Page 24 of Out of Peril

“There you are. Wow, it looks and smells much nicer up here. Maybe Dante and I could move up here with you. I don't like all the dust in our room.”

“How about I help you two fix that?”

“Please. That would be great. Lindsey just left to go to the store. She seemed nervous about it, but Dante was whining about being hungry. Our last Collector was nice and served us three meals and two snacks every single day.”

“Don’t worry. Lindsey and I will make sure you get plenty to eat.”

She perked up and nodded.

“You could come downstairs now. At least while she's gone.”

I hated that she had banished me to the servants’ quarters, but I also knew there was nothing I wouldn't do for that woman. If this was what she needed for now, then okay.

I hadn't exactly wanted a mate, but I knew I'd always been watching out for her. A part of me was more than ready to settle down with a family of my own. As I looked down at Maya and thought of Dante, it made me smile. Perhaps I already had the family of my dreams right here.

One thing was for sure. I wasn't going to fight this bond. I wasn't exactly sure how it would work. A beast and a wolf. Who ever heard of such a thing? Her beast would take some getting used to, but it didn't seem to want to harm me in any way. And I certainly had no issues with the beautiful woman she was in her human form. I wouldn't go so far as to say I didn't have concerns, but I was trying hard to keep an open mind about it all.

“Come on. Let's get to work before she gets back,” I said, pushing all those thoughts aside.

Maya slipped her hand into mine and led the way.

Dante soon joined us.

“You're going to get us in trouble,” he said when he saw me on the second floor.

“You should see what he did upstairs. It's all clean and smells good. He's going to help do our room next.”

“I expect help,” I said, handing him a feather duster and Maya a damp rag.

The kids turned out to be great helpers, and in no time at all, we had their room, the bathrooms, and the hallway on that floor cleaned.

I couldn't help but notice how all the bathroom mirrors had been smashed. And as I walked through the house, the large claw marks on the walls, pictures, and some furniture didn't go unnoticed either.

I stopped at the door Lindsey had gone in last night and hesitated.

“We shouldn't touch her room. She won't like it,” Dante warned.

“Of course she will. Let's surprise her.”

Something told me Dante was right, but I listened to Maya instead.

Nothing could have prepared me for the overwhelming scent of her here. Or the destruction of the room. There was one painting of a red rose hanging above her bed that was unscathed. Everything else in the room looked as though it had been the victim of a fight.

The large poster bed showed splintered wood. The other pictures and art in the room were destroyed. And large claw marks ran down part of the wall.

The kids didn't seem to be bothered by the sight, so I tried to ignore it too. The three of us had just enough time to finish her room as best as we could before a knock sounded at the front door.

We all froze.

“Lindsey would only knock if she needed help,” Maya said.

“I don't think it's her. I have a bad feeling about this,” Dante said.

“It's going to be fine. You two stay up here and I'll go down and check it out.”

“Walker, no,” he begged, grabbing hold of my arm to stop me.

The pounding grew louder.

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