AllFreeNovel
Share Us
He was proved right when he pushed the barrier open and let in a chilly gust of winter air. They should have thought ahead and bundled her up, but at least the car, and then the plane, would be warm.
Out on the sidewalk, Elias looked up and down the row of cars and limos waiting in line to drop people off or pick them up. A brand new Bentley idled at the curb, probably chauffeur-driven, ready to take someone to dinner or a business meeting.
Callie wiggled her butt on Evander’s arm, sucking her thumb harder as she whimpered softly.
“Ssssh, sweetness. Daddy’s got you; everything’s fine. Settle down now.”
He moved her to his chest, settling her head into the curve of his neck and shoulder, wrapping his arms tightly around her so she’d absorb his body heat. When Eli gave the signal, Evander shouldered the door open and strode through the cold toward the silver Mercedes parked six cars down.
The hustle of pedestrians and hum of traffic was a strange kind of music. There was a rhythm to it, one not everyone heard. It wasn’t one he preferred—he liked the quiet, the peace, of a place like Serenity.
Out there, it would be dark right now. True dark, without streetlights and light pollution from windows and security lights, billboards and headlights. Only the moon and the stars to illuminate the way.
Eli yanked open the rear door as soon as they were within arm’s length, sliding into the car once Evander was inside with their precious cargo. With a word from him, the driver pulled out into traffic, and they were on their way to their next adventure, however brief it may be.
Phoenix was starting to feel comfortable, like a pair of favorite winter gloves. It wasn’t his home, but the friends he’d made there welcomed him back as though it was.
He was actually looking forward to the next few days.
*
Callie
Gack.
Before her eyes opened, she knew she was going to look as rough as she felt. Her tongue was cemented to the roof of her mouth, her limbs were weighted and reluctant to move. A headache lurked behind her forehead.
Taking stock of her situation, she determined she was on a bed or similar flat surface, on her back, with a blanket covering her. Warm, comfortable, alone.
Or so she thought until someone shifted beside her.
“’Vander?” she croaked.
The loud, excited squeal definitely didn’t belong to either of her Daddies. It pierced into her aching brain, high and feminine.
Warily, wondering what the hell she’d been dragged into now, she cracked her eyelids open just enough to see a woman looming over her, beaming wildly, her eyes alive with mischief. Blue eyes only a fraction lighter than Elias’s. “Um…”
Her black hair swung around her shoulders as she bounced in delight. “Hi, hi, hi!”
“Um…”
“You don’t says a lot. Oh, oh, oh! I know! Are you shy?”
The woman wasn’t much older than Callie, if she was at all. The energy she radiated, her speech patterns, even her facial expression were innocent. “You’re a Little.”
“Actually, I’s a big girl. Daddy says so.”
It was hard not to let herself slide straight into Little mode. Harder than she thought, given how good she’d gotten at reining in that side of her. But she told herself that she was in a stranger’s bed, with an unfamiliar woman almost pinning her to the mattress in excitement, and her situation wasn’t exactly what she’d planned.
“I gots you a gift.” The pretty face was suddenly replaced by the pink, grinning visage of a stuffed pig. “My friend Sierra rescues stuffies and makes them alllllll better.”
Resist, resist, resist…
Slowly easing her arms out from beneath the blanket, Callie forgot about strangers and the likelihood she was naked beneath the thin cover, reaching for the plump piggy with reverence. “You got him for me?”
The woman shoved it firmly into her hands, then clapped loudly. “Just for you!”
This time, the squeal of delight came from Callie, completely unbidden, and her Little took over in a heartbeat.
