Authors: Shelly Laurenston
“Antonella?”
“What?”
“Can I have the place or not?”
“Of course you can. It’ll be completely empty. Coop and Cherise are still in Europe on tour. But make sure you use the keys! No breaking and entering and no damn holes, Olivia. I mean it. But, look, that’s not the real issue—”
“Have a good time with the bears!” Livy cheered. “Love you more than soap!”
The call ended and Toni stamped her foot and wondered how long it would take her to get to New York if she left right now.
“Hey, little doggie,” an excessively thick Russian accent barked from inside the room. “You have work! Or did you forget?”
Toni pushed the door open and stared at the table filled with Russian bears. She’d long ago stopped feeling any fear at being around so many bears once she realized that the only bear she had to worry about at the moment was Ivan Zubachev, the Russian hockey team owner, who ruled with an iron paw.
She hated that he still insisted on calling her “little doggie” although everyone and their mother knew he adored her. Why? Because she had made him lots of money. The game between the Carnivores and Zubachev’s team had been a huge event, bringing in a lot of money not only to the two teams but to the Siberian shifter-run towns that had played host.
Now, it was time to bring the Russians to America, and Toni was on deck to make it happen. That was when she realized she couldn’t walk away from this. She couldn’t tell Zubachev that she had to go check on her friend but she’d be back in a week or two to finalize the deal. The Russians had hard and fast rules for negotiations, and Toni’s need to protect her friends and family from themselves wasn’t really part of that.
Toni looked down at her phone. No. She’d have to trust that Livy could take care of herself. Even if her family was involved, Toni was sure that it was probably just an issue with Melly or something. An issue that could easily be handled by violating that woman’s parole and putting her right back in a cell.
“She’ll call me if she needs me,” Toni reminded herself. “She’ll call.”
Clinging to that belief, Toni walked back into the room, closing the door behind her. “All right, gentlemen, let’s get back to work. And
no,
we will not force Bo Novikov to shift to his animal form and put him on display in a gilded cage at the Sports Center so that the world can see what a true freak he is. And stop asking if you can!”
With keys in hand, Livy walked up the stairs to the front door. She looked at the keys and back at the door. No. She had to do this. She had no choice.
Livy had the key in the lock when she stopped. “Are you going to keep shadowing me?”
“Yes.”
Sighing, Livy turned but ended up with her face buried in his stomach. She pushed and pointed at the street. “Down,” she ordered.
“Down.”
Vic went down the stairs, and now she could almost look him directly in the eyes.
With space between them, Livy could be clear and concise and inform Vic that she would be doing this on her own. She didn’t need him or his help. She appreciated it and all, but she didn’t need it.
Livy started to speak, but thought she was
too
far from him. So she walked down a couple of steps, bringing her closer, but now he was taller again. She hated the thought of yelling up to him that she didn’t need him or his help. That seemed tacky.
She motioned him closer with her hand. Vic leaned down. “What, Livy?”
“Well, what I don’t . . .”
“What you don’t . . . what?” Vic frowned when she didn’t answer. “Livy?”
That’s when Livy grabbed the back of Vic’s neck, pulled him closer, and kissed him. She didn’t know
why
she kissed the man. She had no idea. Maybe it was those damn lips. He had the nicest lips. And such a handsome face.
Even worse . . . Vic kissed her back. His arms going around her waist, he lifted Livy up and walked forward until Livy was pressed against the front door. Their kiss was desperate and demanding and completely unreasonable. Unreasonable because this hadn’t been Livy’s plan. She was supposed to send him off, for no other reason than to keep him safe. Getting involved with her family was dangerous. Unbelievably dangerous. And she didn’t want to be the reason anything happened to Vic.
But when he pulled away from her, his eyes locked on her mouth, his breathing hard, Livy knew she wouldn’t be able to “shoo” him away.
“I’ll get us some clothes,” he said, slowly removing his hands from her waist. “And Shen. He’ll be good help for this. Okay?”
Livy nodded, instinctively licking her lips, which she immediately stopped doing when Vic started growling at her.
With a hearty snort, Vic turned and started off toward his SUV. But he abruptly stopped, glared at Livy over his shoulder. “Don’t make me come look for you,” he ordered.
