He nipped at their feet, dragging Willa in front of him. She wiggled free, finding her way onto him again in no time.
Dewdrop snickered at the sight as he followed Tate up the stairs. “Don’t strain yourself, grandpa.”
Night lifted a paw and pinned Pax to the ground. The two stared at each other, having a private conversation.
Night removed his paw and laid fully down.
Pax stood on his back legs, staring at Dewdrop. Taking her cue from her brother, Willa did the same.
Dewdrop took a step back. “What are you doing?”
The twins were silent as they stared some more.
“Seriously, what did you tell them?” Dewdrop’s voice developed a high-pitched note.
Tate’s lips quivered as she suppressed her smile. Something told her she knew what was about to happen. Too bad Dewdrop was a little slower on the uptake.
He only had himself to blame. He’d brought this on himself.
Night closed his eyes.
“Don’t pretend to sleep. Answer the question.”
Tate leaned toward Dewdrop. “If I were you, I’d run.”
Pax and Willa dropped to four legs.
Seeing that, Dewdrop jumped backward and sucked in a horrified breath. “Not this again.”
The twins had a history of playing for keeps. The last time they played a game, Dewdrop had lost a pair of pants and needed stitches to repair the holes they put in him.
Seeing the anticipation gleaming on their furry faces, Dewdrop’s courage deserted him. He scrambled up the stairs. The twins raced toward him, closing in on him in the blink of an eye.
One of them swiped at the back of his legs with their claws. Dewdrop yelped as he started to fall.
“This won’t be like last time. You’ll never defeat me,” Dewdrop screamed as he recovered his balance somehow and staggered up the path.
Tate whistled. “He made it to the door this time. Impressive.”
It’s good training for him,Night said without opening his eyes.He’s gotten lazy lately.
Tate shook her head and followed the others. That sounded like an excuse to her. Since coming home from Silvain, Dewdrop had been diligent in his pursuit of getting stronger.
Tate’s kidnapping had left a mark on him. It had sparked feelings of helplessness. Learning about Jax’s dire message of the trouble coming their way had only fueled his desire to protect his family by any means necessary.
It had led him to ask his former people, the Avertine for help. They’d given it. Now, hardly a day passed when Dewdrop wasn’t involved in some extreme training designed to mold his unique ability and body.
Tate stepped inside, her gaze landing on the trio halfway up the stairs.
Dewdrop’s face was red as he struggled to hold the twins away from his body. It was a fruitless exercise. As soon as he pushed one away, the other had already wiggled free to exact their retaliation.
“Oy,” Tate called, wanting their attention. She got it, but almost wished she hadn’t when the twins sat up on their haunches and folded their front paws against their chest.
It was a creepy position—especially when you took their expressions into account. Those faces said they were calculating how easy it would be to bring Tate down.
Tate’s eyebrow twitched as the hair on the back of her neck rose. Maybe she was better off leaving Dewdrop to his fate, after all.
She was tempted for half a second.
