Page 62 of Cruel Devil

Nyx

Princess coos, giving me a sheepish little grin around the fingers stuck between her drooling lips.

“Did you miss me?” I whisper, dipping my head to kiss her forehead as I pick her up from her crib.

Her nanny slips out the room, giving me and Savage some privacy in the small space. I suppose it’s the safest place for Princess now, but it seems sad that she’s cooped up in this depressing little room all day, with only one measly safari-themed mobile above her crib to keep her company.

But her cheeks are rosy, her eyes are bright, and judging from the amount of spit coming out of her mouth, someone’s keeping her hydrated. Where would she be if I’d left her in that restaurant, cradled in shattered glass? Her only mobile the torn, blood-stained faces of her parents?

Savage lurks behind us, stalking from one side of the small room to the other like a caged tiger.

Baby girl blows a spit bubble, and I wipe it off with her little bib, swapping her chubby hand for the pacifier clipped to her coral-pink onesie.

“Who’s the prettiest little girl in all the cartel?” I ask her sweetly, tracing the outline of her perfect little ear with my finger.

Princess spits out her pacifier and replaces it with her foot.

“Isn’t she adorable?” I glance over at Savage, and he pauses to stare at the baby swaddled in my arms.

He huffs, watching Princess as she tries to chew off her own toe. “Should you really be encouraging her to eat human flesh? She’ll get sent to the electric chair if she tries that shit when she’s older.”

I roll my eyes, cooing down to the little girl, “Don’t listen to him. He’s grumpy because I have to murder his demonic uncle.”

“Nyx,” he growls in warning.

“And he’s extra pissy because I gave him blue balls.”

“Jesus, woman.”

I swap out her toes for the pacifier again, wipe away more spit, and start swaying her gently from side to side.

“Here, take her.”

He glances over again, shakes his head. “She’s sleeping.”

“Don’t be scared. Even if she wanted to bite you, she doesn’t have any teeth. A good gumming never hurt anyone.”

Despite my reassurances, he takes Princess from me like I’m handing him a nuke. I guess there is a chance she might projectile vomit banana sludge on him again.

My eyes are glued to him as he cradles the sleeping infant in his arm.

“Don’t just stand there, sway a little.”

“I’ll wake her,” he whispers.

“She’ll be fine. It’s soothing.”

His eyes jump to me. “You planning on racing out of here to plant a dagger into someone while I hold the baby?”

I mean…it’s not a bad idea. But he’d probably toss Princess onto the bed like a football and come after me.

Shaking my head, I tuck in a stray corner of the blanket swaddling Princess.

“He’s not even here, you said so yourself.”

“You could be lying.”

When I look up, Savage’s eyes are on me. “What?”

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