11. The Shiny Guardian
CHAPTER 11
The Shiny Guardian
Rez
A fter the shocking revelation of the picture I had, we make the quick decision that we will leave tomorrow morning for the Road of Worth. Unfortunately, I don’t agree with leaving so soon, but I really don’t have a leg to stand on since time isn’t on our side.
So, as everyone splits off to gather supplies for our trip tomorrow, I grab Reaper and curl up in the corner of the library for a minute to myself. I stare at the picture before me, willing it to change like one of those pictures where you stare at the dots long enough to where you start to see a picture hidden within. What’s that called…oh yeah, a stereogram. Well, I’m hoping if I stare long enough, I’ll find a damn answer to the riddle of my life because living it sure isn’t doing it for me.
“Ever feel like your life is spiraling out of control and you have no say in the matter,” I whisper into Reaper’s warm flames. He licks my face and steps into my lap, only to knock my picture out of my hand. “Hey,” I giggle. “Watch it.” I settle him down into my lap and gently pull the picture out from underneath him, not at all worried he could burn it. It seems his flames are something he can control, which I’m grateful for. “I guess you could relate more before I found you since you were about to be sold as parts. I should have killed that breeder, huh?” I say, hugging him. “Woah,” I pull back, looking down at my puppers with wide eyes. Since when did I turn into a mama bear willing to kill someone for slighting their loved ones so easily? He licks me once more, and I melt against him. “Aww, I guess it’s easy when you're so lovable.” I kiss Reaper on the nose and situate him in my lap to take one more look at my picture and freeze.
Even though Reaper’s flames didn’t burn the picture up, they seemed to have damaged the image to the point the burned paper has warped the details of their faces and upper bodies, and my heart sinks at the knowledge that I won’t be able to study it more thoroughly.
“Nerezza? Are you hungry?” Sierra’s voice rings out, scaring me to death, and I quickly get up and tuck the picture into my back pocket.
“Hey,” my voice cracks, but I give her a smile as she appears around the bookshelf. “Yeah, I could definitely eat.”
“Good. I made lunch and plan on cooking some decent food for your trip,” she says, reaching out for me. Pulling me into her, she gives me a hug as we walk back to the dining room, Reaper weaving between our feet, almost making us trip.
We make it to the dining room in one piece and are the last to show up. Tempest is in JP’s lap, soaking up all of Zeke’s attention as he plays peek-a-boo with her. Which does not at all help JP feed her what looks like smashed peas. But it’s a cute sight to see. It gives me a look into the possible future if we ever decide to have kids. Though, with how my life is going, I’m not even sure it would be safe to have them. With that glum thought, I sit between Levi and Knox, and the latter leans to pull me into a hug and kiss my forehead.
“Feeling better, Kitten?” he whispers as his worry reaches me through our link. I try to send him some reassurance to soothe him, but his cocked eyebrow tells me it didn’t work.
“I’m more confused than ever, but I’ll be okay,” I tell him, squeezing his thigh and smiling. I quickly shove a roll in my mouth to avoid conversation as lunch continues.
The meal passes quickly, and we go back to restocking and packing up our supplies, or in my case, starting. I’m in the all-purpose room, gathering bandages and some herbs I’m sure might be useful if we get in a pinch, which is likely when it comes to our group when I hear a strange laugh. Looking over, I spot Lynx holding a squirming Tempest like she’s a piranha. She’s reaching for his face, and he’s holding her out at arm's length with a grimace like he’s scared she has cooties.
“Here, I’ll take her,” I tell him. He gladly hands her over, and she immediately goes for one of my curls. Her cute babbling is adorable as she takes in my hair, wrapping her death claws in it and yanks. “Oww!” I hiss and gently pull my hair free.
“Yeah, I think I’m going to shave my head the next time we visit,” he tells me, pushing his longer hair away from his eyes before swinging off his satchel from his back. “Here. I threw some of her toys in my bag when mom asked me to watch her so she could bake,” Lynx admits and hands me a block.
