Chapter 3
CHAPTER THREE
Hunter and Asher sat across from Chelsie as she told them about everything in the dragon kingdom.
From what Hunter could gather, while Reiya missed being with them, she was doing okay.
She wasn’t being mistreated and wasn’t in any danger.
Still, he wanted Reiya to know that if she ever wanted to leave, he would gladly come and get her.
He said as much in the note he wrote to her.
He and Chasen had entrusted their letters to Chelsie to deliver to their siblings.
“Brody is taking good care of our sister, then?” Chasen asked as he leaned on the arm of the chair.
“That and eating all of the dragon’s food supply. Po Panda eats everything.” Chelsie rolled her eyes and snorted out a gust of air.
“Sounds like a typical growing shifter to me.” Chasen shrugged. He’d always had a big appetite, too.
“Well, I need to be getting back. I don’t like leaving Reiya for too long.” Chelsie stood up and looked at Hunter and Asher, making sure it was okay for her to leave.
“We need to be going, too. I want to be back when Lita gets back, to find out what’s going on.” Asher stood up and looked at Grayson, who nodded in agreement. “Go ahead and go, Chelsie. Thank you for delivering the messages for us.”
“Yes, thank you, Chelsie. Remember, if Reiya needs anything, just come and get me.” Hunter watched as she nodded and left quickly.
“I’ll walk you out, Dad.” Hunter and Chasen followed Grayson and Asher outside where they’d left their hippogryphs.
Asher stopped and turned to look at his two boys. He frowned slightly and ran his fingers through his hair. “Man, I really miss having you guys around. It seems like only yesterday you were a bunch of little kids racing about. I wish I could just take you all with me.”
“Aww, Dad.” Chasen walked up and wrapped his arms around his father.
“We’ll be able to visit more after we get these demon problems figured out.
For now, enjoy your kid-free vacation, because it won’t last long.
Hunter and Reiya will soon be shipping your grandkids for you and mom to raise. ” Chasen laughed.
“What about you? Are you going to ship us grandkids, too?” Asher asked, giving his son a side grin.
“You know, taking a mate or not is a personal decision for us guardians. I decided that Asher and Lita were too much like children for me to ever dream of settling down. My life is complete with them and you kids. It was all I ever wanted. This is the life I chose,” Grayson added, seeing Chasen getting ready to reject the idea.
“Okay. I promise that whatever decision I make will be my decision and not because I felt forced into it.” Chasen wasn’t going to live his life celibate or anything, but he wasn’t sure if he wanted a mate.
It just wasn’t usually done among guardians.
Mates couldn’t take priority over charges.
Hunter would always be his number-one priority.
That was the way it worked with guardians .
.. they were bound to their person. The relationship was difficult to explain.
It was strong like a mate bond in that a guardian could sense their charge’s feelings and could even take their pain away, but it wasn’t like a mate bond in that there was no intimate attraction.
“I know there’s a lot going on right now, but take time for yourself, too.
You have to have a luna, son. And somewhere out there is the perfect one for you.
I’m sure of it.” Asher hugged Hunter tightly and patted his back.
“If you need us, send a fairy messenger. They can get to us quickly. You might be a werewolf, but you’re a fairy prince, too. Don’t forget that.”
“Thanks, Dad. I promise, if anything else comes up, we’ll let you know.” Hunter smiled but was quickly strangled in a big bear hug from the side.
“You just need to get roughed up a bit more. Chasen here is going easy on you.” Grayson chuckled and then smiled down at Hunter. “You know, your uncle Grayson is always here for you, too. So if there’s something you can’t tell your old man, you just come to me.”
“Pfft, old man.” Asher rolled his eyes. “We’ll see you soon. I love you both.”
“Love you too, Dad,” they said in unison.
They stood there and watched the two hippogryphs fly away, taking the two men with them. Hunter leaned back on his heels. It was good to see them.
He turned and shoved his brother.
“Big mouth,” Hunter hissed.
“You were in a slump. I thought for sure you’d at least tell Dad when we visited, and you didn’t. So, I decided to send him a message and explain what had happened.” Chasen shrugged and smiled. “It was nice having them here for a visit, wasn’t it?”
Hunter looked up at the empty sky and nodded. “Yes, it was.”
Just as he started to turn to walk back to the pack house, a warm air swirled around him, playing in his hair and twirling around his clothes playfully. The wind carried the soft sound of a giggle. He snapped his head in the direction of the pack border. “Did you hear that?”
