Page 17 of Custodian

The four men looked at each other, and although they could no longer communicate telepathically, they still knew each other well enough to know what the others were thinking. They all shrugged, Sid reaching out a hand;

“Hi Dex. Good to meet you.”

Dex choked, striding forward to pull them all into a messy – but manly – group hug. Lots of back-slapping and clearing throats followed, their excited words running into each other so he could barely understand what they were saying. But he didn’t care because he had some pieces of his old heart back. As much as he had moved on and accepted that he would never be the same man again, there was still a lot of good in his past. It was damned nice to be reminded of that.

“Oh, we brought you something,” Patrick said, discreetly wiping his eyes.

Dex gasped when he saw the cloth-covered object. He would know the size and shape of his sword anywhere. Patrick removed the cloth and handed the blade to Sid who took a step forward, offering it to Dex. But just as Dex was about to take hold of his sword, Zombie came barrelling around the corner and began barking at Sid.

“Hey, Zombie. It’s okay,” Dex tried to soothe him but the dog was having none of it. His barks turned to growls when the four men peered at him curiously.

Cali retrieved her scythe from her hip, taking a defensive stance, “Don’t move a muscle,” she warned the paladins. “Why are you really here?”

They seemed confused by the abrupt shift and Sid looked at Dex as he answered, “What? My liege, we just told you –”

“Yeah, yeah,” Cali cut him off. “You can’t believe Dex is alive, you’re so happy, blah, blah, blah. We both heard what you said but it’s obviously bullshit.” She nodded her head in Zombie’s direction, “Our dog here doesn’t like you.”

“Sir, I promise you –” Sid began, addressing Dex once again but Dex held up his hand for silence.

The way Sid kept ignoring Cali was really starting to piss Dex off. That coupled with how Zombie was acting, had Dex’s hackles rising and acknowledging that Cali was correct – something wasn’t quite right. He gave a subtle nod to Knox and saw the man nod back. He was prepared too.

“Zombie here is a great judge of character,” Knox said, gesturing to the now knee-height dog. “So you’d better try again. Why are you here?”

Simon, Patrick, and Vance were looking at each other in confusion and it was Sid who chose to speak again; “I haven’t seen you in over forty years. We all thought you were lost to us. I’ve come all this way, even though I know how dangerous it is for me and you’re questioning me because of a dog?”

The man sounded incredulous but Dex could also hear the undercurrent of anger and he was now positive Sid couldn’t be trusted. He felt a twinge of pain in his chest because Sid had been one of his very first paladins and had been in his Order for several human lifetimes. They had fought battles and waded through blood and shit together. Sid used to offer his vitality to Dex so he could survive and continue to serve his domain. But surprisingly, the pain didn’t last long. He wasn’t the man’s liege anymore. He wasn’t a warden anymore. Hell, he wasn’t even Charlemagne anymore. He could never go back to who and what he was, and he genuinely didn’t want to. He had everything he could ever possibly dream of right here in the big, log home behind him, and the blonde, tall glass of water standing next to him.

Sid shifted his weight subtly, his grip changing on the hilt of the sword, and Dex called the wind, gratified to feel the familiar energy of his element ready to do his bidding at his slightest command. He may not be a warden anymore but the air still recognised him as its guardian. Dex saw Simon, Patrick, and Vance also shift warily but their eyes were now on Sid, not on Dex, Cali, or Knox. One look at Zombie and Dex could tell the faithful animal wasn’t bothered by the other three men in the slightest. Despite his earlier little internal speech, Dex was still relieved to know that at least some of his former paladins – his former family – were still on his side.

Sid chose that moment to finally make his move and he made it all of one step before Dex blasted him off his feet and onto his arse with a gust of wind. Dex’s fabled sword toppled harmlessly to the ground when Knox added his own swirl of air. Dex’s lips twitched when he saw Knox’s hand flex. Dex knew the man was dying to give him a high-five but was trying to remain aloof and professional.Yeah,Dex thought,I really like this guy.Before he could formulate a response to the betrayal of the man in front of him, he heard a voice speak quietly behind him.

“Is there a problem here?” Ivy inquired, mildly.

Dex smiled, appreciating the back-up, because he knew there was nothing mild about the woman. She may look small and unassuming, but she was one of the most lethal people Dex had ever met. He wasn’t surprised she had come out to investigate. Even though they were not soul-bound as a liege and paladin would typically be, they were still connected on a much smaller, albeit no less intimate, way. The ranger was gracious enough to share her vitality with him and he would be forever grateful. They had forged a decent semblance of a friendship and he genuinely liked and cared about her. He knew she felt the same way – despite not being the most demonstrative person in the world.

Cali hadn’t been too keen on Ivy at first. He supposed he couldn’t blame his fiancé – the first time she had met the woman had been because Ivy had had a one-night stand with Ryker. Beyden had spoken about his sister before but Cali had never actually met her. And Cali was a little protective where her Captain was concerned. The two had a bond of their very own – the result of Ryker saving her from her previous fucked-up Order. Dex would always be grateful to him for that.

So lost in his introspection, he didn’t see the satisfied gleam in Sid’s eyes as they travelled over Cali when she stepped up beside him. But he sure heard the words that came out of his mouth;

“You’re Cali. Stefan’s ex-pet. He says hi, by the way. He misses you – or misses you spreading your legs more like it.”

Dex was fast – as fast as the wind to be precise – but even he was too slow to beat Ivy. She was in front of the downed man in less than a second. She hooked the curved edge of her sickle over the man’s fly as she purred; “I’m sure I heard you wrong. Why don’t you help me out by repeating what you just said?” Sid wisely chose to keep his mouth shut – not that Ivy was satisfied with the silence.“Come on, big man. Give me one good reason why I shouldn’t slice your nut-sac in half,” she crooned.

“I’m sorry,” Sid managed to squeak.

Ivy snorted, “You’re sorry? Not yet you’re not. But you will be. Cali?” she asked over her shoulder. “What do you think? Can you think of a good reason why I should accept this piece of shit’s apology?”

Cali had been looking pale, but Dex was gratified to see colour returning to her cheeks now as she shook her head emphatically. “I can’t think of a single one.”

Ivy nodded, “Good. Here you go.”

EIGHT

Dex was shocked to his core to see Ivy handing over her sickle to his pregnant fiancé. The ranger never let anyone touch her sickle; not her brother, not her lover, and not Max. That was when he knew Cali had just found herself with another best friend. Cali must have realised it too because her crystalline blue eyes were wide with shock and she stood staring at the long-handled lethal weapon for a few seconds before she shook herself out of her stupor.

She threw her long hair back as she tested the weight of the weapon against her palm and seemed to appraise the man on the ground in front of her. “I say we slice his dick in half too. I’ve always wanted to see a two-dicked man.”

Dex choked on air upon hearing his pregnant woman’s words. He saw Patrick and Vance take a hasty step back but Simon just eyed her with consideration – and with appreciation. Dex frowned in his direction and Simon gave him a small shrug and a half-smile. Dex knew what he would be hearing if their Order bond still existed;‘What? Can’t blame a man for looking.’

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