“What am I supposed to do with this?” I ask, sitting down and placing it in front of Tempest. She reaches for it and immediately tries to put it in her mouth. “No…sweetie. We don’t want you choking.” I gently pull it down and put it back with the other toys Lynx has pulled out.
“These are all toys I used to play with,” Lynx tells me as he steps around them and to the side to pack his bag full of medical supplies. “You can never have enough with our group.” I chuckle under my breath at his comment as I watch Tempest’s eyes grow wide while she grabs a small ball. It warms my heart to know that his parents kept his stuff all these years, even when there was no chance for another child. Yet, here’s Tempest, trying to play with her big brother’s toys.
I sit and play with Tempest, completely amazed at how many learning skills are built into the toys, until I hear someone clear their throat. Looking up, I find Lennox leaning against the door jam, smiling down at us.
“Having fun?” he questions, stepping in and sitting down across from me. His frame towers over both of us, but it’s more of a comfort than overwhelming.
“She’s a delight.” I laugh as she slaps my hand and makes kissing noises. “And she’s strong too.”
“Oh really?” he asks, cocking his head and giving me a strange look. “How do you mean?”
I’m taken back a moment as I try to figure out the best way to describe it. “Ahh. I’m not sure how to explain it,” I start.
“Try.” Lennox nods.
“Well, with some of my friends, or I guess I should say, mates,” I begin nervously, feeling my cheeks fill with heat. “I have this internal dialogue or this connection.” He nods his head in understanding, and I continue. “Well, when I was first learning how to block my thoughts and build my barriers, JP often tried to poke at them until I learned how to make them stronger.”
“Aww, yes. I understand,” he confesses and smiles. “But…”
“Oh…yeah! Well, being around Tempest, I think it’s her that I feel bouncing up against my barriers and trying to probe for weaknesses.” I stare at my lap as the words leave me. “I haven’t felt someone hit me that hard before, so she must be strong.”
I finally look up when I can’t take the silence anymore and find Lennox unabashedly staring between Tempest and me, his shoulders drooping.
“I-I…I didn’t mean to offend,” I start, but he begins shaking his head as a smile slowly appears at the corner of his lips.
“No, this is amazing news,” he cries out. He picks up Tempest and throws her into the air, only to catch her again, bringing her to his chest. Looking at me, his eyes soften. “Would you mind allowing her to try and connect with you?” Before I can answer, he continues. “See, Tempest hasn’t connected with anyone mentally yet, and as Storm Shifters, it’s normally the first way we communicate,” he explains.
“Sure,” I agree, even though I’m feeling a little awkward being the interpreter with my in-laws.
I slowly take down my barriers and look at Tempest as she shakes a toy in her hand. As soon as my barriers are completely down, she freezes and turns her head to look at me.
‘Shiny,’ a tiny voice says in my head.
I freeze a moment as I get used to the foreign voice. It’s so unlike the guys, where their’s is more of a booming quality, Tempest is softer but not meek. Maybe it’s because she’s so young, but the fact she can even pronounce words to me is amazing.
“Did she say anything?” Lennox asks, hope blooming out through his eyes.
“Shiny.”
“She said her first word?” Lynx says excitedly as he joins us on the floor.
“Yeah,” Lennox says through a wide smile as he tickles Tempest.
She gets out of his arms to crawl over to me and starts babbling once again.
‘Shiny.’ She points at me and then grabs one of my loose curls. ‘ Shiny. Pretty. Strong, Shiny.’
‘What’s she saying to you?’ Lynx asks.
I’m temporarily mesmerized by Tempest’s golden-ringed blue eyes as he has to ask me twice before I answer.
‘Oh, um, she keeps saying Shiny, Pretty. Strong, Shiny.’
‘Well, you are those things.’
Tempest finally turns to look at her father and the connection between us breaks, leaving me feeling rejuvenated for some reason.
“Where have my precious babies gone?” Sierra calls out. “ Storm .”
“ Shifter ,” Lynx calls back with a sing-song tone and winks at me. “Our version of Marco Polo,” he confesses.
