Page 40 of The Bull's Head

It was funny, but not in a ha-ha kind of way. “I don’t know where to start,” Teddy admitted. “I’m not even certain what I’m looking for.”

Alp stepped into the room and picked up a box that he placed onto one of the few bare spots and sat beside it. “The best thing to do in a case like this is start with one thing and work your way outward. My mom says that’s the easiest way to find something, and it’s always worked for me.”

The bunny was right. If Teddy didn’t start somewhere, he’d never be able to help Byk. He grabbed a box and took a seat at the small desk.

“Thank you for your help, Alp.”

“No need to thank me,” he replied. “You and Callum are ours, and we’re here for you in whatever you need.”

Hearing that made Teddy feel less like he’d walked away from Damon and Cece and simply moved to another part of their family. He turned to Alp, who was scrutinizing a ream of papers. “Do you think of Cece as family?”

“Hm?” Alp looked up and smiled. “Oh, yeah, of course. She’s like one of my sisters. Wiley and Micah are my nephews.” He chuckled. “And Damon is the big, growly brother-in-law who might be in over his head just a bit.”

“You might not want to say that to Damon.”

Alp shrugged. “Cece told me I should, then said she’d protect me.”

Of course she did. If there was one thing for certain, she loved getting Damon riled up. He briefly wondered if she did it so they could have angry sex, then pushed that thought out of his head quickly.

The next several hours passed in relative silence. The sound of pages being turned, chairs moving, and the like were the only noises that broke the quiet. At some point one of the kitchen staff brought food and placed it on the desk. She said that Malachi had told them to bring it and that Teddy and Alp were specifically told they should eat.

Neither did. Teddy couldn’t even consider food, especially when his Byk was lying in the infirmary. He hadn’t heard from Ivan, so Teddy decided now would be a good time to call him. He took his phone out and pressed his brother’s contact.

“It took you longer to call than I thought it would,” Ivan said by way of greeting. “This is good. It means you are focused on your task.”

“I’m trying,” Teddy admitted. “We’re not having much headway.”

“We?”

“Alp came in and offered his help.”

“Ah, the bunny is good, and you chose wisely to become a member of their pack.”

At least Ivan agreed that this was a good move for Teddy. “How is Byk doing?”

“Well…,” Ivan hedged.

The tone had Teddy on alert immediately. “What is it? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing, I swear to you. He is nearly the same as when you left.”

“Nearly?” He sighed. Ivan could be so frustrating. “I’ll be down there in a few minutes.”

“No!” Ivan growled. “You do your work. You are more help to him there than you would be here.”

“Then tell me what’s going on!” he ground out.

“Very well. He and I were talking, and?—”

“He was talking? When did he wake up? Why didn’t you tell me?”

“No, nothing like that. Remember when our babushka was in the hospital and the doctors told us that if we talked to her, she would listen? I was talking to your Byk. I told him how much you needed him and that you cared for him.”

Teddy wanted to be angry. Ivan had no business doing that. The thing was, if it helped, he wouldn’t care at all. “And?”

Ivan blew out a frustrated breath. “And he muttered that he loved you. He did not wake up, just murmured it in his sleep. I told Gwyneth and the vet, and they both agreed that it was involuntary and that he is still heavily sedated.” He paused a half second. “I also believe that it makes him more likely to say things he feels.”

“So you think he really cares for me?”

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