Page 59 of Dancing With Darkness

I loved our entire family, even the ones who didn’t like me so much. But this part of my life I wasn’t ready to share with them just yet, and I wasn’t so sure I ever would be. I was glad that my men understood this and offered it to me without an ounce of hesitation.

We were just missing one thing. “Can we bring Baxter with us when we come back next weekend?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t dream of leaving our boy at home. He’s going to be pissed when he finds out we left him behind this time.”

I scowled at Rain. He was right, of course, but it hadn’t been my idea to leave the boy behind. I just knew that Rain wouldn’t be the one to catch any heat for it because the pedestal Baxter kept Rain on was so high he could never see past the man’s perfection as his savior and the only dad he’d ever known.

“I vote we blame it on Romero,” I suggested quickly. I didn’t really care who got blamed just so long as it wasn’t me.

Finn laughed. “I can get down with that.”

Romero shot him a death glare that Finn easily ignored.

“That we can do.” Romero shifted his death glare to Rain. Wasted effort, if you asked me. Nothing fazed Rain. He’d laugh right in the devil's face and act like the heat didn’t affect him when he got scorched.

“You son of a bitch,” Romero growled as he jabbed his finger aggressively at Rain.

“Me?” Rain asked incredulously. “What about Finn and Isobel? They started it.”

“Real mature,” I muttered under my breath.

“They’re both babies. You’re a dick.”

“You love my dick.”

Finn and I both laughed.

“Let’s go home, boys.”

My heart was no longer heavy. I could leave here knowing I’d be back soon to take care of what was mine.

Until someday Baxter and my children would take care of it for me.

20

I Won

Isobel

Normalcy was slightly overrated. And kind of boring, to be honest.

There was a time, not that long ago, where I didn’t think I’d ever see the day again where I’d find myself back behind my desk at work. I thought I’d be dead.

But, nope, here I was, back at the tattoo shop watching bimbos get tramp stamps and fawn all over Rain. The only difference was now they also fawned all over Trenton and Simon as well.

I had an uneasy truth with the two silver eyed bodyguards. It was an unspoken thing where they acted like they no longer hated me and I handed them attitude every day. So, basically, I treated them like I did everyone else. At least, everyone who wasn’t a member of my coven.

I didn’t exactly trust them. Trust took time, and maybe I’d never get there. But I was trying. For Rain and Baxter I could play nice.

The bell above the door jingled, announcing the arrival of a new customer. I didn’t even attempt to paste a fake, friendly smile on my face. I was over that whole friendly farce.

That was another thing that had changed around here. And, to my shock, no one had yet to call me out on it. Fake and friendly were a memory and no longer something I even pretended to be.

If a customer didn’t like my attitude or my personality they were welcome to leave at any time.

I was done pretending and the basic humans were more afraid of me than ever before.

Rain gave me zero lip for it.

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