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He strolled across the back patio and stepped into the warm morning sunlight. The air was chillier than he’d expected, and the cold still nipped at his toes through the cotton, but it was tolerable. A collection of lounge chairs had been set up along one side of the inground pool. Calder had not gotten to enjoy the pool nearly enough yet. He’d arrived at the house in December, and the air had turned a little cold for swimming already. Summer was going to be fantastic if…
Shoving dark thoughts away, he sat on the end of the lounge chair on Hale’s left. The Air Weaver had yet to move or even acknowledge his existence. The young man simply stared straight ahead at the empty pool as if he were contemplating whether to dive in.
“I heard you talked to Clay this morning,” Calder opened, figuring there was no point in beating around the bush. It was clear what was on Hale’s mind. “At least you’re already one step ahead of where the rest of us were at this point.”
Hale arched one blond eyebrow at him. “How’s that?”
“You believe him.”
“Do I have any choice?”
Calder nodded and turned his own gaze to the empty pool with the pale blue tiles. “No, I guess you don’t.”
They sat in silence for several minutes, listening to the birds chirping. Calder didn’t want to push him. Hale needed time to digest all of this. His entire world had been turned upside down. He’d been kidnapped by aliens, threatened, and was now hit with this whole grand fate that he’d never even asked for.
“I just keep thinking they’ve got the wrong guy,” Hale finally admitted softly. His voice was barely more than a whisper.
“Trust me, we don’t.”
“Really?” Hale snapped. He glared at Calder, his hands balled into fists in his lap. “You don’t know me. Clay, Dane, Lucien, don’t know me. I’m a fuckup. Everything I touch goes horribly wrong. I can’t keep a job or follow through on anything, but now I’ve got the entire fate of the world and all people resting on my shoulders.” He made a scoffing noise in the back of his throat. “If the goddesses did mean to choose me, they seriously fucked up.”
Calder’s heart broke to see the anger and fear that filled Hale’s pale blue eyes. He’d been right there not that long ago, and yeah, the pressure was so overwhelming it had nearly choked him in those early days.
“I arrived here in December. Before that I was a California surfer, bouncing from one meaningless job to another. No direction. Just going wherever the waves took me. They found me out on Tybee Beach, saved my life.” He snorted and shook his head. “I blinked my eyes for a second and bam! I had powers and this big duty to save the world. It was too much. I didn’t know what I was doing. Hell, most days I still don’t.” He leaned forward, making sure Hale could see his face. “Clay was a drifter, working occasionally as a bouncer. Baer was a park ranger. Lucien traveled and started random businesses when he was bored. The only one of us that has a somewhat regular gig is Grey, and he’s an author.”
“So?”
Calder sighed. “The point is that none of us exactly trained and planned for this. None of us exactly know what we’re doing, but we are figuring it out together. We’ve all trained and learned our powers together. You might not believe it, but we are your brothers.”
Hale opened his hands in front of him and stared at his palms. “The reincarnation thing.”
“Eh.” Calder shrugged. “There’s that, but none of us remember all those lives. What I remember right now is how Clay has helped me to understand my gift with hours of work in the practice field. And I remember every time Grey and Lucien had my back in a fight. Or how Dane would exhaust himself healing us every time we’re hurt in a fight. These guys are my family because I know they support me and care about me. And they’re going to be your family too.”
Hale closed his fingers into fists again, squeezing them so tight they shook. “What if I fuck up? What if I screw up so bad they get hurt?”
Calder reached across and placed his hand over one of Hale’s hands. “You’re not alone in this. All of this isn’t just on your shoulders. We’ll always be there for each other. We’ll help you, guide you. Even when you feel lost, we’ll be right there. We’ve all been in the same place you are right now.”
The Air Weaver nodded. “Thanks. I’ll try to remember that.”
Calder squeezed his hand before releasing it. “Don’t worry. Once you get your powers, I have a feeling that Clay is going to keep you so busy with training, you’re not going to have time to worry.”
