Page 48 of Sleeping Redemption
Rook smirked, seeming to relish in the fact that Sylas looked like he was about to have a goddamn stroke. “Mate, it’s not all that bad. Maybe a pet is just what she needs.”
Sylas, now bristled with anger, a vein bulging from the side of his neck. “He’s a human being,nota fucking Golden Retriever!”
Maintaining her seat on the floor, Kinley scoffed at what apparently was an offensive statement from Sy.
“Well, of course, he’s not a Golden Retriever, Sy!” she stated like it was the most obvious thing in the world. She leaned over and raked her fingers through Wolff’s hair as she quietly asked him a question. “Where is my good boy from?”
The man lifted his head off the floor, turning to face her as he answered her question. “Pensacola.”
My sweet angel then patted his head before looking back at Sy. “He’s very clearly a short-haired Pensacola Terrier.” Her words were firm and certain.
Bowing his head, Sylas grumbled as his fingers pinched the bridge of his nose. I couldn’t quite make out his words, but I was pretty sure he was praying to God for the patience of a saint.
Leave it to Rook to add to an already tense situation as he sat up, using his legs to push down on the recliner’s footrest. “Look on the bright side, mate, he’s already housebroken.” He leaned over and picked up a bowl full of kibble, shaking it. “C’mere, boy.”
Wolff immediately hopped up onto his knees, looking from the dish in Rook’s hand to Kinley for approval. She smiled and nodded her head. “It’s okay, go on.” And with that permission, he crawled over to Rook on his hands and knees.
“You’ve got to be shitting me,” Sy murmured as he watched the grown man make his way over to Rook for a treat. His eyes then shifted to Kinley with a look as serious as the grave. “You can’t keep him. Release your hold on him and return him to where you found him.”
Kinley straightened her back as she sat there staring at Sy with stubbornness splashed across her features. “I can’t just return him, Sy. The store has a clear no-return policy!”
I perk up a brow at her mention of a store. “You got him at a store?”
She turned to look at me and nodded. “Where else do you think I got him? I went looking for a new pair of shoes, and while I was checking out, I saw him stocking shelves. So, I found a barcode sticker, slapped it on him, and the cashier rang him up.”
The recap of how Wolff had been acquired left us all a bit perplexed, given the silence in the room except for the munching and crunching of kibble.
Grumbling, I could tell that the prayers Sylas had made went unanswered as he crossed his arms in front of his chest. He shook his head in both frustration and bewilderment. There was also something else in his expression, something that was weighing on him that I couldn’t quite pinpoint. It almost looked like concern, which for him wasn’t something that I saw often.
Rook scratched the man behind his ears. “Mate, don’t stress. I’m sure he’ll grow on you.”
I shot a look over at the trickster demon and bluntly stated, “You’re not helping here, Rook.”
Our fallen angel pushed herself up onto her feet with a dramatic huff. She stomped over to Sylas, looking him dead in the eyes as she squared her shoulders.
“You’re just jealous that Wolff loves me more than you! He cares about making me happy, whereas you only care about trying to change and control me.” She thrust her index finger into his chest aggressively.
The stern look on Sylas’s face never faltered as he looked down at her, watching each prod of her finger against his torso. His jaw ticked as he fought to keep his temper under control.
“Kin,” he spoke up gruffly. “I’m not trying to control you. You and I both know that’s not my intention. It never has been.”
Dropping her hands to settle on her hips, she looked up defiantly at Sylas as she lowered her voice. “You sure about that? That’s not what I’ve heard. I bet you’d be singing a different tune if I were naked.”
The thought of Kinley naked caused my dick to stir in my pants, but I subtly pushed it down, reminding myself that now was not that time. Glancing over at Rook, a dark desire flickered in his eyes, indicating that he had the same thoughts I did.
Sylas gave a light growl as he shifted his stance, seemingly uncomfortable as he stood there. Glad to see all of us were on the same page imagining Kinley’s body.
“I’m trying tohelpyou, Kin. Do you have any idea the level of shit that is coming down all around you?” His voice grew louder with each word. “Your goddamn sword is missing, your last Christina was the victim of a saliranimum demon, a psychopath is sending you warped tokens of his affection, and you’re acting like manipulating a human into being your emotional support animal is a sane thing to do!”
Interrupting things before they escalated further, I stood from my seat on the sofa. “Let’s all take a moment, okay?”
I walked up behind Kinley, my hands lightly grasping her hips as I drew her back a few steps away from Sylas and against the front of my body. I wrapped my arms around her, cloaking her in a sensation of safety and calm as best as I could.
She was stiff in my hold initially; then, finally, I could feel the tension begin to gradually melt away.
From behind me, I could hear Rook’s attempt at an authoritative voice. “Wolff, stay.” He then joined me at my side.
Kinley’s eyes remained focused on Sy’s face, an anger still simmering beneath the surface.
