Everett

I could admit that Spencer's parents' house – which we had taken to calling the bunker – was the best place for us now, but I missed home.

We had been here for five days now and the whole living situation was starting to wear on me. I was videoconferencing into every meeting at Delta, even the ones I really should have been present for. When I explained the situation, no one argued with me about it, but it still felt wrong. We always had a guard outside the house and Felix's friends from the defense team kept stopping by all the time. I wasn't fooled and neither was he: they were visiting during their time off to provide us with another layer of protection. It was really generous of them and I did enjoy meeting more people from Felix's life, but I also wanted quality time with my family in our own home.

The worst part about staying in the bunker, though, was Griffin's reaction to it. He panicked when we first brought him here and wouldn't stop wailing at night until I brought him into the bed I shared with Felix. He was so used to shuffling houses, I suspected he thought we would leave him now, too. That had been the pattern of his life for too long, and it broke my heart.

Felix and I hadn't had any real privacy since we moved in here. He agreed to adopt Griffin with the condition that we took time for us, at least a date night each week. This was a special circumstance, of course, and we were in agreement that we shouldn't leave Griffin's side, but that didn't make this feel any better.

Mel and Magnus, as well as my mother, had taken to coming over right after work and staying until bedtime. Magnus didn't arrive until after dinnertime because the swim team he coached was practicing after school. Mel and Felix had holed up in Griffin's room – the one he never slept in – while I got some work done in the office. I could hear the occasional squeal of laughter from Griffin and guffaws from Felix. Whatever they laughed at seemed to be at Mel's expense, since she was complaining instead of laughing along with them.

This kind of disruption had once driven me mad. I had high-end noise-cancelling headphones that I always used to wear as a rule in the office, and people were used to needing to wave a hand in front of my face to catch my attention when they needed to talk to me. I liked hearing my family, though. Even in these close living quarters, in a house I hadn't left in five days, I loved hearing Griffin shouting "Pop" to get Felix's attention, and I loved hearing Felix doing absolutely anything. I even enjoyed hearing Mel heckling anyone in the room except Griffin.

Even so, even being as happy as I thought possible in a situation like this, I snapped my laptop shut and sprinted to the front door when Magnus knocked, calling "I'll get it!"

I let Magnus in, shutting the door and snapping a series of locks shut once he was in the entryway of the bunker. The bio locks should make all of the other locks I was engaging redundant, but I felt better knowing we had back-ups.

"How are you holding up?" Magnus asked as he kicked off his shoes and hung his jacket.

I shrugged. "Everything's fine. Griffin won't give us a moment of peace, but that's hardly surprising."

"Where is my nephew?" Magnus asked, grinning widely. He was enamored with Griffin.

"Down the hall. I was actually hoping you could do me a favor, though."

"Name it," Magnus said, rolling back on his heels with his hands in his pockets, the image of relaxation.

"I'm hoping you and Mel will give me and Felix some alone time. I think between the two of you, we might be able to buy an hour before he starts asking for me."

Magnus smiled wryly. "No problem, Ev. We can handle it."

Magnus went down the hall toward Griffin's room while I went to the kitchen. I had a macaroni and cheese bake keeping warm in the oven and I pulled it out along with five bowls. This was the first night my mother hadn't come visiting since I told her my plan to get Felix alone. She was enjoying getting to know Magnus and Mel, but said she could use a night at home. After so many years of living alone, I imagined it must feel strange to be as surrounded by people as she had been since transferring to Lakota.

I almost dropped the bowl I was holding when Griffin suddenly started wailing. I could tell he was trying to talk through his cries, but couldn't make out the words. I put the bowl down and sprinted down the hall – surely something had happened to make him react like that – but I found nothing amiss when I stood in the doorway of his bedroom, panting.

Felix had Griffin cradled to his chest, bobbing and making shushing noises, while Mel and Magnus hovered anxiously.

"What's going on?" I asked over the noise.

"I tried to leave and he panicked," Felix said. "I was just going down the hall, Griff. Don't you like playing with Aunt Mel and Uncle Magnus?"

Griffin just kept crying, and I could make out the word "no."

I hurried to his side but when Felix tried to hand me Griffin, I gently pushed Griffin back toward him. I couldn't be the only person Griffin went to when he was scared or panicked. Felix needed to be that anchor for him, too, and even though it was hard not to soothe him myself, I thought it was especially important for Griffin to lean on Felix even when I was an option.

I put myself in Griffin's line of sight and stood back while Felix kept hugging and rocking him. Gradually, Griffin calmed down.

"What's wrong?" Felix asked for the umpteenth time.

"No," Griffin whimpered, and the tears started again.

It took almost ten minutes to get Griffin to say anything else, but finally he said, "I stay with you."

I couldn't hold myself back anymore. I wrapped my arms around both Griffin and Felix. "You'll always stay with us, Griffin," I assured him.

"Pop leave," Griffin said tearfully.

"I was just going down the hall," Felix assured him. "Just for a little while."

