The Chosen One Universe Volume Three: An MM Paranormal Fantasy Shifters Series

by Macy Blake

  Sawyer pulled the basket closer and opened it. He removed the glass container Viv had loaded with a heaping portion of his goulash. “Um, so anyway, I made this for you. Myself. No one else touched it. Okay, well, Viv technically put it in the container for me, but I was right there and she didn’t do anything to it. I promise.”

  Sawyer leaned to the side and put the container on the ground. “So, if I like close my eyes and promise not to look, will you come get it and maybe consider eating it?”

  He did exactly that. He bowed his head and squeezed his eyes shut. He concentrated on his breathing for several long minutes before he heard movement once more. He waited another few minutes before speaking again.

  “Um, you ready? I kinda want to open my eyes again, but I don’t want you to think I’m trying to look.”

  Another sound, this one from some distance away.

  “Okay. Opening my eyes now.”

  He glanced to the side and the food was gone. Sawyer couldn’t help but smile. “I’m glad you took it. I hope you like it. I don’t really cook a lot, but I think it turned out pretty good.”

  Sawyer reached into the basket again and pulled out the thermos of his smoothie. Of course, Viv had snuck it in the basket along with everything else. He took a long drink and tried to fight his grimace. “This stuff really doesn’t get any better. I guess now I know why Cecil thinks I need to drink them, though. I mean, I’m not exactly clear on all the rules, but I’m pretty sure god powers in a human body aren’t the best combination.”

  He took another drink.

  “I think that’s what the whole null thing was about. Great big cosmic powers. Human body living space. Not really workable. Unless I had nothing, null, no powers. Maybe? I don’t know. It’s not like this stuff is all written down or something. Apparently before I… did whatever I did to get like this, I took all written record of myself away. I mean, it was probably smart, but I obviously didn’t think that human no-memory me would be floundering around with no clue about anything. Genius, right?”

  He still had no clue what god-him had been thinking. There had to be a solution right there in front of him, one previous him had thought he’d be able to figure out easily. Or maybe not easily? Sawyer sighed.

  “I wish I knew what I was supposed to do. That’s the thing. I really don’t know. There are all these pieces, but none of them fit together. Stuff has been going on for a long time, and I’m somehow supposed to fix it all? I don’t know. That’s what everyone tells me, anyway.”

  He took another drink of smoothie, trying to ignore the slight tremble in his hand. Ever since that night, he’d been struggling. He’d grown weaker, and those weaknesses were beginning to get hard to hide.

  “Anyway, I think I’m running out of time. And I still need to fix things with you. And I need to find the final guardian. I don’t have a clue how I’m supposed to do that. It scares me, though. I know what he’s capable of. Especially since… well, I don’t really want to talk about that. I’m still trying to figure it out to be honest. But let’s just say my other sibling is cruel and heartless. He hurt kids, you know? That’s one of those lines you can’t just cross and come back from. It’s like, once you step onto that path, you don’t come back from it.”

  Another noise, a huffing sound, filled with curiosity.

  “Um, I guess that means you want to know what I’m talking about? Man, you aren’t going to make it easy for me, are you? Here I thought the whole I’m a human god thing would be what caught your interest. I get it, though. All of my guardians are really noble, and I bet you are, too.”

  He took another drink.

  “I’m stalling. Because this is hard to say. I know I couldn’t stop it. I was just a kid. But I still feel responsible. Anyway, the other guy, P—Pa—” Sawyer’s breath caught. “Sorry. I can’t say his name either. He, um, was experimenting on kids. For a long time. My mate, Henry, was one of them. Henry’s siblings, too. It was bad, you know? Henry doesn’t like to talk about it much, but I talked to his Papa once when I was checking on Mikey. He said Henry was scared for a long time, and that he usually wanted his Uncle Meshaq there with him to keep him safe. Do you know Meshaq? He’s the champion of one of my sisters, the fire goddess. A hellhound. Well, the alpha of the hellhounds. Or the alpha of alphas now? Something like that. They’re really nice, the hellhounds. I mean, they’re scary as hell too. Which, I guess, is the point. Dammit, I’m stalling again.”

  Sawyer took another breath and another drink.

