I was enjoying it earlier and then you realized what was happening and stood up.”
I blushed and looked away. “I hardly know you.”
“You know enough,” he whispered. “You know I would never hurt you. You know that my one goal is to keep you safe. What more do you need?”
To know you really do find me attractive.
I couldn’t say that out loud, though. He had said I was beautiful earlier, but I wasn’t sure I believed him.
“You’re biting your lip again,” he whispered as he darted around a tree in our path. “What’s troubling you?”
“Would I be able to sense if you lied to me?” I asked.
“The sky is gray,” he said.
A weird, uncomfortable feeling filled me.
“That’s a yes,” he chuckled.
“I guess it is,” I admitted.
So, he really did find me attractive?
“After all of this, do you really want to stay as my Guardian? Forever?” I asked.
“Yes,” he answered immediately.
Nothing.
Whoa.
“Oh,” I said softly.
He chuckled. “Not the response you expected?”
“Honestly? No. I thought you would want to back out after we finished all this craziness,” I said.
“I want to be by your side for as long as you’ll have me there,” he said.
Truth.
Whoa, again.
“Good to know,” I replied softly.
We made it to the meeting spot and there were two cars idling, waiting for us.
The Guardians climbed out and raised a hand in greeting.
“They’re good,” Chelle said.
“All clear,” I informed everyone.
Even still, Caleb stayed at the back, Nick behind us to cover our backs. Just in case.
“They are always going to be overprotective of you,” Chelle said. “It’s just who they are.”
I nodded. I knew that, but it was still interesting to see.
Everyone climbed into the cars, but Nick commandeered the driver’s seat of the one I climbed into. “Sorry, but no one but me is going to drive her,” he told the other Guardian, a werewolf named Antoine.
Antoine shrugged and climbed into the passenger’s seat. “Whatever, man. I don’t care. I’m just ready to get the hell away from that school and keep our pretty witch safe from all this insanity.” He turned and winked at me. “Hey.”
“Hi,” I replied and smiled at him. “Thanks for joining us.”
He shrugged, put his belt on, and said, “Nothing else to do. I didn’t want to stay with the Triune who are trying to use us to find you. Or go with the witches who recruited some of the students to come back with them as their Guardians. I’d rather stay with you all.”
“Does anyone else find it weird that we’re all high school-aged?” I asked. “Wouldn’t you expect to find some college-age or younger Guardians attending with us as well if they really called all Guardians?”
“I’ve been thinking about that,” Tom said. “It did seem strange.”
“None of this shit makes sense,” Gary grumbled. “Why bring us all in? Why train us if they were just going to give you over to the vampires? Why are the witches just now coming after you?”
I wished I knew the answers to those questions myself.
“We will have to wait and ask them once they come to us at our place,” I said. “For now, I’m trying not to dwell on all the unanswered questions, or I might go insane.”
“True that,” Antoine said and laughed.
“Let’s go home,” Nick said and put the car into gear.
At some point, I fell asleep. My head ended up in Gary’s lap and my legs ended up on Caleb’s.
I sat up and smiled apologetically at Gary, but he was staring outside at the passing trees.
I knew those trees.
Home.
We were finally home.
Outside of the house, four of the adult wolves stood, arms crossed as they waited for us.
“Stay here,” Nick ordered me.
Nick and Gary climbed out and walked up to the adults.
Everyone else stayed in the cars.
“Who are they?” Caleb asked.
“Other adults from our pack,” I answered and squinted, trying to read their lips, but totally failing.
“They’re questioning Nick on why we’re here,” Chelle said. “They want to know what happened to Thornton.”
“He’s been arguing with the Triune for a few days,” Antoine said.
“He’s okay though?” I asked.
He nodded. “That Alpha is crazy tough. The Triune was about to attack him, but one look from him and they raised their hands in surrender.”
“They aren’t the Triune,” I whispered. “Aspects of the goddess would never surrender to a single werewolf or be taken out by Fae or vampires. I don’t know who they are, but I’m hoping Dad will be able to fill me in later.”
Nick waved at the cars, and we all climbed out.
Instantly,