Page 22 of Virtually Guarded

“It is bullshit,” Suzannah said. “But we have to—”

“Shit. No!” Kyle jumped off the bed and ran to the nearest window, which overlooked the back lawn.

“What’s going on?” Suzannah hurried to his side. “Kyle?”

“Davis Gray.” He spat the name like it was a curse. “Fucking Davis Gray came back. Tobias said he didn’t challenge, but he’s shifting. There’s going to be another fight.”

“But if Tobias loses, it doesn’t mean anything if it isn’t a challenge, right?” As soon as I said it, even before Kyle turned a death glare on me, I knew how ridiculous that was. If Tobias lost, it wouldn’t mean Davis became Anax, but it would still mean Tobias had lost. The fight and his life. “I’m sorry. I wasn’t thinking.”

“Yeah.” Kyle turned back to the window. “I can’t see. They’re on another part of the lawn, I guess. Fuck!” He slammed his palm against the window frame. “How can he do this?”

I didn’t know where it came from. A sense of calm certainty. The words were out of my mouth before I fully processed, in an odd voice that echoed through the room. “He’ll be all right. It won’t…He won’t fight. The other guy won’t fight.”

All three of them stared at me. Cringing, I bowed my head and stared at my hands. My face was hot, and I wished to hell I had just kept my mouth shut. I had no more way to know what was going to happen than they did.

“How do you know, Ren?” Suzannah asked gently.

“I’m not sure.” I tried to take a breath, but my chest was so tight the air didn’t quite make it into my lungs. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have said anything. I just… I guess I just know?”

“Like Quinn, minus the colors,” Kyle said.

I didn’t know who Quinn was, and the reference to colors didn’t make any sense to me, so I just shrugged.

“You’ll meet Quinn in a few days.” Kyle walked over to the bed and leaned forward, propped on his hands. “He’ll be here for the wedding. If the wedding happens. If Tobias…Nope. Not going to say it. And the rest of you, don’t say anything. Please. Just…Just stay here until we know what happened.”

We all just waited. There was nothing else we could do. Xavier kept holding my hand, and that felt good. It kept me calm.

Finally, Kyle let out a loud breath. “He’s alive. Tobias is alive. Ren was right. There wasn’t a fight. I…Tobias is going to need me. He said he’ll be up soon.”

The Anax arrived a few minutes later, looking haggard and exhausted. Kyle immediately got off the bed and embraced him. Suzannah tilted her head toward the door, and Xavier and I followed her out to the hall.

Xavier closed the door. “I’ll wait here, at least until the Anax or Seth tells me different.”

“I’m going to go find Kirk.” Suzannah smiled at me. “Ren, you’re welcome to stick with us until supper. I suspect things are going to be a little all over the place for a while. Until Tobias comes back downstairs or one of the arkhons steps in.”

“Steps in?” My chest tightened. None of the arkhons could take over, could they?

“Tobias might have asked one of them to manage things on his behalf while he recovers from the fights,” she explained. “Just for a little while until he’s had some time to rest.”

“Oh.” I shook my head. “Okay. That’s good.”

“You can stay with me,” Xavier said. “It should be quiet up here for a while.”

“Okay.” My mood lightened immediately. Spending time with Xavier alone, even if he was on duty, would be better than being surrounded by strangers. “Thank you, Suzannah, but I’ll stick with Xavier.”

Suzannah smiled. “You’re welcome. Come find me if you want to.” She walked away.

I stayed with Xavier through most of the afternoon. Even when the Anax and Kyle went back downstairs, which meant Xavier had to follow them, I kept close to him. So many people were on edge. It was overwhelming, but beside Xavier, I could be okay. For a while, at least.

Once Xavier was off duty, he brought me up to my room. “How are you handling this?”

“There’s nothing for me to handle.” Wrinkling my nose, I sat on the bed and leaned on the headboard. “I’m not really part of all of this.”

He sat on the edge of the bed. Not as close to me as I wanted, but close enough that I definitely felt his presence. Calm and steady, but there was something else beneath it this time. A sense, a need, that called out to something within me.

I figured I was better off ignoring that call. We were here alone in my room, and my wolf knew what that could lead to. I could lean over. Kiss him again. Touch him. Bare skin. We could lie down together, and almost anything could happen.

“You saw the Connecticut Alpha this morning,” he said gently.