Chapter Fifteen

Chapter Fifteen

Comfort & Understanding

The medical treatment went by extremely fast. Raptor's description of realms and Guardians held her interest, and it took her mind away from what was happening. And his voice? His voice was deep and absolutely spellbinding. She could listen to him for hours.

He said she could sit up and when she did, Grace was excited to discover she wasn't dizzy anymore. The feeling that she could fall over any minute was gone, and so was the pressure in her head. Most of it had disappeared sometime in the night. But there had been a little niggling pain and just a bit of heaviness behind her forehead.

Her eyes were clearer too. She had no problem seeing that Raptor was getting nervous and didn't want to talk anymore. Which meant she needed to hear what he didn't want to tell her. She crossed her arms over her chest and said, "But I can tell you're trying to avoid something. What is it? I'm not leaving this room until you tell me what makes you that uncomfortable."

Raptor gave her a small smile. "I am a little uncomfortable. It is a very important subject and is also a... complicated one. I know it will take time for me to explain. Then I'm pretty sure you'll have questions." He raised his eyebrows at her.

She rolled her eyes. Of course, she'd have questions. Pushing the blanket away, she slid off the medical bed. Having her bare flesh stick to the plastic is when she remembered she didn't have on pants. Not pants, not panties. Nothing. The green shirt she wore was Raptor-sized, and she didn't have an issue with it. The material was soft and comfortable and hung to her knees. But she wanted something to cover her ass.

Her bare feet hit the floor, and the shiny surface was cold. She hadn't noticed that before, either.

Narrowing her eyes at Raptor, she decided to bargain. "Fine. We can take a quick break. I need socks and pants. We can go to the little kitchen and get something to eat. I need some water too. I'm pretty sure I'm dehydrated. But you promised me, Raptor. Several times. That you would answer my questions and explain what is going on. I know we couldn't do it before. We've been jumping from one disaster to another. We have a little time now, right?" Her eyes widened. Oh, my hell. Maybe she'd been out longer than she figured.

Reaching out, she wrapped the fingers of one hand around his wrist. She noted his wrist was so thick, her fingers didn't touch. She used that sight to steady her racing mind. "Or do we need to go wherever the other Guardian is holding Garret? What day is it? How long have I been unconscious or sleeping?"

Raptor patted her hand. "We have time," he assured her. "I settled back at the meadow before the sun came up. It's not yet mid-day. Dahvid does not expect us until sometime tomorrow at the earliest. He planned to create some sort of diversion that would allow him to retrieve your gun and backpack. Then he would search for where the poison was released into the town water supply and stop it. Once he did all that, he wanted to look through the files on the data device and your computer so he could create a directory of what you found. It will make it easier for you to plan what to do next."

Relaxing, she took her hand back. "Okay. I need clothes, then the kitchen, then more explanations." Grace looked up and met his eyes. "Deal?" she questioned.

He nodded. "Deal. Let me show you where your clothing is."

She frowned. And tried to remember what she'd stuck in her backpack. Her shoulders relaxed when she realized she brought an extra pair of socks with her. But the stress tried to creep back when she realized the extra pants she packed were jeans. She didn't want jeans. She wanted leggings. Or sweats. Something comfortable.

Eyeing Raptor's butt as they walked down the hall, she realized that option wouldn't work. His shirt wrapped around her body at least twice and hung down to her knees. While he had an amazing ass—any sweats this man owned would have enough fabric for two of her. And that was saying something.

Raptor stopped before the door to a room she hadn't been in. He opened it and went through, then turned to watch her. The expression on his face was sad.

Oh, fuck. Now what? It couldn't be Baby. Her cat had been with her throughout the day as she received treatments on her head. Grace didn't want to look inside, but she took a deep breath and took two steps forward, crossing the threshold.

The room was full. Boxes stacked in one corner, furniture in another. At first, she didn't realize what she was looking at. "This is all my stuff," she noted. But it was more a question than a statement.

"Yes," Raptor agreed.

"I don't understand. Why is all my stuff here?"

"Ah." He sighed. "We have an agreement that if I help you, you will go help Makayla. Correct?"

She didn't like the build-up for this. "Yes." If she kept her answers short, maybe he'd get to the point.

"When I made arrangements for the Monster, I think I mentioned that besides sending another Guardian as backup, the Helpers would also come."

