Stand-in: Take 3 of the Kanyon and Daylen Series

by K. B. Draper

Kanyon waved her off. “You had your reasons and I get that. But, where I’m at today and what those months apart did was just confirm more than ever that I want you in my life. And, Daylen … I don’t want to just be friends or just be your Guardian.” Kanyon finished, her confidence waning a little at her confession. In Daylen’s prolonged silence, Kanyon wondered if she’d read Daylen wrong, seeing what she’d so desperately wanted to see. “If you don’t feel the same way then we just need to talk through it and I can–”

  “No!” Daylen said quickly before Kanyon took her words back. “I mean, yes.” Daylen chuckled. “There wasn’t even a question in there, was there?” She got a smile with a slow side to side from Kanyon. “I mean, I came here today not even knowing if you’d forgive me and come back as my Guardian, let alone anything else. So, my answer to the question you didn’t actually ask is,” she rubbed a thumb over Kanyon’s knuckles, “I want to be in your life too. In whatever capacity you will have me.”

  Kanyon smirked. “One-time sex toy?”

  Daylen’s heart warmed with the familiar banter. She smiled lazily, reaching out to touch a fingertip to Kanyon’s lower lip. “Cute. But one time doesn’t really work for me.”

  Kanyon caught Daylen’s retreating hand and pulled it back to her lips. “Good.” She kissed Daylen’s fingertips. “Me either.”

  A rap came at Kanyon’s door. “Ten minutes, Miss McKane.”

  Kanyon groaned, letting go of Daylen’s hand.

  Daylen smiled. “Go, and I’ll see if I can connect with Lt. Boston. I’ll see if there have been any strange reports in the area, then head back to the office and check in with Aunt Ruby. Maybe she’ll have more to go on. Then maybe see you later?” Daylen asked hopefully.

  “Most definitely,” Kanyon answered with a smile.

  “Good.”

  Ralph jumped off the couch and leaned against Daylen, nearly knocking her over. “Umm, I think he might want to go with you,” Kanyon stated.

  Daylen reached down and patted his head. “I’m okay with that, if you are?”

  Kanyon shrugged. “Sure. I’ll be shooting for a while so he’ll just be stuck in here. I should be done around nine?”

  “Okay. I’ll text if I learn anything new.”

  “Ditto. Ralph, behave,” Kanyon ordered.

  Ralph scoffed.

  Kanyon collapsed on the couch after watching Daylen and her dog walk away together. Yes, she noticed that she’d just referred to Ralph as her dog. She sighed. She must be in a weakened state of mind. But who could blame her? Daylen was back in her life and well … She bit her lip, not wanting to curse things before they ever got started.

  Though it seemed like she’d spent every waking moment of the last eight months thinking about Daylen coming back, she hadn’t exactly been prepared for her heart and body’s reaction to actually seeing Daylen again. She was still smiling when she felt the tingle in the air. Kanyon cracked an eye open. “What if I was sitting here naked?” Kanyon asked.

  “Not my typical pleasure.” Isadora tilted her head slightly. “Yet not likely an unpleasant experience. You are quite attractive and I did read in one of those modern scrolls that you are in the top rankings of most desirable women,” Isadora teased.

  “They have questionable qualifications for desirable,” Kanyon replied flatly as she sat upright, moving over to give Isadora room to sit next to her. “What’s up?”

  “I understand that you had a visitor today. I simply want to check on your well-being.”

  “I’m fine.” Kanyon fought to keep the smile off her face.

  Isadora patted Kanyon’s hand. “I am glad to hear.”

  Kanyon was accustomed to keeping people at a distance, but had grown used to Isadora’s comforting touches. She flipped her hand over to hold Isadora’s, palm to palm. She stared at their joined fingers for a long moment. “You know this is what I wanted, but I’m scared.”

  “It is a frightening thing to hand over one’s heart. Especially when one’s heart is so fragile.”

  Kanyon snorted. “That you have wrong. My heart is not fragile.”

  “If it is so tough, why do you construct such a thick wall around it? A heart should be free to roam, to learn, to love, to lose, to heal, and to rebuild itself. For that is what makes it strong.”

  “Or you can just tuck it away and learn to live with the scratches and dents,” Kanyon replied flatly.