“Ahh. There you two are,” she says, wiping her hands off on the apron.
“Tempest made her first connection,” Lennox says, handing off Tempest.
“Really? And I missed it?” Sierra says, her eyes furrowing as she looks at her husband.
“Well, technically, I missed it too. She decided to connect with Rez.” They both look at me, and suddenly, I feel as if I didn’t get the whole gist of the first connection of a Storm Shifter.
‘Did your father leave out something that I probably should have known before I said yes to connecting with your sister?’ I ask as chills race up my spine.
‘Well, you did accept the position of honor. Think of it as the supernatural version of The Godfather.’ Lynx smiles broadly. I’m momentarily shocked yet oddly honored by the position. I just met my in-laws, yet they’ve offered me such a close position within the family so freely.
‘What would have happened if I had said no? And who’s yours?’ I ask, not like it would change anything, but needing to know anyway.
He shrugs. ‘To be honest, I don’t remember who mine is. And I have no idea what would have happened if you’d said no. I’m not even sure how it works.’
Well then. Maybe it was time for us to find out.
“I’m all for being Tempest’s first connection, but can you explain what all that entails, please.”
Lynx gapes at me as his mother takes in a sharp inhale. “Lennox! You didn’t tell her what it meant before you asked her?” she scolds her husband.
Lennox sighs as his shoulders drop. “I’m sorry. It didn’t even occur to me that you might not know what that meant when I asked. I was just so excited that Tempest was reaching out to someone she felt she could trust.”
“So…how does it work?” I ask, hoping this time I’ll actually get an answer.
“It’s been a long tradition for Storm Shifters to find those of other species to trust,” Sierra says, sitting down. “Protecting and becoming whatever the Four Horsemen needed was our sole purpose, but that alone was a dangerous task. Being a sole protector, we often found ourselves in dire need of teaming up with outside help that we could trust—our own guardian, per se.”
“The first connection we have with someone is reserved for our protector or someone we can go to when we need guidance,” Lennox continues, confirming what Lynx told me. “We normally form this bond with someone as a toddler. I don’t know if it’s our mind, our power, but something inside of us pulls us to someone that’s strong and able to be that for us.”
Wow, talk about a huge honor and a hefty weight. I wish I had known all of this before I said yes, although it wouldn’t have changed my answer.
“Okay, but I have questions,” I admit, holding my hand up like an idiot.
Sierra smiles and reaches across to pull my hand down. “Of course you do.”
“So what happens if you can’t find someone to say yes?”
Lennox purses his lips as he looks at Sierra and Tempest. “Well, most of the time, people do say yes, but…”
“When they don’t?” I push a little harder.
“You get Lynx’s situation,” Sierra blurts out.
“Wait. What?” Lynx jerks back and topples over from his crisscross applesauce position. He scrambles back up and looks at his parents. “Why is this the first time I’m hearing this?”
“Well, first of all, we tried to explain it to you, but you always asked to hear about it later.” Sierra gives Lynx a stern look. “Later just never came.”
“Well, excuse me for needing to go and find my mate,” Lynx pouts.
I pat Lynx’s leg as he crosses his arms and acts like a bigger baby than his little sister. “Sorrows, sorrows, prayers,” I say before turning back to his parents.
“So tell me about this Lynx situation.” I’m on the edge of my seat.
‘Sorrows, my ass,’ Lynx spits out at me, and I just roll my eyes.
“Well, if the subject has a weak shield around their mind or is caught off guard, a Storm Shifter can force a link. Or they will continue to find someone to mentally link to before they link with anyone else or lose out on that passage of gaining a protector. In Lynx’s cases, he broke through someone’s mental capabilities and sealed the deal himself,” Lennox explains.
“Who did Lynx forcefully connect with?”
“Beelzebub, the original Vengeance Demon,” Sierra says.
I choke on my own spit, and Lennox moves to hit me in the back while Lynx just sits next to me with his jaw dropped.
“Breath, Rez. Breath.”
I swear it’s deja vu.
