Page 151 of Mercy & Her Devils

Lark groans. “I may need to give you some parenting tips, which start with not saying things like that in front of her. You’re not the one who’ll be dealing with the inevitable tantrums, when you don’t buy her the sports car she wants for her sweet sixteenth.”

Kai looks confused. “Why wouldn’t I buy her a sports car?”

Millie peers at him over her milk glass.

If she’s smart, she’ll be running this pack one day.

“Fine,” Lark says, dryly, “enjoy being the fun uncle.”

“Hey, no fair.” Antonio shoves a plate that’s not rinsed off and is still covered in foam onto the drying rack. I really need to show him how to do that properly again. But then, I love watching him try to act domestic and epically failing. “I’m the fun uncle.”

When Millie nods vigorously, Antonio looks smug.

“How about Uncle Toni shows you the coin trick?” Antonio swaggers to the island.

Millie bounces on Lark’s lap in excitement, almost knocking over her milk.

“Your coin trick,” Lark says with a huff. “This never gets old.”

Yet his cool tone is masking the bright burst of happiness that’s shining through the bond.

I know that the rest of the pack feel it too.

We’re a family.

I squeeze Lark’s shoulder, and he meets my eye.

We smile at each other.

“Look, nothing in my hands.” Antonio shows Millie his empty palms with a flourish. “And I don’t even have sleeves. They’re rolled up.”

Then so fast that I don’t see how it happens, a shiny dime suddenly appears on his palm…as if by magic.

Millie squeals and claps her hands.

Antonio looks at me and then Lark, as if for our approval as well.

We both clap.

“Very clever.” Lark’s smile is warm. “I genuinely don’t know how you do that.”

“How I do it? Magic.” Antonio winks at Millie, passing her the dime. “Here’s your magic coin.”

Millie gasps, showing the coin to her stuffie in excitement.

Lark sighs. “What have I told you?”

Antonio shrugs. “You’re never too young to start saving, right? Talking about that, are you sure that she’s too young for my karate lessons?”

Lark’s expression hardens. “Let’s hold off on that until she can at least read.”

“You can volunteer with the older Omegas, Toni, who we haven’t been able to place in packs yet. They need to learn skills and keep healthy with exercise.” Gabriel runs his hand through his hair, looking tired.

He’s been working non-stop on both trying to settle a safe community in the mountains for the younger Omegas and Betas who were freed from the Institute, which Kai funded, at the same time as letting the Omega Society find good matches for all the Omegas.

Except, unlike the Institute, now the Omegas are in charge of these matches and whether they want to accept a pack.

It’s going to take a long time to find suitable packs for all of them.

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