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I’m starting to feel like I’m the wrong person to leave a child with…
Sure, I had nephews, but along that line, wouldn’t Luna and Remus be better candidates? Theyhadtheir own children. They understood how children worked. At best, I knew they shouldn’t be crying or hurt or left to fend for themselves. But the problem wasn’t Luna and Remus: it was Bella. Bella was clearly attached to Iris. I assumed it was because Iris was the person who’d carried the little girl out of the military facility, or maybe it was because she missed her own parents, and Remus and Luna reminded her too much of them. I had no idea.
It’s not like I could ask even if she would answer us. How would a child answer that question? Hell, how would I answer that?
When we pulled in, my father got out of the back seat, carefully lifting Bella. He’d ridden in back with her, and she’d fallen asleep on the drive. Given how much she’d been through, no one wanted to wake her. Aiden stood by their car to meet us.
Frankly, if Fiona hadn’t told me that they were an old friend of Remington Silverstreak’s, I wouldn’t have guessed them to be a shifter at all. They were clearly the same age as my father, if not a bit older, but where my father radiated power, this person seemed to simply blend into their surroundings. There was nothing remarkable about them at all. They were slender and unassuming, offering me a small nod as I approached. I couldn’t help but smile.The perfect disguise to fit into human suburbia…
“Aiden?”
“The only,” the murmured quietly, offering a key with their hand. “Fiona asked that I give this to you. Please return it to her when you’re done.”
“Of course,” I said, tucking it carefully into my pocket.
“Would you like me to show you around?”
My father spoke up. “If you could show us to a bedroom, I’d appreciate it,” he said quietly.
Aiden nodded and led us into the two-story house, pausing long enough to disable the security system. As they led my father and Bella upstairs, Iris finally joined me inside. She glanced around the house and sighed.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, pausing in my exploration.
She shrugged. “Nothing. I’m just tired,” she replied, looking around the house as well. “It just feels…I don’t know.Weird. Been a lot of places over the last few weeks.” She cast me a tired smile. “A month ago, I was halfway across the country. Never would have guessed I’d end up in a situation like this.”
I snorted quickly. “A month ago, I was halfway across the world,” I countered, raising a brow. “I wouldn’t have guessed I’d ever find myself in a situation like this, either.”
Aiden and my father returned a few moments later once they’d gotten Bella situated. Aiden lingered long enough to show us how to turn the home’s security system on and off, and wrote down their cell phone number for me. “Feel free to call if you have any questions,” they replied. “The place is in my name — it wouldn’t be much of a safe house if the Silverstreaks could be linked to it. If anyone asks, feel free to tell them you’re my nephew visiting from out of town.”
I wouldn’t have thought of that and gave a relieved smile. “Thank you,” I said.
The older shifter nodded. “Of course. I’ll leave you to get settled now.”
While my fatherfocused on getting everything out of the car, Iris began to amble upstairs. Concerned by how tenderly she was moving, I followed her carefully, making sure she didn’t slip or anything. She made a soft noise as she flopped onto the bed, not even bothering to take off her shoes.
“Are you okay?” I asked carefully, kneeling in front of her. I began to unlace her shoes, pulling them off one at a time.
“Yeah,” Iris replied, sounding far away. “I’m just…I’m just really sore, Eli.” She lifted her head to look at me, giving me a wry smile. “At least the car ride wasn’t that long.”
Remus lived outside Austin, and the safe house was technically within the city limits, though we were definitely in a more suburban part of it. The house had a small yard and a picket fence surrounding it. It was probably the picture of an American family home, come to think. Completely unremarkable — exactly as a safe house should be, really.
“Do you need me to get you anything?” I asked, helping her pull the covers over her. Iris rolled into the sheets, sighing softly as she pulled a pillow beneath her head. “Water?”
“Nah.” She shook her head, stifling a yawn. “I just really need some more sleep, I think. It’s the only thing that helps, really.” She paused, clearly fighting to keep her eyes open as she spoke to me. “Where’s Bella?”
“She’s in the other room across the hall,” I replied, nodding towards the bedroom door. “She fell asleep in the car, so my dad took her upstairs and put her down. I’m sure she needs some sleep, too.”
Iris nodded, her expression unreadable. “Yeah. I’m sure she does.” She sighed, looking past me towards the door. “Maybe I should check on her. Do we even have anything for her here?”
I nodded again, leaning forward to push some of Iris’s dark hair out of her face. “We do. Fiona picked up some clothing for her the first night before she even came over. Luna and Fiona went back out this morning to pick some things up for her.” I gave her a wry smile. “The twins are a bit younger, so Luna said sharing wasn’t really an option.”
It made sense to me. My nephews weren’t really coloring yet, and I couldn’t imagine asking one of them to part with their favorite stuffed animals. Bella had been sent here with coloring books, crayons, a wolf plushie, and a toy that looked like a miniature farm, complete with little animals and figures. I hoped at least one of the toys would appeal to her when she woke up.
Iris stifled a yawn and gave another nod. “I won’t wake her up,” she decided, but it was clear to me her mind was still whirring away.
I sat down next to her on the bed, still running my hand against her hair. “A penny for your thoughts?”
She sighed, still staring at the door before she finally spoke. “I promised Bella’s mother that I’d make sure she was safe, but I don’t even know her parents’ names.”
