by Melanie Ray
In the past, she had been so livid when he told the neighbor boy-the cute neighbor boy- he couldn’t talk to her because her pheromones were too high. How could he speak of something like that? Then when he threatened him if he did so, she had ran inside and screamed as she ripped up every single book of his she could find. She refused to listen, to learn how to fight, or to obey his command. In fact, if he had asked her to do something as simple as exercise, she’d lay around watching television just to spite him.
It wasn’t until one uneventful day when she had been playing in the backyard with her little sister, that five boys jumped the fence after them. If Yed had not been nearby, she had no idea what they would have done to her or her little sister. He was just a child himself and came away with more than one broken bone, but he had risked his life for them. Yes, the line between overprotective and protective, was blurry once she started to grow up.
Ever since that frightening day, Ezra did the best she could to learn everything he had to offer: How to treat males who were stalking her, how to treat predators when they wanted a date, even some basic fighting techniques. Up until the day he left, she worked hard so she could protect herself and pass on everything she could to her little sister. “I only have purple sheets, I hope you don’t mind. They’re thin but it’s hot outside this time of year.”
Ezra looked back at Yed one more time. His presence was comforting, like a favorite sweater that was worn out but too hard to part with. It had been so long since they’d talked or even seen each other but it felt like just yesterday that he was there. A generation of the waryes race could have been born and passed on between how long it had been.
“I’M FINE, NO WORRIES,” Yed insisted. “I’ll see you tomorrow.” He waved casually as he watched Ezra leave the room, then he went over to the bed and stared at it. It would be better to be sleeping in his own room. He should have been able to relax and go to sleep with ease rather than being in that situation.
If it hadn’t been for the King’s trick, he would never have been there. He went to the bathroom connected to his bedroom and stared in the mirror. The last time he looked into that mirror, his face had been thinner and youthful. He noticed the bags under his eyes and his tired appearance and felt older than he was. “All those years being a Protector and look what I have to show for it.” He had hurt and lied to someone he had guarded, all because of the damn King’s vision! It didn’t matter whether she ended up pregnant in the end to the kingdom, what would be would be. The only ones who’d be affected would be them.
“Aah!”
“Yed,” He heard her voice cry out. Oh great, he'd been too loud.
Grabbing a green guest towel he wrapped his right hand carefully in it. He could see shards of glass split like icicles that had dropped all over the floor and the remnants of shards still in the mirror above the sink.
She was gonna freak.
“Yed, what happened?” Ezra gasped and covered her mouth. Yep, she freaked. She went over to his hand and gently removed the towel. "Yed?" "Why did you feel like breaking my bathroom mirror with your hand?" she said to him like he was a stupid kid.
Yed shrugged. Well dumb question, dumb answer, she should have known that. Tiny droplets of blood were starting to spill from his hand onto the shard stained floor. Oops.
“I’ll get the first aid kit,” Ezra insisted.
“It’s fine Ezzy,” Yed insisted back, but she didn't listen. She carefully swung over enough to open the bottom cabinet. "Impressive."
“Come on." Ezra rolled her eyes and gestured out the door. "Let’s go over to the bed and get you fixed up.”
“If you insist.” Yed held his hand tightly, damn did that sting! Shoving his fist in the middle of a bathroom mirror was not the best thing he should have done. He was upset with himself, but he should have found another way. He left the glass-littered floor and headed toward the bed, sat down beside Ezra and held out his hand. “Sorry, I’ll replace the mirror again. I was practicing a move and it went wrong.”
“You should try practicing your moves in a safer place, you’re lucky you didn’t hit a vein," Ezra scolded him. "Hold still, this will hurt a little.”
Yed move slightly as she pulled out the glass that was embedded in his skin but he tried to remain tough.
“I hope I got it all, you might need to go to a doctor,” she said concerned
“I don’t need a doctor.” Yed pulled his hand away. “I need a broom so I can clean your floor.” He stood up and glanced into her eyes. “Bad habits fall hard?”
