couch. “That has all of my contact information, Miss Lawson. Call me any time. I actually live in this building, as does Benedict. My wife and I are in the penthouse, and Benedict is on thirty-five with his wife and... several teenagers.”
Teenagers? I peered at the younger lion, who definitely didn’t look old enough to have multiple teenagers, then back at Edgar. “You live in this building?”
“Yes,” Edgar said, nodding. He smiled a little more and took another step in my direction, more confident I wasn’t going to flip out. “Our brother Logan is the lion alpha; he lives outside the city at the larger family residence. We’ll have you out there for dinner when the weather gets nicer, if you’d like. The pool is always refreshing in the summer. Our family – well, the corporation – owns this building. We’d been saving this unit for a cousin who thought they’d move closer, but she decided to stay where she was. When Evershaw called on your behalf, we were only too happy to save the unit for you.”
“I really can’t accept...” I trailed off as my cheeks heated. Everyone else was looking at me; the weight of their scrutiny almost knocked me over. My legs wobbled and I held on tighter to the island so I didn’t pitch over in a dead faint. “I mean, it’s very generous, but...”
“Surprisingly, we owed Evershaw a favor.” Edgar slid a dark look in the other man’s direction. Evershaw smirked, but didn’t otherwise share what he was thinking. “It was already furnished, though we made room for the furniture from your previous residence. If you don’t like the furnishings in here, just let me know and we’ll have them removed.”
It was too much. It was way too much. I shook my head and started to sway; Todd jumped forward to catch me and then everyone moved around to mostly carry me to the couch. Deirdre gave orders and most of the men retreated to the door so it wasn’t quite so overwhelming, then the witch sat next to me.
Edgar picked up a small box that rested on the console table next to the door, then took several key-chain like fobs out of it to hold up. “These are panic buttons, Miss Lawson. There’s one on the wall in the bedroom and bathroom, and one here by the door, in addition to these mobile passes. Keep one on you and if you hit it, it will alert Benedict and I, as well as our families, that you need assistance. Whoever is closest will be here immediately.”
Between those and the bracelet from Deirdre, I had help coming out of my ears. Help from everyone but Dodge.
I nodded and cleared my throat. “Thank you. I appreciate it. I’ll start looking for some place to...”
“Don’t worry about it,” he said, placing the box back on the table. “And if you’re up to it in a few days, my wife and I would like to invite you for dinner upstairs. Only if you’re up for it. Feel free to stop by any time. Just take the elevator all the way to the top floor, and it’ll open right to our place.”
I blinked and tried to thank him again for being so courteous, but my eyes took too long to open back up. By the time they did, he and his brother had disappeared. Todd and Evershaw had also retreated, so only Mercy and Deirdre sat near me. Deirdre said something about eating a little bit before taking the next round of medication, then she turned to Mercy and everything else melted away and I lost whatever they said.
Chapter 46
Dodge
Dodge stood across the street in the window of a cafe as he watched Todd drive up and deliver Persephone to her new building. He clenched his fists at his sides, ignoring the quickly-cooling coffee in front of him, and counted the seconds as she hesitated in the street and lingered in the lobby. He sensed her discomfort with the situation even from across the street. The wolf fought to break free and protect her, to comfort her in her distress. He couldn’t stand it.
Only the dire warnings that Evershaw shouted at him before they left the house convinced Dodge to stay where he was. The alpha had been clear that if Dodge couldn’t keep his shit together for the time it took to get Persephone settled in her new apartment, then Dodge wouldn’t see her again for months, if not