She blinked. Opened her mouth. Shut it. "Okay. I kind of remember. What does that have to do with this?" she asked and swept her arm out. For the first time noticing that even her workout equipment was in this room. And the boxes from her storage shed. What the hell?

"I heard Garret's man at the car suggest they should burn down your house. That made me afraid your boss would send others to follow up on that suggestion. Since there wasn't time to figure out what you wanted to keep or store, and what you wanted to take to Makayla's, the Helpers packed everything and brought it here. If you decide to leave anything behind, we can do that later."

"He wouldn't burn down my house." Grace stopped and thought about it. "Well, okay. He would burn down my house. But he didn't have time to..." She noticed the expression on Raptor's face.

"Garret burned down my house?" The furry was instantaneous. She was going to kick that man in the balls the first chance she got.

"He sent someone to kill your Baby. When they couldn't find the Monster, the two men took it upon themselves to burn the house. We had already captured Garret and returned to the meadow. But none of his men knew that." Raptor took her hand. "I'm sorry, Grace. They used rocket fuel as an accelerant and waited while it burned. Your house is gone."

She let him pull her into his arms while she mourned her home. Except, at least some of her things were here. She leaned back and looked around again. "How much of my stuff did the Helpers get? I had a vault in the basement with all my lab equipment. I see a few of those boxes."

Raptor nodded. "They emptied your lab. They got it all. There are a few things in the room across the hall, some in the cargo bay of the ship, and some in the kitchen. But this was all of it."

Grace stepped back and poked his chest with her finger. "Define all."

He laughed. "Everything from the house, including the vault. Your kitchen appliances and washer and dryer are in my cargo bay. The Helpers left your house an empty shell. This could be why they burned it down. Frustration. There is a box of garden produce in the kitchen, all your refrigerated and frozen items are in there too, and all the other foodstuffs. The Helpers said they picked everything ready to harvest." He looked down at her. "There are a lot of tomatoes."

She giggled and pushed him out the door. "Go slice some tomatoes. If you have the stuff from my pantry somewhere, there is bread. Find that too. I want tomato sandwiches. Oh... mayo. Find the mayo. It will be where they put the cold stuff."

Grace closed the door and started looking through the boxes for her leggings. She'd start with the boxes that were marked clothing and hope the Helper who packed everything she owned didn't have a sadistic streak.

Once dressed, she walked into the little kitchen and noticed two things. One—Raptor sat on the small couch, with Baby spread across his lap. The cat's front and back feet were hanging off the edge of the man's thighs. The animal was purring loudly. The man looked more relaxed than she'd ever seen him. Grace couldn't keep the grin off her face as he smoothed his hand from Baby's head to tail, petting the animal. It was an amazing sight.

The second amazing sight was on the video monitor. It was like an enormous picture window to the outside world. The meadow was bathed in the late afternoon sun. There was a herd of deer at the edge of the forest, not far from the spaceship. The view was breathtaking.

On the table were two boxes filled with tomatoes, lettuce, a few ears of corn, both summer and winter squash, and several varieties of melons. Along with some of her favorite root vegetables—beets, carrots, onions, and garlic—there was a basket filled with herbs. Raptor had also found some bread and her mayo and set out plates and a knife, along with salt and pepper.

Seeing everything was like a balm for her soul. Tomato sandwiches were one of her comfort foods. When she had a hard day or felt lonely, or a little sick... Grace made these. It only worked from spring to fall. Because store-bought tomatoes didn't taste the same. So, in the winter, her comfort food changed to mashed potatoes and gravy.

She went about making sandwiches while she thought about what she wanted to know next. Something easy and light while they ate, she decided. "How did they do this? The Helpers? Bring everything from my house and sheds, and I do mean everything! And manage to harvest my garden too? I think it would take an army to manage that in the few hours we were at the lab."

"I believe there were two of them. But remember, we have the technology to shrink everything to a minuscule size. I believe the gods also gift the Helpers with mental abilities to assist Guardians. I know one is Telekinesis—so they can move things with their mind. And Telepathy—is used to rescue a Guardian or to get others to help when needed. I don't know how they accomplished this. But they are used to working in short timeframes and doing incredible jobs."

Grace nodded. "Have you ever met the Helpers?" She opened one cupboard and found her pantry supplies. Pulling out the chips, she added a handful to each plate. She passed a plate to Raptor and sat at the table, then began eating her sandwich. This was the major reason she bothered with a garden. She loved tomatoes.