Ezra gave him an I-know-you look. “Your getting a stress relief ball for your birthday.”
“No thanks, I’d probably end up popping it in frustration with a knife,” Yed joked. “Go on back to bed, I’ll get everything else. Sorry to disrupt you.” He looked back at her and noticed her robe. “What are you wearing?”
Ezra looked down at her robe, then back up at him. Ah, so it begins. “Just regular pajamas beneath, nothing frilly or sexy, just simple long ones,” she lied but she had to, silky lingerie felt nice to sleep in, especially in the middle of hot nights. “I’m going back to bed now.”
“Are your curtains closed? Does your silhouette cast itself onto them?” Yed's irritating voice asked again.
Ezra held back her sigh, she would have to get used to his constant attention. “No, Protector Yed, now I’m going to bed. Tell me later if you think you need more assistance with your hand.” She turned to leave, almost home free.
“Good, then keep the lights off, and don’t forget to change those clothes. Not only can I tell they aren’t long, your purple neckline sticks out at the back. Oh and by the way, I did see your room and those lights. If you change right beside your bed your whole silhouette shows through giving every predator out there a great show. Also, your back door can be jarred open with one good tug and a crowbar, we’ll work on that tomorrow.”
Ezra looked back at Yed, but kept her mouth shut. She had forgotten that even if you really love an old sweater, it gets pulled out of shape and the stitching always becomes loose causing tail ends all over the place. The feeling of a comfy old sweater only lasts for so long until it has worn out its welcome. He is an old friend; he’s trying his best. He’s a Protector and that’s what he does. Yeah, annoy every part of her. Why did they even make a rule about a Protector not involving himself with a woman? No woman would ever want one. “Goodnight, Yed.”
Chapter 6
A SIGN OF TROUBLE
Yed glanced at his watch as Ezra headed for the bathroom again. So far everything had been fine. Her health had been great, no one else was sent to tangle with her or hunt her down. Life was looking good and forgetting the whole event had been easy the longer he hung around. With enough time, he could repress it and convince himself it never happened.
The only thing that wasn’t so status quo was her current problem. She is going to the bathroom every half hour. He tried to ignore the sign; there was nothing else out of place. There could be something else going on with her. He pulled out one of his study books and focused on it instead. He just had to stay positive; everything would be fine.
"No, by the planet of Pagnia?!" Ezra shouted.
At Ezra's outburst Yed immediately set his book down and ran toward the bathroom. “What?” He saw her staring at something in her hand and she refused to meet him eye to eye. “Ezra?” He watched her toss something in the nearby trashcan. “Ezzy.” Yed glanced back to the trashcan subconsciously knowing what it was. He didn’t want to look, didn’t want to know, and he wanted to pretend that everything would be okay.
Pretending wasn’t going to work anymore though as his eyes stared at the object that had been tossed to the side. A small object no larger than a nail file, but on it was the sign that his worst fear had come true.
“Oh...oh...” Ezra covered her mouth feeling sick to her stomach. It couldn’t be, but it was true! Her stomach felt tied up in knots and she stepped back until she hit the back of the bat
hroom wall. The cold exterior on her neck did nothing to numb her sudden feelings of nausea. She saw Yed staring at the results, but he blurred in and out of her vision. She tried to breathe, but her throat felt so hoarse, even breathing seemed to be a challenge. Her legs felt like jelly as she trembled and could not stop.
“Ohhhh...” Ezra opened her eyes and saw Yed beside her. She glanced around and realized she was on her own couch. “...I’m...I’m...”
“I know.” Yed helped her sit up on the couch. “Take it easy, you fainted.”
“I’m?” Ezra still could not get out the words. “Yed, w-what do I...”
“You get a crib and some clothes, and I’ll just have to guard two instead of one.”
Ezra was not happy with his answer. Buy a crib and clothes, did he think it was a joke? She didn’t know whether to shout out how much of an insensitive jerk he was or if she should just... “I don’t know what to do, I’m not married, I don’t have a boyfriend, and I don’t even know who the father is, except he pretended to be a Protector. Yed, I-I-I don’t know what to do.”