But Griffin kept clutching him. It was obvious Griffin was in no state for us to leave him with Meleri and Magnus, not any time soon, so I went back down the hall and finished dishing out dinner for everyone. I used a tray to carry it all back to Griffin's room, where we picnicked on the floor. Griffin ate from Felix's lap, keeping one hand clutched on his arm. He didn't let go until he fell asleep.

--

Later that night, Felix and I crept out of our own bedroom, leaving the door cracked open in case Griffin woke up and got scared when he found himself alone. Felix led me by the hand into the living room before flopping down onto the couch, pulling me down next to him. I let myself be wrapped up in his arms, resting my head against his chest and sighing.

It might have taken a few hours more than I planned on, but Felix and I were finally alone.

"I've missed you," I said.

Felix's arms tightened against me. "I missed you too." He pressed a kiss against my hair and I sighed happily, nuzzling into him. "I thought Griffin was finally starting to get over the attachment issues," Felix said. His chest rumbled against my cheek as he spoke, which was one of the most comforting feelings I knew. Despite that, his words had me reluctantly sitting up to look him in the eye.

"It might be something he always struggles with," I said. "Things that happen in early childhood can't just be shaken off. We'll always need to help him with this."

"But he hasn't panicked like that in a week," Felix protested. "It's been getting so much better, he's almost like a normal child."

His words hit me like a slap and I drew away from him, shocked. "What? How can you say that?"

Felix looked genuinely confused. "Don't you think he's been doing better?" he asked, genuinely perplexed.

I shook my head and frowned at him. "Felix, I don't know what you think a normal child is, but it's not a measuring stick we're going to hold our son against. He's struggling, but there's nothing wrong with him."

Felix reached for my hands and I pulled them back before he could catch them. If he touched me right now, my anger would either flare or disappear. Neither option was good – this was clearly a conversation we needed to have. "I didn't mean it like that," Felix said. I eyed him skeptically, taking in the wide-eyed desperation and the anxiety that showed in his furrowed brow and in the neck muscles that stood out in sharp relief. "I swear, I didn't. I know none of this is his fault and I don't care how different he is to other children. I just don't want him to have to struggle with something for the rest of his life because of a mother who never deserved him."

I studied him for another few seconds before taking his hands in mine. "Okay. Sorry, I might have overreacted. I think this house is getting to me. I need to be home, Felix. I need time with you without every one of your acquaintances hovering over us, and I need to not feel like someone's going to try and rip my family apart the second we let our guard drop."

Felix scooped me up and set me down on his lap. I let myself sink into his comforting warmth and couldn't help feeling better when he pressed his lips to my forehead. "I know. I'm not going to let them take Griffin. Molly called me while you were cooking and said they have an idea for how to end this. She's coming over in the morning to explain the plan. We just need to hang on a little longer, okay?"

"Okay." My heart raced, though I couldn't tell if it was anxiety or just adrenaline at the thought this might all be over soon. I knew exactly how to ground myself, though. All it took was Felix – he could get me through anything.

I pulled back just far enough that I could take in his features, which had become so precious to me. My hand traced over his jawline, which had passed five o'clock shadow around noon. Felix shaved every morning, but he always had a bit of roughness to his cheek since his facial hair grew in so fast. It was one of the things that had been hardest to adjust to, at first. I never imagined myself lovingly holding a stubbled cheek in my hands, or that the legs I entwined mine with at night would be more muscular and hairier than my own. It didn't matter, though. Felix's draw on me was enough to eclipse any of those shallow concerns without much trouble. It might have taken us weeks to mate, but if it weren't for my job blowing up, I didn't think I would have lasted more than a few days.

"What?" Felix asked, meeting my searching eyes with his own warm, dark gaze that I could fall into.

"I really love you," I said. "More than I ever imagined was possible."

Felix's gaze heated and he kissed me full on the lips, deepening the kiss as soon as I gave him an opening. He clutched me against him, but instead of feeling restricted, I felt sheltered. His tongue teased mine before his teeth nipped at my bottom lip. I could feel him smiling against me and I had to pull out of the kiss to smile, too. "Think we might find somewhere a little more private?" I asked. It had been a couple of days since we were able to sneak away from Griffin, who usually woke when we tried to leave the room at night.

Felix's response was to slide his hands down my back until they cupped my butt. He stood with me in his arms, kissing down my neck while he walked us to a bedroom a couple doors from our own.

"We'll have to be quiet so we don't wake Griffin," Felix warned as he kicked the door shut.

"Mhm," I agreed breathily as I sucked at his neck.

"I'm not going to make it easy on you," Felix said. I could feel his hard length pressing up against me and my muscles clenched in anticipation.

"Good," I breathed. Felix tossed me on the bed and leapt on top of me, caging me in with his arms and looking down at me with hungry eyes. He promised me a challenge but was holding himself back, enjoying the anticipation. I wasn't feeling so patient, so I wrapped my legs tightly around him, using the leverage to pull my lower half up to meet his and grinding myself against him. Felix's eyes fluttered shut and he moaned.

When his eyes opened again, they focused on mine with a new predatory glint. "You asked for it."

--

Hi, all!  I've had some feedback with people wanting the smut scene from the end of this chapter, so I've added a bonus chapter at the end of the book.  

Cheers,

Nia