Shepherd reached out and collected the boy in his arms. Hunter was still sucking in the sharp gasps that came at the tail end of a hard cry. “I got him.”
“Are you sure? I’ll take him back to bed after you calm him down. I know you guys are busy.”
Shepherd shook his head.
“That meansI love youin sign language,” Switch said, nodding at Hunter’s hand. “I’ll be in my room if you need me.” Switch headed off, barefoot in a pair of boxers.
Confused, Shepherd looked down at Hunter’s hand, which was flat against his chest. His ring and middle fingers were tucked in. Hunter spoke without using his voice, and Shepherd got teary. Moments like these always hit Shepherd especially hard. Whenever Hunter had nightmares, Shepherd wondered if it was about his time with Patrick. From the beginning, Hunter would only whisper short phrases in his ear, and only on occasion. Lately, he’d become more withdrawn, barely speaking at all. Shepherd thought the nightmares would eventually go away once he realized he was in a stable home, so maybe there was something deeper going on. Could he remember his traumatic birth somewhere in his subconscious? Had he, as a Sensor, somehow absorbed that memory imprint of his mother’s death? Or did he suffer from separation anxiety and fear that Shepherd might one day leave him? Maybe nightmares were completely normal for kids—Shepherd had no concept of what normal was anymore. He just knew that in that moment, he could feel genuine fear and sorrow radiating out of every pore in this kid.
So he pushed all kinds of protective feelings and love into that embrace to calm him. “Hey, little man. What’s all this about? I got you,” he said quietly, firmly. “I’m always gonna be here. I’m not going anywhere. You’re my son, you got that? Your home is always with me, no matter where we go in this world. Right now this is where we live. Both meandyou. Lots of statues to climb, a big yard to play in, all that space out back to fly kites and kick balls. Switch says you’re a smart kid and like to learn. You’ll be smarter than me someday. And you even got friends over there with the lion pride. If something here makes you scared, you gotta let me know. Okay? We’ll fix it. I know this is still all new for you, but I’m not like that man we don’t speak about. I’m gonna love you no matter what. That means you don’t have to do a thing to earn it. You don’t have to talk. You don’t even have to use your Sensor gifts.”
Shepherd started walking toward Wyatt’s office, and he realized he needed to give Hunter more explanation. He was a Sensor, so he knew about Shepherd’s abilities.
“The only thing I can’t do is take away all those bad feelings from before we met. You’re too young, and I can’t make that choice for you. As much as I want to—” And hell, Shepherd really wanted to. What parent wouldn’t jump at the chance to take away their kid’s pain? But that wasn’t the Sensor way. They weren’t allowed to manipulate a child’s emotions because in the long run, it could do more harm than good to remember a trauma without any emotion. It was important for children to learn how to process their emotions, especially Sensor children. He gently stroked his back. “We’re a team, and I’m always gonna keep you safe. I’m sorry if I’m not there sometimes when you wake up. Do you forgive me?”
Hunter sniffed, his nose stuffy as he nodded against Shepherd’s neck.
Shepherd often asked himself what Maggie would have done. When kids were hurt, they ran to their mother. “It’s okay to cry,” he finally said. “Sometimes you gotta let it out so that pain doesn’t live inside you.”
Hunter felt small in his arms, and he thought about all those years that had gone by where Hunter was even smaller. Just a little toddler who needed someone to tell him it was okay, that he was loved.
“What if Harley sleeps with you tonight? Would you like that?”
Hunter lifted his head and nodded, his eyes puffy and nose red.
“I thought so.” Shepherd couldn’t make any promises to stay with him since he was still on the job. “Let’s check on Wyatt first. Then I’ll get Harley, and he can sleep in the bed with you. Maybe you can whisper a bedtime story in his ear.”
Hunter smiled and rested his sleepy head against Shepherd’s neck, his arms wrapped around his shoulders.
By the time he reached Wyatt’s office, Hunter was fast asleep. He placed him on the sofa and covered him with a thin blanket. “What’s going on?” he asked quietly, joining Wyatt at the desk.
The only lights illuminating the dark room were the blue accent ones behind Wyatt’s monitors.
“She’s stealing my donuts, that’s what’s going on.” Wyatt finished sending a text message while Gem shoved another powdered donut into her mouth from the chair next to him. “Niko called. They raided the location, and several are down. Everyone else left on a chase. I messaged Blue, but she’s not responding. No one is. Niko’s moving the bodies and looking for their phones. He needs help.”
“Is it secure?”
From his leather chair, Wyatt stretched his arms wide. When he tilted his head up in a full-body stretch, his beanie tumbled onto his lap. “Viktor just left.”
“The room or the house?”
Wyatt frowned and took the last mini donut from Gem’s package.
“Hey!” she complained, throwing the empty wrapper on his desk.
After chewing the donut, he replied, “Both. Claude went with him.”
“Shit.”
After chewing, Wyatt tossed the wrapper into the trash and dusted the white powder onto the floor. “He didn’t want you going anyhow. We need someone here with medical expertise in case one of them comes stumbling in on their own. Viktor and Claude plan to help Niko clear the scene fast since Niko might miss something being that he’s blind.”
Gem slapped his chair. “Don’t be callous.”
He tossed his hat on the desk. “I’m being realistic. Niko can move the bodies just fine, but he might overlook someone’s phone if it’s sitting on a windowsill or was kicked behind something. That’s why he called me, buttercup. They can’t afford to spend all night there.”
Gem pulled up her legs and hugged her knees, still wearing her pink pajama pants with the brown polka dots. “Do you think they’re okay? I’m glad Niko’s all right, but why aren’t the others answering?”
Shepherd watched Wyatt arc a Slinky between his hands. He could think of a few reasons why they weren’t answering, and he didn’t want to suggest the first thought that came to mind. “Maybe they’re too busy running or fighting.”
