Excerpt from
Lucas had had to chase Naya around the aerie at bedtime
last night—her walk might still be a little shaky, but she was a rocket when it
came to crawling. Dressed only in a diaper, she’d laughed uproariously and said
a loud, firm “No” each time Lucas caught her and put her in her crib.
After which she’d clamber out—she’d figured out how to
escape a month earlier—and the game would begin again. Of course, since Lucas
was a cat, he’d been having just as much fun as their daughter. Sascha,
meanwhile, had sat in the living room with a cup of hot chocolate and just
indulged in the sight of her mate playing with their cub.
She’d had to pretend to be stern when Naya ran over and
pleaded her case with loud sounds and wild gesticulations of her hands. “No,
Naya,” she’d said, biting her tongue in an effort not to laugh. “It’s time for
bed. Go with Papa.”
At which point, Naya had growled at her, eyes sparkling
with mischief.
And Sascha had cracked, laughing so hard she’d had to put
down her hot chocolate before she spilled it. Lucas had shaken his head as Naya
plopped down on her diaper-covered butt and joined in, clapping her hands at
having made her mommy laugh. “No discipline.” Lucas had mock-growled at her
before picking up their misbehaving baby. “And you”—a growly nuzzle that made
Naya laugh harder and pat his stubbled cheek—“time for bed.”
He’d finally got her to sleep—by walking around with her
pressed up against his bare chest.
Today, their cub was playing in the living area just
outside the kitchen nook. Sascha had locked the aerie door to ensure Naya
wouldn’t undo the latch and go out onto the balcony, and Lucas had childproofed
the entire main area of the aerie, so Naya was free to roam as she liked. A lot
of the time she practiced her walking skills. And no matter how often she fell
down, she started back up again after a little break.
Stubborn, determined baby.
Peeking out from the kitchen, Sascha found her
concentrating on stacking the colored alphabet blocks Faith and Vaughn had
given her as a gift. Beside her sat a more than slightly ragged wolf plush toy,
aka “The Toy That Shall Not Be Named.” Hawke had given that to Naya when she
was a newborn, and it remained her favorite snuggle toy, much to her father’s
despair.
Though Lucas did enjoy it when Naya went leopard on the
toy, growling and “fighting” with the wolf. Then he’d smile and say, “That’s my
girl.”
Posted by arrangement with Berkley Books, a member of Penguin
Group (USA) LLC, A Penguin Random House Company. Copyright © Nalini Singh, 2016.
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