Muddled Mutt by Willow Mason

Author:Willow Mason [Mason, Willow]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2019-12-11T22:00:00+00:00

Chapter Eleven

If I was astounded, my father was distinctly unimpressed.

“I’ve told you on multiple occasions, I’m not interested in parenting. Why on earth did you bring these two such a long way?”

I rubbed my chest and tried another tentative sip of water. This time, the liquid went down the right way, doing nothing to lessen the sting of rejection.

“I’m not in need of a parent if anyone had thought to ask me,” I muttered, staring darkly at my glass.

“Sire, there’s more to her than meets the eye.”

“Yes. I presume she’s the origin of the rather unpleasant smell, too.”

I daintily rearranged the cutlery in front of me, lingering with pleasure on the knife. The tip of the blade might be dull and rounded, but that just meant it wouldn’t stick in a man’s ribs on the way to piercing his heart.

The thought made me smile.

“Aloysius, I’ve gone to a lot of trouble to come home for this dinner. Are you telling me this unwanted familial reunion is the only reason why?”

“With respect, at the beginning of the year, you wondered aloud how your daughter turned out. Well, now you know!”

“You couldn’t bring me a photo? Hack her social media feed?”

I cleared my throat since I was apparently invisible. The two men briefly turned to me, then resumed glaring at each other.

“Charming family you have,” Beezley said, jumping enthusiastically into the middle of the table when a waiter brought out a platter of cold meats and cheeses. “No wonder you live with a dog.”

“She can do black magic,” I heard Aloysius shout in his vain attempt to prove my value. “I’ve seen her bring down a hotel with a single pulse.”

“Really?” For the first time, my father turned to me with an appraising stare. “Show me something.”

“She’s collared at the moment.” Aloysius bowed and simpered. “But I’ve got something better than a magic show planned.”

His tone sent a wriggle of fear snaking down my spine. I reached for the nape of my neck, pretending to scratch as I plucked the sticker loose. My mum had told me as a child that my father’s absence was ‘no loss.’ Until now, sitting here in his unimpressed company, I hadn’t felt the depths of the anger behind her words.

No one with a shred of human decency would act the way these two acted. Even my admittedly poor manners seemed stolen from a guidebook to polite society in comparison.

The collar came apart, and I tossed it on the table, standing up with crimson light swathed around my hands. “I think it’s time we left,” I announced, acting as though I was about to sweep out of there like a floozy on her way to a date with a bottle.

Aloysius stood and held his hands out towards me. “Wait! We haven’t got to the best bit yet!”

I moved my hands around, letting the spells sing their song louder. Beezley took shelter behind me but was the only one who seemed impressed. “I said, we’re leaving.”

“Not until I make you an offer.

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