“Alright, I’ll be down here. I might get somebody to send me the males that escorted the females here. I’d like to hear what they have to say, too. Maybe their version isn’t quite as sheltered as what the females were told by their mates,” he said as he went toward the kitchen.
Bonnie disappeared into their bedroom, then was quickly darting back around the half wall that separated their downstairs suite and the family room from the rest of the house. “Jack?” she asked, pausing with her foot on the bottom step before going up with the baby monitor in hand.
“Yeah, baby?” he asked, coming out of the kitchen with a coffee cup in his hand.
“With all the women and the kids resting wherever they happened to find, maybe talk to the males away from here,” Bonnie said. “They’re already beginning to decompress a little and you never know what the males may say that would trigger them again.”
“You’re right. I’ll go to them as soon as I find some coffee to put in this cup.” He leaned forward and kissed her. “So fucking glad I have you.”
“Ditto!” she said happily, and jogged back up the stairs.
Chapter 5
Rance stopped once he got to the top of the stairs and closed his eyes, his senses focused on locating Gwen. He inhaled at Draven’s door, which was right across the hall from his, but scented only females that weren’t familiar to him. He scented the guest bathroom between Draven’s and Niko’s room, again, only scenting a female he didn’t know. Niko’s room reeked of just Niko, and only Izzie’s and Bella’s rooms were at the end of the hallway. Rance moved slowly back toward the guest suite and his room closer to the stairs leading from downstairs to the second floor. He stopped at the guest suite and leaned close to the door, his nostrils flaring as he inhaled, searching for the unique scent that was only Gwen’s. When it hit him, he almost went to his knees. He braced his hands against the door, inhaling so deeply over and over again, he was actually dizzy. He pressed his ear to the door and listened carefully, smiling as he heard her voice as she sang a lullabye to her sons. He could hear the rustling of the bedding as the boys tossed and turned, then finally their steady, even breaths as they drifted off to sleep.
His Lion picked up the sound of someone coming upstairs and quickly moved toward his own bedroom suite, turning the knob, but not quite opening it.
Bonnie came around the corner and stopped when she saw him standing there. “Hey, Rance. You might want to knock before you go in there. I’ve got a lady taking a shower in your bathroom, remember?”
“Aw, crap! Yeah, I remember now. I almost gave her a fright. Glad you came up.”
“She won’t be long. I’m sure she’ll be down right after. The only rooms I actually assigned are the guest room and Draven’s.Who by the way told me that you said your house is available if we need it.”
“Yeah, that’s fine. I’ll just stay in my room here, and you can let somebody stay in my house — you can get more in it than my room here, if there’s not enough room for everyone, until there is more space available.”
“Thanks, that’s very generous.”
“Having some private space to decompress can make a huge difference,” Rance said.
“True. Jack is going to handle logistics once everyone is rested and better able to think straight a little later today.”
“I’ll go and grab a few things and make sure it’s not a disaster for anybody walking into it looking for a calming place to be,” Rance said.
“Thank you,” Bonnie said. But she continued standing there and watching Rance.
Rance stood there watching Bonnie.
“You, uh, you said you assigned the guest rooms and Draven’s room?” he asked.
“I did. There are two ladies and their kids staying in Draven’s room, and Gwen and her sons are in the room next door to you. Is that okay with you?” she asked, canting her head slightly as she watched him closely.
“Reigna, it’s your house, whatever you want is fine with me.”
“Maybe I should offer Gwen and her sons your house…”
“No! I think right beside me is the best place. I’ll pay special attention to them and make sure they know they’re safe and protected at all times.”
“You’re sure?” she asked, a small smile playing at the corner of her mouth.
“Very. I think near me is the best place.”
“Alright, if you’re sure it’s not putting you out.”
“Not at all. In fact, I’ll go grab some clothes and things I’ll need and get my house ready for whoever you think it would best serve. I won’t be long.”
“We’ll see you when you get back.”
Rance nodded and moved toward the steps as Bonnie went to knock softly on the guest suite door. Rance couldn’t help himself, he moved a few steps toward Bonnie, keeping himself to the wall across from his room and the guest suite.
