Page 82 of Short, Lethal & Claimed

“What are you doing?” Jill couldn’t help but wonder as she watched Logan entwine his fingers with hers.

“Ensuring that you don’t wander off,” Logan said, giving her hand a gentle tug that had her following him into the hallway.

“I see…” Jill murmured, forced to bite back a smile and cleared her throat. “And the reason why you’re still here?”

“You really didn’t leave me with much of a choice,” Logan said as he absently caressed the back of her hand with his thumb as he gestured to the light fixtures lining the walls. “The lights need to be replaced.”

Nodding, Caleb and Emma made a quick note before looking back up at Logan, who was taking everything in from the ceilingto the worn carpet lining the floor as he made his way down the hallway towards the stairs.

“What exactly did I do?” Jill asked, watching as Logan pointed to the banister.

With another nod, the twins immediately made note of it. As soon as they were done, Logan led them downstairs. “Your list of demands,” Logan drawled, pausing along the way to point at what was left of the wainscoting lining the walls.

“You mean my checklist?” Jill asked, blinking up at the large man who was confusing the hell out of her.

“I took it as a list of demands that needed to be met in order to avoid a violent ending,” Logan drawled, making her lips twitch.

“And, umm,” Jill said, forced to pause so that she could clear her throat, “you got all that from a checklist?”

“It was implied,” Logan said, his thumb moving absently back and forth over the back of her hand, sending tendrils of warmth over her skin as her thoughts went to last night and-

It was probably for the best if she didn’t think about last night, Jill decided as Logan led her down a long hallway to her right with the twins dutifully following them, making notes of their own along the way. Knowing that he wasn’t going to tell her why he was still here, she decided to ask another question that she’d been curious about.

“How exactly did you find this place?” Jill asked as they paused along the way to peek into rooms so that Logan could point out things that needed to be fixed to the children while she noted that every single window was covered with the same black shades as the ones back at the penthouse.

“I called in a favor,” Logan said while they made their way down the long hallway until they came to a large dining room.

“When?” Jill asked as she took in the dining room table big enough to feed an army.

“A few weeks ago,” Logan said as Caleb and Emma rushed past them and sat down at the table.

“And this favor?” Jill asked as she took in the high vault ceiling lined with wood beams before taking in the dulled hardwood floors and cracked walls.

“I needed a house on Pack property, so I called the Alpha of the Ironthorne Pack and offered him enough money to conveniently forget to inform the Sentinel Council that they sold the house,” Logan explained as they made their way to the other side of the large room.

“Which is the real reason why the Sentinels won’t step foot in this town,” Jill said as everything started to make sense now. As long as a Pack followed the rules, the Council couldn’t step foot on Pack territory without permission.

“Not unless they’re given a reason to,” Logan said as they reached the small alcove at the end of the room.

“Ensuring the children’s safety,” Jill thought out loud as she glanced over her shoulder to find the twins scrambling off the chairs.

“And yours,” Logan said softly, drawing her attention to find him watching her through silver eyes.

When her gaze dropped to his lips, Jill cleared her throat and forced herself to look away. “Tell me about this house.”

“It was built in 1691 by Marcus Ironthorne for his Pack after they were nearly wiped out in Ireland,” Logan said, giving her hand a gentle tug as he finished pulling her through the small tunnel and into a huge kitchen overlooking the backyard.

“What happened?” Jill asked, taking in the fireplace big enough to stand in to her left before taking in the kitchen island, the large table in the middle of the room, the stove that looked like something out of the fifties, and the outdated cabinets lining the back wall with a brand-new stainless-steel refrigerator in the corner.

“Marcus fell in love with a human and the village turned on them,” Logan said, continuing to gently caress the back of her hand as he led her to the doorway on the other side of the large kitchen. “After he recovered, he moved to the colonies, determined to rebuild his Pack and began taking in strays.”

“When’s the last time that they were here?” Jill asked as they made their way down a small hallway.

“A little over fifty years ago. He’s updated the wiring and plumbing, replaced the roof and, of course, added a few things over the years,” Logan said as he opened the door at the end of the long hallway, revealing an indoor pool.

“Oh, my God…” Jill said, taking in the cobblestone patio surrounding the pool, the large fireplace to her left and-

“I need to get in my undies,” Caleb said on a reverent whisper.

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