  “I have seen a good many of your chariots–”

  “Cars,” Kanyon corrected.

  “Cars, and I have yet to see one single flaw in them. Why do you hold these mere possessions in higher regard than the one thing that sustains you, gives you life, allows you to love, and–”

  “Be hurt,” Kanyon finished for her as she released Isadora’s hand and pushed further back into the couch.

  “You are a beautiful, intelligent, loving, and strong woman. You deserve love. I should not have to tell you this.”

  Kanyon dropped her eyes.

  Isadora sighed, understanding the depth of Kanyon’s vulnerability. “You do not know what your father thinks or what caused him to make the choices he made. Do not assume anything.” Of course, Isadora knew very well what Kanyon’s father thought. She had seen his love, pride, and desperate desire to be a part, a visible part, of Kanyon’s life for years. But that would be resolved soon enough. “I will tell you, things are not always as they appear nor are they how your broken heart interprets them. I will not speak for your father, but Daylen cares for you and you for her.”

  A rap came to the side of the trailer. “Five minutes.”

  Kanyon opened her mouth to speak but Isadora lifted her hand. “You are back to your rightful place as a Guardian, now you need to simply allow your heart the freedom to figure out the rest for itself.” Isadora pulled Kanyon up and into an embrace. “You must let your heart out from behind that wall. It has so very much to offer and deserves so much more.” Isadora released Kanyon and gave her cheek an affectionate peck.

  “I told her I wanted to try for more than friends, more than her Guardian. She seemed open, so?” Kanyon shrugged.

  “That sounds like an excellent beginning. I am very proud of you. Both of you.”

  Kanyon stood silent for a long moment. “So, about my father,” Kanyon trailed off, embarrassed that she cared or was even curious about him. “It seems like, you know–” she hesitated, wanting to know so much, while at the same time, not wanting to know anything at all.

  Isadora stepped back, a sympathetic smile on her face. “What I know is, you will have your answers soon enough and they are not what you assume them to be.” She laid a hand over her own heart as she began to mist away. “Another reason to make sure your heart is ready to accept the answers and the love people have to offer.”

  “But–” Kanyon began, but Isadora was already gone. “Freaking dramatic exits.”

  Lt. Boston hadn’t been at the precinct, so Daylen and Ralph headed back to the office. Ralph trotted ahead, through the kitchen, down the hall, and up the stairs. Daylen watched, amused, as the dog made himself at home. She took the stairs behind him. He’d already disappeared when she arrived at the second floor. She glanced in Theo’s office, then hers, the bathroom, and then the only option left with a door open, her aunt’s.

  Ruby was behind her desk and Ralph was curled up on the chaise lounge.

  Ruby looked up from her book. “Good, you’re back. And you’re not a big crying mess. I take it things went well?”

  “A big crying mess? Geez. Thanks for that vote of confidence. And yes, it appears things are going to be okay.” Daylen smiled. More than okay, hopefully. “Kanyon has agreed to be my Guardian again and we’re starting with the case on the set. You still don’t have any more information? A clue as to what we might be looking for?”

  “Good, and no I don’t. Now, how about the other part of this party? I don’t see any hickeys, so what gives on the love front?”

  Daylen covered her neck self-consciously. �
��I– We– It’s none of your business.”

  “It’s none of my business that I want to make sure my niece is happy and in love?”

  “No.” Daylen pointed at Ralph. “Aren’t you even a little bit curious about the large dog lying on your couch? Or wait, let me guess. You already knew Kanyon had him.”

  “Yep. We’ll go with that,” Ruby muttered then spun back around in her seat not wanting to tell Daylen that Ralph was another supernatural relationship, prearranged for her and Kanyon. Her heart tightened though as she pretended to organize papers on her desk. The dog’s sudden appearance meant two things; the showdown at the supernatural corral was getting closer and the puppet masters upstairs thought Kanyon and Daylen needed all the help they could get.

  Daylen was studying Ralph, unaware of her Aunt’s unease. “Aunt Ruby, why is it you can see some things so clearly, then others, like the article we’re looking for, there’s little to nothing? I mean, I understand why I’m so in and out. I’m just learning, but you have full control of your powers.”

  Ruby pointed at the ceiling. “Limited data plans. They only call during peak hours.”

