Walker glared at the three men; two of which he didn’t recognize. One, though, was unmistakable. Luthor Mays. Wherever there was trouble, real trouble, it could be expected that he would be lurking somewhere in the shadows. Walker had learned a long time ago to steer clear of the guy, and now, seeing him so near to Riley and little Lily sent a wave of rage and concern through his body.
He had managed to shift before Luthor’s lackeys managed to do so, and he struck hard and fast, hitting the jugular of one man and dropping him right where he stood. Lily shrieked and soon, Riley was crossing the room and grabbing the child into her arms, shielding her face and trying to make her way to the door.
Walker did his best to ensure that escape for them was possible and soon, he was satisfied in knowing they were on their way out and down the stairs, hopefully, to Riley’s car.
“Now look what you’ve done,” the other man said, his face contorting into sharp, wolfish features. “They’re getting away.”
Soon, Walker was fighting off two other wolves; Luthor in his large grey form and his lackey, who was a trundle brown color. Walker yelped in pain as the lackey gripped his ankle in his fangs, but the sound of his cry had been distracting enough that he was able to catch Luthor unawares.
Walker managed to sink his teeth into the man’s neck, grasping tightly enough to go for the kill. But just as he was about to reach victory, the lackey knocked him off balance. Soon, they were rolling on the ground, fighting for dominance as Luthor made his escape out the motel room’s door. Walker’s thoughts immediately went to Riley and Lily, and he summoned the strength to end the fight once and for all, leaving the corpse of the shifter lackey on the floor.
He ran with all his might after Luthor, only to find that Riley and Lily were perfectly fine, calmly collecting the belongings that had fallen out of the box that Riley had dropped on the stairs. He was relieved to see they were all right, but he couldn’t let Luthor get away.
Walker took off running as fast as his wolf’s body could carry him, speeding through the streets of Stonybrooke with Luthor’s scent heavy in his nostrils. When he reached a fork in the road, Walker wasn’t quite sure which direction Luthor had taken, and he let out a fierce roar of anger. Wherever the evil bastard had gone, he was out of sight now. No matter how hard he tried to sniff out his whereabouts, there was nothing he could do to get back on the trail.
With a frustrated growl, Walker made his way back to the motel as quickly as he had left it, hoping to make sure Riley and Lily were able to safely collect their belongings. He was going to insist on the live-in position now. The motel wasn’t safe. And until they figured out just what the hell was going on and why Riley and her little human child had been targeted by the bad shifters from the wrong side of the tracks, he wasn’t going to rest until he knew she was somewhere impenetrable. A little motel in the shady end of town really wasn’t going to cut it.
When he arrived at the motel, he ducked inside to shift back into his human form. The last thing he needed to do was show Riley his entire body after she had been attacked. Enough had happened after one day. He grabbed a pair of sweatpants from the cabinet that all public shifter bathrooms had for the times when they shapeshifted inconveniently and had nothing to change back into.
“Hey,” Walker said, ruffling Lily’s hair and looking at Riley, his eyes probably just as serious looking as he felt. “Anything I can help you with?”
“I…well, yeah, actually,” Riley said, looking down at the ground, embarrassed. “I can’t lift that box right now. I’m a little sore.”
Anger engulfed Walker. Whoever could dare to harm a being as kind and innocent as Riley? He would kill Luthor the next time he saw him. He vowed that much.
“Let me help you,” Walker said, walking quickly to the box and lifting it. He walked to her car and put it inside, hesitating for a moment before finally facing Riley again. He knew she wasn’t going to like the proposal, but there was no way around it now. He had to be dominant and assertive about it. Otherwise, she would just get herself into more trouble.
“Thank you,” Riley said, her eyes on the ground when he finally turned to face her. “For everything. What were you even doing out here?”
“I was dropping Erin off at her aunt’s house,” Walker said. “They like to hang out on the weekends sometimes. My sister’s a really great person, but we’re not very close. She and Erin are, though.”
“That’s awesome…so you just happened to be in the area?”
Walker pursed his lips. Actually, he had wanted to come and see if Riley had needed any help getting settled in, but he was embarrassed, in a way, to admit that.
