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She snarls, lets out one ferocious bark, and lunges straight at me.
Except the impact doesn’t come. Nor do her teeth, or her claws, or anything I expected to suddenly start mauling me.
Instead, she’s tearing into a man dressed in black tactical clothing, who is now writhing and screaming for someone to help get her off him.
Lights blaze on all over the compound. Voices start shouting, men start running, and even Willow sleepily shuffles out of bed and flicks on her bedroom light. “Mommy? Princess?”
The short whistle and tongue clicks I hear behind me instantly put me at ease. It’s Demyen, his face a mask of rage but his tone gentle enough to order Princess off the intruder.
She hesitates, her mouth clamped firmly around his shoulder. But then she sees Willow and lets him go so she can check on her human.
Best.
Investment.
Ever.
Demyen yanks the man up by his tactical vest and slams his fist in his face. Once, twice, then on the third time, I subtly remind him that our daughter is watching. He throws the intruder onto the pavement and rolls his shoulders as he considers our next moves.
“You okay?” he asks, sliding his gaze to me.
“Yeah.” I nod. “So is Willow. Princess spotted him before any of us did.”
He turns to see Willow hugging Princess’s neck. Our new best canine friend is standing squarely between her and the intruder, but intermittently gives Willow a few reassuring licks while she waits for our next commands.
“Good girl,” Demyen praises with a rub to her ears. “Very good girl. C’mon, let’s get back to bed.”
That’s my cue. I scoop Willow up into my arms to tuck her back into her bed, but she suddenly wraps her arms around my neck and clings to me.
“I’m scared, Mommy,” she whimpers.
I look to Demyen. He flicks the dripping blood from his knuckles and forces himself to give her a gentle smile. “Why don’t we have a little sleepover tonight? Willow and Princess, with us in our bed. Would you like that?”
Willow nods.
He caresses her hair with the less bloody hand and kisses her brow. “Sweet dreams, little cub. And Princess?” The dog of the hour perks up her ears. Demyen points at me. “You keep an eye on my ladies. I’ll take care of this.”
Princess dips her head and nudges my leg. The whole way back to our bedroom, she maintains contact and makes sure that nothing else emerges from the shadows.
Willow is curled up in my arms, sound asleep, by the time Demyen returns from “taking care of” the intruder.
To be fair, I’ve been drifting in and out of my own sleepiness for the past half-hour or so. I don’t even know how long he’s been gone, but I’m guessing it’s been a couple of hours. Princess has been curled up on the bed next to my feet, her eyes glued to the door, while I sang lullabies to Willow and prayed for sleep to finally come.
So when I feel Demyen press a warm kiss to my forehead, my eyes flutter open. “Hm? Dem? Wh… what’s going on?” I shift Willow in my arms to tuck her under the blankets next to me. “Is everything okay?”
Demyen sighs a heavy, exhausted sigh and crawls into bed, curving himself around Willow and draping his arm over hersleeping form. “Everything’s fine. I took care of it.” He lifts his head to blow a quick kiss at Princess. “I owe you all the treats, good girl.”
Princess gently thumps her tail on the bed a few times. She sees Willow sleeping, the bedroom door securely shut, and her new little family tucked safely into bed. Whatever tension kept her alert is now gone, so she lays her head on her paws to drift into her own dreamland.
“Who was he?” I ask, because my brain will not let me rest otherwise.
Demyen sniffs. “Fucking Yakuza. A spy. Raizo’s pissed as hell about his factory and his lost slaves, so he sent recon to check out this place.”
I try not to let him see the way that scares me. “Just the one guy?”
He shakes his head. “Nah. There was another, but he must have seen or at least heard Princess go apeshit because all we found of him were the tire tracks peeling away in the sand.” He looks at our new dog, then at me. “How would you feel about getting another dog? Or two?”
I roll my eyes good-naturedly. “How about we get used to having one first? Besides, she did a pretty good job flying solo.”
