Page 55 of A Fury Of Shadows

Mae eyed the vein throbbing in the super soldier’s temple warily. “I get the feeling this Haruki guy’s in trouble.”

“You have no idea,” Lou muttered with the long-suffering air of someone who’d seen this shit before and had the receipts to prove it.

A man picked up the phone. “Serena?”

Her eyes became slits. “Hey, asshole! Why are my kids still up?!”

The man’s tone grew cool. “Is that any way to speak to your favorite babysitter?”

“My favorite babysitter is Callie, followed closely by Nate, Lily, and Naomi,” Serena snapped. “The only reason Drake and I defaulted to you this week is because the others are away. Why are Kris and Sienna not tucked up in their beds?”

“They were,” Haruki admitted. “Leah came into my room. The kids, er, heard us fooling around.”

The armrest cracked under Serena’s hand.

“What was that sound?” Haruki said suspiciously.

“Shit,” Lou mumbled.

Mae pursed her lips. “Isn’t this a rental?”

Hellreaver and Brimstone peered curiously around her.

Serena finally regained her ability to speak.

“I thought that hussy had gone to an art exhibit in New Orleans with Sebastian and Naomi!” she growled.

“She came back early because she missed me.” Haruki sniffed. “Also, I would appreciate it if you refrained from calling my fiancée a hussy.”

Serena said something unsavory.

“You’re on speaker by the way,” Haruki said reproachfully. “The kids can hear you.”

On cue, the twins started chanting the curse word their mother had just inadvertently voiced in their presence.

“I’m gonna kill you,” Serena said stonily.

“Violence is not the answer to everything, Serena,” Haruki chided.

The chanting got louder. Sienna added poop to it for good measure.

Hellreaver sniggered.That rhymes.

Brimstone observed Serena’s reddening face.She looks like she’s about to blow.

Mae hushed them.

A woman’s voice became audible on the line. “Whoa. I only went away to make hot cocoa. Why are the kids cursing?”

Mae could only presume this was the infamous Leah.

“Kris and Sienna got hold of my phone and called their mother,” Haruki explained to his fiancée.

“Why, you little geniuses you,” Leah gushed. The children tittered. “Here, drink up.”

“Thanks, Aunt Leah!”

Serena’s voice dripped with ice. “You guys know I’m still here, right?”

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