Page 78 of How to Hide Your Angel Kid

Telos pretended to sob. “Nooooo. I want an AlphaBot autograph on my pterodactyl butt. I would looksomuch more kickass fighting the bad guys with an autograph on my booty!”

“Shut up, Telos,” came Mav’s voice in the background. “No one’s going to look at your skinny dino ass.”

“Yeah? Just becauseyouare too much of a prude to look at my ass, doesn’t mean no one else will.”

Mav scoffed.

Telos scoffed back. “Valor, please make AlphaBot promise to come back. Or—Or keep tabs on his location. I’m gonna come back from this mission with an ultra-sexy tan and have AlphaBot sign on my pecs. I will beirresistible.”

“So you say,” Mav muttered in the background.

“Boring ass,” Telos retorted.

Galent nuzzled Pinks, distracting him from the conversation. “So, do you think Zarrie wants an AlphaBot autograph on her?”

Pinks laughed. “We—We can take a family portrait with her. You, me, Zarrie, Handsome, and Limesicart. All of us with AlphaBot.”

Galent looked so happy, he might burst. “Yes,” he said. “Let’s do that right now.”

19

PREGNANCY (PART 2)

Everything was terrible.Pinks was too hot, he wanted a raw bone to gnaw on, Zarrie was crying, and thelights were not blue.

He burst into tears.

Galent hurried into the nursery, scrunching his forehead. “What’s wrong, Sweety-Pinks?”

“Everything!” Pinks wailed when Galent scooped him into his arms. “I’m hot and sticky. I’m hungry and I want a huge raw bone. Zarrie’s crying because she’s teething. And I want blue lights on the ceiling. Why’re they not blue?”

“Okay, shhh. Let me fix everything.” Galent stripped off Pinks’ clothes and brought him to the bathroom, gently setting him in the bathtub. He ran the shower and adjusted the water temperature on Pinks’ feet, before aiming the spray on the rest of his body. It took away some of Pinks’ awful stickiness; he sighed in relief. Galent smiled. “Now, let me get Zee.”

Galent undressed Zarrie too, delivering her to Pinks’ arms. He slipped out of the bathroom and returned a moment later with Zarrie’s teething gel, which he gently rubbed onto her gums.Zarrie sniffled and hiccupped, but at least her crying had tapered off.

“I sent Handsome to the store for a bone,” Galent said. “And I’m going out to get some LED strips so we can change the lights to whatever color you want. AlphaBot will guard the house while we’re gone.”

They’d triple-reinforced the wards around the mansion so no one could break in again. Pinks had felt safer with each measure Galent had taken to defend his lair; it was getting to the point where he never wanted to leave, because he liked it so much here.

“Okay,” Pinks said, sinking back against the tub.

Zarrie wriggled. Then she sneezed, and there was suddenly a tiny gray wolf pup in Pinks’ lap, yipping and wagging her tail. Pinks couldn’t help smiling.

“Aww, Baby Zee!” Galent melted, crouching next to the tub and reaching for Zarrie, his gaze incredibly soft. “Does everything look different when you’re a pup, Zee? Does your dad smell different? You know he’s carrying your sibling, right? You’re gonna be a big sis soon.”

Already, Pinks’ belly was half the size of a watermelon. He was starting to have aches all over, and sometimes, the baby kicked. Galent loved feeling up his belly for kicks.

“Okay, I need to get you your lights,” Galent said. “Handsome might be back first with the bone. Are you going to share some with Zee?”

“Probably,” Pinks said. “Especially now that she has sharp little teeth.”

“Don’t bite your dad.” Galent lifted Zarrie up, looking sternly into her adorable face. “Okay? Don’t make him hurt, he’s an amazing dad.”

She sneezed in his face, and Galent grinned helplessly.

“Right, be back soon.” Galent returned Zarrie to Pinks’ arms, and hurried out.

Handsome was the first one back. He knocked on the bathroom door and stopped by the bathtub, unwrapping the largest bone Pinks had ever seen. “Only the very best for you, Lord Consort. Chilled for your comfort.”

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