Page 63 of Kidnapping of a Myth

“Are you sure? I don’t want to intrude.”

“Please,” Bel laughed. “My father raised all girls. What’s one more? Besides, he’ll love having John and Michael around to back him up against us ladies. Plus, this will be Eamon’s first dinner with my family. My sisters will undoubtedly interrogate him like a hostile witness, so he needs friendly faces in his corner.”

“I would love to be that friendly face, but be real, Bel.” Wendy smiled. “He doesn’t need help with your sisters. Nothing scares that man. If anything, he makes the rest of us nervous.”

“He’s not that bad,” Bel protested.

“Because you’re his goddess, and he worships the ground you walk on. Everyone else has a healthy respect for him… plus he didn’t die when Henry shot him… which I don’t want to know anything about.”

“And I won’t tell you, but will you come for Thanksgiving?” Bel asked.

“Obviously. The boys will be so excited. We haven’t had a family holiday since…” Wendy trailed off as she struggled not to cry. “With everything that’s happened, I’ve been terrified of the holidays. I worry I’m not enough.”

“I get that,” Bel said. “It’s hard to have faith in yourself sometimes, but we’re here for you, and we would love to see you for Thanksgiving dinner.”

A shriek sounded outside, and Bel jumped before she realized it was only Michael’s excited voice.

“Speaking of your brothers, what are they doing?” she asked.

“Eamon raked leaves into a pile and then took them and Cerberus outside with a football. For someone so intimidating, he’s adorable with dogs and kids.”

“I need to see this.” Bel grabbed her coffee mug and raced out the ornate front door, her jaw dropping at the sight of Eamon carrying both Michael and her dog on his shoulders as John tried to rush past him into their leaf end zone. The air was alive with laughter and shrieks and pitbull yapping, and Bel’s heart swelled as Eamon’s gaze met hers. There had been more to their month together than nights tangled in the sheets. There had been these moments, the ones where she glimpsed the man beneath his harsh shell. She couldn’t put it into words. Not yet. It scared her too much, but deep down in the parts of her soul that she hid from the light, she knew.

“Actually, there’s something I wanted to talk to you about,” Wendy said.

“Sure.” Bel barely heard her as she held Eamon’s intoxicating gaze.

“She’s available for adoption, but we’d have to go home to the city.”

“Wait, what?” Bel tore her eyes from the giant of a man tossing kids into leaves and focused on Wendy, and she realized her friend was showing her a photo of an oversized shaggy dog with an angelic face.

“The boys want her, and the shelter promised to hold her for twenty-four hours before they let others look at her, but that means we would have to move home today.”

“Oh my god, you’re adopting a dog?” Bel shrieked softly.

“I think so,” Wendy said. “Watching John and Michael with Cerberus has been a joy. Michael initially begged for a pittie, butHenry didn’t like the breed, so I said no…” She trailed off, her eyes snapping to where Cerberus was plowing through a massive leaf pile. “Oh my god, he knew.”

“Who knew?” Bel asked. “My dog?” She followed Wendy’s line of sight and stared at her stocky best friend. He’d recognized her neighbor Vera was a witch long before Bel learned the supernatural existed. He’d warned her about Abel moments before he kidnapped her. Had he known Henry was Hook all along? Had he tried to signal Wendy? “What did he do?”

“He growled at Henry a little when he got close to Michael,” Wendy answered. “I thought it was because dogs recognize when people don’t like them, but was there more to it? Was he warning me?”

“I wasn’t there, so I can’t say for certain,” Bel said, not wanting to add more guilt to her friend’s plate. “But yes, I think he was.”

“I should’ve listened to him.”

“He isn’t your pet,” Bel reasoned. “You couldn’t have known.”

“I know.” Wendy stared at the black pitbull as he caught the football and barreled into John so hard that they both tumbled into the leaves with hysterical laughter. “We definitely need a dog now. I want someone to look after my brothers like Cerberus did. Someone who can see through the lies I can’t. We were looking at pitbulls, actually, but then this girl captured our attention. The boys really want her. Do you think adopting her is a good idea?”

“It’s a fantastic idea. Cerberus saved me after my attack. He’s saved me more times than I can count.”

Wendy’s eyes slipped to Bel’s neck before returning to the photo of the pup. “Michael wants to name her Nanna, and ever since he told me that, I can’t stop thinking of her as our dog. It means we have to leave you, but we can’t hide here forever. We have to face our real life, and I think Nanna can help with that.”

“She will.” Bel rubbed Wendy’s back. “I’m thrilled for you. You three have changed so much in the past month, and I’m so glad to call you my friend. It’s scary to venture out into the world, but if this feels right, go get the dog. Eamon and I aren’t going anywhere. We’re your friends, so you’re stuck with us.”

“Stuck with you,” Wendy repeated. “I like that… I suppose I should tell the boys we’re getting a dog then.”

“I would love to stay for that, but I’m running late,” Bel said. “We’ll talk though, and I’ll see you guys at Thanksgiving.”

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