Page 38 of Out of Peril

I had to get to the panthers and find Kian.

If it was Westin Force that he'd seen coming, then whatever was going to happen could be stopped if I could just let them know I was okay.

Lindsey seemed pretty against the idea, and I was sure she had her reasons, but she didn't know the team the way I did. She didn't understand the lengths they would go to get me back.

Dante's vision had me a little concerned that if I didn't do something, then someone was going to overreact and kill us all trying to rescue me. I knew that was being overly paranoid and maybe even a little dramatic, but preparing for the worst case scenario was how we ran all missions. I needed to think of this as a mission and keep my emotions as segregated as possible.

Maya was still nestled in my arms sniffling.

“It's all going to be okay,” I assured her. “Let's go find Lindsey and see her library.”

“Okay,” she said, trying to dry her eyes.

I used the sleeve of my shirt to help her. “There’s my pretty girl.”

She giggled and surprised me with a hug.

I set her down and took her hand as we went off on a hunt for the rest of our little family.

For the moment, I wasn't going to do anything drastic, but at first opportunity I would try to find the panthers and get word back to Westin Force.

We caught up with Dante and Lindsey in the foyer. He was just standing there staring somewhere to the left of the grand staircase.

“Is everything okay?” I asked, walking over and putting a protective arm around my mate.

I knew then that she must be very worried about him because she didn't flinch away from my touch. Being this close to her helped me relax some though, especially when she leaned toward me for comfort before she realized what she was doing.

“He had another vision,” she whispered.

“It changed a little,” he said. “I don't know why.”

“For the better?” Maya asked hopefully.

He looked a little haunted when he turned to face us. And then he looked up at me.

“Can we be your godkids too?”

“Huh? What are you talking about? I asked.

“If anything happens to Lindsey, will you promise to take care of me and Maya? Like you promised to do for Zachary, Nathan, and Mary Alice.”

Lindsey and I both growled.

“Nothing is going to happen to me,” she said at the same time I said, “Nothing is going to happen to Lindsey. Not on my watch.”

He sighed. “We'll see. But will you?”

“Of course I will,” I said, sensing his need for verification or maybe even acceptance.

I knew in that moment that I'd just handed a piece of my heart over to these kids. Lindsey came as a package deal, and I was totally fine with that. Really, I'd known it since the first time I met the three of them, but this solidified it for me. I wasn't just getting a mate, if she'd ever stop being stubborn and let me, I was getting a whole family, and I knew that I would give my life for any of them. They didn't need to worry about Lindsey getting hurt because I would throw myself in front of a bullet first.

“How about that tour of the library now?” I asked, trying to lighten the mood.

When Lindsey still didn't make a move to brush off my arm, I left it around her as I swooped Maya up with my free arm and Dante took Lindsey by the hand.

The sudden calm that washed over me was overwhelming.

My family, I proudly thought.

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