"If she dies in that room, you are killed too. Even if the autopsy shows it was natural? You'll be dead before they do the autopsy," Zoan warned them. "It is a dangerous position. You mess up, you are killed. Women are absolutely precious. If anything happens, do not expect an easy death."
"Can people get killed by our guards though?" Mattie asked.
"Oh yeah, absolutely," Zoan said. "As long as you agreed with a killing. If they murder someone and you didn't agree with it, they'll be killed."
The guard position wasn't a barrel of laughs. No wonder that judge wanted them in there with Devin. "What if someone kills a guard? The woman isn't safe anymore, does she get a new one?" Their safety should be the main concern. This place was crawling with lots of men, probably with many tricks up their sleeves to entice these women.
"Eventually one will be selected to take over," Zoan said.
"What if the guard is presumed dead, but comes back to life?" Devin asked strangely. "What if the guard wanders off because he was hit with some forgetful dust and comes back?"
Oh yeah, good point.
"The woman has final say. If she wants her old guard back, she can have him back," Zoan said as he unlocked another door. "Mattie, this is our room."
"I am really going to be sleeping in the same room with a strange guy. Why do guards have to be in the same room?" Mattie complained as she went in.
"There are no cameras, if anyone sneaks in, it's our job to protect you," he answered her. "Most times guards end up in one of two positions. They end up being picked by the woman, or they become the most irritating thing alive to them and end up with the worst names imaginable. Even though women have final say with everyone else, since we are their guards."
"It's our way or the highway." Grey understood that.
"When we say bedtime, when we say go to the room, when we say no for a date, anything like that is in our control," Zoan agreed with Grey. "Along with clothes."
"Oh, what?" Lily stuck her head back out. "He can control my clothes?"
"The name is one of the few things the women can control about a guard," Zoan said to her. "We are putting our lives on the line to protect you in a house of eligible rich bachelors, normal guys that want a family, and predators of every form hiding within it. Yes, what we say goes."
"That is such bull." She went back in the room. "You touch my clothes, your name is gonna sink fast, Mister Guard."
"Devin?" Zoan paid attention to Devin more. "To answer your question a little better, if a guard is dead and comes back not dead, and the other guard was in charge? If something bad happened, it would be on the other guard."
"You'd still be a failure," Devin muttered. "Make sure you guard Mattie with your life."
"As long as you guard Sweetie," Zoan said. "The ladies will all have different names too. It's in each of the rooms." He knocked on the next door. Destiny answered. "He's here," she said to him. "Don't fight." He gestured toward Devin. "Your room. Don't be surprised if Sweetie isn't happy to see you. Work through it for me, please."
"I'll do what I can," Devin said as he went inside.
"Greyson and Jill." He unlocked another door. "This one is yours. Tomorrow morning, don't sleep in. The actual show starting isn't just cameras hiding. There will be people here conducting interviews, at several hours."
Jill went in first, followed by Greyson.
"Night," Greyson said as he closed the door. He turned back toward Jill. There was a bathroom in the room he could see, along with a small side room. It wasn't very big. He looked in and saw some clothes. It was big enough to change in. He also had clothes in there about his size. Most of them had a label of a wolf on the lapel. Probably the symbol that he was the guard.
He left the room. "Do you fight at all?"
"Not really. I just have my instinct."
"Does your instinct do well in fighting?"
"Nnnnoo," she dragged out. "I was just a regular office worker. I'm still just a regular office worker."
Great. "Fine. Just don't get stupid."
"I'm not hopping to get with anyone," she said. "I have a boyfriend. When they came to check in on us after we watched the shows, they stated they'd let them know. Will they?"
Grey didn't know. "I don't know the organization. We would never join it. They turned us into werewolves against our will. Your guess is as good as mine," he answered honestly. "It's late, real late. We need to be ready for morning. You get dressed first, there's clothes in there."
"I hope they didn't fill it with provocative stuff only," Jill said as she entered into the room. "Oh, you gotta be kidding me." She closed the door looking irritated.
Yeah, if that show was forking out the money for the clothes, they probably weren't going to be the nicest.
"Do I have to get dressed in this stuff? Isn't there at least a robe?" She was talking to herself out loud. "Maybe I can just stay a wolf for a year."
"Eventually, you'll have to change. You only have what you have on," Grey told her. "Just change." He looked toward the beds. "I'll sleep on top of the covers tonight." A joint bed. Just make temptation alluring for anyone to want to sneak in.
He watched as he came out of the room, his eyes lifted a little higher than usual. He wasn't prepared for that. He knew they weren't going to give her a full shirt and pajama bottoms.
She had on a purple skimpie nightie that barely covered her butt. It had spaghetti straps and it was somewhat translucent in spots. "Damn." It came out before he could help it. Her scent was spiking too.
"Let's just go to bed, don't say anything." She crossed her arms over and went to bed. "Dressing me up like a slut, I don't believe this."
"It's not like a slut," Grey corrected her. "It's short, but it covers. It's fine, if the guards fine." He was fine.
She was deep under the covers. "I've been here less than ten minutes and I hate the place already." She turned away. "Goodnight, Grey."
"Night." Yeah. This show. It was definitely going to test them. He stayed above the covers and turned away too. He still had to admit to himself. If she'd been a girlfriend and came out in a nightie like that?
Nah, didn't matter. He was a guard. A professional guard taking care of a civilian who needed him. She was good looking, he admitted that. He'd have to be blind not to see that. The first time he saw her outside that diner, he was ready to find her. To meet her. To see her.
But, she wasn't wearing it for him. She was stuck wearing it.
No. He'd never bother Jill Hammer in any way except as a guard, and eventually, as a friend. She deserved better than that.
He'd just have to be ready for anything.
"No way already, you put the nightie on and crawl into bed!" Lily's voice echoed through the walls.
Yeah. He was lucky he got stuck with Jill. Hopefully Billy would get some decent sleep.
Hopefully they all did.