  Daylen gave her a small chuckle. “Seriously, I mean our jobs would be so much easier if there was full disclosure.”

  Ruby stopped with the pretend organization tactics and looked at her niece. “You just answered your own question. Strength and wisdom come from living and experiencing. If everything was just given to us, we would not be prepared. We wouldn’t be strong enough or knowledgeable enough when we needed to be. It’s the same lesson for life. If we never fell while learning to ride a bike, would we know how to get back up? If we never touched a hot stove, would we know to be cautious? If we never loved and lost …” She smiled at her niece. “Would we know when to let some people go and when to fight for another?”

  “Nice double life lesson. Are you running a two for one special today?” Her aunt winked at her. “Okay, message received. Both of them. I’m going to start on some background info. Come on, Ralph, let’s get you some water and a snack first.”

  Theo came skating in on a heel through the back door. He hit the doorframe and bounced off. His backpack weighed down with newly acquired nerd treasures, apparently throwing off his balance on his wheelie shoes. “Hey, Daylen!”

  Daylen waited until he was upright again. “I see you scored at the comic book store, but I didn’t think the sale was until tomorrow?”

  “Yeah it is, but the owner came out while James and I were making s’mores over a couple of Bunsen burners and he said something about fire hazards and increased insurance rates. Apparently, there was an incident last year with four guys with proton packs or something. I don’t know, he was hard to understand between the consistent huffing on his inhaler. But anyway, he said he’d give us the Pre-Fantastic Fantasy and Space-tacular Cosmic Comic This Realm Only Clearance Sale discount today, if we’d put out the fire and go away.”

  “Nice,” Daylen offered as Ralph came out from behind the refrigerator door, a Ziploc bag of cooked bacon clinched in his teeth.

  “Holy crap! Daylen, there’s a wolf, horse–” Theo started to warn as he attempted to pull his Dark Savior replica sword out of his backpack. His wheelie shoes not down for some quick scrambling motions had Theo struggling to stay upright. A fight he lost a few seconds later when his sword got caught on a backpack strap, and he went backward over a kitchen chair, hit the wall, and went ass first down to the floor.

  Ralph flipped the Ziploc bag onto the counter, sniffed the air, then slowly, deliberately lowered his head, locking in on Theo’s splayed form.

  Theo froze.

  Ralph came to a stop, towering over his prey, a droplet of drool threatening to dislodge.

  “Umm, Daylen?” Theo managed to mutter, but it was too late.

  Ralph put a paw on Theo chest, pinning him where he sat.

  “Good doggie,” Theo whimpered.

  Ralph struck with lightning fast speed, his jaws locked around his victim and yanked before Theo could react.

  A long second later, Theo cautiously opened his eyes and ran his hands over his face, neck, and chest, assessing himself for open wounds. No pain, no blood. Not feeling or seeing anything, he glanced at Ralph who had dropped next to him on the floor. “Hey! That’s my Slim Jim!”

  Ralph rolled over playfully, his belly exposed and his legs and paws flailing in the air, trying to capture the processed meat stick so he could get the wrapper off. Unsuccessful, he rolled pathetic eyes to Theo and whimpered.

  “I think he wants you to unwrap it,” Daylen offered, trying to keep the laugh out of her voice. Despite the posture Ralph had taken, she had known that Ralph wouldn’t hurt Theo. She wasn’t able to clearly see or feel what Ralph was thinking, not like she could with humans, but she’d had a sense and knew that Theo was safe. His artificial meat snacks, however, not so much.

  Theo unwrapped the beef jerky stick and held it out. Ralph gave him a big slobber ridden kiss as gratitude then gnawed down on his tasty treat. Theo scrambled to his feet, using one hand and the kitchen table to steady himself and the other to wipe the slobber off his face. “You got us a dog? He’s so …”

  “Big?” Daylen offered.

  “He’s freakin’ huge! I mean, I’m not complaining, but you couldn’t have gone with something a little more, I don’t know … cocker spaniel-ish? I had a cocker spaniel growing up. Her name was Princess Leia.”

  Ralph scoffed. Daylen chuckled. “Of course, it was. But no, I didn’t get us a dog.” Daylen knew she needed to choose her next words carefully, knowing in advance how Theo would react. “I’ll explain. But first you need to take off those shoes. I don’t think our kitchen or our worker’s comp insurance can take the hit.”

