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The little boy let out a squeal and then raced toward us. Kinsley paused and lowered herself to one knee, but she didn’t stay that way for long.
Sammy leapt toward her, and if I hadn’t been watching, they’d have tumbled right onto the concrete sidewalk. Instead, I hooked my hands under Kinsley’s arms and managed to keep them mostly upright.
“You’re still here,” Sammy said.
Kinsley nodded. “Of course. Your dad is helping me with something.”
Sammy looked around Kinsley’s head and frowned. “I thought you’d have a crown.”
She laughed and smiled. “And why’s that?”
“Because Daddy said you were going to help him and that he wouldn’t be in charge anymore. You would be,” he said, his voice full of seriousness. “I thought that meant you were like a queen, especially since you save people instead of hurting them.”
Kinsley seemed at a loss for words, so I bent down and tapped his chin. “She is a queen, but she likes to keep it secret.”
His mouth formed an “O,” then he glanced back at Kinsley. “I won’t tell anyone else.” He frowned again. “Neither will Jacob and Billy.”
Kinsley squeezed his little hands. “I’m sure they won’t.”
I stood back up, helping Kinsley at the same time, when Ryder approached. “I didn’t expect to see you so soon. Tuck told me what happened.”
“Have you heard anything else since?” Kinsley asked as Sammy went back to his father’s side.
Ryder shook his head. “But I expect by tonight, we will. If you’re hoping to get back to No Man’s Land with little issue, I’d recommend driving this time and going soon.”
Lia shook her head. “He’s right. Nighttime won’t be our friend for a few days.”
I wasn’t sure what the unicorn meant by that, but nobody else seemed to question her statement, so I let it go.
“Will Tuck and his crew still follow spread out behind in case we run into more trouble?” I asked, glancing around and not seeing the man in question.
“They’re already in place by the border,” Ryder answered. “Go north on Tenth Street and you’ll drive right past them. They’ll follow behind.”
Kinsley glanced over at Markus. “Are you sure you want to come?”
He glanced at Lia. “I’m all healed up.”
Ryder gestured toward her as well. “Having a unicorn on my property would have been nice to know about beforehand.”
“And what would it have changed?” Kinsley challenged. “Would you have given us nicer accommodations? Or maybe you wouldn’t have helped us at all?”
The faction leader glowered. “That’s not what I meant. I just don’t like surprises.”
“Right,” Kinsley said flatly, seeming unconcerned with Ryder’s annoyance. “We’ll go back to get the jeep and be on our way.”
She turned and walked away, but I didn’t follow immediately. Instead, I gave Ryder my full attention, aware Sammy was still watching the whole interaction.
“We also don’t like surprises, as we’ve already discussed,” I said sternly. “If you hear anything about our fight earlier from the other House members, I expect to know about it just as soon as you do.”
My demon pushed forward just slightly and, this time, I didn’t fight him. I assumed there would be a hint of fire in my eyes, but Ryder didn’t seem fazed if so.
“Understood,” he said, then he tucked Sammy closer to him. “We’ll see you when you’re back, then.”
I nodded, then turned to find Kinsley waiting for me just another ten feet ahead. She glanced between me and Ryder. “What was that about?”
“Just making sure he knows we expect to be kept in the loop,” I answered. “Just because he took us in doesn’t mean we can fully let our guard down with him.”
Kinsley bit her lower lip like she so often did. “I think we can.”
