Page 9 of Wild Reckoning

Killian raised an eyebrow. “Sorry your first day here caused you trouble.”

Stewart let out a small laugh, shaking his head. “I guess I’m just lucky like that.”

But his green eyes told a different story. They were haunted, hiding Stewart’s well-guarded secrets. Like the bad man who had hurt him.

“Well, welcome to Midnight Falls,” Killian said with a grin. “We’re small, but we’ve got a lot of heart.”

“Seems like it.” Stewart’s gaze softened as he glanced across the table at Killian. “I mean, you guys didn’t have to stop and help us, but you did. I’m grateful.”

“A lot of decent people live here.” A lot of rotten ones too.

Killian was just glad he was the one who’d come across his stranded mate, though he suspected fate had a huge part in it. They weren’t even supposed to take that route. The group had decided to go in the opposite direction, but when they’d pulled from the driveway, a few cars were backed up, a truck blocking the road they’d wanted to take.

Whoever had been driving the truck, Killian owed them a debt of gratitude.

But his mind kept circling back to Ethan’s little reveal, which made Killian wonder what lay behind those words. If Ethan knew about it, that meant the little guy had seen it.

The thought of someone so young and innocent witnessing violence made Killian’s bear snarl. He wanted to protect both of them and kill anyone who thought to harm them.

His thoughts were interrupted when their server arrived. They ordered their food, and when Killian rattled off his long list—a burger, two orders of fries, chicken wings, dipping sauce, and a side of jalapeño poppers—Stewart shot him a look, his lips twitching.

“You planning to feed an army?”

With a shrug, Killian grinned and said, “Just got a big appetite.”

“Clearly.” Stewart chuckled. Although his eyes seemed haunted, his laugh sounded genuine, causing Killian to smile in return. He liked the sound and wanted to hear more of it.

Turning his attention to the cub, Killian winked at him. “What about you, buddy? You like chicken tenders?”

Ethan nodded enthusiastically. “I wike chicken!”

“Good choice.” He ruffled the kid’s hair. “You’ve got excellent taste, cub.”

“Badass!”

Killian wanted to palm his face as Stewart stared open-mouthed at his nephew. “Where did you learn that potty word?”

Ethan froze, his gaze flicking to Killian like the little guy was begging for some intervention.

“It might have slipped out,” Killian confessed, refusing to let Ethan get into trouble for something he’d done. “I tried to tell him not to say it again, but as you can see, it stuck. Sorry about that.”

Stewart sighed. “I’ve done the same thing. It’s not easy cleaning up your language at a moment’s notice.”

“Aside from being around Kalen’s grandkids a time or two, I haven’t dealt with children.”

“Really?” Stewart cocked his head, studying him. “I would have bet you had a few of your own. You seem like a natural.” He gestured toward Ethan. “Corrupted my nephew in less than an hour.”

“By accident,” Killian defended, feeling his cool points with his mate bottoming out. “Are you mad at me?”

“Piss a you?” Ethan’s tiny brows furrowed as he stared at Killian.

Good freaking lord.

“I am now.” Scowling, Stewart crossed his arms. “Just how many potty words did you teach him?”

“You just said you’ve done the same thing,” Killian pointed out. “I should get credit for stopping myself when I started to say mother—” He clamped his lips shut.

Stewart’s emerald-green eyes twinkled. “I did the same thing when the car went haywire. I think mother fudge is an acceptable alternative.”

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