"Well...I could call someone?" Yed suggested.
Yed tried to call Xiam first for her, but he wasn't home, so he tried to call Muin. When she heard the news, she rushed right over to help ease Ezra's mind.
"It's okay," Muin said with comfort in her voice. "This'll be okay, Ezra. I mean, we'll both be pregnant together. Right, big sister?"
Yed refilled Ezra’s non-alcoholic drink as he glanced at Muin.
"It's not the same thing, Muin." Ezra said the same thing he probably
thought. "You're happily married to Zaria."
"I know," Muin said sympathetically then looked crossly over at Yed. "Don’t make her feel even worse, just because she didn't live up to your expectations."
"I'd never do that."
"Well, you sure fooled me." Muin crossed her arms and smiled at Ezra. "It'll be fine, sis."
Ezra nodded but looked back at Yed. Getting pregnant from a one-night stand, there was no way he'd say it was all right or no big deal. He should be yelling at her, quizzing her to figure out what she did wrong. Criticize her for not listening to him when he was her last Protector. He should have done any of those, but he didn't do or say anything at all. Just that it was okay? It's wrong for Muin to be pregnant and happily married because she's younger, but it was right for her to be impregnated by someone she didn't know because she was older? There was something not right about his behavior.
"It'll be okay." Muin smiled at Ezra. "Maybe the guy will help you out? At the very least, you can get some money out of him."
"I don't really care about that," Ezra said. The last thing she wanted was for some stranger she met one time to enter her life. Things were complicated enough. She took a swig of the drink Yed poured but wished she had something stronger, at least as powerful as their water. How could one mistake lead to this? She had followed the rules so close, and she had always kept herself in check. As much as she hated to admit it to herself, Muin deserved to be where she belonged. Her sister had been reckless in her youth, and she care to take any precautions.
Miss wild and free Muinela ended up finding the love of her life while pregnant, but she herself would end up alone and pregnant?
“Tuck your pajamas back in your robe, and I thought I told you to get rid of those?” The annoying voice she knew oh so well berated her.
Excuse me, stuck with a Protector and pregnant. Alone would have been better she thought as she tucked her pajama’s deeper into her robe. Like she cared if someone saw her top right now or not? She was pregnant! She hung her head low at the thoughts whirling in her head as she set her drink back down. She felt her sister’s arm around her, trying to give comfort, but no one’s arm could heal the past. The wound that had slowly started to heal had grown to an all out injury that would never scab over.
Scab over? How can I think that? What kind of mother would say such a thing? She tried to hold back her tears, she’d cried enough that night. No amount of crying would help her situation. No, it was time to come clean with herself. “I did something wrong, and I’m pregnant.” She finally said the words out loud, but it made her feel even worse. She grabbed a tissue and fiddled with it, trying not to dwell on the words she spoke. The past couldn’t be changed though, and the unimaginable was beginning. She couldn’t take anything back. “I’m pregnant.”
You shouldn’t do this alone. We’re gonna find the guy, I promise." Muin grinned. "Iri's gonna help you."
What? Yed listened very intently, that didn’t sound good.
"You know, Iri remembers everyone she meets right down to the smallest detail." Muin patted her big sister's leg. "She called me right before Yed called.” A glance was thrown his way. Apparently she wasn’t happy about being called after Xiam, but how was Yed supposed to know whom to call first? “She told me she remembered that the guy had a funny looking tail. It had a bit of a crook in it, especially when he walked."
Yed quickly laid his tail as straight as he could. Xiam’s wife could be a problem after all! How could she remember such a tiny detail?
"He also had a strange blue hair color she said was quite memorable. We’re watching for that right now, and for anyone new in town," Muin said. "We’ll look around more, someone else must have seen something.” Muin put her finger to her lip and tapped it back and forth. “There was something else. “Oh yeah. He was really tall and lanky too, almost four feet.” Muin gestured over to him. “About like our Yed I bet."