“What if I do?”
“Olivia.”
“Kidding. I’m kidding. I’ll be here.”
“Good.”
Livy watched Vic until he reached his SUV and drove off. She blew out a confused breath. Her heart had raced from that kiss. Her heart didn’t race from much of anything. Maybe good sex but just a kiss? What exactly was happening to her? Because she didn’t like it.
Deciding not to worry about this on top of everything else, Livy went back to the door, unlocked it, and stepped into the house.
Surprised to find the lights on, Livy walked down the marble-floored hallway, which reminded her of a very small Versailles, and past the living room by the stairs, where she heard what sounded like an episode of
Dr. Phil
coming from the large-screen TV . . .
Livy stopped walking, freezing right in the middle of the arched entrance, her gaze locked onto the twelve-year-old boy watching that large-screened TV from the couch.
“Kyle?” she snarled.
Eyes wide, Kyle Jean-Louis Parker slowly looked over at Livy. “Uh . . . Livy? Wow. Uh . . . hi?”
“Why aren’t you in Italy?” Livy demanded.
Kyle was an artistic prodigy, sculpting and painting his greatest strengths. He was so amazing, he’d been accepted into a prestigious Italian art school at the age of eleven while getting tutored in the basics like math and science so he wasn’t left behind scholastically.
Yet he was supposed to be in Italy receiving all that great education, not
here
in the middle of his parents’ rental home. And he especially wasn’t supposed to be in his parents’ rental home without his parents.
“Does Toni know you’re here?”
Kyle stared at Livy a moment before replying, “Sure.”
“You are the worst liar, Kyle Jean-Louis Parker,” Livy complained as she pulled out her cell phone to call Toni. There were just some lines Livy never crossed when it came to Antonella, and all those lines involved Toni’s siblings. And the kids knew that. So Livy had no qualms about ratting out Kyle to Toni, even if that meant Toni would be flying back from Russia on the wings of her rage.
But before Livy could complete the call, an arm reached around her and took the phone. Startled, she spun around, fangs unleashed, which had Cooper Jean-Louis Parker immediately crossing his arms over his chest, tucking his hands under his armpits, and barking,
“Not my hands! Not my hands!”
Livy retracted her fangs and gazed at the eldest male sibling of the Jean-Louis Parkers. “Not your hands? Most people tell me not to touch their face.”
“I can play without my eyes,” he said, now grinning. “Can’t play without my hands.” He held those hands up. “These babies are insured for a reason.”
Cooper was a pianist who’d been playing for massive audiences since he was five or so. Of all Toni’s siblings, he was the most normal. At least as normal as any child prodigy could be, she guessed.
“What’s going on?” Livy asked.
“We’re giving Kyle and all of Italy a break.”
Livy’s head tipped down as she studied the handsome jackal she thought of as her own brother. “Really?”
“They’re trying to control me!” Kyle yelled from the couch. “Control my brilliance! They have yet to realize they can’t control me! Their narrow, noncreative minds simply don’t understand what I’m trying to do! They can’t
conceive
—”
“Stop it, Kyle,” Livy cut in calmly.
“Whatever,” the boy muttered. “They don’t deserve me.”
Coop shook his head. “How do you do that?”
Livy was one of the few people Kyle ever listened to, but Livy had no idea why. Although if she had to guess . . . “He may have seen what I did to that squirrel who got between me and that beehive in your parents’ backyard. You know how cranky I get when the squirrels fight back.”
Coop chuckled and handed the phone back to Livy. Together they slowly walked down the hallway toward the kitchen. When they were out of earshot of Kyle, Coop said softly, “Don’t call Toni.”
“I don’t get between you guys and Toni, Coop. You know that.”
“I do know. But there’s no reason for her to come back right now. Cherise and I have control of the situation, and my parents know what’s going on.”
“What is going on?”
Coop smirked, shrugged. “He’s been fighting with all the teachers, making the other students homicidal
and
suicidal.”
“Aren’t these all
adult
students?”
“Oh yeah, they are.”
“Then why doesn’t the school just get rid of him?”
“The school doesn’t want to lose him. You should see the piece he made for his midterm project.” Shaking his head, mouth open a bit, Coop searched for the right words. “It was . . . breathtaking.”
