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She shrugged, her eyes defiant. ‘I’m leaving. I’ll get started on this tincture right away and have it ready in the morning.’
‘Thank you,’ I said, a shade more warmly. Despite her brusque manner, her heart was in the right place. She was running on empty, but she was still going.
‘I’ll bill you,’ she barked as she headed to her chauffeur-driven car. Typical.
I watched with amusement as a slightly pale Bastion opened Amber’s car door for her. She climbed in and glared at him before reaching out to slam it shut.
I turned to Maxwell and Roscoe. ‘It makes sense for us to stay together, then Amber only needs to come to one place to deliver the tincture. Besides, if Jason and Wren can’t use their magic, perhaps they’d be safer somewhere a little more secure. The mansion has metal shutters, motion detectors and cameras all around. We have a wing of suites designated for guests. The children and their families are welcome to stay there for another night. Not to mention it’s getting late.’
Maxwell and Roscoe conferred briefly with Jason’s parents before agreeing. ‘We’ll all come back to the mansion,’ Maxwell confirmed. ‘Thank you.’ The other fire elementals peeled off, presumably to go back to secure Rosie’s.
Sonia was hugging Bobby, running a hand through his short hair. ‘We’ll stay at the mansion tonight. Thank you, alpha.’ She reached out, squeezed Joyce’s arm and nodded encouragingly.
‘We’ll stay tonight, too,’ Joyce confirmed. ‘Rose is still sleeping at the mansion, anyway.’
‘Great. Let’s load up the cars and move out.’
Bobby turned to one of the pack’s cars but froze when he caught sight of Reynard talking to Bastion. Reynard’s back was turned, but Bobby could see the gargoyle’s grey wings folded carefully against his back. ‘Yorick?’ he called happily.
He wrenched himself out of his mum’s arms and ran forward. Reynard turned to face him, and Bobby skidded to a halt. ‘Oh, sorry. I thought you were Yorick.’
Reynard gave a sad smile. ‘I’m sorry Bobby. Yorick would be here if he could.’
‘That’s okay. I’m sure he’s busy.’
Reynard shook his head. He looked over Bobby’s shoulder and met Sonia’s eyes for a moment, then grimaced. Evidently he’d decided to tell the truth. ‘I’m sorry to say that Yorick passed away.’
Being kidnapped had not suppressed Bobby’s effervescent personality, but news of Yorick’s death wiped the smile from his young face. His bottom lip started to tremble. ‘Oh,’ he managed. ‘But who’ll look over me now? Yorick was always there.’
Reynard nodded, visibly choked. ‘I’ll be watching over you now, young pup,’ he promised.
‘But I don’t know you.’
‘No, but you will. I was great friends with your— Yorick.’
‘What happened to Yorick?’ Bobby wiped the tears from his face.
Reynard hesitated, clearly weighing up the truth versus a lie and wondering which would be more damaging. Finally he said, ‘He was protecting you, young pup. Someone came for you in the night, and Yorick fought them off, like a good gargoyle guardian.’
‘He died keeping me safe?’
‘He did, and there’s no other way that he would have preferred to have gone. He loved you, Bobby.’
Bobby nodded, then the tears came thick and fast. His mum stepped forward and wrapped her arms around him. She was looking helplessly at Reynard, clearly confused. ‘Who was Yorick?’ she asked.
‘My gargoyle guardian,’ Bobby said through his tears. ‘For as long as I can remember, he watched over me at night and made sure that I had good dreams. He sat in the branches of the apple tree outside my bedroom. Not every night, but most nights he dropped by to say goodnight.’
‘Since when?’
‘Since forever.’
‘Why didn’t you ever mention him?’
‘He told me that you shouldn’t talk about your guardians. Was that not okay?’ He sounded worried.
‘No, it’s fine.’ Sonia relented; after all, the damage was already done. ‘But in future, if anyone else –anyone– starts hanging round and you don’t know them you tell me. Okay?’
‘Sure,’ he agreed, a yawn cracking his face. He turned to Reynard. ‘What’s your name?’