  “So yeah, a bunch of kids were involved, and now my brother Nick is their alpha. My sisters intervened and are helping him find them all. I guess my other… sibling… somehow kept it hidden from everyone, and that’s another thing I have to figure out. But Nick was one of the kids too, and he’s really invested in making sure these kids are happy and healthy and have good lives from now on. I’m going to go check on Nick later. He’s got a lot on his plate, but we’re still making sure we visit Mikey as much as we can. I can’t go a lot, because it’s not safe to draw that much attention to the Jerricks’ clinic. But I have to go some. It’s Mikey, you know? He’s my brother.”

  Sawyer glanced down at Draco again and drew a little strength from his sleeping mate. Everything was better with Draco beside him. If he thought it wouldn’t scare Yellow Eyes away, he’d have all his mates with him out here. He wanted them with him at all times, even though he was ridiculous for feeling so needy and clingy. He just didn’t feel safe unless they were around him.

  He heard a caw from one of the trees and glanced up to see a raven staring down at him. Sawyer looked quickly away. He knew they were trying to communicate with him, but after that first day, when he’d been able to do that weird magic where he was able to direct them, he hadn’t been able to again. He just didn’t know.

  “So anyway, that’s pretty much it. Nick is finding all the kids and we’re taking care of them. It sucks, but we’re going to do everything we can to help. Nick wants to find shifter parents to adopt the kids, but they have to pass muster first. And he’s not making it easy on them. Not that Nick ever makes things easy on anyone.”

  Sawyer grinned and leaned his head back onto the trunk. He closed his eyes and smiled. “Nick would march out here and demand you come talk to him. He would be so pissed and you’d probably just come talk to him to make him stop complaining about it. I don’t want to do that, though. I want you to come out when you’re ready. And, you know, if I need you, I hope you’ll help me again. I… it makes me feel better knowing you will. I hope you don’t mind.”

  Sawyer yawned and smothered it with his hand. “Sorry. I’m so tired all the time. Anyway, I think I’ll just sit here for a while if you don’t mind. Let Draco nap. It was good talking to you, though.”

  Another coughing sound was his only reply. Then nothing. Yellow Eyes was gone.

  Draco

  A strange noise woke Draco, and he grumbled as he opened his eyes. He’d fallen asleep on Sawyer, sitting in the middle of the damn woods. But he felt better now. Sawyer’s voice had lulled him into a deeper sleep. He hadn’t listened in, knowing Sawyer wanted to actually talk to the new guardian and find out what was going on. But he’d not slept deeply, ready to jump to Sawyer’s defense if he needed to.

  Thing was, Draco thought Sawyer was on the right track. Something about the mysterious creature from the woods called to Draco. And the guy had saved Sawyer’s life. If nothing else, Draco owed him for that. He wouldn’t survive without Sawyer. He couldn’t imagine taking a breath in a world without Sawyer in it.

  He heard the sound again, a strange almost coughing sound. Yellow Eyes was trying to get his attention. Draco sat up and looked around, only then noticing that Sawyer had drifted to sleep. His head leaned to the side at an awkward and painful looking angle.

  “I’ll take him inside now,” Draco said. “But he’ll be back tomorrow. Leave the bowl here and we’ll get it then. And, ya know, thanks for letting me know he needed me.”

>   Draco carefully lifted Sawyer into his arms, leaving the basket and blanket on the ground. He’d ask one of the mates to get it for him. He carried Sawyer back toward the house, trying to ignore all the eyes on him. Everyone could see that Sawyer was unwell. Of course, his stubborn mate hadn’t said a word, but he wasn’t blind. Sawyer slept all the time, and he was still losing weight. It was more noticeable now, since the attack. He wasn’t eating enough, that much Draco knew. Sawyer worried constantly about Mikey, and now about Nick as well. He constantly worried about everything, trying to find the solution to exactly who he was and what he was supposed to do. The worry was eating him alive.

  Cecil met them at the back door and held it open. The butler— no, Draco thought, he needed to remember that Cecil was so much more than simply the butler— held the door open for them. His expression showed as much concern as Draco felt.

