Page 58 of Bully Wolf's Nanny
Francesca swallowed, her scent spiking in fear beneath that ridiculous perfume. “I already told you. Daisy fed them strawberries in that horrible fruit slop she makes. This isherfault. She says it’s an accident, but I have to say, I’m not so sure…”
“Are you seriously suggesting she would give her own daughter an allergen just to hurt Gracie? Because that’s the most ridiculous thing I’ve ever heard. It would take a particularly cruel and heartless mother to do that to her child. To any child.”
His voice was thick with meaning, and Francesca didn’t miss it, her eyes widening almost imperceptibly, heartbeat audible beneath her ribs.
“An accident,” she said, her throat thick, “Daisy made a mistake. I’m sure that’s all it is.”
Nicolas sneered. She was ridiculous, this blonde barbie, this conniving little bitch with her perfect skin and silky hair and carefully toned body; all of it was utterly repulsive to him now.
“Let’s hope so,” he said, his voice a dark purr, “because if I found out that someone hurt my daughter, or Thea, on purpose, then I will be very upset indeed.” He launched forward, his hand grasping Francesca by the throat and shoving her back into the wall. She squealed in shock, her fake nails scrabbling uselessly at his arm, little wriggling red veins in the whites of her eyes visible.
He tilted his head as she wheezed for breath, the pounding of her heart a mere fluttering in his fist. He could smell it, the blood coursing through her, rich with adrenaline and delicious fear. His wolf growled within him, urging him to shift, to rip the threat apart piece by pathetic little piece.
“Very upset,” he repeated softly, quietly whispering into her ear. To any onlooker, it might look like a lovers’ embrace. Disgust coiled in his stomach at the idea, and he dropped her, stepping back and readjusting the rolled cuff of one sleeve.
Francesca collapsed to the floor, coughing and hacking, clutching her throat.
“You’re a bastard,” she hissed, all pretense at civility gone.
“Yes, I am,” he replied, raising a cynical eyebrow, “and you’re the idiot that endangered my child. I would count yourlucky stars you’re still breathing.” He crouched in front of her, examining her like some specimen in a museum. “Because there are certain leniencies in the law when it comes to shifters and their children.”
“I’m not a shifter,” she spat, shoving him back to rise to her feet. “I’m a human! You can’t treat me like this!”
“Human-shifter laws go both ways,” he said, “and you’re not the only one who can take advantage of them.”
“I don’t understand,” she shouted at him, her mouth a vicious curve. “I’m the mother of your child! You slept with me! Why don’t you want me now?”
Nicolas rolled his eyes. “I was drunk when I slept with you. I barely even knew what you looked like. You were a warm hole to fuck. The best thing you ever did was give me Gracie and then fuck off.”
“And Daisy?” Francesca spat. “Is she just a warm hole to fuck? Oh yeah, I managed to work that much out. It’s fucking obvious.”
“Don’t talk about her like that,” Nicolas growled.
“Or what? You’ll send me away? I’ll sue you from here to the next century. One way or another, I’m getting my fucking money.”
“It’s funny,” replied Nicolas, “that’s the first honest thing you’ve ever said.”
Francesca sniffed, haughtily peering around. “Let’s get out of here. This whole fucking state is complete trash.”
She pushed past him, anger radiating from her in waves. By the time they got back to the hospital room, she was practically spitting fire. Nicolas too could feel the rage bubblingin his chest. How dare she? How fuckingdareshe presume to take anything from him?
And it wasn’t even the money. God knows he had enough of that. He would have gladly paid a few million to banish Francesca back to whatever vapid hole she crawled out of when she turned up on his door, but no. She had presumed to try and seduce or blackmail it out of him.
It was sheer fucking arrogance at its worst. And there was nothing Nicolas hated more than arrogant idiots.
But what she had done to Daisy…what she had done to the relationship they were building…
Francesca wasn’t getting a fucking cent. He would see to that. It was personal now.
She would leave with her life and be grateful.
As they strode back into the room, Daisy looked up in surprise from her chair, Thea curled into her lap, clutching a teddy. One of the doctors rushed into action, adjusting his wonky glasses and leafing through various sheets of paper.
“Mr. Accardi, you’re back! Excellent news, I just have some—"
“Are they ready to leave?” Nicolas growled, ignoring the way Francesca sucked her teeth in annoyance. Daisy merely watched him, a fawn caught in the headlights, her hands trembling slightly where she held Thea close to her.
The doctor blinked. “Um, well, yes, we’ve had them in observation long enough so we can discharge them, but there are just a few things—"
