Page 28 of Nanny for the Wolf Daddy

Nox was charged with frustration, so he used the violence as a method of channeling his rage. His thirst for blood was briefly satiated as the battle came to an end. Their plan had worked, and all of the shifters in the town who had been working for Archie were dead. The Mafia pack took their bodies away from prying human eyes.

“It’s done,” Gerald said, phoning Nox.

Naked, Nox was soaked in red, appearing black under the moon. He felt like a monster and wondered what dear Violet would think. The thought tore at his soul. And what about Kelli? Was he something she could still love in his most heinous primal form?

He cast the rumination aside and focused on debriefing and cleaning up. His pack was efficient, as was the Mafia pack, who kept to themselves and did not betray him the way he had initially worried about.

He managed to get some sleep that night once Roland took over watching Archie’s main cabin again. They would resume their patrolling and reporting in the morning, turning back to the initial and most important mission at hand.

He needed Kelli to be okay. He would be torn apart if he didn’t see her again or if her life was taken because of his short-sightedness.

NINETEEN

KELLI

Kelli slept in the bleakness of the windowless room as much as she was able to. There was a scent to the room that made it feel old, like a house that hadn’t been inspected for mold or asbestos in a long time. She woke to a blinding stream of light coming in from the door, the outline of Archie’s body standing in the center of it.

“Good morning,” he said in his southern accent.

Kelli immediately sat up in the bed, squinting at the light that poured into the pitch-black room. She felt conscious about her clothing being wrinkled and the way her shirt hiked up while she slept to show off her belly.

But Archie didn’t seem to notice.

In his hands were two cups of coffee and a sandwich in a bag, which he brought to her before putting a concrete block in the front of the door.

“Sorry about the coffee,” he muttered. “The time it takes to go from town to get back home is a good while.”

She was barely awake but wanted to make sure that she appeared docile and, of course, as loyal as a herd of sheep.

“It’s no problem,” she replied, smiling.

He handed the bag and lukewarm beverage to her, which she drank eagerly. It didn’t matter that it was cold. It had some fucking caffeine in it that would help her think.

“So, what’s on the agenda today?” she tried to ask nonchalantly.

Archie had moved to sit against the wall across the room from her. It wasn’t a giant room, and his long, beanpole legs stretched out before him, looking like a grasshopper who hadn’t found its calling.

“I’ve got some wealthy folks coming in for a private show,” he muttered, looking away from her. “It will be your chance to observe and see if you’ve got the skills to tame these wild beasts.”

Kelli ate the sandwich slowly, not wanting to make her stomach sick and out of fear that he might not exactly be on the clock about mealtimes.

“Is that right?” she said brightly. “What kind of animals am I going to be working with?”

Archie shook his head, the empty coffee cup bouncing between his hands. “You will find out soon enough, missy.” His molasses accent poured through. “For now, you’ll just have to be patient.”

The sound of his voice, so even and emotionless, made Kelli swallow hard. She was doing all this for a good reason, but it was clear that the man sitting before her had ill intentions that neither she nor Nox had foreseen.

“It just all sounds so interesting,” Kelli said, squeezing what remained of the sandwich in her hand. “I am so excited to find out what everything is about.”

He ignored her and rose from the floor. He stuck out his hand without a word, and it took her a second to understand what he was doing.

“I haven’t finished the sandwich,” she said.

He smacked his fingers against his palm like the impatient paw of a lion.

“Give me the garbage,” he said plainly.

Kelli removed the rest of the sandwich from the wrapping, then handed it to Archie. He spread it open and analyzed it before taking her empty coffee cup and then left the room without another word.

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