AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“Um, okay. Come on, Bastion. You hungry?”
Bastion gets up quickly and starts wagging his tail as he gives me a huge doggy smile, making me laugh again. I lead him over to the fire pit that’s a little further from where the others are milling about. I don’t want Bastion to feel spooked.
Crouching down, I’m about to set things down when I notice he’s sniffing the air like he wants to inspect what’s in my hands. First, I hold out both bowls, and when he stops sniffing, I place them on the ground. I repeat the process with the can of food and water bottle. Once he sniffs everything, he sits down. I guess that means everything passed his test?
Pulling the tab on the food, I dump the contents into one bowl and then crack the seal on the water and fill the second bowl. Setting the bowls beside the chair, I stand and then sit in the chair next to Bastion while loosely holding his lead.
Almost instantly, he starts to eat, and I turn to Carter, shocked.
“What the hell just happened? I thought no one could get him to eat?”
“That’s what they said, but somehow, you got him to eat. I think Bastion just adopted you.”
“What?”
“Keep in mind that I don’t know everything they train dogs for on the police force, but I think when he left me and went to you, that was him sort of claiming you. Add to that, you picked up on what he wanted, and let him sniff what you had in your hands. We’ll see what he does when he finishes, but I’m pretty sure he’s picked his new owner.”
Dumbfounded, I turn my attention back to Bastion, who’s already finished his food and is currently drinking the water. He gets up, goes to the other side of the chair, sits down, and rests his head on my leg.
Slowly, I reach out and pet his head. His eyes close as he leans further into me.
Carter’s shoulders shake with the laughter he’s trying to hold in.
“Hey Wildcat, Dragon told me about Bastion. Were you able to get him to eat?”
Bastion’s ears perk up and he gets up, sitting in front of me as he looks straight ahead at Thor. A low growl rumbles out of him. Does he think he needs to protect me? Thor stops, but his gaze bounces between Bastion, Carter, and me. Dragon joins us and stands next to Thor.
I stand but keep a hold of Bastion’s lead, and slowly sidestep around him since he was practically sitting on my feet. Walking toward my guys, I hug and then kiss Thor before hugging and kissing Dragon.
Looking back at Bastion, I hope he’s able to see how relaxed I am and that none of the guys here are a threat to him.
Surprisingly, Bastion walks up to Thor and sits in front of him. He holds his hand out, and Bastion sniffs it before licking his palm, just like he did to me. Then he does the same to Dragon. However, that wasn’t near as surprising as what happened next.
Bastion comes back over to me, grabs the lead that was dangling in my hand with his teeth, and walks back over to where I was sitting and lays down.
“Um, what just happened?” Dragon asks and Carter laughs.
“I’d say Bastion just adopted you three.”
Thor groans but Dragon practically runs over to Bastion, sits next to him, and starts petting him.
“Are you not a dog person, Thor?” Carter asks.
“I’m more of a cat person and as you can see, Dragon’s more of a dog person.”
“Well, I know for a fact that cats don’t bother Bastion. His owner also had three adult cats and they all got along.”
“How is he with kids? Someday we might have them around here and I don’t want anyone to get injured,” I ask and try not to give away that I’m pregnant.
“His owner had her grandchildren over frequently and he was good around them. If they pulled on his ears or tail, he’d growl but wouldn’t snap at them.”
I look up at Thor, hopeful, and he sighs. “Since it looks like he’s already claimed us, let’s see how tonight goes when he meets the rest of the guys.”
A happy squeal escapes me, and I jump at Thor, hugging him tight and peppering his face with kisses. “Thank you!”
He laughs and lands a passionate kiss on my lips.
A throat clears behind us, and when I pull away, I notice Carter’s trying to look anywhere but at us.