  “I know—” Draco started to speak but his voice cracked. He leaned down and breathed in Sawyer’s scent for a moment before continuing. “I know you promised him you wouldn’t say anything. I get it. You’re keeping your promise to him. I just… is there anything I can do? Anything at all. I’d do it, for him.”

  “I know,” Cecil replied. “I…cannot say more, but I will… seek answers.”

  “Thanks, Cecil. Whatever you need. Whatever it takes.”

  “Understood,” Cecil said softly. “I will be away from my duties for a few hours. Will you let Master Eduard know?”

  “I will.”

  Draco watched him go, then carried Sawyer upstairs and placed him in the center of their oversized bed. Sawyer grumbled and opened his eyes. He blinked at Draco in confusion for a moment. “Did I dream…?”

  “No. You fell asleep.”

  “So tired all the time.”

  Draco ran his hand over Sawyer’s head, brushing his unruly bangs out of his eyes. He needed a haircut. “Rest. I’ll stay.”

  “Need to go check on Mikey. Nick said—”

  “I’ll text Nick and let him know to go a little later.”

  “Okay,” Sawyer said. He closed his eyes again. Pearl jumped up onto the bed a moment later, having detoured in the kitchen for her water bowl. She gave him a look before curling up beside Sawyer.

  “I know, girl,” Draco said softly. “He’s going to be okay, though. I’ll make sure of it.”

  He watched them for a minute longer before going to find Eduard. He’d be in his office with his cousin, Victor. They were still working on transferring all of the accounts to Victor’s control. Eduard looked up when Draco entered the room. He immediately put his pen down and stood.

  “What is it?”

  “Nothing. No. That’s not true. Just…” Draco rarely lost his words but he couldn’t seem to find them. He settled for passing along Cecil’s message instead. “Cecil had to go out for a while. He asked me to let you know.”

  Eduard’s brows shot up, and he reached for Draco’s hand. “He’s trying to figure out how to help Sawyer.”

  “Yes.”

  “Where is he?”

  “In bed. He made a breakthrough with Yellow Eyes today, but then he fell asleep.”

  “Good. He needs rest. Are we still going to see Mikey this afternoon?”

  “Yeah. And Nick’s coming too.”

  “Yes. I’m meeting with Jedrek while Nick and Sawyer sit with Mikey.”

  “It’s weird, him being…. Well, Nick was always just Nick. I knew he was a shifter but I just… I don’t know. It was just barely there and I knew he wasn’t a threat to Sawyer so I just didn’t think about it. And now all I think of is Henry and what they did to those kids and to know there were more. I mean, maybe I could have—”

  “Stop,” Eduard said. “If any of us had known, we would have assisted. No one would leave children in that situation, Draco. If Sawyer’s mother— his foster mother, I mean, had revealed Nick’s past to you, you would have done something. But she didn’t.”

  “Why?” Draco asked. “Why didn’t she get help for the others?”

  It didn’t make sense with the woman he’d known. Mama Thea would never have left kids behind. Hell, she stood up for Sawyer once when he’d been accused of cheating at school. He hadn’t cheated, and had provided a perfectly logical explanation. He’d told Draco later how Mama Thea had taken the teacher down a peg or two, defending him like a mama bear protects her cub. And yet, she’d left kids— she’d left Henry— behind to be hurt.

  Eduard didn’t answer. He wrapped his arms around Draco’s waist instead.

  Victor cleared his throat and rose, drawing Draco’s attention.

  “Pardon me for intruding, but I believe… I could be mistaken, but I believe Sawyer’s mother knew exactly what she was up against. She protected her son from a god. I’ve spoken to the hellhounds. If they could not defeat this magic, how could she have done it on her own?”

  He’d heard the explanation before. He’d even had the same thoughts himself. But hearing it from Victor somehow made it easier. She’d had to make the most difficult choice of her life, he was sure. She had to choose to save Nick and protect Sawyer and Mikey. However she’d found them, whatever had been involved to get the brothers in her care, it somehow must have told her she couldn’t help them. It was the only thing that made any sense.

  “She couldn’t,” Draco confessed. “She had to keep Nick, Mikey, and Sawyer safe for as long as she could.”

  Draco understood more than he wanted to admit to himself. There wasn’t much he wouldn’t do for Sawyer.

