The Guardian Warrior

Chapter Eighteen

Tobias

Ivy and I laid back against the blankets after the food had been eaten and the sun had fallen behind the horizon. We watched as the stars began to show themselves, shining brightly above our heads. It’s one of the many things I loved about Argoron. You can really see the stars here, especially on the outskirts of star. I also like that the air just seemed to feel better here.

“What are you thinking about?” Ivy asked me suddenly.

“Honestly?” I asked, making her nod. “I was thinking about the how bright the stars are here and how much the better the air feels here.”

“It is beautiful here.” She agreed. “I was thinking about how I don’t want to leave yet.” She sighed.

I looked at her, understanding how she felt. “I don’t want you to leave either.”

“But at least we have tonight, right?” Ivy asked, turning to face me. I nodded at her.

“Right.” I agreed, smiling at her. “We have tonight.”

She moved so she was facing the stars again, taking a deep breath as she gazed out at the stars. I could tell her mind was racing, but I didn’t want to interrupt her thoughts. I turned my gaze back to the stars, contemplating on whether I was really going to be okay with being away from her for a while. I knew that Aramis would be with her, but I was still nervous about letting her out of my sight.

I’m nervous about who I can trust, especially if there is Body Shifter on their side. It seems to be almost impossible to tell the difference between a Body Shifter and the real person. I didn’t want anything to happen to Ivy.

“Tobias?” Ivy asked. I turned to face her, raising my eyebrow in question. “How long do you think Nathaniel is going to try to keep us separated?”

I sighed and looked back to the stars. “As long as he thinks necessary.” I told her honestly. “He didn’t seem happy that I took you to Star. Although, I highly suspect that this wouldn’t be happening if he had come with us.”

“Why do you suspect that?”

“Like any man, he wants to be able to protect the women in his life. He’s bound to be very protective of you because you’re his sister. Nathaniel just wants to know that you’re safe.”

“You’re just as capable of protecting me as his is if something happens.”

I smiled at her. “Brothers will be brothers.”

“I take back what I said earlier.” She told me suddenly.

“What?” I asked in confusion.

“That was the smartest thing you’ve said today.” She smiled at me as I chuckled.

“I tend to have a lot of smart moments.” I told her.

“Name five.” She scoffed.

“You’ve already named two of them. I don’t think you’ll be able to handle it if I told you three more.” I told her.

“Sure, let’s go with that.”

“Are you cold?” I asked, noticing that she was shivering. She nodded and I wrapped a blanket around her small, shivering frame.

“Thank you.” She smiled before readjusting the blanket.

“Smart moment number three: bringing multiple blankets on an evening picnic.” I smiled at her. “Number four is bringing you up here to see the sunset.”

“Well, then your number five smart moment is going to have to surpass the four you’ve said.”

“The smartest thing I’ve done was waiting for you to wake up on the day we met.” I told her seriously. “I had almost left the apartment to come and get a new assignment. But I had a feeling that I should stay. I was still debating on whether to stay or not when you threw that book at me.” I chuckled.

“Not one of my smartest moves.” She blushed.

“Only if you were trying to read me to death.” I smiled. Ivy rolled her eyes at me.

“That would have made an interesting story. I can see the headlines now: ‘Man Died Because Girl Read Him to His Doom’.”

I laughed. “I can see the chaos that would pursue. People would start throwing their books away to avoid the same fate and others would be claiming that they knew reading was bad for you the whole time.”

Ivy laughed which was quickly followed by a yawn. “It’s getting late.”

“I know.” I sighed.

“How about we go inside in fifteen minutes?” She asked. I nodded in agreement, putting my hands behind my head and looking up at the stars.