Page 87 of Siege of Blood and Betrayal

I roll my eyes and add the weights.

Jack is a tough old bastard. And though he’s technically going on a hundred and thirty, possessing the squire magic for so long means he doesn’t look a day over fifty-five.

I finish securing the locks on the weights and step back to spot him. “This isn’t a competition, you know.”

Dad lifts the bar, straightening his arms, and holds it for a moment while he tests the weight. “That’s where you’re wrong, son. Everything about the vampire community is a competition. It’s like navigating one never-ending pissing contest.”

Scotland comes through the door and blinks over at us. “What’s a never-ending pissing contest?”

“Life with vampires,” my dad answers.

Scotland snorts and heads over to set a blue towel and a workout water bottle on the table against the smashed mirror wall. Reaching one arm across her chest, she uses the other arm to push her elbow and stretch her shoulders. “Da used to say, living with vampires is like being stuck in an eternal Olympic Games where the only event is who can brood the hardest.”

Dad laughs. “Vampires don’t do ‘casual’. Even drinking coffee turns into a competition of whose cup is the darkest shade of despair.”

Scottie grins. “In a house full of vampires, even a thumb war is a battle for eternal dominance.”

Jack nods. “Vampires will turnanythinginto a contest. I’ve seen two of them race to see who could finish readingWar and Peacefaster… in Russian.”

I shift my attention back and forth between them like I’m following a ball at a tennis match. How weird is it that my girlfriend already loves my dad like a father figure? Does that make this uniquely awesome or icky?

I’m going with awesome.

The vampires are so competitive jokes taper off and Scottie heads over to the strike dummy. The thing is a padded telephone pole with arms sticking out from all sides, and it spins while she hits it.

I focus on Dad’s weight training while she wraps her fists, puts in her earbuds, and begins her workout. She’s got a lot of processing to do and if beating the snot out of a training dummy helps, I’m happy to watch her beat down her demons.

It doesn’t take long before Dad signals that he’s had enough and sits up to watch our girl.

She’s hitting the dummy with precision, her form tight and controlled as she drives her fists and elbows into its padded surface. Each strike lands with a satisfyingthud, and I can read the tension and frustration bleeding out.

Jack is mesmerized, a proud smile tugging at his lips. “She’s got her father’s instincts and rhythm, that’s for sure.”

I lean against the wall beside him, taking in the show. Mr. Perfect has taken notice, too. My cock is stiffening like a fucking divining rod, pointing toward its tall glass of water.

I shift my stance and adjust my sweats, but Jack is already staring at me with a brow arched. “Be careful, son. There’s a lot of history between them. Don’t get in too deep.”

I grunt. “That ship has sailed, I’m afraid. I was a goner from the moment she came through the residence tunnel looking wrecked. She’s incredible.”

“No argument, but if you’d ever seen her with Zane, you’d know they share a soul.”

“Then maybe I could have her heart. I’d be okay with that. In fact, I’d consider myself lucky.”

He doesn’t look convinced. “It might not seem like it now, but those two were written in the stars.”

I frown. “Whose side are you on?”

“Yours, Tuck. Always yours.”

“But…”

“But know that Zane takes up a lot of landscape in Scottie’s heart. It’s rough terrain right now, but that won’t last forever.”

I hear what he’s saying, and I appreciate his concern. Still, I wouldn’t do anything differently. I’m all-in with Scottie until she tells me otherwise. Growing up in a shifter compound, I know how to live a pack life.

I know how to put my female’s needs and wants first.

And what she needs is a man who believes in her and supports her unconditionally. I can give her that.

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