Page 214 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

Augustus gave him the barest of smiles then returned his attention to Eduard. “We’ll go into dinner now that you’ve arrived.”

They had arrived exactly on time. Eduard had made sure of it. It was another slight dig, one that even Sawyer picked up on, implying that everyone else had been waiting on them. He decided to let it slide as he continued to get a feel for the temperature of the room. Augustus led the way down the long hall and when they finally reached the dining room, it was to find a mammoth thirty-foot-long dining table covered in crystal and silver.

Eduard guided him toward the head of the table where Augustus stood behind the head chair. He took the seat to his father’s right, and Sawyer waited beside him. The seat to Augustus’s left was empty, with a single white rose lying across the plate. It would have been where Eduard’s mother sat until her passing a few years before. Eduard had mentioned his mother a few times but had never gone into detail about her with Sawyer. The majority of his discussions about his family had revolved around Augustus and their business ventures.

The rest of the guests filled in around them. Draco and Andvari flanked Henry on the opposite side of the table. Helena sat next to Eduard’s mother’s empty seat, which put her directly across from Sawyer. He wondered if she always scowled, or if the expression was purely for his benefit. Magdalen took the seat beside Sawyer and the rest of the table filled in with other family members Sawyer had yet to meet.

Augustus pulled back his chair and sat. Everyone else followed suit. Sawyer made sure to follow Eduard’s lead, placing his napkin gently in his lap as black-suited staff members appeared as if they emerged from the shadows, filling wine glasses and placing a bowl of soup in front of each of them.

The weird thing was that no one was talking. At all. The silence was extremely uncomfortable. And continued to grow as the moments stretched on. Everyone had their soup in front of them, waiting for Augustus to pick up his spoon. Once he had, it signaled the rest of them to follow. Henry met Sawyer’s gaze from across the table and he widened his eyes for a moment. Sawyer understood completely. This wasn’t going well at all, and he had no idea how to fix it.

He picked up his spoon in his right hand, carefully dipping up a portion even as he slipped his other hand beneath the table. He grabbed Eduard’s thigh and squeezed. He may not know the proper etiquette for this, but Eduard did. Eduard moved his leg slightly in answer, a small reassurance that he had a plan, so Sawyer removed his hand and focused on his soup. Luckily it was some sort of tomato type thing, but with cream. His foster mom had made it out of a can but she added milk and a sprinkle of dried basil. It was just as good as this, although he’d never admit it out loud.

The tension grew as nothing but the slight clink of silver spoons against china bowls could be heard. After another long, painful minute, Eduard put his spoon down. “If you would rather us not be here, Father, we are happy to leave. In fact, I think I’ve had enough of your hospitality, as it were. I believe we’ll receive a much warmer welcome from the vampires.”

Multiple gasps filled the room. Helena shot daggers at him, even though it hadn’t been Sawyer who’d said anything.

Augustus and Eduard were staring at each other, and even though he couldn’t see Eduard’s expression, he could see Augustus’s. He looked livid. But then the expression changed, smoothed into something calmer and more controlled.

Sawyer had seen Eduard do the very same thing, especially when a business deal didn’t go exactly as he wanted. Simply tuck those emotions away and bottle them up for later. Like father, like son.

“My apologies. I find I am a poor host this evening. Is everyone enjoying their soup?”

The dam broke and murmurs of conversation began flowing around the table. Magdalen nudged him with her elbow. “Took him long enough,” she whispered.

Sawyer grinned and took another sip of his soup. The flavor was growing on him, even though Mama Thea’s was still better. It reminded him that he should call his foster brother, Mikey, to see how he was doing. They hadn’t talked since Sawyer’s graduation day had come and gone. He’d had to tell Mikey a bit of a fib, claiming to have the flu as the reason he couldn’t attend the ceremony. He’d asked both of his foster brothers not to come, had answered their texts later assuring them he was feeling better and didn’t need a visit. He hated lying to them, but he couldn’t exactly tell them the truth either.

Eduard seemed to be having the same problem. Sawyer knew he’d talked to his father about them, about him in particular, but Augustus didn’t seem willing to acknowledge Sawyer at all. And Eduard had asked Sawyer to take the lead, which he hadn’t done yet.

“Thank you so much for having us, Mr. Eastaughffe. It’s so wonderful to have the opportunity to meet Eduard’s family.”

Augustus clenched his jaw for a moment before giving Sawyer the barest hint of a smile. “Of course.”

Well, if he wanted to play it that way, Sawyer had no problems ripping the Band-Aid off. “I understand it’s rare for one to find their mate. I believe it shows how special your son is that he has not one, but four. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Silence fell around the table again. Augustus’s face became red and if looks could kill, Sawyer would be nothing but a pile of burning ash.

Sawyer smiled sweetly. “And of course, being one of my guardians makes him even more special. But I don’t have to tell you that, do I?”

It was Eduard’s turn to reach for his thigh, his hand resting gently against Sawyer’s leg. A subtle warning not to push too hard.

“I was as amazed as the next person when the goddess appeared to me and explained my fate. Without your son by my side, I wouldn’t be able to get through this. Again, I’m sure I’m telling you what you already know, but I wanted to make sure you knew how much I love him, and how honored I am to have him not only as my guardian, but as my mate as well.”

Eduard squeezed so Sawyer smiled and lifted his wine glass. He took the smallest sip possible before sitting it down again. He didn’t break from Augustus’s glare, refused to back down. He’d either acknowledge them or he wouldn’t. And if he wouldn’t then Sawyer refused to put Eduard through this for a moment longer than was necessary.

“It is quite the honor,” Augustus choked out. “We were quite surprised by Eduard’s announcement.”

Ah, the royal we. Sawyer figured “we” were more than just a little surprised.

“As was I,” Sawyer explained. “We’ve had the translation worked on by a few experts to see if there are any other possible words that were mistakenly translated. I want to be as well informed as possible as we progress.”

“I’m sure you do,” Augustus said.

Augustus turned to Helena then, and Sawyer glanced at Eduard who looked at him. Sawyer couldn’t hide his smile at the pride he saw there. He slipped his hand back under the table and rested it on Eduard’s leg, needing the connection with him.

Then Sawyer turned to Magdalen and began trying to get to know Eduard’s cousin a little better as the courses continued to flow around them. Eduard eventually joined in the discussion with his father and cousin as they were discussing some charity or another they supported and the results of a research study that could have lasting impacts on… something or other.

By the time they finished dessert and followed Augustus into what he’d probably call a drawing room, Sawyer had relaxed a bit but he was starting to get a headache from holding his purposefully bland expression for so long. He was used to being open with the people around him and hadn’t tried to hide his emotions from his mates. The pressure of the evening had been a bit much, but hopefully they’d made a little progress in thawing the iceberg that was Augustus Eastaughffe.