Without even bothering to look and see who that terrifying voice belongs to, I do the first thing I can think of.
I run.
Chapter Two
Evander
My little kitten is faster than I would have given her credit for, given none of my research on her indicated any particular affinity for exercise. But then again, she has just spent the better part of a month working a cargo ship, so she’s likely built up some muscle, not to mention a good bit of a stamina.
Good. It’s no fun when you catch them too quickly.
She’s halfway to the dock when Lucas appears beside me, his ever-present scowl etched into his features.
“You’ll have to be careful with that one. She’s more clever than you realize.”
“Of that, I have no doubt.” Curious and clever, with claws to match her nickname. Clapping one hand on his shoulder, I give it a hard squeeze. “Thank you for watching over her. I know you hate this kind of work.”
“You can thank me by keeping her safe now that she’s on the island.”
“I will. I just want to have a bit of fun, first.”
With a deep huff, Lucas shakes his head. “I’ll head home, ensure everything is ready for you once you’ve had yourfun. Is the nursery complete?”
“Nearly. There was a bit of a delay with the painters, so the furniture is still being set up if you wouldn’t mind overseeing that.”
“Will do. You’d better hurry though. Don’t want to lose your curious kitten her first day on the island.”
There’s no real danger of that happening, not with the safeguards I’ve put in place, but I am eager to get my hands on naughty little Natalie, so I head for the docks. She’s taller than the other Littles by a few inches, but still a good head shorter than most of the men milling around the docks. Still, she’s easy to keep track of, as the men all pause and frown after her as she makes her way through the crowd.
“Yours?”
I glance over at the mountain of a man leaning against a pole, his gaze fixed on my little kitten as she darts this way and that. Axel, one the seven Thorne siblings out of Colorado, who provide us all the lumber we need to turn the island into our perfect home. While the island boasts rich, dense forests, we were keen to keep as much of that natural beauty as possible, so we’ve relied on the Thorne family for much of our supply.
“Mine,” I confirm, keeping my own gaze on the long, brown braid bobbing in and out of the crowd. “Just giving her a bit of a head start.”
Chuckling, Axel shakes his head. “You and Dane would get along well. He enjoys the chase, too.”
“Does he, now? Perhaps when he has his own Little one, we can arrange a hunt.”
“I’ll keep that in mind. Better get going, your Little one is getting away.”
She is, and I can’t help but be impressed by how easily she moves through the throng of people on the docks.
Not that it matters. She can run as fast and as long as she wants. In the end, I will find her, and I will claim her.
Run, little kitten, run. Daddy’s coming.
Natalie
Running is easier said than done with how packed the docks are. But once I break free of the swarm of people, I head for a street that hopefully leads somewhere safe. Or, as safe as I can be on this mysterious island.
I still have no clue who he is, the man who calls himselfDaddy. All I know is that Lucas seems to defer to him, and that some deep, primal instinct is telling me that if he catches me, I will never know the taste of freedom again.
There’s a more logical part of my brain that insists I’m overreacting. That even if the stranger with the deep, gravelly voice were to catch me, there’s no way he would actually hurt me.
But he did hurt me. Or he had Lucas hurt me, at least. Even if it wasn’t permanent, and even if I did maybe sort of deserve that spanking, I know he isn’t entirely against violence. He isn’t above using pain to gain my compliance.
And I have no intention of seeing exactly how far a man like that is willing to go to get what he wants.
