Sophie sighed as she looked across the predawn forest. She had come to the mountains after she spoke with Onyx to think of what she should do. After all this time, she still had no clue. She needed to atone for her past and to tie up a few lose ends. “If I could get rid of Janus, then I could not only return the favor he gave me, but I could get Snowhawk back to her family.” She snorted in slight disgust. “It won’t fix everything, but it’ll help. Just need to think of how to get rid of that damned wolf.” Her mind went over every possibility as she leaned back and watched the sunrise.

*********

Elsewhere in the mountains, Janus helped Snowhawk out of his brother’s vehicle, then led her to the small cabin. Snowhawk had requested to come here to spend her time alone. “Are you sure you’ll be okay by yourself here?” Janus asked.

She stopped about half way to the cabin, and turned to him. “I’ll be fine. If I need anything, or if anything comes up, I’ll call. I probably will in a few days anyway.”

He nodded slowly, then pulled her to him and softly kissed her on the forehead. “Take care, love,” he said, then backed away as she continued to the cabin. He reluctantly climbed back into the vehicle and leaned back into the passenger seat as she walked inside.

“You’re damn near pathetic, Janus,” Adian smirked.

“Shut up and drive, Adian,” Janus glared, “before I kick you out and drive back alone.”

“The hell you will,” the younger brother chuckled as he turned his truck around. “You’d never leave me alone near her.”

Janus made no response to his brother, only stared out the window. He hated to leave Snowhawk alone up here. It was, at the least, a half hour to this place, and should something happen to her– “I wish she’d gone someplace else,” he commented.

“Like where? The sea?” Adian smirked. “You know what, rather who, lives by the ocean. She’ll be fine here, brother.”

Janus couldn’t really argue with him, and nodded. “You’re right, as much as I hate to admit.”

“Of course I’m right,” he grinned.

*********

Janus walked into his room back at the estate some forty-five minutes after they’d left Snowhawk. “Please stay safe, my Bird,” he prayed as he looked out his window.

“Her safety should be the last thing on your mind,” Sophie’s voice said from the shadows.

Janus spun toward her voice and growled. “What are you doing here?”

“Tying up lose ends,” she stated, stalking toward him. “You know, like you. You blew my cover and now I’m dying.”

He stepped back as she advanced toward him. “You intended to kill my Birds.”

“Would you really have missed them?” she questioned. “It’s not like slaves were that hard to come by.”

“Yes, Sophie, I would have. Because unlike your owner, my slaves were not mere toys to me.”

“You’re so full of shit, Janus,” Sophie snorted, then lunged at him.

He caught her and pushed her away from him, scowling at her. “Be serious, Sophie. You aren’t strong enough, especially now.”

“I want you to give her back to them,” she commanded, standing.

“Snowhawk can go anytime she wishes. Despite what you may think or may have heard, I am not holding her against her will.”

“Bullshit.”

“She can,” he repeated. “I took her to my cabin in the forest at her own request. She wished to go there and think things over where no one will bother her.”

The gray Delphin canted her head to the side. “She’s where?”

“At my cabin in the forest.” He began to wonder if this illness was affecting her hearing.

“Why aren’t you with her?” she questioned, still suspicious of his motives. “Or did you lock all the doors and windows from the outside?”

“I did no such thing. She wished to be alone, so I am respecting those wishes.”

“A first for you.”

Janus was growing tired of her verbal abuse. “Sophie, leave my estate. Now. And never show your face here again. I can be civil no longer.”

“I’m surprised you ever were,” she smirked.

“Do not blame me for your mistakes. Rather, do not blame me for Legacy’s. Had he kept his mouth shut, I most likely wouldn’t have known.”

“Nice to know.” She returned to glaring at him, then turned and stalked out of the room. Damn Legacy, she thought as she left the grounds. He just had to open his mouth, and getting rid of him directly would pose too many problems. About that time, she noticed Adian making his usual rounds, then remembered the younger bother enjoyed fighting as much as he did sex. Perfect, she grinned, then left to plan.

*********

“So, what’s the difference between a Royal Guard and a Guardian?” Hunter asked Onyx. The coal black Delphin had been staying with him and Nytehawk, mostly to keep a closer eye on Legacy.

“We’re essentially Guardians with more power and fewer restrictions. We also protect as many of a blood line as we have in our area, instead of just one Noble like a Guardian.”

“I thought that the Royal Guards were all former Guardians,” Nytehawk said, canting her head to the side. “But it takes so much longer to become one.”

“Don’t underestimate my age. I have been around many times longer than this house we’re in.”

“And you, the Guards in general, protect only the Royals?” Nytehawk asked.

Onyx nodded. “Yes. We protect those of a bloodline specifically, assisted by the Guardians. As for your family, that has been my duty.”

“But, the bloodlines seem so diluted now,” Hunter mentioned. “How do you decide who to protect?”

“You might be surprised how true they still are,” Onyx began. “Most slavers actually took very good records.”

“What’s the definition of a Royal and a Noble then?” Hunter questioned.