“Pretty much,” he said, avoiding the subject. He didn’t want her to think he was some kind of stalker who couldn’t get her off his mind, though, in a way, it wouldn’t have been far from the truth. He had been wanting to make himself useful and to see her again. Somehow, it seemed like no matter how much time they spent together, it was never enough.
“Well, you were definitely my hero tonight,” Riley said quietly.
“Mommy, can I go play with Erin?”
Riley looked put on the spot for a moment, and Walker could sense that the idea of having her daughter playing with her friend after all this was both tempting and off-putting.
“Well, my sister is good with kids,” Walker said. “I don’t think she would mind keeping an eye on Lily for a little while. It might be a good idea to have you checked out. You weren’t treated very gently, you know.”
“I know,” Riley said. “Well, I guess if it’s all right with your sister…”
“It would be fine, I can explain everything to her when we get there. She won’t care.”
Riley nodded reluctantly and offered the passenger’s door to Walker. “I don’t see your car here, so do you want a lift?”
“Yeah, I walked,” Walker said. “Let’s go.”
“Yay!” Lily exclaimed.
A tense, tired smile creased Riley’s face and she nodded. “Yep, you’re going to have lots of fun tonight!”
Lily’s excitement couldn’t be contained, and she jabbered on and on and on until they reached Walker’s sister’s house. He walked to the door and knocked, and she came to the door, her eyes wide.
“What’s wrong, Walker?”
There was no use in hiding it. He would have to be honest with her. That was one nice thing about being around humans.
“Hey, Tara. Thing is, my nanny just got attacked, and I was wondering if you would mind if her daughter hung out with you and Erin while I make sure she’s all right.”
“Of course, I can,” Tara said, her hazel eyes narrowing in concern. It was funny how similar Tara and Walker looked, except she had his mother’s eyes, and he had his father’s. They both had wild golden hair, though, and the same smile. “What happened? Who attacked her?”
“I don’t know for sure why, or who originally planned it all, but I do know Luthor was involved.”
“Ugh, that guy? He’s such a creep. And mean. Wait, doesn’t he usually just target the rich people and leech off the royals?”
“Yeah,” Walker said, equally puzzled. “I haven’t figured out just what is going on there, but I know it’s not good. They might have seen her around. She’s been a nanny for some pretty upstanding shifters around here. Even the royalty.”
“How the hell did she end up with you?” Tara asked, laughing, though not unkindly.
Walker grinned. “I’m lucky, I guess.”
“You always have been…at least until you married that psychopath. Have I told you lately just how glad I am that she’s out of your life? I never had a good feeling about her…”
Walker held up his hand and sighed. Tara clamped her mouth shut. Both of them knew just how much he detested it when Tara went off on him about his ex-wife. He hadn’t listened to her when she told him she had a bad feeling about Molly, and now, he wished more than anything that he had. Still, if he hadn’t been with her, he never would have had Erin, and that would have been tragic for Walker and Tara both.
“I know. I’m going to get the kid. Her name is Lily. She and Erin pretty much keep each other occupied, so it shouldn’t be too much trouble.”
“Do you want me to keep them for the night?” Tara asked. “How hurt is her mom?”
Walker sighed. Honestly, he didn’t know.
“That would probably be for the best. I can’t thank you enough, sis.”
He hugged her briefly and went to the car to walk Lily to the doorway. She waved briefly at her mom, excited to be on this new adventure, and Walker caught the scent of sadness from Riley’s direction, watching her little girl disappear into a stranger’s home. But she seemed to trust Walker implicitly, and he knew his sister would keep the children safe while he figured out just what in the hell he was going to do next.
When he got back in the car, he turned to Riley and smiled as comfortingly as he could.
“It’s going to be okay. And if you want me to come and get her at any time, I will. She offered to keep her for the night if need be, but that doesn’t mean she has to.”
“Thank you,” Riley said, avoiding his gaze. She finally met his eyes and Walker was overwhelmed by just how perfect she was in that moment. Even if she wasn’t the kind of woman he was typically attracted to, there was something about her that resonated with him on a level much deeper than simple physical attraction; and that made her more beautiful both on the outside and on the inside.
“You’re welcome,” Walker said. “Come on. Let’s get to the house. If we hurry, we can get you unpacked before dark.”
Riley nodded, apparently too tired to argue, and she started the car. They drove down the road in silence, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Walker would protect her at all costs, no matter what it took. That was all there was to it.