Chapter 41

** Paige’s POV ** Ryder and I walk the woodland path in silence, our steps in sync, the guards keeping a respectful distance behind us. It feels strange being back here after yesterday. I’d been so worried, so stressed that I’m surprised I hadn’t left a track on the floor from all my pacing. Now it feels welcoming again, as if nothing ever happened. Ryder waits in the kitchen as I move through the house, collecting a few things, my laptop, some paperwork, toys, a few changes of clothes for both Jaxon and me. I linger in my bedroom for a moment, just staring at the bed. I don’t think I’ll sleep here again, it’s not safe to bring Jaxon back here. We’re only here for twenty minutes, but when we step outside again, it feels like closing a chapter, even if it was only a really short one. We make it back to the cabin by noon, and the mood shifts the moment we walk through the door. Jaxon comes hurtling toward us the second he hears us, his little arms flinging around his dad’s legs before Ry