Raptor seemed to think for a moment. He shook his head. "I haven't. Talked to several of them, yes. Messaged them... all the time. But they load things on the ship or take them off when I'm not here. We don't meet or spend time together. I don't know why that is. The Helpers on Earth, those in the First Realm, stay here. They may move around from country to country or travel when they need to. But they never change planets or realms. I believe many families pass this job from generation to generation. The Interstellar gods pay them well and take excellent care of the Helpers and their families. And the parents teach their children what to do. Any planet or realm I've visited has had Helpers that are native to the area."

He watched Grace eat for a moment. As if making sure the concoction truly was edible. Then picked up the sandwich and took a bite. His eyes widened. "This is wonderful!"

Grace giggled, and the room was silent while they finished their meal.

Raptor

He watched Grace finish her sandwich and then putter in the little kitchen for several moments. She was opening drawers and cupboards. Found the cold box or what she called the refrigerator, and the larger closet where most of her food supplies filled the shelves.

Her supplies would last a week or two, maybe a month. Before they left Earth and headed to Makayla and the planet Megoth, he'd have her make a list of things she'd want if she didn't return for several months.

Whether Raptor would be with her... or not.

He took a deep breath and tried to calm his heart and mind. It was time for him to explain what Grace meant to him.

He began slowly. Softly. Looking out the window and petting the Monster, he said, "After being a solitary Guardian for several hundred years, time begins to draw on us. There is nothing to keep us going. Our days and nights are filled with the worst things the universe can throw at us—soul vampires, slavers or traffickers, murderers, rapists—evil comes in all shapes and sizes and moves throughout the universe."

Grace moved back to the table. She had a tall beverage and handed a glass to him. Sitting, she gave him all her attention. When he paused, she raised a finger and asked, "Soul vampire? I understand the rest. But please, explain that one."

He took a sip and blinked. "This is wonderful. What is it?"

Her smile was huge. "Sweet tea. The way my mama made it. I had a fresh pitcher in my fridge and, bless their hearts. .. the Helpers moved it. With everything they brought, I can keep us in sweet tea and mater sandwiches for a few weeks."

He laughed at her pronounced accent. She was teasing him.

"That's a wonderful thing." His attitude became somber when he tried to answer her question. "Soul vampires occasionally escape their realm and go on a killing spree in one of the others. They always send in a Guardian to kill them. The vampires are never captured and returned. They and their realm are simply too dangerous to deal with, even for a Guardian. We have specific abilities that allow us to sense and track any creature that isn't where it is supposed to be. The Interstellar gods developed warning devices that alert them anytime someone leaves their realm, or their planet, without authorization. Our powers help locate anyone who is out of place. Then we can either take them to an Interstellar prison, kill them if they are too dangerous or evil enough, or return them to their home.

"A soul vampire preys on children. They suck the soul out of them, the younger the better. Leaving a dry husk behind. The only way to kill these evil creatures is a direct hit to the center chest with a small handheld crossbow that is equipped with a tiny explosive strapped to the tip. Which, if used correctly, will blow the damn thing into minuscule fragments. Fragments that can't be used to put themselves back together."

Grace closed her eyes for a moment and sighed. Raising her lashes, she looked right at him and said, "I can't imagine having to fight these things for hundreds of years. You'd get severe burnout."

He nodded. "Burnout is a good word. We get tired. Sick to our souls. The Interstellar gods dealt with this condition—by allowing our bodies to fade, and our essence to hibernate. We rotated. Resting while others protected the universe. Throughout our long years of rest, usually around two hundred years each time, our body is set apart from the physical reality of the universe, yet our mind and soul are kept aware of the passing time and all the changes in the world. Each period of rest varies in time, and once we are called again to serve, there is a lot to assimilate. But when they need us, the gods awaken us, and others choose to take their respite from the world's evils."

This time Grace's frown was deeper. "Exactly how old are you?" she wondered.

Raptor sighed. "Well over a thousand years. I stopped marking my age long ago." He hesitated for a moment. Knowing the next set of explanations would make or break him. He wanted to be honest with her. "We started this conversation when you asked what I was. The truth is, Grace, I am a Guardian who never fulfilled his destiny. And then ran from it."

Grace wrinkled her nose. "I don't understand. You're here helping me. You are a Guardian. How is that running from a destiny you didn't fulfill?"

