Page 238 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

Henry

It had been quite some time since Henry had so much trouble controlling his emotions. Something in the situation triggered a lot of memories from his past and he’d not been able to shake the feeling of impending doom. The air had tried to reassure him, but he couldn’t quite manage to quell his fear.

Instead, he’d turned it into action. Saeward had agreed to come back with them, so they needed to get him packed and his cabin secured. Andvari and Draco helped hang the storm shutters on the windows while Saeward packed his few belongings into a single trunk. Eduard’s eye had twitched at the state of the clothes Saeward wore.

Henry found himself standing in the doorway to Saeward’s bedroom for the fifth time in as many minutes. He couldn’t stop going to look, to check and make sure he was still there, still whole and breathing.

Eduard waved him over, but Henry shook his head. He was better served by being outside right now. The wind had whispered to him that another boat was approaching. Based on the time, Henry suspected it was the yacht Augustus had sent for them, but he wasn’t taking any chances.

Once Saeward was ready, he walked with the newest guardian out to the beach. They both breathed in the salty air and watched the water as it shimmered in the late afternoon sun.

“We need to figure out what to do with the boat,” Henry murmured. “Can’t just leave it there. And we need to—”

“We can set it adrift,” Saeward said.

“What?” His voice must have been sharp because Saeward took a step back and lowered his head.

“I’m sorry.”

Henry sighed. “Look, Ward… do you mind if I call you Ward? Sawyer seems set on calling you that and I kinda like it.”

Saeward looked confused for a moment then gave him the smallest smile.

“I like it, too.”

“Okay, then. Ward it is. So here’s the thing, I know you’re new here and all, but you gotta quit apologizing for everything. We’re a team, okay? All of us are here for one reason. To keep Sawyer safe. And yeah, we love him too and each other, and that’s an awesome bonus. Like, the best bonus you can imagine, but it doesn’t change that we were chosen to protect him first. And you’re part of that. Understand?”

“I— I don’t understand,” Ward confessed. “Sawyer wasn’t able to explain it to me. He saw my mark and said it meant I was his but that was all.”

“Whoa,” Henry said. “You don’t know about the prophecy?”

Ward shook his head, looking as confused as ever.

“Well, that explains a few things.” Henry gave him the brief history of what they’d learned so far and then he showed Ward the mark he had on his wrist. It made the other guardian gasp. He held Henry’s hand in his like he was fragile, and then traced the marks carefully with his fingers.

“Mine does not look like this,” Ward said. He held out his arm, placing it alongside Henry’s.

“Nope. They’re all different. And not everyone’s is on their wrist. But we all have one that appears and it marks us as a guardian.”

Ward seemed even more stunned. “I thought he was confused.”

“Nope. If he saw your mark, he knew what it meant. And I bet it made him feel a lot better, didn’t it?”

Ward nodded. “He was very frightened, but he said he knew I would keep him safe.”

“Yep. And you did. I mean, it’s kinda weird, but I was drawn to him right away, you know? At first, I thought I was just missing my brothers. I have three of them, plus two sisters, and they’re pains in my ass sometimes, but I love them and I was used to having them around. But now I think… yeah, part of me knew he was it for me.”

“When I first saw him,” Ward said quietly, his words nearly lost on the ocean breeze, “he was so hurt. I was shifted and he looked at me and knew. He begged for help and I… helped. I should have turned and ran, remained alone. It’s safer for me that way. I never would have even approached another human. But I approached him.”

Henry reached over and laid his hand gently on Ward’s arm. “It’s going to be okay. I know you don’t know me so that promise doesn’t mean much, but I can tell you that we’ll look out for you. You don’t have to be alone anymore.”

“Hope is a dangerous thing,” Ward said.

“I know.” And he did. He knew what it was like to pin your life on something you didn’t know you could trust. He’d risked his baby brother’s life on such a chance, but in return, he’d gotten a family and a pack. Hope could be dangerous, but it could be so much more if you let it.

Ward stared at him a long moment, looked deep into his eyes, and seemed to realize that Henry did know exactly what he meant. He nodded quickly and shut his eyes, before turning back and looking out toward the ocean again. “The boat approaches.”

“Okay.”