8

"You're…having a baby." Yed couldn't say anything else without causing unruly things to happen. Predator! Who would do something like that with someone so young! Instead he imagined different things that could accidentally happen to Zaria. Branches fall unexpectedly sometimes.

Muin frowned. "Okay? Is that it? I haven't seen you in forever and that's all you have to say?"

"Oh, he's happy I'm sure, he's just a little startled!" Xiam shook Zaria's hand. "Congratulations."

"Yeah, congrats." Yed growled at Zaria as he looked at the offensive warno closely. A little older than Muin his butt, he was at least as old as him! "Congrats on stealing Muin before she's even 300 and impregnating her. Great news, you know that borders on illegal?" Ezra and Muin gawked at him, but he didn't care.

Zaria didn't back down though. "Who exactly are you?"

"Friends call me Yed." Yed stated. "You can call me Protector Yeducavich Smilliat. Don't forget even a syllable, predator."

"Did I wrong you in some way Protector Yeducavich Smilliat?" Zaria asked confused.

Yed tried to keep his temper down but he couldn't get past it! Muin was almost like his little sister and she had been taken in by a predatory male! She should have been older, he should have been someone willing to wait until 400. Birthing too young was risky, anyone worthy of Muin should have waited for kids. She'd need extra attention now during birth, the chance of complications would go up by at least 10 percent! "If I was here, you never would have even talked to her."

"Yes he would have," Muin grabbed Zaria's arm, "because I would have gone behind your back Protector Yeducavich!" She said defiantly. "Come on Zaria, let's go!"

Yed just watched in horror as they left. "What did she just say to me?"

"She's not the same little girl." Xiam reminded him. "That's the reason Zaria got her Yed, she wanted to get caught by him."

Ezra crossed her arms, appearing anything but pleased with him. "They're married and they are having children, accept it and move on. Not every guy is a predator no matter what you think. Everyone gets married, and everyone moves on."

"She's her own woman." Xiam gestured over at Ezra. "At least you have one of them who obeyed you." He smiled, until he remembered. "I mean, the best she could?"

Yed didn't say anything for a while. It was nice to come back and see his childhood friends. They had been so close for so long, he would almost call them family, but the reason he was there did not escape his mind. He would never let anyone else get close enough to Ezra to hurt her again. Getting the king to make a deal wasn't easy, but he put his career on the line for it, as well as his life. If he ever revealed what the king had done he would be charged with treason. No need to get worried, so far she's been fine. As long as there were no lasting consequences he could keep the secret for the rest of his life. He looked back at Ezra and remembered what Xiam just said previously. "Ezra, could we go back and clean a place for me? I don't want to wait until nighttime before I can get settled."

As he thought Ezra was eager to get out. "I'll see you Xiam."

Ezra and Yed went home, and talked about old times as they cleaned up a spare room. They shared some laughs and a simple supper Yed somehow managed to choke down before getting ready for the night.

"That's tidy enough." Ezra remarked as she brought down the sheets over the bedspread. Having Yed in her life again felt odd, but comforting at the same time. She didn't need him for physical strength, she knew how to take care of herself in that convention, but having her pal come back at such a crucial time made her feel more confident.

There was a serious drawback to this however. When Yed kept everyone away, it was literal. Besides her brother and her sister, he'd watch her like a hawk around everyone and everything. She remembered how disturbing it had been at first, someone always watching every move whenever a boy appeared. She had an unquenchable hatred for him for a whole year when he first lived with them. Who had the right to choose to whom or when she talked?

In the past, she had been so livid when he told the neighbor boy-the cute neighbor boy- he couldn't talk to her because her pheromones were too high. How could he speak of something like that? Then when he threatened him if he did so, she had ran inside and screamed as she ripped up every single book of his she could find. She refused to listen, to learn how to fight, or to obey his command. In fact, if he had asked her to do something as simple as exercise, she'd lay around watching television just to spite him.

It wasn't until one uneventful day when she had been playing in the backyard with her little sister, that five boys jumped the fence after them. If Yed had not been nearby, she had no idea what they would have done to her or her little sister. He was just a child himself and came away with more than one broken bone, but he had risked his life for them. Yes, the line between overprotective and protective, were blurry once she started to grow up.

Ever since that frightening day, Ezra did the best she could to learn everything he had to offer: How to treat males that were stalking her, how to treat predators when they wanted a date, even some basic fighting techniques. Up until the day he left she worked hard so she could protect herself and pass on everything she could to her little sister. "I only have purple sheets, I hope you don't mind. They're thin but it's hot outside this time of year."

Ezra looked back at Yed one more time. His presence was comforting, like a favorite sweater that was worn out but too hard to part with. It had been so long since they'd talked or even seen each other but it felt like just yesterday that he was there. A generation of the waryes race could have been born and passed on between how long it had been.

----

"I'm fine, no worries." Yed insisted. "I'll see you tomorrow." He waved casually as he watched Ezra leave the room. He went over to the bed and stared at it. He should have been sleeping in his own room. He should have been able to relax and go to sleep with ease. He shouldn't have been in that situation!

If it hadn't been for the king's trick, he would never have been there. He went to the bathroom connected to his bedroom and stared in the mirror. The last time he looked into that mirror, his face had been thinner and youthful. He noticed the bags under his eyes and his tired appearance. He felt older than he truly was as he observed himself. "All those years being a protector and look what I have to show for it." He had hurt and lied to someone he had guarded, all because of the damn king's vision! It didn't matter whether she ended up pregnant in the end to the kingdom, what would be would be! The only one's who'd be affected would be them.

"Aah!"

"Yed!" He heard her voice cry out. Oh great, he'd been too loud.

He grabbed a green guest towel and wrapped his right hand carefully in it. He could see shards of glass split like icicles that had dropped all over the floor and the remnants of shards still in the mirror above the sink.

She was gonna freak.

"Yed, what happened?" Ezra gasped and covered her mouth. Yep, she freaked. She went over to his hand and gently removed the towel. "Yed?" She spoke to him like he was a stupid kid. "Why did you feel like breaking my bathroom mirror with your hand?"

Yed shrugged his shoulders. Well dumb question, dumb answer, she should have known that. Tiny droplets of blood were starting to spill from his hand onto the shard stained floor. Oops.

"I'll get the first aid kit." Ezra insisted.

"It's fine Ezzy," Yed insisted back, but she didn't listen. She carefully swung over enough to open the bottom cabinet. "Impressive."

"Come on," Ezra rolled her eyes and gestured out the door. "Let's go over to the bed and get you fixed up."

"If you insist." Yed held his hand tightly, damn did that sting! Shoving his fist in the middle of a bathroom mirror was not the best thing he should have done. He was upset with himself, but he should have found another way. He left the glass-sharded floor and headed toward the bed. He sat down beside Ezra and held out his hand. "Sorry, I'll replace the mirror again. I was practicing a move and it went wrong."

"You should try practicing your moves in a safer place, you're lucky you didn't hit a vein," Ezra scolded him. "Hold still, this will hurt a little."

Yed move slightly as she pulled out the glass that was embedded in his skin but he tried to remain tough.

"I hope I got it all, you might need to go to a doctor." Concern was evident in her voice.

"I don't need a doctor." Yed pulled his hand away. "I need a broom so I can clean your floor." He stood up and glanced into her eyes. "Bad habits fall hard?"

Ezra gave him an I-know-you look. "Your getting a stress relief ball for your birthday."

"No thanks, I'd probably end up popping it in frustration with a knife." Yed joked. "Go on back to bed, I'll get everything else. Sorry to disrupt you." He looked back at her and noticed her robe. "What are you wearing?"