A soft knock sounded at the door. It opened a crack and a smiling Kairi peered in. Deep purple marred her right eye, her punishment for allowing Charity out of her sight. Charity had been aghast, but Kairi had nodded in agreement, saying, “They went really easy on me.”
She’d popped in last night to help guide Charity’s magic. Right in the middle of an intense round two with Devon, Charity hadn’t realized anyone had snuck in. It wasn’t until after an earth-shattering climax that nearly made Charity black out that she noticed her assistant in the corner with her eyes squeezed shut, fingers in her ears, and a big smile on her face. It had been more than a little awkward.
“Hey,” Charity said, waving. “What time is it?”
Kairi blinked and turned, looking at the sky. “Probably four, Arcana.” She opened the door wider and walked in. Hallen, the other person who had been dogging Charity’s heels, followed her in. At least he hadn’t been on duty last night. “I just wanted to see if you needed anything,” Kairi said.
Hallen stopped beside the couch, these people’s way of politely asking to sit down.
“Yup, sure. Have a seat.” Charity gestured at the other end of the couch.
Kairi giggled, something she did when Charity broke guardian customs in some way.
She giggled a lot.
“Yeah, I was wondering—”
Another knock sounded at the door. Andy stood in the doorway. Fatigue—or was it unease?—had created lines around his eyes.
Hallen, who’d been lowering himself onto the couch, straightened back up, partially blocking Charity’s view.
“Yes?” Hallen asked, ever watchful of her. She was grateful for it, but the guy could be overbearing.
“I thought I’d just stroll by and check in on Charity,” Andy said, keeping to the door.
“That is Miss Charity, or Arcana to those not in her family, and we are seeing to her, I thank you.”
“Ew, Hallen, give it a rest, man.” Charity waved her hand for Andy to come in. She’d put up with these people’s formality and politeness all day. She needed a break. “Come in, Andy. Where is everyone else?”
Andy entered a little stiffly, though his smile was warm.
“Hey, Charity,” he said, taking a chair to Charity’s right. Hallen stiffened at the informality and moved to stand near the door. He wasn’t a fan of things that weren’t just so. “Haven’t seen you in a while.”
“Yeah, sorry about that. I was half-dead.”
His smile spread and the tightness evaporated from around his eyes, as though a weight had been lifted. He relaxed into the chair.
“I was going to head over to you guys tonight and thank you for all you’ve done, but…” She flung up her hands and then dropped them again. “I’m exhausted. I’ve been doing the proper thing all day. Improperly, I might add. Do you think the pack would be pissed if I left it one more day? And are Penny and Emery staying with you guys? I haven’t heard a peep about them.”
“Penny and Emery are staying with us, yes. They tried to leave on the third day after we got here, but a bunch of elves were hanging around, I guess. Emery thought it safest to wait for the pack. The crazy Red Hatter thought so, too, so that ended that. Now Penny drags Emery around this place, muttering about complex magic and stealing stones out of people’s gardens. And no, you don’t need to head down there tonight. Half the pack has been…we’ll say dating. They are dating in the evening, without going anywhere.” He waggled his eyebrows. “If you know what I mean.”
Charity rolled her eyes. “Really, Andy, you too?”
Andy rested a hand on his chest. “How dare you! I’m not like them, Charity. It’s one woman for me, all the way. Sadly, it’s taking many women for me to find that special one, but the search is on. One day…”
Charity chuckled. “Oh my God, stop. So you’re settling in well here, then?”
The humor dripped away from Andy’s face. He shrugged. “It’s beautiful here, don’t get me wrong. It’s probably the nicest place I’ve ever been. But it’s not my home, you know what I mean? These aren’t my people.”
Charity sighed and tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. She glanced at Hallen and then Kairi, standing by, listening to every word.
“Can you guys give us a minute?” she asked, wanting to let her guard down in a way she couldn’t if they stayed.
Hallen stiffened, raised his chin, and sauntered out of the door. Kairi winked and followed, closing the door behind her.
“He always does that,” Charity whispered. “When he stiffens like that, it means I’m doing something wrong, but damned if he’ll come out and tell me what. It’s so annoying. How am I supposed to learn?”
“Have Devon teach you. That guy has all the rules down pat.” Andy paused for a moment. “Kairi is cool. She’s not like the others.”