It was time she knew she was mine.
58
Declan
Istood at the entrance to Thea’s opulent mansion, sweating bullets in the blistering sun, and rang the bell. A minute later, the door swung open. An enormous dog sat staring at me. The damn thing looked more lupine than canine, with its thick gray fur and yellow eyes. A low growl escaped as a hairy lip curled up to reveal vicious teeth designed to tear flesh from bone.
What the actual fuck?
As the foul wolf-dog eyeballed me, a small child with a mop of red curls appeared from between its legs. The wolf-dog bent and licked the child’s cheek before fixing me with a glare that promised pain if I dared hurt the kid.
“Hi!” The kid beamed up at me like a little cherub.
“Hello, is your…” I took a cautious step back when the beast growled.
“Ferg! Where the fu—duckare you?”
Thea’s pretty-boy husband, heir to a rather decent whiskey distillery, shot around the corner wearing a pink apron over a pair of red shorts. He took one look at me and then grinned.
“Oh, I see, you’ve met the latest member of our family!Fergus Ducking Rothmore, how many times have I told younotto answer the door? You should always let Daddy answer the door!” He rolled his eyes and then smirked at me.
“Hey, Declan. How’s things? Still murdering people for the lolz?”
I stared at him, not appreciating his twisted sense of humor. Not that he gave a shit.
“Still playing house bitch?”
He snorted with amusement, apparently not offended, while the kid whispered things to the wolf-dog. I prayed the little shit wasn’t telling the beast to tear me limb from limb for insulting his daddy.
“What the actual fuck?” Ronan said what I’d been thinking when he rolled up the path carrying his bag and mine, Conal at his shoulder. The two of them wore much the same expression as me as they stared at the slavering hell hound guarding the entrance.
“Guys, meet Petal.”
Ronan choked on a laugh. “Petal?”
“We took Ferg to choose a dog from the shelter because he kept escaping to pet our neighbor’s Doberman. We figured he’d pick some sweet mixed-breed ball of fluff, but nope, he chose the biggest, baddest dog in there. The one everyone was terrified of.” Landon shook his head at the memory. “Only the strangest thing happened. The minute Petal saw Ferg, she rolled over for him. It was love at first sight. They’re bloody inseparable now. The damn dog follows him everywhere, but she’s so protective of him that it’s not a bad thing.” He bent down and ruffled the kid’s head. “Ferg, go into the kitchen with Petal. Dario put some cookies on a plate for you and Clemmie.”
“Cookies!” The beast woofed and threw one last baleful glare in our direction before trotting off after the kid.
“Don’t worry, you’re perfectly safe around Petal. As long as you don’t piss off Ferg, she won’t eat you.” Landon winked and stepped aside to let us in. “Good luck not pissing off my wife, though. Think you missed the boat there.” Then he laughed as the woman herself appeared behind him.
“You bastard!” Before I could react, she’d punched me in the dick hard enough to ruin my chances of ever siring kids. Then she turned her attention to the twins. I heard two pained yelps behind me.
“That’s for fucking my sister!”
The wolf-dog followed us with her creepy eyes as we crossed the family room, heading for the sliding doors into the outdoor seating area. I noted how she always seemed to have one eye on the children and the other on us, like she hadn’t decided whether we were threats. Having my throat torn out by a fur rug on legs was not how I intended to go, but I admired the animal’s single-minded determination to keep her charges safe.
While that monster protected them, those kids were in no danger. No-one in their right mind would attempt to hurt them in the presence of an apex predator.
Dario raised a beer in greeting as we stepped outside.
“Ciao,fratello. You met the dog, then?” He smirked as he saw me giving Petal some side-eye. In return, she growled menacingly while placing her bulk between me and the little boy.
I scoffed. “That’s not a fucking dog! Have you run a DNA test on it? Looks like a wolf to me.”
“Language!” Thea threw me a look that promised further pain and suffering while perching demurely on Kyril’s knee. His tattooed hand curled possessively around her slim neck. I wondered if he slept with one eye open when he pissed her off. Ifucking would. Being punched in the dick on arrival had left me feeling salty.
“Petal fucking wolf,” Ferg said with a gleeful grin.
