Silence.

They all stopped what they were doing and turned to me. Gone were their jovial moods and now they looked like they were ready to do whatever I asked of them. That's my Legends, loyal to the bone.

"Aww! I'm so touched. You all are ready to come to my aid, makes this writer feel all warm and fuzzy inside."

"Spill it, Jodi," Esme sneered.

"It just you know it does my heart good to know that I can count..."

"Will you spill it already?"

"Okay, okay. Sheesh, I was just appreciating the love, that's all..."

"I swear if you don't spill it..."

"Fine. I'm here on a secret mission. Let me ask you guys a question. Aren't you dying to find out more about Jeffery? All we know is that he's a Watcher. He was created by the Sun god to protect High lords and ladies and their descendants. We get that. And Watchers go through seven circles of 'watching' or whatever they do, right? Cal, Darric, he took you both for cleansing, don't you want to know where you went, who you saw, what they did? I know I'm curious."

"To be honest, so am I. Rafe and I have lived with him all our lives and know only what he's willing to share. And that's nothing."

"Yeah, nada, zilch, zero. Here's the thing. I don't think you will find out anything from Jeffrey," Rafe added.

"Please Rafe, I'm a writer. Interviewing and getting answers that people don't want to divulge is my forte," I bragged.

"Really? How much you got on you," Esme asked.

"Hmm, what do you mean? What's that got to do with anything," I asked her.

"How much money do you have on your person?"

"Esme, you're not planning on making another bet, are you? Jodi, don't do it. No one wins against Esme."

"I got this," I assured Cal.

"It's your money."

"Fur coat mind your own business. Hey, money found is money loved..."

"That's not what they say, witch."

"Whatever. Jodi, how much you got?"

"I have twenty-five, six, seven dollars, and some change," I told her, counting the money in my wallet.

"Jodi, give Darric your twenty-seven dollars, and here's mine to match yours. Anyone else wants in on this sure thing. I bet you that by the time you're done you won't know any more than we do about Jeffery."

"Okay, you're on. Where's the watcher," I asked?

"He's in the kitchen. I'll take you;" Cal offered.

"Bye Aydan," I waved to the boy in Rafe's arms.

"This is Axel," he said.

"Sorry, bye Allen," I waved to the one on Darric's chest.

"No, that's Aydan."

"Bye Leech, Fur coat, and Mashup."

"Jodi, no one calls them that but me," Esme warned.

"See you all later." I quickly followed Cal.

I loved this house. It's exquisitely decorated. I want a house like this! I'll probably spend all my time in the theater room.

"Your house is..."

"... manor," he corrected me.

"Excuse me, the manor is stunning. And Alpha Salim built this entire place? He's good. Did I say good? He's excellent."

"I worked on the plans too, you know." Cal reminded me. Seemed like Darric is not the only jealous one in this family.

We made it to a gigantic kitchen and right there preparing lunch is Jeffery. Don't they have other staff in this huge manor?

"Cal, you have other staff, right?"

"We have a handful, but Jeffery manages them as he sees fit. I don't argue with him."

"Hi Jeffery," Cal said.

"My Lord."

"Hi, Jeffery."

"Ma'am." A losing battle.

"Jeffery do you have a few minutes to sit and talk with me? My readers were curious to know more about you."

"Me, ma'am? Why?"

"Well, you're an enigma and no one, not even the Klynes know much about you. I'm hoping you'll tell me just a little something. For my readers, of course."

"Hmm, this tastes heavenly. What is this, Jeffery?" Cal asked chewing on a spoonful of the concoction Jeffery had on the stove.

"It's a simple dish. It's called..."

"... Don't tell me. Surprise us. Why don't you take Jodi to the study? We'll be fine until you're done. See you later, Jodi, and good luck." Cal hugged me and left. Jeffery gestured for me to follow him. 

I brimmed with excitement. Me, Jodi, the only human who gets to find out everything about Jeffery the butler, and Watcher. I followed him quickly, and we walked into a two-level room that looked like a mini library with books on shelves all around the walls on both levels. There was a staircase and a rolling ladder hung on the second level railing. There were three distinct types of desks strategically placed in the room. I bet I can tell who sits where, but that's not why I'm here. So, I sat down and patted the space beside me for Jeffery to sit. He refused.

"That's okay ma'am. Please asks your questions," he said. He stood straight as an arrow by my side.

I turned to face him and asked the question that has been bugging me the most.

"Jeffery, where are you from?"

