“A few years later my grandparents had their first and, so far, only son, and—”
“So far?” Divine interrupted with surprise. “They’re still alive?”
Marcus smiled wryly and nodded. “They’re a pair of tough old birds. Nothing short of an apocalypse will take them out.”
“Oh,” she said faintly and wondered if she’d ever meet them . . . or if she ever had.
“Anyway, they had a son, Julius,” Marcus continued. “While he was my uncle, I was a bit older. Still the two of us were close enough in age that we became fast friends. Then one day my grandfather sat me down and told me there was a threat to Julius’s well-being. Someone meant him harm and he wanted me to keep an eye out for him and watch Julius’s back.”
Divine raised her eyebrows at this, but didn’t interrupt again.
“I loved Julius like a brother, so of course I agreed to the request,” Marcus said. “And spent most of my life working and playing at his side.”
“What kind of work?” Divine asked curiously, trying to imagine what it would be. He was very strong and well built, which suggested physical labor, but he was also smart.
“Back in the beginning it was many things; sword for hire, courier, etc.”
“Warrior,” Divine said, nodding. She wouldn’t have expected anything less. He had the body of a warrior who had to wield large weapons.
“Later it changed to other concerns,” Marcus continued, “And now we have an umbrella company that shelters several different industries. The main one right now though is an international construction company.”
Divine smiled. She could see him in construction. Shirt off, tight jeans clinging to his hips, construction boots, and his body dripping with sweat as he wielded a sledgehammer. A fantasy, she knew. If he helped run the company, it was doubtful he wielded anything more than a pen, but she was enjoying the fantasy.
“Most of the family works for or has shares in the family company,” Marcus continued, drawing Divine’s reluctant attention away from her pleasant little daydream. “As have I off and on over the centuries.”
“Why off and on?” she asked curiously.
Marcus shrugged. “Julius had his moments of rebellion over the centuries and since I was supposed to be watching his back—”
“You had to go where he went,” she finished for him.
Marcus nodded. “And then a little over five hundred years ago Julius met his life mate and they had a son, Christian.” He smiled wryly and said, “And then a similar situation arose with Christian, a threat to his life, and Julius asked me to—”
“No,” Divine interrupted on a half laugh. “Surely he didn’t ask you to watch out for his son’s well-being and guard his back?”
“Yes, he did,” Marcus said with shared amusement.
“What did you do?” she asked curiously.
Marcus shrugged. “What could I do? Julius was all grown up and whatever threat there had been hadn’t seemed to manifest itself, but Christian was just a babe and the threat to him was very real.”
“What was the threat to him?” Divine asked curiously.
Marcus hesitated and then said, “Julius was away when Christian was born and his mother bore him while away from the house. A servant then brought the boy back in a panic, claiming the mother had ordered him killed.”
“Had she?” Divine asked.