My Domestica | My Bodyguard Book 2

Chapter 10 | Wake

Geralt POV

He was in a small park, somewhere on the grounds of Headquarters. They had been able to secure his old client's body for themselves. Now, the man was buried beneath the freshly cut grass.

That morning was cold, the grass still damp with light rain and dew. The sun had just barely risen, and with the clouds, the sky was a dismal and pale grey. He was the only one present. He was crouching before a small, grey tombstone, the stone damp due to the rains from the previous night. There was a light breeze. It tugged at his hair and jacket, but he paid it no mind.

He reached out and touched the stone, the stone that only bore a name and a year, nothing more. They had more files on the man. He knew they did. But there was nothing besides "Julian Alfred Pankratz" carved into it, the writing black.

One more client the man crouching had failed. He stared down at the grass where the stone met the ground. He had been far away. He had let himself leave. And this was what had happened. He had failed. Vesemir had been beyond disappointed. Two clients in a matter of months, both lost. His ONLY two clients in those months. Both dead. One at his hands, one because he wasn't there in time.

He stood, then felt the world start to spin. It went in and out of focus, his mind moving faster than his memories could keep up.

He was back in the streets, the town a darker grey than the tombstone. There were dirt roads and wooden buildings. A sparse forest around it, the leaves on the trees have fallen. He wasn't cold. Not this time. He felt nothing but numbness and a sense of dread as if he were simply an outside observer who could not intervene.

There were men there, waiting for him.

Julian POV

Jaskier let the last of his tears flow down his face. His eyes were puffy, red-rimmed and his eyes bloodshot, the veins making the blue look scarily vibrant. His lips were swollen and his face tear-stained. He wiped his cheeks but he knew the stains were just going to stay there. He stood up, grabbing the phone as he took a deep breath.

He let go of his blankets from around him, shivering as the chill of the night air raked over his body. He grabbed the phone, using it as light as he quietly walked up the stairs, no longer sniffling like beforehand.

As he approached the door he opened it slowly, careful in case he woke Geralt up. He snuck it, silently closing the door, a small click to let him know that it was properly shut before he let out a sigh. He turned around and looked to Geralt, instantly frowning. The man didn't look right. He didn't look right at all. Jaskier moved over to him, staring down, progressively allowing his weight to dip into the bed so he didn't make Geralt up. The light of the phone was on the corner of the bed facing up. Jaskier frowned instantly. He placed a hand on Geralts chest, lightly rubbing it at first.

"Geralt?" he whispered out for a moment before he rubbed slightly harder "Geralt." he said a little louder as he stated at the man. "Geralt." he said as he pushed harder, shaking the man again a little bit harder.

If Geralt was fine, he was going to get growled at and told to fuck off but somehow his gut told him otherwise.

Geralt POV

An ultimatum. Right. Someone was going to die here, one way or another. He had a duty to protect his client, but she was working with these men. And he was not. Duty wouldn't save him from them, should they choose to go after him.