Total pages in book: 94
Estimated words: 88025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88025 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 440(@200wpm)___ 352(@250wpm)___ 293(@300wpm)
Harrison softly grunted, acknowledging that he heard Hale, but said nothing else as Hale grabbed some body wash, shampoo, and conditioner from the stockpile.
“This should hold you over for a little while,” Hale announced as he walked to the main hall.
“It’s fine,” Harrison replied stiffly, accepting the bounty. “I’ve got a bag packed in my car—it’s parked down the street. But the pestilents still hanging round at the edge of the property…” He drifted off at the end.
Yeah, none of them were going to be safely leaving the house anytime soon.
“I’m sure the pestilents will back off eventually. They know where we’re going to be headed.” Hale reassured him, though once the words were out of his mouth, the sentiment didn’t feel all that reassuring. Hale led the way around the circular banister toward the spare room that Calder had indicated. He pushed open the door and motioned for Harrison to precede him. “Looks like you’ll be with us for a while.”
Again, the same nondescript grunt. This guy really wasn’t giving him much to work with. Harrison gave the impression of being incredibly pulled together and calm, but he was probably overwhelmed by everything he’d learned. God-er…rather, Goddesses knew he’d been in over his head from the first moment he’d met Gio and the other Weavers.
He followed Harrison into the bedroom only a couple of steps and glanced around. It was a nice-sized bedroom with its own private bathroom just like all the other rooms. The walls were painted a soft pale blue with crisp white trim. The wood floor was covered in a large rug that was various shades of blue like an ocean wave. Definitely the perfect room for the Water Weaver.
“If you need anything, I’m just the next door over,” Hale offered, pointing over his shoulder to his own room with his thumb. “Dane and Clay are down on the first floor. Grey and Cort are in the apartment over the garage. Breakfast can be a bit of a free-for-all depending on when everyone gets up, but we all take turns making dinner.”
“Downstairs…” Harrison started and then paused, still holding the three colorful bottles in his big hands. “All the talk of soul mates.”
Hale grinned and nodded. “Wild to think it’s real, isn’t it? But yeah, all the other guys have found their soul mates. It’s kind of crazy to think the Soul Weaver can see a red ribbon stretching between people.”
While he wasn’t exactly enthusiastic about the idea of jumping into this intense, forever kind of relationship with someone, it kind of sucked that he wouldn’t have a chance to find his own soul mate.
If he didn’t have a soul mate when they tried to close the rift created by the pestilents, did that mean he wouldn’t survive? Not the happiest of thoughts. He didn’t care for the idea that he was destined to save the world and die at the ripe-old age of twenty-five. But if he had to die young, it was nice to think he’d go out saving the world.
“Interesting,” Harrison murmured, seeming to talk to himself.
Hale shoved his hands into the pockets of his jeans and frowned, trying to figure out what else to say to the extremely quiet man. “Thanks again for saving me. I just got my powers and I’m still trying to figure all this craziness out.”
The grunt returned as Harrison readjusted the bottles in his hands. “You’ll need to learn faster. The survival of all of humanity depends on you staying alive and truly becoming the Air Weaver.”
“Right, but at least we’re both new guys. We can stick together. It’ll be less overwhelming that way.”
Hale’s hope for a little camaraderie died with one of Harrison’s dark brows lifting in skepticism. “I’m not overwhelmed. I’ve been waiting my entire life for this moment. My father was the Keeper of the Heart of the Earth before me, and he died for this. I’m ready to die as well to stop the pestilents and close the rift.”
He watched, completely speechless, as Harrison turned away from him and disappeared into the bathroom, firmly shutting the door behind him.
Wow.
Just…wow.
He couldn’t wrap his head around Harrison. Probably never would.
Thank the goddesses they weren’t soul mates.
Chapter
Four
The pestilents retreated just after sunset that night, allowing Baer to sneak out to fetch Harrison’s suitcase from his car. Harrison couldn’t begin to say how grateful he was to change into clean underwear.
After a shower the next morning, he pulled on a pair of chinos and a blue button-down shirt. He ran his hands over the material to try and smooth out the few wrinkles it had picked up while packed. Wrinkles were such a nuisance, but he hadn’t brought an iron and he didn’t want to bother the Weavers for one.
His eyes strayed over the bedroom as he prepared to go downstairs. Had his father stayed in this house before traveling to the rift? Had it been in this very room? Just the idea of it drew him a little closer to the father he barely remembered now. He’d been so young when his father had left the Guardians’ house to never return. Memories of the tall man with dark hair and a soft smile were fuzzy at best now.