  Theo’s foot scooted out from under him to help further her point. Theo dropped into a chair. “Yeah, I got these so I could race down the aisles of the store faster and get all the good stuff before everyone else.”

  “Good plan,” Daylen said, thinking the store owner likely diverted two disasters by letting Theo in early.

  De-shoed, Theo looked back up at Daylen for an explanation.

  Daylen caught sight of Theo’s bigfoot themed socks and smiled. “Okay, I don’t want you to get overly-excited, but I’m just babysitting the dog, Ralph by the way, for a friend.”

  “Okay? What friend?”

  Daylen stepped out of happy dance range. “Kanyon.”

  “Kanyon!” He spun in his seat to stare at Ralph. “This super big, kind of scary, but totally badass dog is Kanyon’s?” He came out of his seat. Daylen took another step back as he spun on her. “Wait! That means you saw her! Talked to her! You had to have talked to her, right? Of course, you did. You totally did!” He lunged for Daylen, hugging and spinning her around. “Is she coming back? I mean, she’s totally coming back. Right?” He released her enough to see her answer. When Daylen confirmed with a nod, Theo started with a dancing jog move, complete with clapping and hip gyrations, the funny kind, not the pervy kind, while cheering, “Oh yeah, Kanyon’s coming back. Oh yeah, Kanyon’s coming back.”

  Daylen moved against the counter to give Theo room to lap the kitchen. She smiled at the guy’s pure delight that his hero was coming back to them. Daylen couldn’t help but notice her heart doing its own internal celebratory dance.

  On his tenth trek around the kitchen, Theo started to become winded and slowed. “She’s seriously coming back to us?”

  “That’s what she said this morning,” Daylen answered, grabbing a glass, filling it with water, and handing it to him.

  “Thanks.” He downed it and smiled a wide kid-on-Christmas smile. “This is so awesome. I can’t wait to see her. Hopefully, she’ll start teaching me to be …” His eyes went wide again, but this time in panic. “I got to get ready! What if she tests me? What if …” he spun around the room, “… all of this has been a test?” Panicked, not knowing what to do first, he grabbed his backpack. “I have to show her everything I’ve lea
rned while she’s been gone. I’ve been studying, you know.” He pulled out a stack of comic books. “Do you think she’ll want to see my new comic books?”

  “Most definitely,” Daylen grinned.

  “Cool.” He dropped the stack of books on the table. “Oh wait, she’ll totally like these.” He pulled out two throwing stars. “They’re like the ones you and her,” he quickly corrected, “the Dark Savior and Freya, I mean, used when you followed the slave trader, Miadan, to Asia, Episode 391. Remember? She was all, hie-ya,” he did his best karate impersonation, throwing out a front kick, waving his arms and hands, “and kaw-waaaa.”

  “Daylen, I was hoping–” Ruby began as she entered the kitchen but was cut off as a rogue throwing star came at her. Ralph barked and the star slowed just enough that Ruby was able to take a small sidestep.

  The world slammed back into place and the throwing star struck the doorjamb with a notable thwack. “Watch–” Daylen yelled, “–out!” she finished a second too late. She blinked. “What the hell just happened?” Daylen asked Ruby, then spun on Theo and pointed. “You are so grounded, by the way. Give me that!” She snatched the star from his hand, then moved to the doorframe. With both stars safely in her possession she stared at her aunt. “Why did that not hit you?”

  “Probably because Boy Wonder there has the throwing skills of a drunken hula dancer.” Her aunt waved her off. “It’s all good. I’m sure Theo has learned his lesson.” She focused on him. “Right? No more playing with sharp objects?”

  Theo was still in shock, his eyes bouncing between his hands and the small hole in the doorjamb. “I’m sorry. I don’t know how that– I mean, I didn’t–” He looked down at his hands, tears starting in his eyes. “I didn’t–”

  Ruby walked over to Theo. “It’s okay, sweetheart. I know you didn’t mean to. Let’s just keep our weapons in the backpack next time. Okay?” Theo nodded vigorously. “Good.” Ruby stepped over to Ralph and gave his head a pat. “Sorry for the little test, but you’re protecting my girls so I hope you understand.”