Page 38 of Custodian

“But that’s not what happened.” Ryker guessed.

Nikolai’s sound of mirth was bitter and his lips twisted into an unpleasant parody of a smile, “No. Not by a long shot. The Custodian was none-too-thrilled to be placed with Emmanuel. In fact, it voiced its displeasure quite vocally.”

Beyden stood up straight, “Wait, you’re saying you forced him – her? What was it?”

“An it. Just an it. And don’t go getting your panties in a bunch, I mean no disrespect.” Nik quickly explained, “The Custodians were neither male nor female. They had no corporeal form – no bodies. They were simply energy. They were life. They were spirit. They were –”

Max gasped, “Souls. They were souls.”

Nikolai smiled sadly at Max, “Yes. They were souls. Vague outlines of a human form but with no real substance. Just colours. More colours than your brain can compute.”

“Fuck!” Max yelled, tugging on her loose hair. “It makes so much sense. How did I not realise it before? Custodians are pure souls!”

“Hey, cut yourself some slack, sweetheart. Nobody has figured it out. Well, almost nobody,” Ryker amended, looking at Nikolai. “You clearly know. And let me guess, Garrett knows the truth too?”

“He does. I didn’t realise it until it was too late. But I believe Garrett and his wife knew all along. I think that is why they suggested it in the first place,” Nikolai revealed.

“And you knowingly shoved a naked soul into a room with a creature who consumes life-forces?” Max’s voice was incredulous and her face looked as though she was going to be sick. Ryker felt the others rally around her and was gratified to see some colour return to her face but there was nothing he could do for her hurting psyche.

“I wish I could deny it. But I can’t. That is exactly what we did.” Nikolai’s voice shook a little and Ryker had no doubt it was in shame.

Ryker ignored all the horrified gasps and swearing around the room, pinning Nik with his dark stare, “What exactly happened?”

The ranger ran his hands over his face, “Instead of the custodian healing Emmanuel as we assumed it would, Emmanuel …consumedit. That’s when we started noticing the changes; the talking, the thirst for pain, the desire for revenge. It started after that.”

Max seemed to study Nikolai for a moment, her eyes narrowed and lips pursed. Ryker wasn’t sure what she saw, but it had her shoulders relaxing and she even reached out and laid a comforting hand on the Commander’s arm. Nikolai clenched his jaw so hard, Ryker could practically hear his teeth grinding into dust. He figured the man must have been harbouring some serious guilt over the years. With the one small gesture from Max, he had essentially been forgiven. He must have realised it too because he nodded his head and touched the circular brand on his arm with reverence.

“And the other custodians?” Max asked, presently. “Did they get fed to Emmanuel too?”

Nikolai looked genuinely shocked, “Other custodians? There was never more than one,” he promised. “We all knew the magnitude of our mistake as soon we saw Emmanuel’s gaping mouth hoover that poor soul. Unfortunately, there was no take-backs. But we could ensure it never happened again. That’s why his death was immediately ordered.”

“You think Garrett sought out others?” Ryker asked his woman.

“I do,” Max nodded. “I think he saw the effect one had on his son. I think he liked it. I think that’s why he started asking questions to everyone who knew anything about Custodians; Blu and Verity. I think he then decided to not only access the sole written information about the beings, but also made sure nobody else would ever be able to access it. He stole it all and burned down the records room.”

Nikolai shook his head, looking suddenly exhausted, “Do you think Garrett found other custodians?”

Max sighed, twirling some red strands of hair around her finger, “I can’t say for certain. It might explain why custodians stopped inhabiting the Earth; they were being captured and consumed. But I can say Garrett has been patiently waiting for a time when he could gain access to a custodian again.”

“You,” Nik stated.

Max nodded her head once, “Me. I bet he was overjoyed when Mordecai told him of my conception. No wonder I didn’t detect anything but genuine pleasure and welcome from Garrett and Autumn all this time. It’s because they were genuinely happy to meet me.” Max laughed a little, “They’re thrilled to have another all-you-can-eat buffet.”

“Don’t,” Ryker ground out. “Don’t you fucking joke about this, Max.” He wouldn’t let her make light of the situation. These evil, awful people had the power to destroy his entire world.No,he decided,it was no joke.

“I’m sorry, Ry. I wasn’t trying to make light of the situation. I know how extreme and dangerous this all is.” Max fitted herself easily against his rigid body.

Ryker pushed his face into her hair, inhaling the unique, fresh scent that made up his woman. As long as he could hold onto her like this, he knew everything would be just fine. His heart would keep beating, his lungs would keep filling with oxygen, and the world would continue to spin on its axis. Too bad Max was opposed to him being a human barnacle.

“I’ll let you be my barnacle tonight,” she whispered against his ear. “My naked barnacle.”

He grinned, pulling back enough to give her a smacking kiss on the lips, before addressing Nikolai once more, “As a Ranger, you have an affinity with the chades. Do you have any possible idea where Emmanuel is now?”

Nikolai shook his head, mutely. Ryker had expected as much but it was still frustrating.

“What about the encampment?” Axel abruptly asked. “Are there any chades left at the encampment from back then?”

Nikolai shook his head again, “None. They were all executed. Emmanuel was the only one not killed on the spot because he was Garrett’s son. I believed, genuinely believed, that Garrett had followed through and killed him. The man was a mess for almost a year before he joined the land of the living again. He was the very epitome of a grieving father.”

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