12. Sedrick
Sedrick
F uck. Two days later, I could still feel the phantom burn of Phil’s touch.
I’d been rubbing the spot on my arm incessantly for the past forty-eight hours.
Burt and Oliver had both commented on it.
Oliver had asked if I’d gotten a rash from Phil’s pixie dust. Burt had slapped him on the head but wound up giggling along with Oliver as they walked deeper into the mine.
I was glad they hadn’t stuck around long enough to figure out just how close to the truth Oliver had come.
It wasn’t Phil’s pixie dust that was bothering me. It was the fact that it wasn’t bothering me that was the problem. By all rights, my nose should be clogged, and I should have had at least half a dozen sneezing fits by now.
I’d barely felt a nasal twinge. It wasn’t normal.
“There he is.” Dillon pointed a finger and shot away from me like a bullet. Ruthie’s legs were shorter, but she kept up well enough. I didn’t bother to call either of them back. Their destination was obvious.
Phil.
Phil’s arms stretched open and wide as he bent down, a grin lighting up his face.
Ruthie slammed into his chest, and he picked her up as if she weighed nothing.
Phil’s wings fluttered happily behind him, and pink pixie dust littered the air, disappearing into nothing before it hit the ground.
A couple of brownies walked by, waving their hands in front of their faces to disperse the dust. They looked ready to say something, but their annoyed expressions melted when they saw Phil twirl with a giggling little werewolf girl in his arms. It seemed I wasn’t the only one swayed by his charm.
I’d decided to save Phil a flight out to the house this morning and meet him in town instead.
Rutherford Haven wasn’t huge, but it was big enough.
Virginia’s capital city had become increasingly unnecessary between the internet, home delivery, and Rutherford Haven town proper.
I’d only had to travel into Richmond a handful of times in the last thirty years.
“Hey, Phil.” Dillon’s greeting was less enthusiastic than Ruthie’s, but there was no less joy in it. I was relieved the kids had taken to Phil so easily.
“Good morning, Dillon.” Phil settled Ruthie back on the ground and took the time to give her a considering once-over. “Ruthie’s braids are perfect, Dillon. You did a great job.”
Dillon’s shoulders went back, and he beamed a little from within. Alpha’s loved praise, especially when it was given for caring for someone we thought of as our responsibility. I wasn’t sure if Phil understood what he did, but my internal wolf chuffed with pleased approval.
Dillon didn’t comment on the praise. He just absorbed it with a barely there nod. “Are you going shopping with us today?”
Phil blinked, and his wings twitched. “Um.” He looked at me, and his eyes immediately skittered to the side. He’d been like that since I’d yanked my arm away when he’d touched me. My wolf wasn’t nearly as pleased by that reaction.
“That’s up to Phil,” I said, stepping closer. “He’s more than welcome. In fact, I’d appreciate it if you’d come along. You know better than me what we need for the house.”
“Oh.” Phil’s booted feet lifted off the sidewalk as he flew into the air. “That would be . . . I mean, if you really think I could be helpful, I’d love to spend the day with you.”
I hadn’t thought much past the idea of meeting Phil for lunch.
Since I was with the kids and away from the house, technically, he could have had the day off if he wanted.
I was too selfish to offer. The truth was, I wanted to spend time with Phil.
Beyond our typical good morning greeting and goodbyes in the evening, most of what I knew about Phil was second-hand from Dillon.
Besides, I had a major snafu to make up for.
“Great.” I clapped my hands together in anticipation.
I’d dressed in what I considered better clothes than usual or at least less stained ones.
Phil had done wonders with the laundry, but there was only so much he could do with what he had to work with.
I’d also taken a bit more care in my grooming.
My beard was neatly trimmed, and I’d tried to style my hair a little.
Dillon recommended I try the conditioner he used on Ruthie’s hair.
I didn’t think Dillon understood why I wanted to put more effort into my appearance today.
Most likely he thought it was because we were headed to town.
Phil blushed, and it looked beautiful on his peaches-and-cream complexion.
Ruthie clasped Phil’s hand tight. Dillon didn’t touch Phil, but he did scoot closer.
Dillon gazed around as if calculating the area for threats.
My nephew was small, but he puffed up like he was Phil’s guardian.
