“It’s over and done with,” Howard interrupted, letting his grandfather know he didn’t want to discuss Carly.
Walter finished his beer, then clunked the empty bottle on the side table. “It’s not your fault, Howard. It’s that damned curse.”
Howard groaned. Not that again. Whenever his grandfather had too much to drink, he blathered on and on about a stupid curse.
“There’s a curse?” Phil asked.
“Don’t get him started,” Howard warned him. “It’s a load of crap.”
“It’s our history!” Walter gave him an indignant look. “Are you calling our history crap?”
“The curse is crap,” Howard muttered. “It’s a cowardly way to dodge accountability. If the werewolves attack us because of the game I’m playing, then I take full responsibility.”
Walter shook his head. “Our race has been dying out for generations. And we roamed the earth, suffering, for a thousand years. All because of the curse.”
“It sounds interesting,” Phil said.
“Oh, it is,” Walter agreed, his eyes lighting up. “It starts with the legend of how we came to be. Pass me another beer, and I’ll tell you all about it.”
With a groan, Howard leaned his head back on the seat cushion and stared at the ceiling. He’d heard this story four times in the last month and about a thousand times in his youth. “It’s a stupid fairy tale.”
Walter huffed as he opened another beer bottle. “There aren’t any damned fairies in our legend. We’re descended from fierce warriors.”
“Fine,” Howard grumbled. “But do us a favor and tell us the abridged version.”
“There is no abridged version—”
“Oh yeah?” Howard interrupted, sitting up. “We had a magical guardian who created us with some weird hocus-pocus, and then the jerk betrayed us. End of story.”
“It’s not the end until we find our guardian and get her to lift the curse,” Walter insisted.
“Her?” Phil asked. “Your guardian is female?”
Howard snorted. “She’s nonexistent.”
“They were real. The guardians are real.” Walter gulped down some beer and wiped his mouth with the sleeve of his flannel shirt. “All right. Once upon a time—”
“Told you it was a fairy tale,” Howard mumbled.
Walter glared at him. “Once upon a damned time, there were three magical sisters. Guardians, we called them, for they guarded our village in Norway. The oldest was the Guardian of the Sea, ’cause she could talk to the creatures of the sea. The middle one was the Guardian of the Forest, and she talked to the woodland creatures. The youngest, the Guardian of the Sky, spoke to birds.”
Phil nodded. “Cool.”
“Eagles would warn the youngest sister if an enemy was coming over the mountain,” Walter continued. “And the birds of prey would attack them, scaring them away. If the enemy came by sea, the seals would warn the oldest sister. Then she would ask the whales to capsize the boats. Over the years, the village flourished, the three sisters had daughters who inherited their powers, and all was well for many generations.”
“Till they all died of boredom,” Howard grumbled.
“That’s not how it goes, and you know it.” Walter scowled at him.
Howard stood and ambled toward his bedroom. “I’m going to see if Harry got my e-mail.”
“You’ll miss the best part,” Walter called after him.
With a snort, Howard shut his bedroom door. The last thing he wanted to hear was how some magical Guardian of the Forest had created a bunch of berserkers. He wasn’t sure how his ancestors had come into being, but it had happened over a thousand years ago, so as far as he was concerned, it no longer mattered. He called Harry, and they discussed their strategy for ruining Rhett’s reputation.
Thirty minutes later, he returned to the family room.
Phil looked up from the couch, his eyes twinkling with amusement. “You never told me you’re a berserker.”
Howard arched an eyebrow at him. “Do I look crazy to you?” When Phil grinned, he muttered, “Don’t answer that.”
Walter motioned toward the werewolf. “Phil agrees with me that if we find our guardian, we could convince her to lift the curse.”
Howard scoffed. “There is no curse. And there’s no guardian.”
Walter scowled at him. “How can you deny your own heritage?”
“I don’t deny being a were-bear. Or the descendant of a berserker,” Howard replied. “But the curse is crap. We’re responsible for our own decisions in life. And I seriously doubt the guardians ever existed. If we did have one, she betrayed us, so good riddance.”
“There could still be guardians out there,” Walter insisted. “There were three sisters, and they had daughters.”
Phil nodded. “It makes sense. If your line survived, then their line could have survived, too.”
Howard gave him an incredulous look. “Are you actually buying into this nonsense?”
Phil shrugged. “I know it’s bizarre, but my ancestors have a weird history, too. We were created by some Celtic wizards in ancient Wales. If my story is true, why wouldn’t there be some truth to your grandfather’s story?”
“Exactly.” Walter finished his beer and set the bottle down with a clunk. “So all we have to do is find our guardian.”
Howard snorted. “Fine. I’ll put an ad on Craigslist. Wanted: single female willing to be guardian to a pack of grizzly were-bears. Warning: former guardian murdered on the job. Yeah, that’ll work.”
Phil chuckled. “Even if some lady was crazy enough to respond, how would you know if she was an actual guardian?”
Howard shrugged. “Who knows? It’s a load of crap.”
“You would know,” Walter said quietly.
“How?” Howard asked.
Walter paused for a moment, considering. “I’m not sure. But somehow, you would know.”
Howard gave him a wry look. “I’m not looking for an imaginary woman.”
“How about a real one?” his mother said from the doorway, her eyes sparkling with humor. “But first, come and eat your supper.”
After their late supper, Howard went back to his room to check his e-mail. Angus had sent a message, demanding that he and Phil return to New York immediately. The mission in Mexico wasn’t faring well, so Angus and Emma needed to go there and help out. That would leave Romatech and the school without security. Howard and Phil were supposed to report to the school by tomorrow night no later than ten o’clock.
Howard paced about his room, considering his options. The guys in Mexico were his friends. He couldn’t remain here if it jeopardized their mission. He also harbored strong protective instincts toward Tino and Sofia. He couldn’t leave them and the other children at the academy unguarded. And then there was the Payback game he was playing. The shit was about to hit Rhett’s fan, and it might be better if he was far away when it happened. That way, Rhett might think one of his other enemies was responsible.
A few hours later, Dougal came up from the basement, a bottle of synthetic blood clutched in his mechanical hand.
“Angus left an urgent message on my phone.” He looked at Howard and Phil. “I have to teleport ye back tonight.”
Howard nodded. He’d already said his good-byes to his mother and grandfather. As long as he had his laptop with him, he could continue the game against Rhett.
“I understand.” He swung his packed duffel bag over his shoulder. “Let’s go.”
Chapter Five
