Marlee smiled through her tears at that ridiculous statement and began to sniff, the sobs abating in slow gasps. She remained locked around Walker, however, and her grip on Lara’s hand was white knuckled. “What happened?” Walker asked as Lara brought Toby into their embrace with her free arm.

“I had bad thoughts,” was the unadorned answer. “I woke up and I couldn’t sleep and I started having bad thoughts and they wouldn’t stop.” Anguish in every word as she described what appeared to have been a severe anxiety attack. “I couldn’t make them stop.”

“Will you tell us about those thoughts?” Lara asked softly.

“I thought what if the Council came and took us away again? We couldn’t be a family anymore.”

His eyes met Lara’s—it didn’t take a PsyMed specialist to unravel the roots of his daughter’s fear. Deep within, Marlee was scared of her happiness. Walker understood. He still woke without warning some nights, certain his new life was a dream, that he slept in a sterile cot rather than beside Lara’s warmth, his family safe from harm.

“That’s not going to happen,” he said firmly as Lara raised her free arm from around Toby long enough to wipe away the remnants of Marlee’s tears and smooth back her hair. “We’re part of SnowDancer now, and our pack stands with us.” No one would ever hurt any child in SnowDancer and get away with it.

“Yeah,” Toby said, leaning into Lara’s embrace once more, “plus Uncle Walker and Uncle Judd and Sienna and Hawke are way too scary for the Council.”

Walker’s eyes narrowed when a true Marlee smile peeked out, the storm passing far quicker than he’d expected. What are you doing, Toby? He knew even a slight empath like Toby could draw away some negative emotion.

I just helped her a little. Took the really bad fear away so she could think.

How are you? Experiencing the darkness he’d taken from another was the price an empath paid for his gift.

Fine. I’m conscious of the possible impact of Marlee’s fear, so the panic can’t grab me like it did her.

Making a note to share the details of the telepathic conversation with Lara later, Walker watched his mate pick up the milk Toby had brought. “Marlee? Why don’t you have this, sweetheart.”

Releasing Lara’s hand at last, their daughter scrambled off his lap. “I’m too big,” she said, a flush of red on her cheekbones.

But she accepted Lara’s cuddle and kiss despite her embarrassment, then leaned her back against Lara’s legs while she drank the milk. “I acted like a baby,” she said after downing half the glass.

Toby poked her in the side. “You are the baby of the family, Marlee-Barley.”