“Old.” Grim’s voice sounds tired.
“How did you become my guardian?” I look up at Gunnar and Calix to include them. “How did all of you end up with me?”
Grim drags his hand off my leg and rises from his crouched position. It sets off little alarm bells inside of me. Calix is suddenly busy digging through his diminishing bowl of popcorn, while Gunnar shifts uncomfortably on the chair. “Well?” I prompt. “Anyone going to answer me?”
“I can answer, but I’m not sure you’ll be satisfied,” Grim reveals cryptically.
I turn my body toward his, giving him my full attention. When he doesn’t begin speaking right away, I clear my throat, encouraging him to continue.
“I was drawn to you,” Grim admits, though he sounds reluctant.
“Explain please,” I demand.
“I’m not sure I can. I’ve never been a guardian before,” Grim confesses.
“I have.” Calix sighs. I watch as he sets the bowl aside, drops his elbows on his knees, and folds his hands together. “I’m a born shifter. There’s not very many of us—a few dragons or a kitsune here and there. I’ve accepted the responsibility of guardianship over newly born shifters a few times over the years.” He pauses and looks up at me.
I sense a ‘but’ coming. “It’s always been pretty straight forward before. There’s really not too much involved until the shifter reaches maturity. But it was different with you from the very beginning.”
There’s that ‘but’ I was expecting. I don’t have time to ask why I was different before he continues, explaining, “With the others, I was just doing it to pass the time. I could have walked away and not thought twice about it. I did it to make sure my job was easier down the line, really. If I teach them from the beginning, I don’t have to worry too much about them later in life.” Calix relaxes against the sofa, his arms spread over the back. I nod my head, seeing the wisdom in that. “I couldn’t have walked away from you, not even from the very beginning. I didn’t realize how different you were, but I should have suspected something.”
“I’d never accepted a guardianship before you,” Gunnar admits.
“Who passes out these ‘invitations’ to be guardians?” I wrap the word in air quotes, trying to understand this whole process.
“A Cherub visited me.” Grim watches me as if he’s waiting for a reaction.
“A cherub, like a baby angel?”
“Not quite. A real Cherub isn’t at all like man has portrayed them.” Grim’s lips curl into a tiny smile.
“Freaky-ass things, four faces.” Calix gives off an exaggerated shudder.
“Right,” Grim agrees. “I hadn’t been visited by a Holy One in…ever, I don’t think.” He looks past me, into open space.
“You’re making me think that’s unusual. Was it the same for all of you?” I look around and watch Gunnar and Calix nod in agreement.
“I’d never been asked by an angel,” Calix adds. “I knew there must have been an important reason I was asked. It was only after I accepted that I found out they had been asked and accepted the position as well.” He lifts his hand and indicates the other guys.
“Same for me,” Gunnar supplies.
This is the first time, I think, that we’ve all sat down and had a conversation that hasn’t ended with yelling or one of us having a fit. Most of the time it’s me, but whatever.
“As the Nemean mentioned before, we normally wouldn’t have come into your life until you were much older. But I knew, the moment you were born, that my task had changed.” Grim brings his attention back to me.
“Well, aren’t I just special?” I mock slightly, feeling a little strange about the whole thing. Why did a freaking angel push me on them? And if angels are real, why the hell didn’t any of them visit me? An angel might have been a tad more comforting than a Yowie when I was a child. But then again, from the way Calix reacted to the Cherub, maybe not.
I’m not really sure learning how they came into my life is helpful, but I did want to know.
A heavy silence falls over our group. It’s not like any of them are usually talkative, except Calix occasionally, but it still feels too oppressive.
“Weren’t we supposed to be talking about Vanessa?” I pretend like I’m not the one who brought this entire topic up.
Chapter 19
“She’s been the High Priestess for the past twenty years,” I remind Gunnar, so he knows where he left off, just in case he forgot.
“Yes, and I’ve been overseeing her coven in particular for the past ten years.” Gunnar resettles himself into the chair.