If Coop thought it was breathtaking and he was willing to admit it out loud . . . Livy couldn’t wait to see it.
“So it was decided to give everyone involved a break. And since Cherise and I have a concert coming up in Manhattan, Mom and Dad thought a little winter break here would help Kyle.”
“Why not send him to Washington to be with your parents?”
“I think they were hoping a little Kyle-only time would be to his benefit. It’s a bit harder to make that happen when you’ve got five other kids to manage.”
Livy understood that. In all honesty, she’d never figured out how the family managed to do as well as they did. Eleven pups, ten of them prodigies, one of those prodigies a definite sociopath—it shocked many to find out that
wasn’t
Kyle—how could the family
not
fall apart? Yet they never did. Instead each of the children thrived in their own way.
The problem with Kyle, though, was that he wasn’t just an artist. He was also kind of a twisted psychologist-in-training. With a few choice words, he could destroy a person’s self-confidence and will to live. And although most of his siblings were so used to Kyle and so certain of their own brilliance, they could handle him, it still made for lots of fights. Fights that could get on anyone’s nerves eventually.
So letting Cooper and Cherise—the two oldest when Toni wasn’t around—manage him for a little while was most likely a good idea.
Unfortunately, it changed everything for Livy.
“Well, as long as you make sure Toni doesn’t get mad at me when she comes back,” she said to Coop.
“Don’t worry. I’ve got you covered.”
“Good. Thanks.” Livy walked around Coop to leave through the front door, but Coop caught hold of her arm, held her.
“Wait. Why are
you
here?” He raised a brow. “And why are you coming through the front door? You know . . . I don’t think I’ve seen you do that in a decade. Maybe longer.”
“It’s nothing.” She tried to walk away, but Coop gently tugged her back.
“Livy?”
“What?”
“Do you think only Toni can read you? What’s wrong? Why are you here?”
Livy lifted her free hand and dropped it. “It’s . . . it’s been a long week.”
Coop frowned. “And I’ve been tasked with taking care of
Kyle
. We all have problems, so just tell me.”
“It’s complicated. And I don’t have time to really tell you. I need to find a place to—”
“You can stay here.”
“It’s not just me, Coop. It’s my family. And with Kyle and Cherise here, I can’t bring them—”
“
Your
family is coming here?” a voice from the doorway eagerly asked.
Livy snarled. “Kyle—”
“Honey badgers? Honey badgers are coming to stay with us?”
“Kyle—”
Kyle clapped his hands together and turned in a goofy circle. “I’m so excited!” he cheered. “Honey badgers! Honey badgers! Honey badgers!”
Livy looked at Coop, but he could only shrug in confusion.
“Kyle, what are you going on about?” Livy demanded.
“Tell me your mother’s coming. Please! You think this time she’ll sit for me? I promise not to ask her to do it naked this time. But she has to wear red. She looks so amazing in red. She has those razor-sharp cheekbones.” Kyle stopped crowing long enough to look Livy over and add, “Guess you get your looks from your father, huh?”
Coop grabbed Livy’s arm again before she could go over there and throttle the kid.
“Honey badgers are coming!” Kyle yelled again. “Honey badgers!” He charged down the hallway and to the stairs. “I need to get my pencils and pad! Because honey badgers are coming!”
Livy and Coop stared at each other for several long seconds until Coop admitted what they were both thinking. “I really never saw that coming.”
Jessica Ann Ward-Smith, Alpha Female of the Kuznetsov wild dog Pack and wife and mate of the Alpha Male of the New York Smith Pack Bobby Ray Smith, was trying to get her daughter into the little T-shirt she’d purchased for her, but somehow that attempt had turned into a tugging match. A tugging match the little wolfdog was winning.
“Give it to me, Lissy!”
Laughing hysterically, her daughter dug her little feet into the kitchen table and kept pulling.
“Lissy, come on. Mommy has to go.”
But her daughter was in what Blayne called the “wolfdog zone,” where she became hyper-obsessed with just one thing. And that one thing, at the moment, seemed to be playing tug with her goddamn T-shirt.
“Auntie Jessie?” one of the other pups asked as he walked into the kitchen.