Page 12 of Packed in the Fire house

“It will be character building,” he said with a small smile. “Also, there's the added bonus of making Blaze and Rune use the biohazard bathroom. Even though they're not supposed to, the number of times they've broken into my room to use my shower because we're pack mates is laughable.”

“Packs usually share, don’t they?” I said quietly as I followed him into the room. It was spacious, with a king-size bed with light blue bedding and minimal furniture. There was a wardrobe and a dresser, as well as two doors leading to other rooms.

The walls were made of white cinderblock, and it was cold and sterile, but I didn’t despise it. The space was clearly not a home—it was a temporary stopping space—but given my situation, I wasn’t going to turn my nose up at it.

Walker snorted. “Packs do usually share, but not everything. Some things are sacred, like cookies. Speaking of, there’s a stash of good cookies they don’t know about in the desk. Feel free to swipe some for yourself.”

“Where do the doors lead?” I asked, pointing to the one on the far side of the room.

“I’ll show you. One is the bathroom, and the other is just storage,” he said as he circled the room, opening the bathroom door.

My arms were starting to go sore from holding Luka for so long. Walker noticed when I shifted him in my arms. “Do you want to put him down? I just want to show you how to work the shower because it can be a bit tricky, then I’ll leave you guys to rest.”

I nodded and thanked him before placing Luka down on the soft bed. He immediately rolled over and nestled into the blanket, making me smile.

He was obviously a fan of Walker’s scent as well.

Following Walker into the bathroom, I was pleasantly surprised to see how clean it was. There was definitely no biohazard there. The only smell was of Walker—and I wasn’t going to complain about that.

He talked me through the shower patiently, even though sleep was tugging at me.

“I can go over it again in the morning.” He smiled down at me, closing the shower door. “I think the adrenaline is wearing off and you’re ready to crash.”

“I think you’re right,” I agreed sleepily.

Walker nodded and gently guided me back to the bedroom. “Do you want me to grab some clean linens? I asked Rune to grab some clean clothes for you.”

I glanced down at Luka, who was fast asleep. “It feels mean to move him.”

What I wasn’t admitting was that I very much liked the idea of sleeping in sheets that smelled like Walker. Despite everything I had been through, that smoky scent was still painfully appealing to me.

Walker nodded. “If you’re sure you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” I assured him with a sleepy smile.

A knock on the door pulled my attention away from him as Rune opened it, a pile of fabric in his hands. He was so large that he took up pretty much the entire door frame. His imposing size should have been scary, but that soft crinkle in his eyes made my insides melt.

“Here’s some clean clothes—they belong to Blaze because he’s the smallest out of all of us.” He grimaced, his eyes raking over me. “They’re still going to be pretty big, though.”

“They’re amazing, thank you,” I said as he put the fabric on top of the dresser.

“There are also a few clothes for Luka. We regularly do donation drives, and I found a few things that could fit him. There are also some diapers—I’m sorry if they’re the wrong size. I can get some more in the morning.”

“No, they’re perfect, thank you.” I nodded. I had no idea if they were the right size, but given the situation, I was thankful to have anything.

“I also grabbed a travel crib out of the donation pile—it was brand new. This firehouse isn’t far from a gated community, and those folks donate insane things like brand-new equipment because it didn’t match their theme. Not that I’m complaining, I’m thankful for that. Here, I’ll set it up next to the bed.”

“Thank you,” I whispered.

Rune set up the travel crib in seconds. It was one of those that just pulled open and was secured with a few clips and was pretty sturdy.

“Will this work?” Rune asked, looking up at me as he secured the last clip.

“It’s wonderful, thank you.”

“It’s late, and you probably need your sleep. We may get sent out on another call, so if no one is here when you wake up, we shouldn’t be too long. Treat the place like your own, though—raid the kitchen and have whatever looks good,” Walker said as Rune righted himself.

“One of us will be around,” Rune said, glancing at Walker. “I’m sure we won’t have any more big calls that require all hands on deck.”

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