My wolf would have been riled if Dillon were older.
As it was, my wolf found the action admirable and a little . . . cute.
“Where to first?” Phil asked.
I stared across the street at a store I didn’t want to step foot inside. I pointed across the street. “I need to head into Beezie’s Boutique.” Best to get the shitty aspect of the day out of the way.
Phil’s eyes shot wide, his lashes fluttering in time with his wings. There was a tinge of excitement I didn’t understand. “Beezie’s?”
“Yes,” I growled. “She’s the best clothier, and I need a suit.”
Phil’s eyebrows scrunched in confusion but then flew wide.
“Oh, I see.” Phil shot a look at where Ruthie’s hand was clasped in his.
I was glad he understood without the need to tell him the suit was for the custody hearing.
I didn’t want to spoil Dillon and Ruthie’s day.
I’d told them some of what was going on.
Just in case shit went sideways, I didn’t want to blindside them.
I also didn’t want to frighten them more than necessary.
When they first came into my care, I wasn’t sure what Will and Kelsie had told the kids about the Belviews.
I wasn’t even sure they knew the name. Turns out, they knew it very well, especially Ruthie.
She’d gone white as a sheet and started to hyperventilate.
That was before Phil had come into the picture, before I knew there was a court date, and before finding a suit was necessary.
But I knew, right then and there, I would do everything I could to keep the kids away from Arie.
That kind of fear came from somewhere, and I wouldn’t ignore it in my niece.
Dillon and Ruthie didn’t know just how far I’d go.
I suspected Ray did. Legally, Arie Belview didn’t have a clawed toe to stand on.
But there was no way I was counting on that.
Legality didn’t matter in Arie’s world. Power, ruthlessness, and money were the Belviews currency.
Arie might not know it, but I had two out of three, and I was more than willing to travel down into the lowest pits of morality if it meant keeping his claws off Dillon and Ruthie.
The Voss lineage might be a dying one, but we were a centuries-old pack, and Will and I’d been the culmination of that power—distilled down into two sole heirs.
Dillon and Ruthie were part of that powerful legacy, and sometimes I wondered if that was the reason Arie was so hell-bent on fighting for them.
If Arie did what I suspected he would and bought off the judge in the case, I had one last card to play—challenge.
I didn’t want shit to do with the Belview name, their money, or their endless holdings. But for the kids, I’d challenge Arie Belview for the right to his pack. Arie’s money and shady dealings wouldn’t mean fuck all inside the challenge ring.
I told Dillon there was a fine line between bravery and stupidity, and that was true.
I wasn’t na?ve enough to think I’d wipe the floor with Arie Belview.
In fact, there was a good chance I’d die trying.
I gave it fifty-fifty odds, which wasn’t something either Arie or I wanted to chance.
It’s why he’d left Will alone all those years and allowed his daughter to mate my brother.
Arie would have killed Will and been done with it long ago.
But Arie Belview hadn’t done that. He hadn’t challenged Will either. There were reasons for both those things.
“You two probably aren’t really interested in watching your uncle get measured for a fancy suit, are you?” Phil twisted his lips like he’d tasted something sour.
Dillon and Ruthie were easily convinced.
“Uncle Sed, do we have-ta go with you to the suit place?” Dillon shot me pleading eyes. He had no idea just how relieved I was for Phil’s distraction. The longer the kids were around me while I was shopping for a suit, the more questions they’d have, and I didn’t want to lie.
“No. Why don’t you go off and get started on the other shopping? Summer’s just around the corner, and you and Ruthie could use some new warmer-weather clothes. I think Phil can handle that just fine.”
Ruthie’s eyes perked up. Dillon didn’t act like that was a better choice but must have decided it was the lesser of two evils and didn’t complain.
I dug around in my wallet and pulled out a card Phil could use. “Get them what you think they need.”
A shower of pixie dust drowned the area. Again, my nose barely twitched. It didn’t affect the kids either. Weird.
“Are you sure?” Phil chewed madly on his bottom lip. “I don’t want to overstep and—”
“You’re not. Moon Goddess, you probably know what they need better than me.” And wasn’t that the truth? I hadn’t picked up so much as a dirty sock since Phil came into our lives.