Page 89 of Fire Bound

“Santorini still. We’re moving on to Croatia tomorrow I think,” I explain quickly before going back to the more pressing issue. “I still have the contact info for the packs who were looking to adopt, I’ll reach out to all of them. Don’t worry, we’ll find him the perfect family.”

“Ranger and I are going to keep him for the night I think.” Winnie reaches around Pru to scoop River up from the playmat. “It’s just for a night, it shouldn’t be terrible, right?”

Pruitt just laughs. “No, it’s great, if you don’t mind not sleeping, and baby vomit in your hair.”

I’m laughing at Winslow when she looks down at River and cringes when there’s the faintest scent of smoke in the air. There’s a smile on my face before I feel his arms wrap around my middle and his face bury in my neck.

“Jax!” Pruitt exclaims. “Tell your mate it’s time for you guys to come home!”

Jax chuckles softly before kissing the side of my neck and lifting his head. “Why would I do that when I have her all to myself right now?” he asks Pru with a devious grin on his face.

Pru’s rebuttal is cut off when Jax ends the call. The phone is barely out of my hand before I’m being lifted off the ground and placed on the railing of the balcony. Unable to stop myself, I glance down below me. It’s a long way down. Ever since falling from the cliff, heights haven’t been a friend of mine, but Jax’s arms are holding me in place, and I know without a shadow of a doubt he’ll never let me go.

“I don’t know how I’m ever going to be able to share you again,” he tells me in that slightly rumbly voice that makes my insides quiver. “I just want to keep you all to myself for the rest of our lives.”

I don’t need much convincing. Exploring the world together for the rest of our days sounds like heaven to me. “Okay.”

Two Months Later

My receptionon this boat is terrible and the email I’m trying to read won’t load past a certain point but based off the small amount I’m able to read, it would seem I need to talk to my sister-in-law.

We’re in Iceland and we’re supposed to be whale watching, but I’m caught up in what’s going on at home instead. I click her name and wait for her to answer. The phone rings for a second and there’s brief pause as if she’s picked up before the line goes completely dead. With an annoyed huff, I stuff the phone in my pocket.

If this problem didn’t revolve around the future of a child, I would let it go and let them figure it out. I also can’t ignore the massive amount of responsibility I feel to find each of these kids a home. The only reason I felt confident leaving home five months ago was because everything was settled and planned. All the infants and kids had homes lined up. But of course, nothing can be easy. No one can follow the set path, least of all Winslow.

She’s always marched to the beat of her own drum, even when she’s the only one who can hear the rhythm. Winslow hears and sees a lot of things that we can’t.

Searching the fairly large boat, I look for my mate amongst the human tourists. I find him leaning against the door of the cabin with a mischievous smirk on his face. Unless that look is worn within the parameters of our bedroom, it usually means he’s up to no good.

Walking up behind him, I poke him in the side. “What are you staring at?”

Jax turns his head just enough I can see the corners of his mouth curl even more. “One wrong move, or strong gust of wind, and she’s going in the water.” He points across the boat where a girl is posing on the railing while her boyfriend takes a multitude of pictures of her.

“You’re supposed to be watching the whales,” I remind him.

He shrugs, “I saw one, but now I want to see one swallow an Instagram model like she’sPinocchio.”

I want to scold him and tell him how horrible he sounds, but I can’t because I would also find it hilarious to watch her fall into the ice cold Atlantic. Jax’s sick humor is rubbing off on me. Reluctantly, I look away from the disaster waiting to happen and tug Jax inside the cabin and into the bathroom that’s roughly the size of an airplane’s

“What are we doing?” He analyzes the snug space before smirking at me. “Really? You want me to take you in here? It’ll be tight, but I never back down from a challenge.”

Laughing, I push at his chest and shake my head. “No, that’s not what we’re doing. Though it does sound fun.”

“Then what are we doing? I know we promised to be there for each other and never be apart, but I don’t think we need to hold each other’s hands while we go to the bathroom, Remington.”

“Shut up, you idiot.” Sometimes I just can’t deal with him. “We’re hiding in here because we need to go home.” We can’t disappear in thin air in front of a boat full of people.

“What?” He drawls, clearly confused. “Why would we do that?”

“Because I think my sister-in-law is stealing a baby.”

We materializein the middle of Winslow’s living room just as she’s coming around the corner from Ranger’s office. When she locks eyes with me, she makes a surprised squeaking noise and turns quickly back around like she’s going to flee from us.

“Uh uh, don’t even think about it, crazy cakes!” I yell after her. “Get your ass back here and explain to me why the leopard clan in northern California emailed me to express their disappointment that they won’t be adding Erin’s baby to their family. What the hell, Winnie? This is the third placement you’ve rejected for him. This was the perfect placement too. He would have been with his own kind, and the couple who were going to take him were great.”

She glances behind her with a nervous look before tucking her hands innocently behind her back and rocking on her heals. “Oh, hey guys, what a nice surprise. What are you doing here?” Winnie asks, completely ignoring my question.

“Cut the shit, Winslow.” I cross my arms."I have places I need to be. Whales I want to watch and disgusting black licorice I need to eat." What is it about Icelandic people and their black licorice? It’sfoul. Haven’t they ever heard of a Snickers bar?

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