Page 38 of The Goblin in the Sink Drain
“Oh, yeah.” He gave me one firm pat then stood. “They love to hunt.”
“Come on, Princess,” Rían coaxed, trying to get me away from the cougar. “Come to Daddy.”
Daddy? Really?
A choking noise rose behind me, and I could have died of embarrassment on the spot.
“Are you sure she’s yours?” The cougar frowned at my behavior. “She’s acting mighty skittish.”
There was no tag on my collar, and even if there had been, Rían wouldn’t have ID to match any name or number stamped on it. Fayne might have a workaround for emergencies, a phony number that rang to a burner or the clan home, but it was too late for Rían to claim a second dog now.
“She’s not great with strangers.” Rían eased closer, the picture of ease, but my leash strained where he had wrapped it around his wrist. “She’s probably nervous with you standing between us.”
“Got any proof of ownership?” The cougar wasn’t backing down. “I don’t want to hand her off to just anyone.”
With no other options readily available, I had to suck it up and hork out the two mice in my mouth. They didn’t move, thankfully, so they could pass for dead. The slobber helped sell it, darkening their fur and covering for the lack of blood. As soon as both men got a good look, I stepped over the tiny bodies and growled at the cougar.
“Oh.” He raised his hands at his sides. “My bad, cutie.” He took a wide step back, amusement thick in his tone. “I didn’t realize you were protecting your kills.”
Thanks to the space he had put between us, I was able to inch toward Rían and whine pitifully. The cougar gave me a bit more room, so I gently lifted one mouse and carried it to set at Rían’s feet.
“Look at that.” The cougar gave me one last grin. “Guess there’s no denying she’s yours. A fierce girl like her wouldn’t share her kills with just anyone.” He saluted Rían, plugged back in, and sauntered down the fence whistling along to a popular song. “Enjoy the rest of your evening.”
The second he was out of sight, Rían collected both mice. “Where’s Fayne?”
Before I could clear the way, she burst through the opening and dropped her mouthful at his feet. Her spine bowed as she hocked and spat, releasing a full-body shudder while smacking her lips with disgust.
“We need to hurry.” She yipped at Rían, who collected the other mice without comment then lifted me, settling me back into the bend of his arm, snug and safe against him. “We’re lucky we ran into an idiot.” She waited while Rían leashed her then led him at a brisk pace. “He muted his radio to listen to music on his phone.”
The sirens had run their course, but he must not have heard them over his playlist. I almost felt sorry for him. He seemed like a nice enough guy, anyone who was kind to animals got brownie points in my book, but when Nelson got ahold of him, he would be in a world of hurt.
Our quick walk carried us back to the dumpster in record time, and Fayne only gave Rían seconds to free her before bolting for cover to make her transition.
“I assume these are the missing employees.” He released a sigh that sounded dredged up from his toes. “I should have known she would pull something like this.” He examined my paws, both caked in mud, and a growl moved through his chest. “She made you dig. Of course she did. Why would she listen to me? I’m just her magnus. I’m just your—” his teeth clicked together, “—friend.”
An uptick of voices in the vicinity of our escape route perked my ears, and I whined softly.
“I hear them.” He covered the distance to Fayne in a few strides, rooted through her clothes for the keys to the SUV, then scooped her up around the middle. “We’ve got to get out of here.”
Arms loaded down with animals, he sprinted toward the vehicle, and my stomach lurched at the speed. And the height. Whoa, boy. I had forgotten howveryhigh up I was in his arms.
Thankfully, the SUV sensed the fob and automatically unlocked the doors. He placed Fayne and me on the backseat, shut us in, then climbed behind the wheel and placed the mice on the passenger front seat.
About the time the tires hit blacktop, light burst from the dog beside me, leaving Fayne in her birthday suit, her skin gleaming. “Our mission was a success.”
“Your mission was a failure because you failed to complete your objective,” he countered. “Surveillance was the pitch you sold me on. I expected you to push the envelope, it’s what you do, and I respect that, but I didn’t anticipate you putting Ana in the line of fire.”
“I brought her back with ten fingers and ten toes.” She crossed her arms over her chest in a huff. “She’s fine, aren’t you, Ana?” She gave me an encouraging look, but I wasn’t thrilled with her improvisation either. “You can’t coddle her, or she won’t survive in our world.”
“You can’t throw her into the deep end and expect her to swim if she’s never so much as gotten her toes wet.” He smacked the heel of his palm against the steering wheel. “Between you and Liam, you’re going to put me into an early grave.”
The similarities between Liam and Fayne were stacking up around me. No wonder those two acted interchangeably as Rían’s second and his spymaster. Personality-wise, they shared a lot in common.
Really, that flexibility made it easier to understand why Rían was willing to grant the dual title to them in the first place. Between Liam and Fayne, he had both bases covered no matter the situation.
“That’s precisely why we do what we do.” Her attention drifted to me. “I’m so afraid of losing her—of losingyou?—”
“That’s enough,” he said, voice firm but not unkind. “I’m not having this conversation.”
