“Aw, don’t worry.” Logan gave me a sweet grin that was at odds with the number of deadly weapons strapped to him. “We’ve got your back, boo. Who knows? This might even be fun.”
Finn appeared next, also clothed. “I think we have different ideas of fun.”
Chester was at Finn’s side, shooting him anxious glances. It had me wanting to apologise. If it weren’t for me, the two of them would still be snuggled up in bed.
This is all my fault.
Like he could sense my spiral, Evan tugged me into his side. “We’re going to be fine. You’ll see.”
My lips thinned, but I didn’t argue.
“Jameson, can Chester sit with you and June while we deal with this, please?” Finn asked. “I’m going to ask a few of the warriors to guard the house, but I thought it better he not wait on his own.”
Jameson’s eyes darted between us and his leader.
Evan understood the issue. “It’s okay, Pa. I know ye want to help, but you’ll be doing that by staying here and guarding Chester. Besides, Ma won’t be as stressed if you stay.”
“You’d be really helping me out,” Finn added. “I wouldn’t entrust Chester’s safety to just anyone. I know you’ll protect him.”
Jameson’s face cleared. “Of course. We’ll guard him with our lives.”
I almost sagged in relief. I couldn’t live with myself if Jameson or Chester got hurt. At least here with June, they’d all be safe.
“I told you I’d rather go with you,” Chester muttered.
“And I told you it’s non-negotiable, m’eudail.” Finn kissed him and smiled. “Yer too distracting, and I canna be distracted this morning.”
Chester shuffled on his feet. “Reid gets to go.”
This conversation felt too private for me to be overhearing. I pretended to find a nearby bird very interesting, seeing the others do the same. Was this what it was like forthem all the time with their superior hearing? Did they find it annoying or did they get used to it? Were they just constantly trying to distract themselves or were they making mental notes in case it was useful later?
Logan definitely fell into the latter category as spy. For the rest of them, it wasn’t something I could Google. Instead, I made a mental note to ask Evan.
If we survived whatever was coming.
“Reid has to go,” Finn said gently. “We don’t have a choice in the matter.”
“If I did, he’d be staying too,” Evan said. “I’m not happy about him being there, and if I could lock him in Ma’s house with you, that’s what I’d be doing.”
I didn’t bother to argue because it wasn’t going to happen. Besides, I didn’t want Chester there either. He might be near immortal like Finn now, but that didn’t mean I was okay with him being hurt, or even at risk of it.
I wasn’t okay with the others risking themselves either, but at least they had claws and teeth to rival the jaguars’.
It didn’t take much longer for Finn to persuade Chester to step inside the cottage. June swept him up immediately, shooting us a wink as she started talking his ear off.
Chester would be more than safe with her. He’d be distracted and entertained, and hopefully having him there would make this easier on June and Jameson as well.
“Let’s go,” Finn said. His face was hard now, no sign of the affable male he was around Chester. “I don’t know why they’ve stopped, but it works in our favour that they have. The further away this happens from here, the better.”
Evan let me go. “Yer gonna want to ride me, sweetheart.”
My lips twitched. “Not sure we’ve got time for that, Ev.”
There was a long pause before, as one, the shifters burst into laughter.
Logan was clutching his stomach. “Thanks for that, Reid. We needed that.”
I bowed. “Always happy to be the entertainment.”