Raptor continued to pet the cat. Drawing strength from the animal in its acceptance. He remembered Grace refused to date a man that the Monster didn't like. He wanted more than a date. Hopefully, Baby's approval would help her decide.

"This is difficult for me to explain. I only ask that you don't leave. That you hear me out, to the end. You can ask any question you wish, and I'll be careful to answer them truthfully. Do I have your promise?"

Now she frowned at him.

Raptor was so enamored with every expression that flitted across her face. As long as it wasn't disgust.

She nodded slowly and said, "Yes, I'll agree not to leave if you tell me everything. Don't leave anything out."

He dropped his head in agreement. "We could be here awhile, get comfortable." He waved toward the end of the couch and then opened the furniture arm next to him and drew out a pillow and blanket. Grinning sheepishly, he explained, "I like to take naps in here. Both when I'm out in space and when I'm on a planet. I like to look outside."

Grace took the blanket and pillow, then curled up in the corner. "Do you have a monitor in your bedroom? If not, I'd put one in so that every morning and night you could lie there and watch."

Pressing his lips together, Raptor shook his head. He was an idiot. "I don't. And I should have. It is an amazing suggestion."

Her grin of delight made his heart pound.

Raptor sat back and focused on Grace and not on what was outside the spaceship. "As an older Guardian, one who goes into stasis or those periods of rest, awakening is a slow process. As we regain consciousness, we become aware of two things. One, if we're waking up, it means that there is a critical threat to humanity somewhere in the universe or one of the realms. We know immediately that somewhere danger walks among the innocent. They send us to handle the larger threats, ones that could take many lives or destroy worlds.

"When a Guardian is awakened, they know they'll have a chance to try again. That instead of being sent back into the void after we neutralize the danger, we could be allowed to continue to fight evil in all its forms. To stay and fight requires finding our Keeper .

"This leads to the second thing we're aware of the moment we regain consciousness. We can feel the other half of our soul. We know she exists at this time. I can't tell you what it is like. To take a deep breath, filling your lungs with crisp clean air for the first time in centuries. To have the wind pass over your slowly forming body—a whisper of feeling tempting, then sparking the awakening. A small light of awareness grows within, and you are so thrilled with the knowledge that once again, your Keeper has been reborn. Her soul calls to you, prompting your rebirth. At this time, purpose begins to burn within your soul. You've been awakened and given another chance to claim your Keeper—so together—you can serve all the dimensions and planets that made up the universe—as a Guardian pair.

"The call to action happens at the perfect moment, allowing each Guardian to reclaim their life, and continue to serve. Each Guardian has a Keeper—who was created to be the custodian of our souls and all our days to come. Her full title is the Keeper of Tomorrows. Without our Keeper, we don't have an anchor to our physical bodies. Our Keeper must recognize us and accept us. If she doesn't, we do our duty and then go back to rest for another few hundred years. Our knowledge and life fades into nothingness, until the next time she is reborn."

Grace's lips locked together, and her head tilted. Obvious signs of confusion.

He held up his hand to stop her from trying to form a question. "Let me try again. I know this is difficult to grasp. A Keeper holds the best half of our hearts and is the willing and honored vessel for our futures. Each time the Interstellar gods create a Keeper, she or he is designed for only one Guardian. Guardians have only a few incarnations of a Keeper's life to convince them to accept what each Guardian has to offer. The Keeper has the same soul. They are reincarnated maybe a dozen times, and each one of those lives allows the Guardian an opportunity to meet them, woo them, and hopefully start a life together. The Keeper can refuse their Guardian. And they often do.

"If the Keeper denies their connection, then the Guardian must return to rest, as supposedly they can't function long without the acceptance of their other half. If a Guardian fails in this all-important task of uniting with their Keeper, they are once again released from service and guided back into a trans-state. Their physical bodies return to the void. I typically rested for hundreds of Earth years between manifestations of my Keeper."

Raptor lowered his head in his hands and sighed. " Until I couldn't take her rejection anymore. And I got in my spaceship and refused stasis. Refused to try anymore. I didn't realize I was proving at the time that we had a choice between stasis and a solitary life. Even if it was lonely, it was better than not feeling anything. That was about two hundred years ago. I've realized now that running from my Keeper—may have prevented me— prevented us —from fulfilling our destiny."