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given us—Ella, me, and the dog—a ride home from David’s place before she drove to her office, leaving Grandma in charge. Gertrude hadn’t left my side, refusing to stay with David even though he’d been pretty insistent. No, Gertrude had been determined, and we gave in and let her follow us home thinking that she could have a playdate with Tallulah. Tallulah had been overjoyed to see her, jumping all over Gertrude in excitement. Gertrude had indulged her, playing a game of mock chase until Ella settled Tallulah down and took her up to bed. Instead of following them, Gertrude had stayed by my side, and I let her, feeling oddly comfortable with her. She even followed me into the bathroom while I showered, snoozing outside the stall.
    Now, she lay on my bed waiting for a rub. I covered my hand with my blanket hoping that it was sufficient to prevent direct contact with her fur. I rubbed her tummy gently in circular motions. She stretched her hind legs, enjoying the attention. I relaxed back into the headboard, happy that the blanket provided protection against more flashbacks. Not that I wasn’t tempted to revisit the images from before. I was, but I needed to be able to
look
at them. I needed time to figure out what they were, and the last episode had been so intense, too rushed. I wondered what would happen if I touched her quickly, just a little with my finger. There was only one way to find out.
    Just as I was about to gently poke Gertrude with my finger, Kellan called.
    “Hey!”
    “Hi, Kell. What’s happening? Why did Constance need you to stay?”
    “Your grandmother, Amadea, called a meeting. She was passing on orders from your dad.”
    That sounded weird. “Orders?” My dad was so not someone who’d ever given
orders
, but I guessed he had to as the Wanderer sovereign.
    “Yes, with him being the new sovereign and being called back to work, he needs to know that his family is safe. So, he assigned Wanderer protection to each of you.”
    “Oh? What does that mean?”
    “David’s staying and is going to hang out with you. I’ve promised to help him, so I’ll be spending a lot more time with you, too.”
    I laughed. That wasn’t even possible! We already spent every moment we could together. “You’re my new Wanderer guardian?”
    “Nope. Not an active Wanderer, remember?”
    I heard the frustration in his tone.
    “David’s still your guardian, but I am going to help him. He’s moving in with Harry and will cover you at night. I’ll watch you during the day.”
    “Is that really necessary? I mean… I love hanging out with you and all, but it’s a bit creepy having someone watch me all the time.”
    “Don’t know. It’s what your dad wants. Anyway, just think of it as spending more time together, that’s all. Your mom, David, and Harry will be home soon, and I’ll pick you up for breakfast.”
    “Mom? She’s still at work.”
    “No, she was called to the meeting as well and is on her way home.”
    “What was she doing there?” I couldn’t imagine Mom being into attending a Wanderer meeting even though she was slowly accepting them into our lives.
    “Well, she is the queen—”
    I snickered.
    “Yeah, it’s funny, right?”
    “No kidding.”
    “Gertrude still there?”
    “Yes, but tell me more about the meeting. Did Gramadea say where Dad is, when he’s coming home?”
    “No, not really. He’s in London and maybe leaves for Switzerland tomorrow. That’s all I know. Now, are you going to tell me what happened between you and Gertrude earlier?”
    “I wasn’t being vague on purpose. I’m not sure exactly what happened.” I described the fast-moving images to Kellan and then waited for him to react.
    He took his time, and I started to wonder if he’d nodded off. It
was
late…
    “Hmm. I guess touching her too long isn’t a good idea. Want me to stay on the phone while you try a brief contact with her fur? Let’s FaceTime, so I can see what happens.”
    “All right.”