Page 8 of Enchanted with the Orc
She pointed up at me with her tiny finger and said, “Abu,” in the sweetest tone I’d ever heard in my life.
Everything inside of me froze as I stared down at the little princess that was latched onto me. “What did you say?” I asked her, struggling to keep the emotions out of my voice.
“I had a dream when I was younger and you and Mommy were in it,” she told me, swinging from side to side, using my leg to keep her tiny body balanced. “And I called you Abu.”
Daddy.
This sweet, precious girl had called medaddy.
“What kind of dream?” I asked her, struggling not to make the simmering love that was boiling in my heart known to Tasia, who was eyeing our interaction with curiosity.
Gabbi shrugged, swinging again. “Mommy was there, you were there and there was a scary male there too.”
The furrow in Tasia’s brow was getting deeper and deeper as Gabbi continued to speak and her gaze swung up to stare at me with suspicion before she lowered herself to her haunches and held her arms out to her daughter.
Gabbi didn’t hesitate, diving into her mother’s arms and nuzzling her face into her neck. Just like I wished I could do.
“I think she’s a little overwhelmed with everything,” she told me, holding the little box up with a tight smile. “Thank you so much for this.I’ll let her open it once she’s had a nap.”
I nodded, allowing her to retreat. I watched as she weaved her way out of the room, making excuses about Gabbi that I was sure wasn’t true. The little girl was a lot of things, but shehadn’tbeen overwhelmed.
She’s leaving. She’s using the party as a distraction.
Every inch of my body wanted to chase after them, but I didn’t. I wanted to observe her first, and I’d keep an eye out for any threats to her. Then I’d follow at a distance until they needed me. And I’d be there for them. I knew that with every fiber of my body.
My heart was still aching in my chest at the memory of Gabbi looking up at me with sparkling eyes, a grin on her face as she called me Abu. I wasgonefor those two. They’d taken me down in one fell swoop.
Chapter Six
Tasia
She’s had a premonition.
I swallowed, holding my little girl against my chest while she wiggled in my arms, hurrying toward our apartment. I’d left everyone while they were still enjoying the party and I hoped that by the time they noticed we were gone; we’d be on a bus on our way outof the city.
“I don’t wanna take a nap, Mommy,” she whined and I nodded, rubbing her back with gentle strokes.
“You’re not going for a nap,” I told her, pasting what I hoped looked like an adventurous grin on my face. “We’re going on a trip.”
“A trip?” she asked, a little gasp filling her chest with air. “I love trips!”
The only “trip” she’d ever been on was to move to this new building, so I understood why she would be excited. Unfortunately, that wasn’t what we had in store for us. I was hoping to find a way to make it more palatable for her, but I might fail miserably.
“Tell me more about your dream, sweetheart,” I asked, setting her down on her bed while I grabbed the bags I’d already packed for her. I tucked Enka’s present into one of the pockets of the bags for later.
I wasn’t sure what it was, or why I wanted to keep it when I was leaving most of our things behind, but I tended to follow my instincts now. After failing miserably when I was younger, I’d learned to appreciate my gut feelings when I got them.
“Abu was there, and you were there,” she told me, hopping around on the little shoes with heels that Pen had gotten her. They were mostdefinitelyan attempt to get her to slow down when dashing away from me—since my little girl was a runner—and I appreciated that. “And then there was a scary male.”
“What did the male look like?” I asked her, bracing myself for whoever she thought wasscary. She’d never used that word before and I had a feeling I knew who it was.
“He was tall, but not as tall as Abu,” she said, doing a little jig in her shoes. “And he looked really mean.”
“What color was his hair?” I asked, steeling myself for the blow that I knew was going to come.
“Yellow,” she said, tilting her head to the side. “Like Angele’s from the park.”
Fuck, fuck, FUCK!
