
Kavalan nodded. “I called my friends, the sprites, and had them raise havoc, and then I asked the satyrs to have a rather large gathering nearby. They are a raucous bunch.”
“Whoa,” Sawyer said. “I guess I never really thought about how many types of… beings? Is that the right word? That there are in the fae realm.”
Kavalan nodded. “Beings is fine. We are simply called the fae. I’m told most humans only think of fae as either fairy or elves. My clan is the elves, and my mother is the queen of all the fae. But, just as in the human world, there are many types of creatures. It is a magical place. I hope to take you there one day to meet my mother.”
Sawyer knew as well as Kavalan did that he needed an alliance with the fae. It was part of the gig, and one that he grew more and more nervous about. “Tell me about her,” Sawyer said gently.
“Her name is Orfhlaith, and she is beautiful and fierce.”
“Queen Or-la,” Sawyer repeated. He was pretty sure he was butchering the pronunciations of her name, but he gave it his best shot.
Kavalan didn’t correct him, though, so Sawyer considered it a win. “She is very powerful and a warrior queen. It is why she has been elected to two consecutive terms as queen, when normally our rulers only serve once.”
“Oh wow. I didn’t know that. Why only once?”
Kavalan smiled. “Five hundred years is a long time to rule. Double that, and you can see that my mother took her commitment to our people very seriously.”
“Holy shit. A thousand years? That’s crazy!”
“It is. I tried very hard to convince her not to accept the burden again, but it was the will of our people, so she did.”
“A thousand years. Whoa. I didn’t— okay, this is going to show my ignorance— but I didn’t realize you guys could be that old?”
“Yes. We are not immortal, however. We can be killed, and that is why I have such a large contingent of guards. But we do not die naturally.”
“Whoa. I didn’t know that. Is it rude to ask how old you are?”
“Not at all. In human years, I believe I would be just over six hundred. We consider age differently, of course, but I have studied human customs in preparation for my duties as your guardian. In fact, the discovery that I would be part of the Chosen prophecy was one of the reasons my mother accepted her next term as queen. When the mark appeared, it clarified things for her and… cemented her power, I believe is the expression.”
“Wow. That’s crazy. And kinda cool.” Sawyer knew he had an opening to speak to Kavalan about the issues they’d been facing, and he hesitated in taking it. Until he remembered Viv and the knife in his eye, and it pried his tongue from the roof of his mouth. “You know, speaking of human customs, we tend to be pretty… sensitive about certain things.”
Kavalan sent him a puzzled frown. “I do know that humans are extremely fragile. My guards are very well aware of how vulnerable you are. It came as quite a shock to me that you were the Chosen One. I knew I would need to spend time in the human realm, but I never considered for a moment that the savior of our world would be a mere human.”
A mere human.
Sawyer decided to let it slide. He bit the inside of his cheek and took a deep breath. “It came as a shock to all of us. But I wasn’t speaking of my fragility. I actually meant that I have certain expectations for how people in my household are treated, and I’m afraid I’m going to have to insist that you abide by those expectations.”
Kavalan frowned, and they stopped walking. He shot glares toward the hovering guards, and without a word, they scattered to a more respectable distance away. “Please explain.”
Sawyer realized that he was walking on very thin ice. They’d had something of a breakthrough, and he didn’t want to destroy it. “Okay, I’m sure you would agree, as we’ve discussed, that as a human in my current role, I have to be extremely careful, especially in regards to my staff and who I allow in my home.”
Kavalan nodded. “I agree.”
“And the people who are there are all committed to my safety and well-being.”
“As it should be.”
“So, I have to make sure I keep the most talented staff, both in terms of my care, but also in terms of my safety.”
Kavalan seemed puzzled, but he nodded.
“For instance, the addition of your guards has been a very welcome addition. They are extremely powerful and well-trained.”
Kavalan beamed and bowed his head slightly. “Of course. Only the best for my mate.”
Sawyer cleared his throat and forced himself to continue. “So when one of your guards is forbidden from eating or speaking, perhaps that isn’t the best for my safety. What if he needed to warn me of danger? What if he was weak from hunger and unable to protect me?”
Kavalan scoffed. “You are speaking of Loch? Did he dare complain?”
“Are you kidding me? Of course not. But you have to agree that it isn’t exactly safe for there to be a member of my household who is unable to provide me with verbal warnings.”
“I see your point. Of course, his punishment has already been lifted, so it is no longer a concern.”
“And I appreciate that. But if you need to, uh, punish your staff, it’s not really okay to do that here. Goddess, this is awkward.”
