Page 77 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

Sam gave Henry another hug. “You’re a good man, Henry. I appreciate you thinking about your grandpa and trying to help.”

Henry tried not to blush. “Of course I want to help Grandpa. I wish his back wouldn’t hurt all the time. It’s not fair that Dad can’t fix it.”

“Can’t fix nerve damage yet. Maybe someday. Ben seems pretty determined to figure it out. My boy in med school.” Vaughn grinned, his chest puffing out with pride.

It had taken a lot of work for all of them, Ben especially, but they’d all taken to school work like ducks to water. Sam had made it fun, letting them do all sorts of experiments, and he even let them pick what they wanted to learn.

He’d taken a few years off from teaching and focused his energy on helping the six of them get caught up. Henry had never been to regular school at all, since they’d never really considered it safe for him.

It didn’t mean he’d spent his life locked away. No, he’d just never really been allowed to go out alone. It didn’t bother him, though. Henry leaned against his Papa’s arm and sighed. He preferred being surrounded by people, taking in their energy as they bustled around their day to day routines.

Alone had never been good for him.

Zaire said it was because air tended to want to be free to roam and explore, but it also needed to be grounded. He still didn’t understand half of what Zaire tried to explain to him. Fire and air were just too different, so her explanations weren’t always exactly what worked or didn’t work for him.

Henry experimented on his own, though, and he’d read as many books as he could get his hands on. He’d wished many times that he could get out in the world and explore, maybe meet some of the other clans and see what they were really like.

Dragons sounded particularly epic, but it just wasn’t safe for Henry to be exposed to the other clans. It was the only thing he regretted about his visions. He’d heard of a few other seers who’d been killed since his dads had rescued him. Uncle Meshaq never hid the truth from him, even when the truth was scary.

It made his earlier decision to go off on his own even more foolish. He reached for the old leather bracelet and huffed when he remembered it had fallen off a year or so before, worn away from constant worrying. He’d never taken it off, not even to take a bath, since Meshaq gave it to him and promised to always come when he was needed.

When the strap had finally given, he’d been devastated. Then Uncle Meshaq had explained that it had just been a symbol. He could still get help any time he needed it. All he had to do was call and he’d be there. Even though he was busy as the alpha of the hellhounds, his honorary uncle had always made time for him, especially after ‘the incident.’

Henry’d been scared a lot after he’d been taken again, and for a while, a night hadn’t passed when he hadn’t rubbed the red stone and asked for Meshaq to come. He always had. Every single time.

“Can we invite Uncle Meshaq over this week?” Henry asked. “I miss him.”

“Of course,” Vaughn answered. “You better make him brownies, though. Last time he pouted for a week that you didn’t make him any.”

“I remember.”

Something in the air caught Henry’s attention.

His heart skipped a beat.

Everything stilled, the air pausing around him, its breath caught much like Henry’s had.

“Henry?” Sam asked.

The ward pinged, and Vaughn sat up straighter as well, connected to the wards as their alpha.

“What’s happening?” Sam asked.

“Stay here,” Vaughn commanded. “Henry, get your uncle.”

“Vaughn—”

“I’ll be careful. Stay with Henry.”

Henry closed his eyes, and thought of Meshaq, sending the message through the air as he’d done so many times as a child. He’d not had to do it in so long, he’d almost forgotten how. Within seconds, a large portal opened in the room and Meshaq stepped through, his eyes blazing with red flames.

“What’s wrong?” Meshaq asked.

“The wards,” Henry said.

“Vaughn went out there already,” Sam added.

“Stay here,” Meshaq ordered.