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Pepper growled under his breath. “Anson has taken it upon himself to recall all the Guardians for additional training.”
Instantly on alert, Erus sat up straighter in his chair. “At the same time?”
“Yes. In fact, he decided that they can’t return to their posts until they have completed the courses he deems necessary.”
“When did this happen?” Orrin asked, worry lines fanning out around his eyes.
“This morning.” Pepper lowered his head. “I’m sorry, Your Highness. Your Guard should receive the notification soon.”
Erus couldn’t believe what he was hearing. Had the new Director lost his fucking mind? How could he justify such a move, and moreover, how the fuck could the Council approve? Placing hundreds of families in danger to satisfy his own superiority complex went far beyond basic incompetence. It was borderline criminal.
“What kind of additional training is he requiring?” Resting his elbow on the table, Orrin dropped his chin into his palm.
A dark shadow passed over Pepper’s face. “He thinks Guardians should be more empathetic and approachable.”
Erus groaned as the pressure built in his head. While Guardians were highly trained in defensive measures, they rarely had to employ those tactics. In large part because they were highly unapproachable, which made an excellent deterrent.
He didn’t say any of that, though. He didn’t have to. With a minimal amount of prodding from Orrin, Pepper had launched into an intense, profanity-filled rant, interspersed with imaginative and colorful insults.
And Orrin gave the familiar his full attention.
In fact, he was so engaged in the drama he no longer appeared interested in his breakfast. Which wouldn’t have been a big deal, but he had only consumed a few bites of eggs and a single piece of fruit.
Worse, it seemed to be a habit. They had shared many meals together over the past few days, and not once had he seen his mate finish more than half of his meal.
“The portion sizes here are enormous, and not all of us are the size of small buildings.” Orrin smirked at him from across the table.
Damn it. The mental leakage had been happening a lot since they had solidified their union. Granted, he hadn’t put forth much effort to stop it. He had no secrets from his mate, not even his errant worries about proper nutrition.
“That’s sweet, but I assure you I eat a perfectly normal amount of food.”
Debatable, but he would reserve judgment until he had collected more data. Maybe Orrin hadn’t enjoyed the eggs. Maybe the fruit wasn’t ripe or sweet enough. He could fix that.
“What do you like to eat?”
The prince considered him for a moment, a hint of challenge in his gaze. “Anything?”
Erus nodded, a slow smile curving his lips.
“A vanilla latte and an apple crumble muffin from Cherry on Top in Hunters Hollow.”
He knew of the small Louisiana town, of course. Hell, he had been one of the founders. Cherry on Top was unfamiliar to him, but with every business located on a single street, he imagined it wouldn’t be hard to find.
Though he hadn’t been there in decades, he still maintained a small cottage at the edge of town. When he had been recalled to his duties, he had worried he would have to sell the place. Now that he was mated, however, he hoped Hades might reconsider. The god couldn’t really expect Orrin to reside in the Underworld…right?
Deciding that would be a problem for later, he changed into a pair of jeans and a cable knit navy sweater with nothing more than a thought. Once satisfied, he phased out of the suite and reappeared on the sidewalk in the bayou town of Hunters Hollow.
As suspected, it took him less than a minute to locate the bakery. The last time he had been there, the building had been home to a hardware store. It looked a hell of a lot different now, with its bright paint, colorful posters, and cozy seating. He also noticed that the place was surprisingly busy for a town with a population south of a hundred.
Approaching the counter, he was greeted by a slender male with hazel eyes, and a bright, sunny smile.
“Welcome to Cherry on Top. What can I get you this morning?”
Braeden Burke Cox. Human, but with an interesting thread of energy flowing through his veins. Mortals called it a miracle. In the Underworld, they just called it cheating. Braeden shouldn’t have been there, but through some type of magical intervention, he had cheated death.
Interesting indeed, but ultimately, not his problem.
“A vanilla latte and an apple crumble muffin.”