“Humans are very interesting creatures.”
“Yeah. And, you know, speaking of interesting creatures, in order to be in my house, as I’m sure is the same for your staff, there were very strict measures which had to be met. I treasure my staff, and ask that they be treated
with the highest levels of regard. I don’t allow just anyone in my household, so those who are allowed are very special to me.”
He had a sneaking suspicion that he was butchering the explanation, but Kavalan was giving him a thoughtful frown. “Yes, my mother ran a very strict household and I was not to speak to the staff about their duties. I did not consider that my role as your mate would not allow me to assist in the running of your household.”
Fuck a duck, Sawyer wanted this conversation to be over. “We have to run things together, or it won’t work. There are too many of us. I hope you understand that I want everyone to be able to work together to keep everything as safe and secure as possible.”
“I do. I have already tasked Loch with working with your vampires in security matters.”
“And I appreciate that very much. As I said earlier, they are a welcome addition here.” Sawyer gulped and smiled in what he hoped was a sweet and sincere manner. “And so are you.”
Kavalan smiled once more and leaned in close.
Andvari’s words flashed through his mind. Fix it.
The hopeful glances from the others followed.
Sawyer leaned in as well and brushed his lips against the prince’s.
There was nothing there. Not even a little spark. But it was a start.
Andvari
The tiny hairs on the back of Andvari’s neck stood at attention more often than not these days. Something was in the woods. Waiting. Watching. The ravens and crows had gathered again, but they’d learned quickly that they couldn’t bash their way through the wards. If Andvari listened closely— and he did— he could hear what the ravens were revealing. They knew something else was there as well. They’d left a gap in their defenses, an area they avoided, but no matter how carefully Andvari planned, no matter how many resources he devoted or how quickly they moved, he was never able to catch so much as a glimpse of whatever it was who stalked them.
Henry had used his magic to feel out the energy of their visitor, but he felt nothing but a void. It had shaken Henry enough that Andvari hadn’t asked for him to repeat the exercise. No, he’d just have to be prepared and listen to the ravens. They enjoyed the hunt as well, and his ancestors had always told of the ravens and their willingness to aid the hunters. The hunters found their prey, and the ravens were able to feast on the scraps left behind.
Andvari wondered what the ravens gained from standing guard outside their wards. Some days he thought they were there to help, but then he remembered the pain of the raven that had nearly killed him, and he shelved that idea. He rubbed his hand over his chest where the gaping hole left by the raven’s beak had once been. If it hadn’t been for his incredibly powerful mates, Andvari wouldn’t be here. He never forgot what they’d done for him that day. And he never forgot that it was the ravens that had almost gotten the best of him.
As the sun breached the horizon, Andvari waited for the prince and his entourage to emerge from the house. They journeyed daily into the woods and none of the rest of them were invited along for the trip. The ravens didn’t bother them, and neither did their mysterious visitor. It felt… off, but again, it was something to simply add to his list of items which no longer made sense in his world.
“Morning,” Henry said sleepily beside him.
“What has you up so early?”
Henry shrugged and curled up next to Andvari on the soft cushions of the window seat. The small sitting room beneath the turret had become one of Andvari’s favorite spots in the house. He had a clear view of both the woods and the valley to the side of their property where his vampire brethren had taken up residence. Draco and Sawyer had offered up their former homes for the cause, and now they had guards Andvari trusted to help keep his mates safe.
“Did you have a good time last night?” Andvari asked softly.
Henry had been up for hours talking with Quillon about his theories. Henry nodded and turned to look up at Andvari. “Draco and Asher are going to fly to the city today and pick up a bunch of Quillon’s books to bring back.”
“They are?”
Henry nodded before chewing worriedly on his bottom lip. “Unless you think it isn’t safe?”
“I don’t think there’s much that can get through our dragon, love. Would you rather we sent back-up with them?”
Henry shrugged again. “I don’t like for any of us to leave the wards anymore. It’s… not healthy. Papa says I need to be brave, but when I think of anything else happening to us…”
Draco hadn’t been exaggerating at all when he spoke to Andvari about Henry’s stress levels. The dark circles beneath his eyes had been a giveaway, but part of Andvari wondered if it was simply because he was exhausted. They all were. Training at the intensity they were took a lot of energy, and Henry had the additional drain of using his magic so often. The wards he’d created were things of beauty, but they had to be refreshed often.
“You need to trust in us, my mage. Draco tells me you are trying to carry the burden of the guardians on your own.”
Henry scowled. “He’s such a tattletale.”