My pseudo father figure from hell is Lynx’s protector. How did we not know that? Why didn’t Bez bring that up, or hell, how did Lynx not know that?
“How did I not know that?” Lynx unknowingly repeats my question.
“A lot of things could have come into play. For one, your memory was gone when you met him at a later date, but a feeling should still have been there. If anything, you should have been familiar to Bez, at least.” Lennox shrugs, not giving us much.
If that damn Demon were in front of us, I would be demanding an explanation. I mean, we were in their home, and the first thing he said to us was…Oh. My. God.
I turn to Lynx with wide eyes and shake him. “Holy shit. He did at least remember some part of you.” My voice raises with excitement.
Lynx gently takes my hands and pries them off of his shoulders. “What are you talking about, Rezzi?”
“Don’t you remember? He looked at you and said, ‘You smell familiar.’ I mean, I wasn’t taking it as a compliment at the time, but that was probably his way of recognizing you on some primal level,” I point out, bouncing up and down.
“You’re probably right, but I’m not sure how great that is, considering they’re the ones that probably had something to do with the Walls missing,” Lynx reminds me, giving me a flat look.
“Oh,” Sierra speaks up. “There’s a simple explanation for that. The picture that’s in L.A.M.B’s residence is Bez’s. He demanded it, and I quote, ‘I’ll need a quick way to unalive anyone messing with him,’ he said, so we gave him our painting until we could get another one commissioned.”
“Ha!” Lynx yells, startling his baby sister, that was starting to doze off in Sierra’s lap. “Let’s see the Door Knob fuck with me now!”
Sierra gets up carefully with Tempest. “I need to get back to my baking, but baby girl needs her nap,” she says, exiting the room.
“I wouldn’t be so cocky, Lynx,” I say, picking up the toys that are left behind.
“Why?” Lynx demands, placing his hands on his hips.
“Because where was Bez when you were fighting for your life?” I ask, wishing I could ask the Vengeance Demon to his face.
I hand the toys over to Lennox, but before he turns, he looks at the both of us. “Don’t be so hard on Beelzebub. Remember, he might not have received the call since Lynx needed to go through a death to come into his powers.”
Pfft. That’s no excuse. Well shit, now that I think about it, he does have a point. If Lynx hadn’t died, he wouldn’t have come into his powers and become stronger. Though, I would still like to hold Bez accountable.
I tell Lynx I’ll be right back and chase after Lennox, finding him putting away the baby’s toys in her room. I wait until he walks out. “Did you need something, Rez?”
“Yep, I was hoping you could explain how I found this,” I say, pulling out the photo from my back pocket and carefully watching his face.
His brows pinch together as he examines the photo and looks back up at me with pursed lips. “Where did you find this? I don’t think this is ours,” he says, handing it back to me.
“I found it in your storage closet,” I confess, and his eyebrows shoot to his hairline.
“What storage closet?”
I walk down toward the gym and pause in front of the wall that once had a door on it. “I swear it was right here,” I say, touching the solid wall. I turn and look at Lennox, where he’s scanning the wall. He closes his eyes for a minute until a door appears before he opens his eyes and opens it.
Looking inside, it’s not a storage closet but a medicine cabinet. What the hell?
“Hmm. This must be one of those things that will appear if you need something. I was starting to get a headache, and that appeared,” he admits before looking at me. “What did you need a storage closet for?”
Suddenly, my throat dries up, and I’m lost for words as my mouth flops around like a fish out of water.
Lennox lets out a boisterous laugh, and I know my sepia cheeks flood with heat, turning them bright red.
Fuck me. The floor needs to open right now and swallow me whole.
Instead of the floor opening up and saving me, the closet makes a popping sound, and a massive blanket pops up so I can bury myself and my humiliation in it. Perfect.
“Ah. To be young again,” Lennox chuckles and shuts the door, allowing the room to disappear. With a grin, he tucks me into his side. “Sorry for making you blush. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. But to answer your question, it seems like that closet had a mind of its own and wanted you to have that picture.”
Great, how many vindictive dicks are out for me in this world now?