Chapter 24
Bayu didn’t try to read the scroll while Warren drove them to the airport.
He thanked them both for helping navigate their way through the thick forest. It looked nothing like what he encountered in his dream, but that might have been Baekyo’s way of testing him.
The building itself was the same except that once inside, the scroll was rolled up and held together with a jute cord.
He did look at it to ensure it was Hariz’s biographical scroll, and as soon as he read his father’s name and dates, he rolled it back up.
Bayu hadn’t wanted to linger longer than necessary.
He and Silas spoke about Steven joining them in Atlanta and the upcoming trip to see the King and Queen.
Silas mentioned accompanying them to Carlton, excited about seeing Sebastian and meeting Dakota.
Bayu had no idea how long he should employ a bodyguard, so he planned on discussing it with Carleigh.
Silas told him he enjoyed watching over his family, but after hearing Silas and Warren discuss other, more interesting jobs, Bayu wondered if the male was being truthful.
Bayu had a feeling he and Carleigh would search for a place to build a house while in West Virginia, and he was okay with that. He didn’t care where they lived as long as they were with family. He prayed Gemi would be okay with moving because he wanted her with them.
Cruz and Celeste had the jet ready to go, and once they were in the air, Bayu excused himself so he could read his father’s biography.
He absorbed every word that told of the same man Bayu remembered as well as the Nuhuala Bayu knew nothing of.
His parents hadn’t met by accident. His mother’s father set up the meeting.
What the scroll did not mention was how his grandfather came to be on the Council of Shen, if he was the same man, or why that group of humans were entrusted with such secretive information.
Unlike the Nuhuala before him, Hariz had been tasked with more jobs, thus the extended trips.
What Bayu read made him angry. His father had taken on drug lords, poachers, sex traffickers, and more.
People the governments of the world either couldn’t or wouldn’t take off the board.
The scroll did not say what his father’s powers had been, but maybe they were different for each chosen one.
Bayu would find out his when he finished reading the complete set of ancient texts upon returning home.
He had his first task, but he didn’t see it being an easy one.
Hariz was loathe to send Juni away, but he had done it out of love and fear for the child’s safety.
Hariz visited Juni in his dreams often. Bayu’s love for his father hadn’t waned, but knowing he hadn’t stayed gone for the hell of it, leaving his family behind, healed the tiny bit of friction he’d felt toward Hariz.
Bayu rejoined the others and settled in for another long flight.
Tiger and Carleigh’s beast were in almost constant contact.
Bayu felt as though he had a secret mirror into Carleigh’s life, and it went far in making the distance more tolerable.
Juniper had texted copies of the photos she took of their family to his phone, and he shared those with Celeste when she asked about Juni.
Bayu ate at the appointed times, but crossing time zones back and forth screwed with his sleep cycle.
He didn’t want to be overly tired when he arrived in Atlanta, so he leaned back in one of the recliners and slept a few hours.
He had expected Baekyo to come to him in a dream again, but his thoughts were silent.
For that he was grateful. Bayu didn’t like the disorientation upon waking from what he considered were false scenarios.
The only time his previous dreams had made any sense was the last one where he couldn’t reach Tiger.
That had been more of a revelation of things to come as opposed to nonsensical musings.
When the jet touched down in Atlanta, Tiger stirred with glee.
Bayu opened the closest shade and looked out onto the tarmac where his little family awaited him.
Carleigh was holding Juni in her arms, and his little cub was waving like crazy.
Bayu held back the tears. Barely. He was out of his seat before the plane stopped.
“Bayu,” Celeste chided. “You know the rules.”
“Yes, ma’am, I do. But Carleigh and Juni are out there.”
Celeste grinned. “Then let’s get you out of here.” She did so as quickly as was safe, following him down the stairs.
“Abah! West!” Carleigh placed Juni on his feet, and he took off toward them. Bayu scooped him up, twirling him around. Juni’s giggles warmed his heart. When they came to a stop, Juni reached out for Celeste.
“Hello, Juni.” She sniffed his neck and sighed.
“Hi, West. Me no wide in pwane.”
“No, you didn’t ride this time. I missed you.”
