Page 19 of Devotion

Kingston got to his feet and scooped Eden into his arms. “Sunbeam,” he said, voice stern. “You need to put the fishies back where they came from.”

For one extended beat, she held his stare, almost as if considering his words. The spell broke when she boppedhim on the head and shouted, “Fishies!” at the top of her impressively large lungs.

“And there’s her mother,” I muttered.

“How are you so sure that’s me, Blackthorne?” she teased. “You’re the one who’s always a heartbeat away from smacking Kingston upside the head.”

“Too true. Maybe she does take after me.”

Kingston put his finger in her mouth and lifted her top lip. “Nope. No fangs. Sorry, Thorne. Your vampire genes must be recessive. How’s it feel to be the weakest link?”

I grumbled under my breath, “Born vampires don’t turn until well into adolescence, you mangy twat.”

“Ew,” Trouble said, her nose wrinkling. “Thank God we don’t have to deal with mangy twats. Can you imagine?” She gave a little shudder, cheeks burning pink as Astrid, Alek’s younger sister, walked into the room with a tray overflowing with food.

“I brought snacks,” she said, placing the tray on the coffee table. “What was that I heard about mangy twats?”

“N-nothing,” Tessa squeaked, far more out of sorts than I’d seen her in a while.

Astrid grinned at Kingston’s sister, then flicked her long yellow hair over her shoulder. “You can tell me about it later, yeah?”

“S-sure.”

It was astonishing how much Astrid had changed in the recent months. She’d been sequestered in Novasgard until she came of age a few months ago, and now the woman was a frequent visitor to the ranch. There was a wild, almost feral quality to the young shieldmaiden, but at the same time, her energy was laced with a certain softness. She was as comfortable wielding a sword as she was doing needlepoint. Astrid had the easygoing grace of one whoknew their place in the world and who embraced it wholeheartedly. No doubt, no awkward second-guessing. She was unapologetically and authentically herself.

In that sense, she reminded me a lot of her older brother. And a bit of a younger me. Strange, really, because I never fancied myself a Viking.

I hoped some of her confidence rubbed off on Trouble. Kingston’s sister could definitely use it.

Kingston kicked back on the sofa, a plate filled with crackers, meats, and cheese slices balanced on his washboard stomach as he shoved a haphazardly made sandwich into his mouth.

“Really?” I chastised.

“What?” he asked, mouth full. “I gotta keep working on my dad bod.”

“Kingston, you’re a shifter. You’re never going to have a dad bod,” Sunday said, not for the first time.

“But I want one. I’ve earned it.”

I was pretty sure the knobhead was serious. He was actually sulking.

“Go on. Keep trying.” Sunday’s tone was placating, but he smiled widely in response before stuffing his face once more.

Alek bit back a growl as Kingston’s crumbs joined his daughter’s on the floor. Giving up, he got to his feet and conjured himself a flagon of mead. “You’re a fuc—freaking slob.”

“Says the man who just crushed fish crackers into the carpet.” Kingston tossed an olive at Alek’s head, then turned to his sister. “How’d the meeting go? Did you like Carter?”

Carter Applewood was the future Alpha of the Rocky Mountain pack from Montana. The Farrells and theApplewoods had been at odds for decades until Kingston’s father had begun the arduous process of building an alliance. Once Ronin died, all hope for peace between packs had been lost, or so we’d all thought until the Applewoods had come sniffing around, interested in arranging a marriage between Trouble and their heir.

From the look on Trouble’s face, the meeting hadn’t gone well. Her eyes slid to Astrid before they dropped to her lap. “He w-was f-fine.”

“You don’t like him?” Kingston asked, concern furrowing his brow.

“I d-don’t kn-know h-h-h?—”

“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t worry about it. There’s plenty of time, and if he’s not right for you, we can find another way.”

Sunday nodded. “No one is forcing you into anything, T. Not on my watch.”

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