Andvari chuckled and gave Henry a gentle squeeze. “We all have the same goal, do we not?”
“Yeah, but…”
Henry stopped and looked back toward the bedroom where the others slept. Saeward had slipped out of bed and was moving quietly toward them. Andvari had grown accustomed to the big guy sliding into their bed once they’d all gone to sleep and slipping back out again before they all awoke. Sawyer started the night on one side of the bed so Saeward could spoon in behind him, but somehow, he always managed to be back in the center by morning. Saeward didn’t seem to mind the closeness to the rest of them, and it felt like progress to Andvari.
“Good morning,” Saeward rumbled as he settled beside Henry.
“Hey, Ward. Did we wake you?” Henry asked as he tucked his feet under Ward’s thigh.
Ward rested his hand carefully on Henry’s leg and watched Henry’s expression for any sign of discomfort. He was so careful with them all, cautious and gentle. “No,” Ward replied. “Are you okay, little one?”
“Ugh, Ward. What have I told you about calling me that?”
“I believe you protested that you weren’t little, but Henry, you are the smallest of us all, are you not?”
Henry huffed, and Andvari had to hide his grin. “I’m not that much smaller than Sawyer. Or Eduard.”
“Shall I only call you by your name then?”
“My toes are cold,” Henry protested. Saeward’s eyes twinkled in glee as Henry didn’t deny him from his nickname. He plucked Henry’s feet from beneath his leg and wrapped his hands around them instead.
They sat quietly for a moment as the sun continued to rise from behind the trees, waking the ravens from their slumber. They began to stir, their caws filling the morning air.
Henry sighed and tugged Andvari’s arm more tightly around him.
“He’s out there,” Henry said quietly.
“Who?” Saeward asked.
“Our mystery man. If he’s a man at all. I’m not sure. The energy is neutral, at least for now. I’m listening.”
Saeward scowled at Andvari, as if he expected some other answer or plan. Andvari understood the frustration. He wanted nothing more than for all of this to be over so they could settle down in their lives together. “I am powerless on land. If we were in the sea, I would find this watcher and reveal his secrets.”
Powerless. It was a strong word choice from a man who’d been made to feel powerless before. They’d all picked up on Saeward’s problems, even if he only spoke of them to Sawyer. It was there in his hesitance, in his fear. Andvari had never known such a feeling.
“You’re not powerless,” Andvari said quietly. He hadn’t fully formed the thought in his head, but the words needed to come. Henry held onto his arm more tightly and waited. “You are powerful. You are a guardian of the Chosen One, placed specifically at his side by the Mother Goddess herself. Never forget that, my brother
. We are powerful together, and each powerful in our own right. The strongest of our kind were given the gift of keeping our mate safe from all who would attempt to subvert his destiny.”
Henry made a little sound and sat up. He reached for Andvari’s hand and linked their fingers together. Then he held out his hand to Saeward. It only took a second for him to accept. “I needed to hear that,” Henry whispered quietly. He glanced up at Andvari, then to Saeward. “We are here for a reason. And all of us together is what is important. We just have to wait on the other guardians to arrive before our strength is at its fullest. But until then, we keep Sawyer safe and help him bring our world together once more. That is our job, our duty to the Chosen One.”
“We will keep him safe,” Andvari vowed.
“I swear it,” Saeward added.
“And… the rest, the way we feel for each other,” Henry added gently. “That is our choice. It is also a gift from the Mother. I believe that she brought us together because she knew what each of us needed. We can choose to be together as mates, or we can choose not to. But it is a choice we have been given.”
“I understand,” Saeward said softly.
“No,” Andvari added, “I don’t think you do. Henry isn’t saying for you to choose, Ward. You can take all the time you need for that. He wants you to understand that it is, indeed, a choice. We were chosen to be guardians, and that is not our decision to make. But choosing to love each other, to give ourselves to each other, is something we get to decide. You may not be the only guardian who hesitates in joining in such an… unusual mating.”
“Who would choose loneliness over such an abundance of love?” Saeward asked gently.
Henry beamed and wiggled his way closer to Saeward. “That deserves a big old hug.”
Saeward blushed and opened his arms. Henry was wrapped around him a moment later. Saeward looked up and met Andvari’s gaze with damp eyes. Andvari leaned in, slowly, gently, and laid his hand against Saeward’s cheek. He leaned into the touch, so Andvari moved forward more, ever so slowly, and pressed his lips to Ward’s. It was a soft kiss, and over nearly before it began. Andvari repeated the gesture to Henry’s cheek before wrapping his arms gently around them both.