Onyx sighed, then explained, “There were nine ruling families once. Those are defined as the Royals. Your mate and Snowhawk came from the strongest of those. The Nobles were the ones of highest class, but had little or no actual ruling power, outside of their own land.”

“Later on,” Legacy added, stepping into the room, “the Royals were grouped with the Nobles. All Royals were Nobles, but not all Nobles were Royals.”

“You’re a Noble yourself, Legacy,” Onyx mentioned as he looked to the Guardian.”

“I know,” he nodded. “I was always under the impression Guardians had to be.”

Onyx shook his head in disagreement. “Not exactly. Yes, it was preferred, but not required. Now, for example, if you and Snowhawk had lived during the height of the Empire, and you had not been of Noble blood, then your relationship would have never happened. A Royal Guard would have been sent in to end it.”

“To keep the bloodlines strong,” Legacy scowled.

“No, to protect the Royal in question. Who trained you?” the black Delphin curiously asked.

“Some half-senile Delphin in my owner’s compound at first, then Jerome taught me a few things,” he replied. “What does it matter?”

“Nothing now. Just make sure you keep your emotions separate from your actions.”

Legacy replied with a small nod, then stepped back out of the room.

Nytehawk looked to her mate, then to Onyx. “Do you get the feeling he’s going to try something again?” she worriedly asked.

Hunter and Onyx both gave a nod of agreement. “He has a lot to learn still,” Onyx commented. He paused for a moment, then asked “Where is Jerome anyway?”

“Gone for a walk,” Nytehawk replied. “He never said where.”

*********

Jerome slowly made his way through the forest, listening for any clues of what surrounded him. He had a sixth sense of sorts and could detect another Delphin if they were nearby, but so far, he had sensed no one. He was looking for Sophie who, the last he heard, had gone into the forest to die. She never has told me what’s killing her. Just that there’s no cure, he thought as he walked. He soon came across a set of fresh hoof prints in the mud, and he could catch the faint scent of another Delphin in the air. The scent was Sophie’s. He followed the trail through the forest, half expecting to find her near death. Instead, he found her sneaking around a cabin. “Sophie,” he began, “what are you doing out here?”

She jumped at the sound of his voice. The gray mare spun around to face him then half yelled “Don’t do that, Jerome!”

He was not pleased with her appearance. She was obviously thinner now, her eyes were dulled and tired, and even her colors seemed paler. “You look like hell warmed over, Sophie.”

“Thanks for the compliment, J,” she sarcastically replied. “What are you doing here?”

“Looking for you. Checking in and what not,” he replied.

“And who put you up to that?”

“No one. I came on my own accord.” He glanced behind her and into the cabin. Based on the furnishings, he guessed she wasn’t living here. “A little on the high end for you,” he mentioned, nodding to the inside.

“Not my place. I live miles from here,” she admitted.

“Then, why are you here?”

She paused for a moment, then sighed heavily. “Because I’m hoping to get Snowhawk to go back to her family.”

“I should have figured,” he said, shaking his head slowly. “But, Sophie, you need to realize that she’s gonna make that decision on her own time.”

“How would you know?”

“I don’t for certain. Just what Nytehawk has told me, which was that Snow was going to go somewhere to be alone and away from the world to think.”

Sophie had heard the same thing before and she didn’t exactly want to believe it. She changed subjects quickly. “How’d you know I was up here? At the cabin that is?”

“I followed your tracks.” He sighed quietly, then stepped toward her. “Come back to the city. There are plenty of doctors that can help you out at the least. You never know, they might be able to save you.”

Sophie folded her ears back and looked down. “What would you care, Jerome?”

“Quite a bit, actually,” he stated, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“Why?” she questioned, shrugging his hand away.

“Why?” he mimicked, putting his hand back on her shoulder and stepping closer to her. “Because I can’t just go on in my life with the thought that I never helped you. Or that I never forgave you.”

Sophie said nothing for a moment, then turned and began to walk towards the town. “You don’t owe me anything, Jerome.”

“Where are you going?” he asked, following her.

“To tell the others my story,” she responded, continuing with her slow walk into the forest. “They should at least know why.”

*********

“So, what are you going to do, brother?” Adian asked as Janus stared out the window. “Wait around until she calls?”

“It’s all I can do, Adian,” the older brother replied.

“You have other obligations. You can’t just keep tossing them aside for her.”

“I have for the past five months,” he evenly replied. “I can wait until she returns. I have a feeling it won’t be long.”

“I can’t believe you’d throw everything away for her,” the younger brother admitted.

“I am not throwing it away, Adian,” Janus snapped.

“Then what are you doing?” Adian countered. “You’ve been ignoring all of your responsibilities since she came back.”

“Snowhawk is my first priority. You would understand if you actually cared about someone.”

Adian stepped back, the words having left their mark. It was true that he’d never felt anything near what his brother felt. He’d never loved anyone as strongly as Janus loved Snowhawk. What had been said now, made him realize this, and one could go so far as to say he was jealous.