Page 24 of Custodian

Ryker let out a whistle – that was alotof people.

Darius nodded to Ryker’s silent thought, “I know. Far more than I would have thought, especially in such a short amount of time. If we use Ivy as our timeline for the first, it’s only been six-ish months.”

“That’s promising,” Ryker said.

“It is. But not all of them are thrilled with the situation. Despite the fact they must be inherently loyal to Max, they are confused and wondering what her agenda is. I can’t say I blame them either,” Darius admitted.

“Yeah. Explaining Max and her intentions on a case by case basis has worked so far but it won’t continue to do so. We’re going to need to hold a meeting somehow – and soon.”

“Most definitely,” Darius agreed.

Ryker ran his hands through his hair, brain ticking over the logistics of such a task, and already feeling stressed about it. “I’ll talk to Max about it,” he promised.

Darius nodded, “There’s something else which is fast becoming a real issue.”

“What?” Ryker didn’t mean to bark the question but the continuous issues really were beginning to wear on him.They just couldn’t seem to catch a break. Every time they resolved a problem or threat, two more seemed to pop up in their place. And if Max’s constant nightmares, visions, and uncharacteristic quietness were anything to go by, they hadn’t even touched the tip of the iceberg yet.

“Space,” Darius stated. “All these wardens and paladins converging on our little piece of coast. Where are they all going to stay? Those who are staunchly loyal to the IDC are staying close to Garrett and others on the council. But those who are on Team Max? Members of the local warden council have opened up their homes to international Orders and many are staying at local hotels. But if people keep showing up with brands at the same rate they have been, we’re going to run out of accommodation. Caspian already has two Orders staying with him as well. Our place is big but –”

“But no way will I allow any unknown wardens to stay here with Max. I don’t care how many brands they have,” Ryker assured his friend.

Darius smirked at him, “How did I know you were going to say that?”

Ryker smiled, “Because I’m an overprotective arsehole?”

“You’re not – well, you’re not overprotective. The arsehole part, however ...” Darius goaded.

Ryker scowled in mock outrage as he gave his second in command a healthy shove, “You dick!”

Darius laughed and Ryker was pleased to see how the happy sound softened his usually stern features. Happy was a good look on his friend. “Anyway, I agree with you – we all do. None of us are willing to put Max at risk – Cali either.”

Ryker was glad his Order was on the same page. Cali may be one awesome soldier but she was also carrying precious cargo and after the threat Marco had made toward the unborn child a couple of months ago, none of them were willing to do anything that could put Cali and the baby at risk. It was another thing the entire Order agreed with – they would protect the baby with their lives. Ryker couldn’t be prouder of them all. Despite their varied drama-filled pasts, and their decidedly non-traditional liege, they had managed to forge an incredible Order with a deeply entrenched bond that no man, paladin, or warden could break.

He knew it was still hard for Max to accept their constant presence and their need to serve her. It had been a big adjustment for someone so independent. She’d had no-one to rely on her entire life and no-one she could trust – other than a few odd friends scattered over the globe. She still had issues with their need to serve her and to provide her with anything she wanted and needed, but she had slowly come to understand their sense of duty and responsibility. It was in their blood. It was what they were made for. Max understood purpose, even if she didn’t always agree with it.

“Right,” Ryker agreed, getting back on track. “So, no houseguests here. But you’re right. We’re going to need more space. Dave’s ...” he trailed off, not bothering to complete the sentence because Dave’s wasn’t an option either.

Darius was also shaking his head, “Dave’s is almost filled to capacity with ex-chades. And even if it wasn’t, I think we’d be pushing our luck to get so many wardens, paladins, and ex-chades in the one place. The Orders who are with us understand their lost brethren have been healed but I really don’t think we should be pushing proximity just yet,” Darius said.

“Definitely not,” Ryker agreed.

“How about the Lodge?”

The voice was quiet in Ryker’s head but he easily recognised Beyden’s voice. Although he and Darius were the only ones in his office, the conversation wasn’t secret or private. Ryker made sure to keep the Order link open so the entire household was kept up to date or, more importantly, if Max needed him. It was another thing Max had had to learn to compromise with. Being able to hear their thoughts and vice versa had been a real issue for her. She wasn’t particularly a private person – she and the other women were far too open with their sharing in Ryker’s opinion. They gave TMI a whole new meaning. No, Max’s need to keep the link closed at times sprang from her not wanting to burden them with her feelings, emotions, or her pain. It still galled Ryker. They were her Order, her personal knights, literally bound at the soul level to ease her burdens. But she was a Custodian, a daughter of Mother Nature and her innate nature told her to protect and nurture everything around her – including them. Once he had identified the underlying cause of her resentment – that it wasn’t just stubbornness – they had managed to forge a healthy compromise by muting the bond.

“The Lodge?”Ryker prompted, encouraging Beyden to speak up.

The man was nowhere near as quiet as he had been when he had first arrived but he was still rather hesitant to speak up in group settings. He was content to sit back, listen, observe, and then follow directions. He wasn’t a leader – never would be. He just wasn’t built that way and he had no desire to be, besides. But that didn’t mean he wasn’t a damn good knight. He was incredibly astute and though he was softly spoken, he had the mind of a strategist. Ryker and the rest of the Order had learned to listen whenever Bey spoke a long time ago. As well as to not piss him off when he had a blade in his hand. Beyden was an expert marksman with any blade – almost better than Ryker, he begrudgingly admitted.

“Only almost?”came the teasing female voice.

Ryker smiled.“Yeah, almost,”he assured his liege.

“Hmm, I’d like to put that to the test one day. I’ve seen Bey with his blades, babe. He is one badass motherfucker,”Max assured him, taking on an American accent for badass and motherfucker.

“Not badass enough to have twin scythes,”he reminded the woman of his dreams. As far as he was aware, he was the only paladin ever to carry and use two scythes at once.

Max chuckled at his self-boasting, the sound warming him from the inside out. They were talking through their own private connection and Ryker loved it. Although Max could choose to talk to any of them privately, the link she shared with him was different. He liked to think it was based on their shared love rather than their shared soul-bond thanks to the Order.

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