Chasing Fate (Sentinel & Guide)

Chapter 25

[Unedited]

This was the day he'd dreamed about for so long, so often, that it didn't quite feel real. He'd gone on so many of these excursions and always had an empty seat on the ride home. He wanted to pinch himself to make sure he wasn't dreaming. It didn't feel real. He was so thankful it was, so happy to hear the measured thump of her heartbeat as it...sped up?

Without thinking he reached over to grab her hand, sending as much of his feelings of calm and contentment through the bond as he could. "Don't worry, I won't let anything happen."

Fate was startled. Usually she had such complete control over her emotions that her true feelings wouldn't be discernable to even the most sensitive of sentinels, but around this one she always seemed to be slipping up, like trying to catch her emotions in a sieve, they eventually all fell through and he caught on right away.

It was nice now, but a little voice in the back of her head held fear of the inevitable change, when these feelings were used against her. She slowly moved her hand back, putting on a smile, "Well, I'm meeting the parents, aren't I?"

Jack could feel her shutting down the bond like slamming a door. He wanted nothing more than to grab her hand again but knew that would harm more than help. Instead he gripped his steering wheel with white knuckles and changed the conversation.

"Well to be honest, it's probably a few more than just the parents," he said with a self deprecating smirk, "Knowing Mom, the whole tribe has probably dropped in."

If the line of cars was anything to go by, more than the tribe had come by to pay their respects. The Hammond Estate was a solid 30 minute drive from the city proper, through a small national reserve and hidden in a shallow valley that was really only accessible through private roads. Still, there were several news vans parked hither and yon in a very obvious attempt to get a look at the Hammond's most newly bonded pair.

Strangely, unlike previous clashes with the papparazzi, Jack did not raise his proverbial hackles at the copious news vans outside of his estate. After all, his car was built with a high-sensitivity sentinel in mind.

The windows were tinted and treated with a special glass on the passenger side that made it impossible to see clearly from the outside. The cabin was sound-proofed and extremely sturdy, with extra safety measures for the paranoid sentinel to keep their guide protected. He'd even shelled out the entirety of his winnings from a championship to get the extra "guide-friendly" package - with a bunch of extra features that he didn't quite understand but sounded good when he bought it . Call him an easy commission, but it was worth it. Unless he rolled down a window, no one would be able to get any useful shots.

It was extravagant, arguable that he'd ever need it as a normal man, but as the apparent successor alpha of the region, as well as a world champion sports celebrity, he'd had too many brushes with paps and fans to leave his guide's safety to chance.

Besides, all Hammonds were like that. The estate was gated and cordoned off by invisible perimeter alarms at the beginning of the private drive. The crowd of paps stood anxiously in the mailman's roundabout, their cameras instantly flashing as his car pulled up to the drive. They obeidiently parted as the gate swung open to let him through. Paps were foolhardy but not dumb enough to enter a closed sentinel tribe's territory. It was safer to try climbing an electric fence.

Fate had been on edge to see so many papparazzi, but as the gate clinked solidly between them she relaxed. Jack was an old hand at this apparently. The crowd of people may as well have been leaves for all the concern he showed. His emotions seemed more forwardly focused and happy. He was both relaxed and excited, his emotions settling into true contentment as the massive visage of the Hammond estate cleared the trees of the long driveway.

This was home.