Chapter 20 #2
“Guest house. They’re having breakfast with the twins and Sai right now,” I explained. She relaxed into me, seemingly content with that response.
“I’m going to order some food; how about you get some sleep? Then when you wake up, you can go meet them.”
After a moment of consideration, she said, “Deal.” Then she cozied up to me and closed her eyes. I stroked her hair, looking out at the early morning sun that was bathing the sky in a stunning orange and pink glow before I grabbed the bedside phone and called down to the kitchen.
My grip on Maya tightened as the phone rang, loving how soft and warm she felt curled up in my arms. I buried my nose in her hair, enjoying the moment of quiet, knowing that the rest of today would be crazy. After all, Maya had an entire kingdom under construction right outside her door.
“Wow.” Maya sighed happily, looking around her bedroom with a relaxed, bright smile. “This is beautiful. I need to tell her what a great job she did. Or maybe I’ll make her cupcakes or something.”
My heart squeezed at Maya wanting to make baked goods for our housekeeper. It was the sweetest, most Maya thing I had ever heard.
After nearly a four-hour nap, my sugar had woken up refreshed and energized.
In response, the entire house seemed to be coming alive.
Housing staff were moving about more openly, and there was music playing somewhere in the back yard.
The smell of food being prepared filled the house, and all the windows were open, allowing the ocean breeze to circulate through the space.
The room did look spectacular, for the record. The curtains had been replaced with a fresh white linen material instead of the darkening ones, and every surface glinted as if freshly polished.
While the others were getting ready to head to Seattle, I had the pleasure of making sure that Maya not only ate—she had, although not nearly enough—but also got comfortable for the day. Considering the sun dress she was wearing and the glow surrounding her, I would say mission accomplished.
“When we get back, you can fill it with all your art supplies,” I said.
“Maybe make that corner for painting.” It had the perfect view of the ocean, and she stared at it for a moment before nodding eagerly, seeming to love the idea.
I had a feeling that it was because it was near her nest as well—a spot that had undergone the biggest change since we’d arrived.
It had fresh blankets and cushions, combined with our sweatshirts and other items she had collected.
It looked like a place she would love to sleep in, the actual bed now looking completely untouched.
The white sheets were perfectly folded, making it almost impossible to imagine what had happened there these past four days.
“Okay, now I’m already eager to get back.” She bounced on her toes. “I think I’m good to go. Atlas has Bella, right?”
I nodded because the kitten had taken a permanent spot on his massive shoulder, and except for randomly sleeping on some of the others, including myself, it was clear they had a bond.
“Yes, and the boys”—I tilted my head, hearing one of them speaking—“are waiting out in the back.”
“Let’s go meet them,” Maya suggested with curiosity and a bit of concern.
I knew she wanted to see them herself, and I was glad they had a few days to heal because their injuries had been far rougher than they appeared now.
In fact, they looked far different overall since our personal shopper had purchased them everything they could possibly have needed.
Not only them, either—all of the children under Maya’s new rule had been given the same.
We would’ve done the same for the adults, but it was clear they wouldn’t have accepted it, mostly due to pride, so we had given all of them a ‘relocation stipend’ since we were the reason they were moving.
It had actually been Az’s idea, and I think it had been the perfect way to soften the experience and ensure they had everything they needed.
When we reached the back yard, I rubbed a hand on Maya’s back as she came to a full stop, examining the situation in front of us.
Ledger and Anani were talking to the two little ones, both of them watching them with large serious gazes.
The dark haired one replied to one of the twins, his brow furrowing, as the shorter one with red hair looked over at us.
“This is Maya,” Anani said, gesturing to where we were standing. “She’s the lady you asked about.”
Maya stepped forward nervously. “You asked about me?”
“They said they could hear you and feel that you were watching over them in their heads,” Ledger explained.
I followed Maya, as she crouched down so she was looking at them on their level.
I had a feeling that when Maya healed them, she had connected to them through magic.
I didn’t completely understand the dynamics of it, but I was almost positive that was the case.
“I’m so glad both of you are okay,” she said softly, emotion coating her words. “I’m sorry I wasn’t here when you woke up.”
“It’s okay,” the dark-haired boy said with a smile that I hadn’t seen on his face yet. “You were injured like us?”
Maya’s cheeks flushed, offering an awkward smile. “Sort of.”
“Where is the bad man?” The red-haired boy asked.
I realized it was the first time I had heard him speak, his voice raspy and broken as if injured.
Maya’s brow dipped as she swallowed, seeming nervous on how to answer his question.
There was something else there, though, something dangerous as her eyes flared with anger in response to the idea of Malcolm hurting these boys.
“He’s gone and he will never be back. Neither of them will be.”
Both of them nodded as Maya took a steadying breath and turned the course of the conversation. “I heard we’re going to Seattle. Do you guys want to come with us? Also what are your names?”
I knew it was important that Maya was giving them the choice in what to do—I could tell it made them feel far less pressured.
“We don’t have names,” the dark-haired one admitted, looking ashamed. Maya’s eyes shaded dark before he continued, “But yes, we would like to come.”
“Do you know what names you’d like? I can help if you’re unsure.”
The boys shook their heads in response to the question. Maya nodded, standing and offering each of them a hand. “Let’s go to the car. We can look up some names on our way to the airport, find something you like.”
The boys nodded eagerly, and I watched them walk towards the driveway, each holding one of Maya’s hands.
Anani let out a low rumble. “They have been through way too much for being so young.”
“They need to be kept here, under our roof,” Ledger admitted. “They wake up every night screaming from nightmares. Now that the mating heat is over, I think we should permanently move them into the house. We have more than enough bedrooms.”
I nodded and then frowned. “Do they have any parents on record? Any history?”
“Not that we found.” Anani sounded pissed about it.
I hated that, but it would also make it easier in some ways—easier to legally adopt them into our growing family, because I had no doubt that the idea was already running through my little mate’s head.