Page 132 of The Chosen One Universe: Volume One

“Is it still hurting him?” Draco asked. He couldn’t keep the anger and frustration from his tone, but it didn’t seem to offend the hellhound.

Meshaq bent back down, this time even closer to Sawyer’s face. His body tightened and Draco could only imagine the pain. If he’d only gotten a small breath and felt the amount of pain he had, what would it be like to be that close and breathing deeply? More importantly, what was it doing to Sawyer?

“Henry, you should mo—” Draco began.

Henry shook his head. “No. It’s not hurting me the way it is you. Let me see.”

“Henry, stop,” Draco said. He started to reach for him, but Henry wiggled away and put his face right next to Sawyer’s.

“I’m okay, Draco. I swear. And I think whatever this is isn’t hurting him now. I’m not sure what it is, though. I’ve never seen anything like it before. Uncle Meshaq, do you see that?”

Henry pointed to a spot on Sawyer’s eyebrow, and only when Draco looked through his dragon eyes could he see the slightest glimmer of magical residue.

“It’s familiar. But I don’t remember why. I feel like I’ve seen something similar, but it’s been many, many years.”

Henry slid off the bed and ran into the bathroom. He came back a moment later carrying a small empty cannister with a lid. “Here. Nana gave this to me so in case we had to fly I could bring stuff on the plane. Honestly, she’s the reason why I have three suitcases.”

Draco took the container and unscrewed the lid. He handed it over to Meshaq, who was able to maneuver the small granule into the jar. He closed the lid and slipped it into the pocket of his jeans.

“I need to ask some questions, see what I can find out about this,” Meshaq said to Draco. Then he turned to Henry. “I don’t want to leave you here. You should—”

“Uncle Meshaq, I can’t leave. This is my duty. You know that.”

Meshaq growled, low and deep. “It goes against everything in me to leave you behind. I can send Sol—”

“No, Uncle Meshaq! The guardians will keep me safe. You know they will. You have to trust me, trust us. All this is happening for a reason.”

The hellhound growled again. “But the message was for you and the guardians are for the Chosen One. Not you. My concern will always be you.”

Henry went to his uncle and wrapped his arms around his waist. Meshaq was so tall, Henry’s head hit him mid chest. He actually looked like a child standing next to the giant of a man. “I know you want to protect me, that you’ve always kept me safe, but you’ve gotta let me do this. And if I see Solomon or Viceroy around here hovering, I’m going to tell Ben.”

Meshaq groaned and squeezed Henry tighter. “Why would you threaten me with that? You know your big brother is my weakness.”

“Actually, my little brother is your true weakness. But Ben is my first line of defense. No one can handle his disappointed face. Believe me, you do not want me to sic Ollie on you, but I will pull out the big guns if you don’t listen to me.”

Meshaq grinned and pressed a kiss to the top of Henry’s head. “I really don’t. I’m still convinced you slip that kid something daily to give him so much energy.”

Henry squeezed his uncle one last time then pulled away. He moved to stand beside Draco, then took a deep breath. “Draco and the guardians will keep me safe. You need to help us figure out who hurt Sawyer. That’s the best thing you can do for me, okay?”

Draco wrapped an arm around Henry’s shoulders and pulled him close. “We will keep him safe. We’ll reinforce the wards today as well.”

Meshaq nodded. “I will let you know what I find out.”

The moment Meshaq left the room, Henry turned and pressed his forehead to Draco’s chest. Draco tentatively wrapped his arms around Henry and held him close. “We’ll keep you safe,” he promised. “I wasn’t just saying that for your uncle’s benefit.”

“I know you will,” Henry said. “But that doesn’t mean I’m not more scared than I’ve ever been in my life.”

His voice was barely a whisper, so unlike Henry’s normal boisterous tone. Draco pulled him closer. “Don’t tell Sawyer, but I’m a little scared, too.”

Henry coughed out a watery laugh and hugged Draco. “I won’t tell him.”

“Thank you,” Draco said. He wiped a stray tear from Henry’s cheek. “You should head to the bathroom. Someone’s coming up the steps.”

Henry pulled away and took a moment to look into Draco’s eyes. “Okay,” he said. He smiled softly before hurrying into the other room. A moment later, Henry’s father appeared holding an oxygen tank along with another bag of supplies.

“Sorry it took me so long. We had a sick child at the clinic, so I went ahead and did the exam so they could head home. Then I had to clean up so I didn’t bring whatever that was to Sawyer. Better safe than sorry right now.”

“Thank you, Dr. Jerrick.”