Chasen stopped walking and turned to look at Hunter staring off in the distance. “No, I didn’t hear anything. But I am sensing something. Something strong.” His voice reverberated in a low growl as he took a protective stance near Hunter.
Hunter started walking toward the sound when a firm hand landed on his shoulder.
“What do you think you’re doing?” Chasen looked at him, astounded. Was his brother seriously going to walk toward something strange and unknown, away from the safety of the pack?
“I need to see what it is.” The wind gushed over Hunter again and seemed to gently nudge him toward the sound he’d heard. He smirked and tilted his head back to Chasen. “You aren’t scared, are you?”
Chasen snorted angrily. “Trouble. That’s all you are for me is trouble.” He stomped in front of Hunter. “Fine, let’s go. But I’m leading the way.”
The two men walked out of the pack territory and paused in a clearing, the tall grass tossing back and forth in the breeze.
The sunset cast an orange glow over the field, and in the distance, they could see someone.
A girl with green, wavy hair stood looking into the forest. She turned her head toward the two men, and a sweet smile spread over her face as she started walking toward them.
Chasen stood in front of Hunter and growled at the girl, though his growl didn’t scare her at all.
She kept walking toward them confidently, her cute smile resting on her face.
When she was a few feet away from Chasen, she folded her hands behind her back and leaned forward, smiling directly up at him.
“I love your eye color! You’re not afraid of me, are you?” She giggled, her voice light and soft, full of happiness.
Chasen seemed a bit taken back by the girl. “Who are you?” he asked cautiously.
The girl giggled again and looked around Chasen so she could see Hunter. “Are you not going to come and see me? I’ve been waiting for you.”
Chasen growled threateningly and stood in front of Hunter, fully blocking her view of him. The girl straightened up and laughed even more. She covered her mouth with her hand and looked into the chocolate eyes in front of her. “You really are protective over him, aren’t you?”
Chasen looked at the petite girl in front of him.
Her green hair flowed behind her, and her eyes were a deep emerald color.
She looked to be in her early twenties, and she was very short, maybe only five feet tall.
Despite her small stature, power emanated from her.
He watched her tilt her head to the side, and she studied him as another giggle escaped from her mouth.
She effortlessly leaped into the air, landing on his shoulders. She gazed down at the chocolate eyes looking up at her, laughing at his shocked face. “Nothing can get past you, right?” She giggled again as she watched his eyes darken.
Chasen quickly jolted backward, and the girl gently leaped back down to the ground, landing so softly, as if she was carried by the air.
Hunter put a hand on Chasen to stop him from retaliating. This girl didn’t seem like she was there to hurt them. He patted Chasen and smiled before he walked beside him. “You’ve been waiting for me? Why? Who are you?”
The girl beamed, leaning forward again and placing her hands behind her back. “My name is Fujin,” she introduced herself, her sweet voice still carrying the hint of a giggle.
“Hmph, well, that’s your name. What are you?
And what do you want with him?” Chasen growled out protectively.
He didn’t know where this nimble creature came from, but she emitted a strong power, something he hadn’t come in contact with before, and she had business with Hunter.
She added up to trouble in his eyes … and no one was going to hurt his brother.
For the first time, a small frown formed on her lips.
Her deep green eyes looked down at the ground and she kicked at the grass uncomfortably.
“Okay, don’t freak out, please.” She returned her gaze to the two men, who were waiting for her response.
“I’m a …” she sighed and clenched her eyes shut.
“I’m a wind demon.” She heard a low, threatening snarl in front of her and she winced.
The storm-cloud eyes looked at her with interest while the dark, hershey-brown ones glared at her angrily.
“What do you want with him, ‘demon’?” Chasen asked in a demeaning tone.
Fujin looked at Chasen and bit her lip. “Well, you don’t have to be so grumpy with me, Mr. Bear. I didn’t even do anything.” She folded her arms across her chest and furrowed her brows at Chasen. Everyone gave demons a hard time, but this bear was one of the grumpiest she’d met.
“Easy, Chasen,” Hunter said gently. He looked into the shining emeralds and took a step forward. “What is it that you want with me?”
A sweet smile formed on the girl’s face and she took a shy step forward, looking at Hunter. “I have come for you, Hunter. I’m here to be your partner.” The girl giggled as she watched his confused face in front of her.
“I’m sorry. My partner?” Hunter asked, making sure he’d heard her right. He watched as the small girl walked closer to him.
“Yes, Hunter. I’m your partner. From here on out, we will fight together.” Fujin lifted up in the air, and Hunter’s eyes widened as she planted her lips on his.