Page 27 of Daddy's Reluctant Queen

Oh, boy. Poor thing probably misses his parents. I look down at the doorknob and note the lock on the outside. No key, just a little turn lock. “Would you mind if I came in there and kept you company?”

A pause, then, “I don’t know you.”

“I know. I promise I’m not mean. I just heard you crying and?—”

“Who are you?”

“My name is Sofia. I’m a…” I have to stop myself from saying ‘prisoner’. “I’m a friend of your father’s. What’s your name?”

“Luka,” he says. “Promise you’re not mean?”

“I swear. May I come in?”

He pauses for a few seconds, then, “Okay.”

I open the door. In the darkness, I can see that it’s a room with the same level of comfort as mine. Walls with posters of superheroes on them, a little corner with a television and a pile of video games, a toy chest on the other side of the room next to a writing desk.

Hell, it looksbetterthan my room, actually. The little boy is sitting up in his bed, his face shining in the moonlight. He’s anadorable child. Round, apple cheeks, curly blond hair, and blue eyes. He wipes at his face and sits up a little, managing a smile.

“Wow,” he says. “You’re pretty.”

I blush a little. “Thank you. Mind if I sit down with you?”

He shakes his head, so I sit down on his bed.

“So, how long have you been here?”

He shrugs and I get a touch of worry in my stomach.

“Probably kind of scary, all this, huh?”

He opens his mouth to speak, then doesn’t, frowning a little. Finally, he says, “It was just a bad dream. I get them sometimes.”

“Yeah… yeah, me too.” I’m already thinking of a billion ways I can break this kid out of here, but then, what next? I’ve never taken care of a kid before and running from Bratva is hard enough without having a little tagalong with me.

“You know what I do when I have bad dreams?” I say to him. “I tell myself a story to make myself feel better.”

“A story?” He raises his eyebrow skeptically. “You just talk to yourself?”

“No.” I chuckle. “I… well, I just imagine something better than what I dreamt. Something I like. It helps.” I look up at this posters and spot one I recognize. Four superheroes all dressed in different colored costumes and leaping out of a ball of fire.

“You like the Fire Starters, huh?”

He nods and smiles. “They’re really cool.”

“Yeah, they are.” I chuckle. “So, what’s one of your favorite episodes?”

He thinks for a moment, then, “The one where Solo saves Princess Herald in the Sycamore forest.”

“That is a great episode. Can you imagine yourself as Solo? Running through the forest, carrying the princess in your arms?”

He smiles and nods.

“Okay, so imagine that instead of your bad dream. When you fall asleep, you’ll have forgotten all about it. You might even have a dream where you’re one of the Fire Starters.”

He says, “Okay.” He pauses, his big eyes getting just a little rounder. “Can I tell you about my dream?”

A little nervousness grabs me.If Titus catches me in here…