“Yes, Uncle Gavril?” Titus carried a kicking Thia out with him. She had markers hanging from her mouth, and her arms and legs were covered in all different colors.
“Who played with the markers last?”
“I’d think that’s pretty obvious.” Sally took a seat on the floor and tapped the ground for Kara to join her.
“BeforeThia got a hold of them,” the male wolf clarified.
Titus’s eyes dropped as he looked away from Gavril. “I did.”
“And what happens when the markers get left out where Thia can find them?”
Kara shrugged. “Again, pretty obvious.”
Gavril turned his stern gaze on the two females. Both held up their hands. “Sorry,” Sally grimaced. “We’re not helping, are we?”
“Not in the slightest,” he answered dryly.
Sally made a zipping motion across her lips and then pretended to throw away the non-existent key.
Thia spat out the markers, giggled, and then clapped. “Unc Gav.” She beamed and wiggled for Titus to let her down. Sally’s son released the toddler, and she ran full speed ahead at Gavril, who caught her as if she weighed absolutely nothing. His face immediately softened. He propped her on one side of his huge body as he looked at her and tapped her nose, which had a big purple dot on it.
“You’re a nuisance,” he told her, but his voice was gentle.
“Nuse!” Thia cheered as if he’d just revealed a brilliant joke.
“So what were you saying about us not helping?” Kara smirked. “Because it looks like she’s got you pretty much wrapped around her teeny, fat baby fingers.”
Gavril’s face bloomed a soft red. Yep. He was a big softy. “At least the markers are washable,” he grumbled as he headed for a sink. He set the girl on the counter beside it and proceeded to wet some paper towels. He began wiping down her arms and legs until all the marker was gone. Then he pressed a kiss to her forehead. “No markers.”
Thia pressed her chubby baby hand to his cheek, and her eyes seemed to get bigger as she looked at him. “Oo. Kay.” She attempted to sound as serious as he had. But she straight up ruined it when she giggled.
Gavril sighed and put her down on the floor. She toddled off toward Titus where he played on the floor with Hope, who was lying on her back attempting to get a foot in her mouth. Slate sat stacking blocks and then knocking them over while emitting a very wicked laugh.
“Okay, so this is probably just as entertaining as hunting hybrids.”
“Yeah, but I don’t know if it’s any safer.” Sally shoved Kara to the side, just as a wooden block whizzed by her head.
“Holy crap,” Kara breathed out.
Sally’s head turned to look at the culprit. “Thia, no throwing.”
Thia blinked innocently. She really was a little hellion.
“Werewolf pups are a lot stronger than human babies. And their aim is quite accurate, even at only three years of age,” Sally explained. “If Thia manages to land a block to your head, you’re going to be sporting a goose egg.”
Kara snagged a pillow from the floor and held it up in front of her like a shield. “Is this one of those scenarios where we should pelt her back? Like when I was a biter as a kid, one of my foster parents bit me back so I’d know how it would feel.”
Sally’s eyes widened. “What?”
Kara shrugged. “It worked. I quit biting because that shit hurt.”
Sally threw her head back and laughed. “I suppose you could chuck a block at her. It would take a lot to actually hurt her.”
“Nobody is throwing a block at the three-year-old hellion,” Gavril said as he enticed Thia over to her pile of doll body parts. He began putting them together, showing Thia how to “heal” their boo-boos.
“Do you think he’d notice if we recorded him saying boo-boos?” Kara muttered.
“Yes,” Gavril growled. “He will notice.”