"I'm from the race of Watchers, created by the Sun god from a pinch of his sunbeam."

"You're made from the Sun itself?" I asked in awe.

"You could say that. That's why I must be recycled every seven years because the sun in me fades out after a while."

"When you say the Sun god created you, will you elaborate on that, please?"

"I am a creation of the Sun god. I answer only to him. Not to the Moon goddess and not even to the Ancient One. Though the Ancient One can erase me and others like me in a heartbeat if he chooses. We exist because of the Ancient One's benevolence as long as we're neutral and if needed, just, in all our dealings with other supernatural that belong to the Moon goddess."

"All you do is protect the High Lord and his family? That's your sole reason for existing?"

"Yes ma'am. I must protect the High Lord's family against anything that will destroy their lineage, even if it's against the Lords themselves. I think we've seen that. Remember our motto?"

"Safety over order," I murmured.

"Exactly."

"Now you protect Rafe, Cal, Darric, and the triplets?"

"Yes, ma'am."

"What about Georgiana and the elder Klynes? Who protects them if you're here protecting Cal et al.?"

"They are protected. Something you failed to inform your readers about, ma'am."

"Yeah, well. I'll take care of that later and stop calling me ma'am. You know what? Forget it. Now, where was I? When you take the mates for 'cleansing' where do you take them?"

Jeffery looked at me with a hard stare for several seconds and I thought he wouldn't answer the question.

"Well, I take them to our universe. Even though I am made in the human image, I'm not human. My universe is opposite of yours–not overpopulated, no wars, no famine, no ownership of anything but responsibility for everything."

"I'm confused, you lost me there. If you own nothing, how can you be responsible for what you don't own?"

"Why is it so hard for you supernaturals and humans to understand and grasp the idea of not owning things? Believe me, you can't take it with you, and you don't need it where you're all going," he told me mockingly. "There's no reason to own anything in my universe."

"Sounds weird to me. Okay, tell me, how are you going to protect the triplets besides the others? There's only one of you."

"That's your domain, ma'am. I just hope you won't fail to inform your readers of that information this time."

Ouch! Calling me out on my book, low blow Jeffery. Low blow. I told myself. That's okay though, I'm recording everything you say. I gently tapped my hidden recorder in my purse.

"Tell me something Jeffery, are there women in your universe? You know women 'watchers'. My female readers want to know."

"May I answer that with a question?" He asked.

"Sure."

"Are you sure I'm a man?"

"I think so. You're built like one, so yes, you're a man."

"Remember, they created me to fit an image so whether I'm a man or woman is secondary and not important. We arrived in the formation that best fits the family at the start of our cycles."

"One thing, how do you know what they need every time? It's disconcerting."

"Simple. It's my job and responsibility to know. It's part of what they created in me."

"You mentioned once that you have two more cycles with the Klynes? And you'll be recycled? Explain."

"As I previously mentioned, I am made from a sunbeam and it has a limited lifespan. When I dim, that will affect my protection of the Klynes, so I must be pulled back for recycling."

"Does recycling you mean the Sun god will send someone else to protect the family?"

"That will be at the discretion of the Sun god, ma'am."

"So how old are you, Jeffery? We all want to know."

"I have gone through five cycles, in other words, five generations of Klynes..."

"... you're about 500 years old?" I yelled after doing quick math.

"... if you say so, ma'am."

"Damn! You look good Jeffery for an old geezer," I told him.

"I must get back to making dinner."

"One more question, how powerful are you?"

"The Sun-god created me with all the powers I need to do his bidding, ma'am. And with that, I must bid you adieu." He raised his hands, and he shone like the sun, dazzling!

"Bid me adieu? Wait, what, what?"

                                             ― ☾ ―

What? where am I? I raise my head groggily. I look around and realize I'm back home in my bedroom.

I'm in bed, with my purse set neatly beside me and with my shoes on. What the fuck happened? I was just talking to Jeffery, right? I remember nothing. The last thing I remember was greeting him in the kitchen. Did I interview him at all? Only one way to find out.

I grabbed my purse, opened it, and pulled out my hidden voice recorder. Modern technology, yes! I had planted it in my purse just in case something freaky happened. I sat up, grabbed my notepad from my bedside table, ready to take notes to share with my readers.

I pressed the play button and nothing. What the hell? I pressed rewind, then play. Nothing. Shit! Did Jeffery say anything? He must've said something. Crap! What am I going to tell my readers? I have nothing to report. And worse, I owe Esme twenty-seven dollars. Shit!

That freaking butler!