"I need some water," Yed said quickly as he stood up. "You ladies want anything?"
Muin smiled. "No sir."
Ezra just shook her head not even hearing Yed’s invitation. "Tall, lanky, and weird tail? I don't remember. I sort of remember the hair though."
"She said he had a high voice too, almost comical," Muin added.
Almost comical? Well, that's nice. Yed frowned as he went to the kitchen and pretended to get water. He glanced back, then went over to a cupboard for a shot glass and some Warnisky, a brand of strong warno whiskey. What do you remember about the guy who knocked me up? Yed mocked Muin to himself. Oh just that he had a funny voice and a crooked tail? I do not have a crooked tail! He poured the whiskey straight in the shot glass and took a swig. He felt the sensation burn his throat as he continued to listen to Muin from the other room.
“We’ll catch him, Ezra, rest assured. You think Yed is going to let some guy get away with this? He’ll definitely find him before we even do. He may be a jerk and overprotective, but he’d never let us down.”
Yed looked at the shot glass. The smooth exterior had Xiam’s restaurant Vallencio’s imprinted on the side. I’d never let them down. I may be a jerk and overprotective but I’d never let them down. Muin’s words burned worse than the whiskey as he scooted the shot glass away and took a swig straight from the bottle.
Chapter 7
YO-YO THOUGHTS
In the weeks that followed, Ezra had become used to Yed being in her life again. Although annoying, greatly annoying to have a Protector hanging around all the time, she realized how much she had missed her old friend. She even found herself playing favorite childhood past time games, but nostalgia took over when they started to play with yo-yos.
Ezra smiled as Yed's string on his yo-yo broke. They were competing to see who could yo-yo the most and she was not far behind. "Is that a forfeit?"
"Ha, ha." Yed tried to tie the string back together. "You wish."
Ezra laughed as she held out her finger and bounced her yo-yo like a pro. It was a child’s toy that she hadn’t played with in decades, not since Yed left. She had thought he would give up on it like everyone else did, but he still had a strange fascination for the toy. "Still obsessed with that yo-yo as much as when you were a kid."
"I was never a kid, I had too many responsibilities," Yed said as he kept trying to tie the knot without leaving gaping strings that would need cut. "I'm not obsessed either."
"Okay, you're not
obsessed and you never were." Like she would ever believe that? "You bet Yo-yo Yed.”
"You're the one who must have been practicing all the time," Yed said as he got his string fixed. He tried to play with the yo-yo but the string snapped again. "Damn, this is getting old."
"Blame it on the yo-yo." Ezra smiled knowing it irritated him. "What are you going to do, throw it away, buy a new one and declare a new game?"
"No, I couldn't throw this one away." Yed tried to fix the string again. He seemed to hesitate a moment before he spoke. "...My father gave it to me."
"Oh." Ezra became quiet. Family was never anything Yed wanted to talk about.. The less she had pushed as a child to know, the better they got along, but they were adults now. Would he be able to talk to her more about it? I never told him anything about my real family either. “Your father gave it to you?”
Yed fiddled around with the string but glanced up. "What about you?"
"Hmm?" Ezra didn’t understand, he should know a great deal about her. "Me what?"
"Your family." Yed put the yo-yo down. "Before Xiam and Muin?"
Ezra continued to play with her yo-yo. "I don't know what you mean."
"Do you remember anything?" Yed asked her.
"I don't know what you mean," Ezra said more firmly. She didn’t want to talk about it, he should have just known. He worked for the King, how could he not know?
"Yes you do," Yed said seriously. "You're the last Saga."
Ezra put her yo-yo down. He was so frustrating sometimes, if he did know, why was he asking? "So."
"You could have told me. It would have been nice knowing," Yed said.
"Nice knowing?" Ezra gave him a disturbed look. "What? That I'm the last of some phased out family? How would that be nice to know?"
"Because," Yed said before he took a deep breath, "I am too."
Ezra gave him a puzzled look, what did he mean he was too?