  Eduard tightened his hold on Draco, and he drew strength from his mate’s touch. “Victor, can you finish what we were doing on your own? I’m going to go sit with Sawyer and Draco for a while.”

  “Of course,” Victor said.

  Eduard grabbed his laptop from the corner of the desk and before leading Draco back to the master bedroom. Sawyer and Pearl hadn’t moved, but both Henry and Saeward had arrived in their absence. Henry was on the bed with his tablet in his hand while Saeward lay across the foot of the bed.

  “He is getting worse,” Saeward said.

  “Yes,” Draco replied. What else could he say? It was obvious to all of them.

  Andvari and Loch joined them a short time later. They squeezed in, all finding places on the bed. Draco found comfort in their presence, each of them a balm to the fear deep in his soul.

  Puteri blinked into being, looking sheepishly at them all. “Pardon me, guardians. I felt a strong magic and wanted to be sure the Chosen One was safe.”

  Eduard and Draco shared a look. Henry sat up straighter.

  “What did you say?” Henry asked.

  “My apologies, young mage. I am clearly mistaken—”

  “No,” Henry said. “Tell me. Explain. It’s important.”

  “Magic. Moments ago.”

  Draco glanced at Henry, who seemed to be processing things. “Henry?”

  “We’re all not this close all the time,” Henry said slowly. “I don’t think we’ve all been in the same room in a few days. Maybe a meal or two here or there. Andvari?”

  “You’re right. We’ve divided the watch so someone is always on duty. Loch and I should technically be outside now, but seeing Draco carry him inside—”

  “We had to check on him for ourselves,” Loch said.

  “The guardians have very powerful magic,” Puteri said gently. “I will leave you now.”

  The small brownie popped back out of existence, leaving Draco to stare at his mates. “Does it help him? Us all being together?”

  “I think maybe some. And I’ll take something over nothing at this point,” Henry said. “It’s not the answer. At least not with two guardians still not here.”

  “I need to go talk to Yellow Eyes, then,” Draco said. “If him being here helps Sawyer get through this, then he needs to pull his head out of his ass and get in here and help.”

  “Sawyer doesn’t want that, though. But maybe… maybe we just all go sit in the woods. Sounds dumb but… if we
can at least convince him to get close enough, maybe it’ll help a little more. We have got to find the eighth guardian, though. We have to. It’s our number one priority.”

  “How?” Saeward asked.

  “I don’t know. He’s also a water element. I’d hoped there would be some way you could…”

  Saeward shrugged. “For Sawyer, I would—” he paused, taking a deep gulp “— I would reach out to my former clan and ask if there are any others with the mark.”

  Henry pushed his tablet into Andvari’s hands and scooted down the bed. “Only as a last resort. Besides, I don’t think it’ll be another hippocamp do you? I mean, the rest of us are all different things, right?”

  Saeward nodded.

  Draco bit back a growl. If he had the ability to survive in the depths of the sea, he would hunt down Saeward’s clan and…

  “What about the lake in my home realm?” Loch asked. “If water is what he needs, perhaps we return to her and ask for her guidance. Prince Kavalan could surely convince his mother to allow us passage, under the circumstances. She would want something in return, however.”

  “And that’s the problem, isn’t it? What would she want? Making bargains with the fae is dangerous business, as you well know,” Eduard said.

  “We’ll keep it as a possibility, though,” Henry said softly. “Anything we have to do, we do. Our job is to keep him safe.”

  “Agreed.” Draco’s voice joined the voices of the others.

  Sawyer stirred, rolling over and opening his eyes. He sought Draco’s gaze and smiled. “A power nap was exactly what I needed.”

  “Feeling better?”

  “Yeah,” Sawyer said.

  Draco glanced at Henry, seeing his younger mate’s mind spinning. Draco left him to his thoughts, instead scooting down and wrapping his arms around Sawyer. “You just wanted me to carry you inside.”

  “How’d you guess?”

  Draco leaned in and kissed him. “You made progress today.”

  “I did, right? I mean, you were sleeping but we practically had a conversation. Well, I talked. But he at least made noises and I knew he was listening. And he actually took the food, you know? So I was right. It needed to be from me.”