Page 91 of Out of Peril

I just kissed her again, and then took her hand in mine and tried to channel some excitement for the task ahead. I had new motivation to speed this job up so we could get back home.

Three hours later we walked out with half the store to try to fit into the back of my truck.

Once they calmed down and started shopping, they may have gotten a little carried away. And I may have been far more indulgent than I should have been, but damn they were cute. Everything was new and exciting, and it saddened me how happy even a new pack of crayons could make the kids.

I wanted to give them the world. But for just one day, I'd managed to take away their fears and concerns. They weren't looking over their shoulders all the time. And the smiles on their faces were genuine.

I may need to buy us a bigger house to accommodate all the crap we'd just bought, but I was cool with that.

Maya hugged me, and I leaned down and picked her up to carry her the rest of the way like I'd been doing this dad thing since day one. It gave me an odd sort of high I hadn't expected. Which also explained the four heaping full shopping carts we were rolling out with.

I got to work loading up the truck while they stood by watching and offering assistance here and there. To anyone passing by, we were just a normal family out shopping on a Sunday afternoon.

But just as I'd loaded the last bag and turned to tell them to load up, I saw Dante's face stiffen and his body begin to shake.

“Vision,” I whispered as a sick feeling settled in my gut.

I knew what I was witnessing this time, and I dropped to my knees and carefully lowered him to the pavement to ride it out.

Several concerned bystanders hovered nearby, watching us. A few even tried coming over to assist and ensure he was okay.

“Seizures,” I lied. “He'll be okay as soon as it passes.”

“Should I call 911?” a well-meaning woman asked.

Maya and Lindsey just stood there silently holding each other in fear of what Dante would say when his vision finished.

“No need. We know what to do. This isn't a first. He’s prone to them.”

“Oh, that poor sweet boy.”

Dante’s body stilled as I leaned down to sooth him. No longer rigid, I scooped him up and rushed him into the truck before he started sharing his vision.

“Is he okay?” the woman asked.

“He will be. Thanks for your consideration. It's best we get him home to rest now.”

“Of course. I'll be praying for him.”

“Thank you.”

I helped the girls in and then jumped in the driver's seat and sped away just as Dante fully came to.

“A Challenge is coming. Anastasia. Chaos. Pain.” He shuddered hard and then just sort of passed out.

I nearly wrecked the car. There was no way he could have known the Challenges were a possibility for us. He didn't even know we were bonded.

I dared a glance at Lindsey. She looked more pissed than upset.

“They are going to force us into the Challenges and try to use Anastasia to manipulate it.”

“That doesn't worry you?” Because it scared the shit out of me.

“She can't control me, though she doesn't know that. Just like she's too stupid to realize that Dante's a seer and thinks every time she pulls his power it just triggers a seizure. She doesn't know I'm not actually a witch. When she uses her powers, I see the others react and just shift so she doesn’t know any better."

“Anastasia?”

“She's a witch that works for our former Collector or whoever the highest bidder of the day is. She's very powerful and knows it.”

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