Page 92 of Fractured Empire

“So sneaky,” Leo agrees with glee. “Princess Spaghetti likes her name, I think!”

As if to prove him right, she wiggles free enough of Leon’s hold to pounce at Leo and lick him right up the side of his face causing him to yelp and break into a fit of giggles.

“She likes me,” he cheers, cooing as he leans down to kiss the top of her little head.

“Of course she does,” I agree, patting his head softly. “She loves both of you very much already, I can tell. Did you ask your daddy if he bought any toys for her yet? Or food and other puppy supplies?”

“You got applies, Daddy?” Leo asks, almost demanding.

I cough to cover my snort, knowing he’s going to be a very attentive dog owner as he grows.

“Yes, Leo,” my husband replies with a chuckle. “She has plenty of toys and supplies in the car. Why don’t you take her into the living room with Katya to play while I bring everything inside, okay? She already went pee before we came in, but she might have accidents until she gets bigger so we’ll have to keep her off of the furniture for now, right?”

“Okay, Daddy,” Leo agrees quickly.

Instead of passing the pup to either of the kids, though, he hands her to me. Her fur is so soft and pale colored, and despite her small size she has a bit of heft to her. Princess Spaghetti seems perfectly happy to be passed along, sniffling me happily and wiggling in my arms to explore them.

Leo and Bastian practically skip all the way into the living room, and I make sure to shut the pocket doors behind us so that the new puppy can’t escape and run outside while Leon is coming in and out with all her new things. While the backyard is fenced in to keep the kids safe while they play and will make for a perfect area for Princess Spaghetti to run around, the front of the house is more driveway than it is yard.

The puppy would need to make it past Leon, and about a dozen guards on the property before she could run off into the public road, but it’s a chance I’d rather not risk at all. I hope Leon is prepared for me to helicopter parent this precious little baby because not only would it break my heart if she was hurt on my watch, it would devastate the kids.

“Okay, let’s let this little Princess explore, shall we?”

“Little Princess Spaghetti,” Leo asserts, grinning as he nods in agreement.

“Yes of course.” I chuckle, putting the puppy down slowly.

Part of me wonders if the little thing’s nickname is going to be Princess or Spaghetti, or if Leo will insist on using her full government name forever.

Chapter Thirty-Eight

Leon

Getting the kids a puppy had been a bit of an impulse decision. I’d thought about it, of course, considering the boys’ ages and how hectic things have been but also how much they could use something good in their lives. A pet is a big responsibility but I have the resources and ability to make it less daunting.

“So, a puppy, huh?” Katya asks, nodding to where Princess Spaghetti has curled up in one of her many new beds, basking in the heat of the fireplace as she snoozes. “Things are going to get hectic around here, you know? Puppies don’t sleep through the night, do they?”

The living room is lit up with orange hues of firelight and small lamps, creating an edge of coziness to surround us as my wife joins me on the couch. We both changed into our night clothes after the boys’ bedtime, but neither of us made any move to go to bed ourselves. We didn’t need to communicate our desire to spend time together, either. Gravitating to the main sitting room like magnets, we found our way together effortlessly.

“They start to as they get older,” I reply, making no attempt to hide my eyes wandering down her frame. She’s wearing pajama shorts this time, rather than pants, and a smaller tank top that could be considered indecent in some settings. The red silk fabric looks so soft that I almost reach out to touch it. “But you don’t need to worry about that.”

“Oh?” She arches an eyebrow in question. “Are you going to be waking up with her?”

“I wouldn’t mind,” I inform her seriously. “But no. Relying on me alone to make sure she’s okay at night wouldn’t be wise with the amount of times I have to run out of the house. That would just result in you having to do it anyway.”

“I also wouldn’t mind,” Katya says with a small smile. “The boys adore her already. I could handle a few weeks or months with interrupted sleep to see them so happy.”

My heart gives a funny beat, and I almost lift my hand up to rub it. “That’s sweet but unnecessary, baby. The night shift guards have already agreed to look after her. They’ll take her out to the security shack if she’s bursting with energy or stay in here if she’s sleeping in case she needs to get up and go pee.”

My wife pops her lips open, shock stunning her. “Seriously?”

I chuckle, shaking my head at how fucking cute she can be without even trying. “Don’t seem so surprised, Katya. Guard duty is an important and honorable position but it can be boring as hell. Most of these guys have families or pets of their own in one way or another. Looking after a cute little puppy while we sleep isn’t a burden for them. Some of them are actually excited for the change of pace.”

She exhales through a laugh. “You really thought of everything, huh?”

I tried to, at least.

Bastian and Leo aren’t old enough to put all of the obligations of puppy care in their hands, and I never had any intention of doing so. Katya, by contrast, is an adult and perfectly able to take care of a pet if she was so inclined, but I didn’t buy a tiny hyper pee-machine to make her life more difficult either. She already does so much around the house, none of which goes unnoticed by me. So yes, I made sure to plan how the little rascal would be looked after before bringing her home.