“Abah home.” Juni reached back out for Bayu. Carleigh and her parents joined them, with Carleigh hugging them both and puckering her lips. Bayu obliged, kissing her gently.
“Welcome home.”
“How did you know what time we’d land?”
Carleigh looked over his shoulder. “Silas texted my dad. They were discussing Steven moving here, and he mentioned that you were close.”
“Me go see Cwuz?”
Celeste held out her hands. “I’ll take you. He’s missed you too.” Bayu watched after them until they were safely up the stairs.
“I need to get the scroll.”
“I have it.” Warren held out the rolled-up parchment. “I figured you’d be in a hurry.”
Bayu bowed his head slightly. “Thank you, Warren. For that and for coming with us. Silas is capable, but it made Carleigh feel better that I had extra security.”
“Eh, that was a piece of cake compared to sitting in the woods with a drone. I take it you haven’t heard anything from the other Black Lotus?”
“No. Violet made good on her word and gave me a potion blocking my whereabouts from them.”
“Does that mean you no longer want me hanging around?” Silas asked.
Bayu silently asked his mate, “Is it necessary? I will leave that up to you.”
Carleigh replied to Silas, “Maybe for a little while longer, unless you’re tired of hanging out at Casa de Stone?”
“Hell, no. I wouldn’t mind if you hired me permanently. Good food, better company, and you have a Juni.” Everyone laughed, but they all knew it was true.
Cruz waltzed down the stairs with the cub in his arms, and Celeste was right on their heels. They said their goodbyes, and Gemi rode back to the house with Julian and Kat in Silas’s vehicle, while Bayu, Carleigh, and Juni rode with Silas in her parents’ car since that’s where the car seat was.
Juni babbled the whole way, filling Bayu in on some movie they had watched while he was gone.
Bayu was surprised the cub had sat still long enough to get through a complete film, but Carleigh assured him through their bond the boy had enjoyed it along with handfuls of popcorn they were still finding between the sofa cushions.
When they arrived, it was past Juni’s bedtime, but no one said a word when he climbed on the sofa with Bayu and curled up in his lap.
Juni fell asleep with one hand fisting Bayu’s shirt and the other holding Harry.
Carleigh was pressed against his side with her head on his shoulder.
Her parents sat on the loveseat together, and Gemi and Juniper were in armchairs, listening as he recounted his trip.
“The stone circles were the same, but everything else from my dream was different. It was much farther through the woods than I anticipated, not to mention there was no clear path. Warren and Silas took to the sky since it was dark, helping to scope out the way. The scroll talked about my father’s many tasks without listing them specifically.
” Bayu’s eyes threatened tears, but he blinked them away before continuing.
“I was wrong in assuming he left us as often as he did just to get away. After speaking with Baekyo, I feel honored to have been chosen as Nuhuala, but it is my fear I, too, will be asked to leave my family behind.”
Carleigh looked up at him. “There’s a difference, like your god said.
My family and I have skills that may help in your tasks.
Maybe your mother didn’t want to go with your father.
I will always be willing to travel with you if it is something that isn’t a danger to Juni.
If you haven’t noticed, we have more than enough willing babysitters.
Once the cub is comfortable being away from us, you and I can tackle all your tasks together. ”
Julian stood and pulled Kat to her feet. “Yes, please. We have bought our own jet, so who knows? We might make your tasks a family affair.” He pointed at each person in the room. “We can fly to wherever your responsibilities take you, then we can holiday somewhere before returning home.”
Bayu inclined his head. “I have no issue with that. Gemi? Are you up for traveling?”
“I will go wherever my family goes, and that includes West Virginia. I am looking forward to seeing these mountains.”
“First, I must finish reading the ancient manuscripts. I will be ready whenever Baekyo calls on me. For now, I think we should get the little one in his bed, and I am ready for mine.”
Everyone said goodnight. Julian and Kat disappeared outside, most likely to look at the stars.
Gemi remained in the living room with Juniper, while Bayu and Carleigh went upstairs.
Juni only stirred a little when they swapped his clothes for a pair of cute pajamas with dinosaurs on them.
They both kissed him, then retreated to their room.
Carleigh didn’t close and lock the door, so Bayu took it to mean they wouldn’t be having sex.
He was okay with that. All he needed was to hold his mate to be satisfied.