Page 14 of Daddy’s Hunted Bride

Eyes round, Lanie and Tabby lean in, but Marjorie just rolls her eyes. “You make it sound so dire, Vanessa.”

“It was dire!” Tears well in my eyes, but I ruthlessly blink them back, determined not to cry any more than I already have today. “You haven’t done a signing without me, no matter how small, in more than five years, Marjorie! And you haven’t been answering my texts or my calls or⁠—”

A sob bubbles up despite my attempts not to cry, and Marjorie’s face twists into a mask of horror. “Oh, please don’t cry, Vanessa. I’m sorry I worried you and you came all this way when I don’t need to be rescued.”

Says you. “Yeah, well, guess we’re both stuck here now.” I can’t help the resentment that comes through my words, though I do feel a little bad when Marjorie winces.

“It’s not so bad.” To my surprise, it’s sweet, soft-spoken Tabby who speaks up, her cheeks turning red when everyone turns to look at her. “I mean, it’s kind of weird being a baby all the time. But we don’t have to do anything but play all day if we don’t want to and someone does all the cooking and we don’t have to pay bills or clean or⁠—”

“Well, we do have to clean our rooms,” Lanie interjects, her eyes rolling up toward the ceiling as she lets out a long-suffering sigh. “And the living room whenever we get stuff out to play with down here. But that’s about it.”

“Oh, right.” Lifting one shoulder in a careless shrug, Tabby continues. “That barely counts, though. It’s not like we have to wash windows or anything. And I’d even be happy doing that if it meant I never had to see the inside of a stupid office building again.”

Curiosity gets the better of me, despite myself. “So how did you two get to be part of this, ah, family? I get Marjorie, since she knew them before they went on the lam or whatever, but what about you guys?”

“Ran away from my own wedding,” Lanie says with a grin. “But the church van I stole ran out of gas before I got very far and Daddy found me nearly frozen to death on the side of the road. He brought me home and I’ve been here ever since.”

“Got drunk and woke up married in Vegas.” Holding up her left hand, Tabby waggles her fingers, a diamond the size of a large man’s thumb glinting under the lights. “Well, I didn’t really get drunk. Daddy put something in my drink that made me feel more drunk than I was. But either way, I ended up married and then Daddy brought me home to meet his family.”

“So they kidnapped one of you and drugged the other. And nobody sees anything wrong with this?”

“I think that’s enough talk about the past, little ones.” There’s no questioning the authority in Gray’s voice, as much as I might want to. “Right now, we’re focused on the future. Take a look, sweetheart.”

A mirror appears in front of me, and for a moment I can only stare. The tiara nestled into the intricate braids seems almost alive, twisting vines of flowers with gemstone petals.

“Oh,” I breathe, reaching up with trembling fingers to touch the shimmering gold. “It’s beautiful.”

“You are beautiful, little fox,” a deep voice drawls from the doorway, and I look up to find Dane standing there, looking like a completely different man in a bespoke suit. Even his hair and beard seem more tame than they did when he was chasing me through the woods, and for a moment I forget everything about how I came to be here as I stare up at him in awe.

Stepping forward, he holds out a hand and I place my palm in his, allowing him to draw me up to stand in front of him. “Your Auntie Gray is right, little one. Today is about putting the past behind us and focusing on what’s ahead of us.”

My breath catches in my throat when he grips my chin between his fingers, hunger glinting in his eyes as he forces my head back. “And what might that be?” I manage to ask past the tightness in my chest.

I know what his answer will be before he even speaks. He’s told me, over and over again, but some part of me still refuses to believe it, even now. Even as his mouth curves up into a cruel, taunting smile.

“Why, our future, of course. Together. As husband… and wife.”

CHAPTER 7

DANE

There may be a sight in this world more intoxicating than that of my Little one’s eyes going wide with horror, but if there is, I haven’t found it.

“Please, don’t do this,” she whispers, that same horror echoing in every syllable of her protest. “If you let me go, I swear I won’t tell a single soul about you guys. I just want to go home.”

“This is your home now, little fox. And we are your family. I promise it won’t be all that bad.” Turning, I gesture to my nieces standing quietly by, a mix of excitement and apprehension brimming in their eyes. “Look at how happy your cousins are.”

As one, the three Little girls who have stolen all our hearts nod enthusiastically and I send up a prayer of gratitude for them.

Vanessa, however, does not seem swayed. “But I have a job. Friends. A real family who will worry about me when I don’t return home.”

Around me, my siblings shift uneasily at this news. But it’s Josie who catches my eye. The corners of her mouth have dipped down into a frown and she’s watching Vanessa with what looks almost like disappointment in her eyes.

Making a mental note to have Bram ask her about it later, I flash a comforting smile at my own Little girl. “We’ll make sure everyone knows you’re safe and sound in your new home when the time is right, little fox. For now, we need to get you ready for the ceremony.”

She glances to the side, and I can already see the wheels turning as she gauges the distance from where she stands now to freedom. Or at least, what she perceives as freedom.

“Don’t even think about it, Vanessa Marie.”