“Switch?”
“Yeah?”
The words caught in my throat. I wanted to tell him that someday he’d find a life mate, but those were the wrong words. Switch cared for me, but we barely knew each other. I didn’t want to give him the wrong idea. Despite our fumbled attempts at rekindling our childhood friendship, we had forged a bond that I felt certain would last.
So instead I settled for the right words. “Congrats on the job. It’s a long commitment, but it’ll be worth it in the end.”
“I hope so.” He glanced at me over his shoulder before closing the door. “In fact, I know so.”
* * *
Shepherd woke up early,his nerves in a jangle. He always got restless before a big job, but this time was different. His anxiety was compounded by the fact he had to leave his son behind. He’d spent five years without his son, and now he couldn’t imagine a day without him. Hunter was turning six this year, so every moment with him mattered. Before long he would be grown and off to live his own life. Shepherd had mentally prepared himself for jobs that were dangerous or took him away from home, but he was quickly discovering that his coping skills were nonexistent.
His bags were packed, but his heart wasn’t ready to go.
Not yet.
Shepherd sat still on the edge of Hunter’s bed, not wanting to rouse the sleeping boy. His kid could snooze through the apocalypse, and it was adorable as hell.
Each day he spent with Hunter managed to lessen the guilt of Maggie’s loss. That cavernous vacancy in Shepherd’s heart had slowly begun to fill with a new kind of love he’d never known. Hunter was an extension of Maggie. Shepherd saw her in Hunter’s smile, and it forced him to think of her in an abstract way. Instead of remembering the last moments of her life, he thought about what her opinions might be on Hunter’s room or his education. It made Shepherd a better man… and a better father.
This little guy had never left Shepherd’s thoughts in the past five years. He used to imagine what his child might have looked like, what his first word might have been, what kind of ice cream he might have liked. He’d spent many nights wondering what their child would have grown up to be, and each time, Shepherd had to close those thoughts with regret for a life that never was.
And yet by some miracle, Hunter lived. He was here, sleeping under the same roof.
Alive.
The fates had truly blessed him. Hunter’s will to live was innate from the moment he was ripped from his mother’s womb, and Shepherd owed him a good life. He owed him his full protection, and that meant casting his pride aside to do what was best for him. Switch wouldn’t have been his first option, but there were too many positives to turn his back on the offer. Hunter needed more than a teacher; he needed a protector. A wolf was a good companion—a loyal one. And during his brief questioning, Shepherd sensed that Switch was a noble and trustworthy man. Maggie would have wanted to give Hunter the finest education. So far the only thing Hunter had learned at Keystone was how to tie his shoes and how to clean a mansion.
Shepherd peeled back the comforter when he noticed Hunter was a little sweaty. Maggie had known that the child within her would be a crossbreed and live the life span of a Sensor, but would he also be vulnerable to human viruses? Relics had to worry about contagious diseases, but Sensors didn’t. How much of Shepherd’s DNA would play a role in Hunter’s well-being? Only time would tell what his strengths and vulnerabilities were.
Shepherd felt Hunter’s forehead. No fever, just a little warmth from the abundance of blankets. He ran his thumb over the scar that marked his little boy’s face. It started near his left eye and curved down his cheek. That scar made Shepherd want to hit something. His son’s first moments should have been in Maggie’s arms, not hanging upside down in the grip of some maniac.
Shepherd glanced over his shoulder at the large windows. Hunter didn’t get direct sunlight in the morning, but it was bright and cheery, and sunshine flooded the courtyard. A robin landed at the base of the window, peering in before flying away.
This was the hardest damn thing Shepherd had ever done, but time was up. Viktor had sent a text message instructing everyone to be downstairs in twenty minutes. Instead of eating breakfast, Shepherd had spent every last minute in Hunter’s room. He didn’t consider himself a doting dad, but it was somehow easier for him to let down his guard when the boy was asleep.
A light knock sounded at the door. Shepherd stood up, his shoulders tensing until Switch ambled into the room.
“He awake yet?” Switch asked quietly. “I like to get them used to an early schedule. It helps create structure. That way he’ll always know when it’s time to eat, time to learn, and time to play.”
“Right now it’s time to sleep.”
Switch stroked his short beard with the palm of his hand and looked around the room. “Nice setup. The rest of the house looks like something out of the Dark Ages.”
Shepherd chuckled. “Viktor likes it that way. Don’t expect to have electricity in whichever room you pick out.”
Switch leaned against the dresser by the door and gazed ahead. “I should find one with a window. Do they open? My wolf likes to go out at night.”
“Not all.”
An awkward silence fell between them. Shepherd folded his arms and glanced back at Hunter to see if the talking had woken him up. But he was in the same position on his side, his teddy bear snuggled under his arm.
“Is that his favorite toy?”
Shepherd masked a smile. “Yeah.”
“I’ll make sure he has it at bedtime. Is there anything else I should know?”
