Not Your Ex's Hexes (Supernatural Singles, #2)(35)
“See. Hurt feelings.” His half-brother faux-pouted before turning toward Rose. “If you and your sisters lived apart for years without a single call, text, or Google search, and one of them suddenly moved back to town without telling you, how would you feel, Rose?”
“I … don’t know.” She shot Damian an apologetic look. “We wouldn’t go that long without seeing or hearing from one another. If we go an entire day, the others would form a search party.”
Julius flashed her the mega-smile that used to get his brother anything he wanted growing up. “That must be nice. Doesn’t that sound nice, Damian?”
“Only if I had a sibling other than you.”
Rose frowned.
Julius chuckled. “Glad to see you haven’t changed much, brother.”
“Actually, I’ve changed a lot. Thanks for the assist with Alpha Asshole, but don’t feel like you have to stick around.”
“Trying to get rid of me already?”
“Noticed that, did you?” Damian’s arm slid around Rose’s waist, and surprisingly, she let him guide her back to the bowling alley’s entrance.
They didn’t get far before Julius’s voice followed. “You realize you can’t run away from me forever, right? Or him.”
Damian shot his half-brother a warning glare. “I’ve done fine for the last few years. I imagine I’ll do fine for a few dozen more.”
“But are you really doing fine?” Julius looked casual, his hands tucked deep into his suit pockets. “From what I hear, that little project of yours is seconds away from shutting its doors due to a lack of funds.”
“Then I guess you better get all of that ear wax removed because you’re not hearing very well, or accurately,” Damian lied.
“If you played nice, I could find you work that’s more suitable to your talents. Imagine all the dog biscuits and hay bales you could buy with one of your regular payouts.”
Damian didn’t want to think about it because when he did, he reluctantly admitted that his brother was right. One Hunting assignment would take care of the most pressing things that needed to be done around the sanctuary, things like making sure the water and heat weren’t shut off. A second Hunt would put them very close to breaking even, if not slightly ahead.
But he wasn’t sure if he was willing to pay the price. “I’m really not in the mood to sell my soul to the devil—or you, so I’ll pass.”
“Always so dramatic, little brother,” Julius called when Damian reached out to open the door for Rose. “What you’re doing isn’t natural, Damian. Suppressing him will only lead to more trouble down the line.”
Him.
Damian’s inner demon.
“Natural or not, I’ll deal with it,” Damian retorted.
“You know where I’ll be when you realize you need help, and I’ll even be the bigger brother and reassure you that I won’t turn you away.”
Damian threw a glare over his shoulder. “I don’t need your type of help, Jules.”
And he didn’t.
Once upon a time, he’d done exactly what his brother had wanted. Hell, he’d striven to be a damn demon carbon copy and all it got him was hit, hammered, and hexed.
Literally.
9
Puppy Power
Eagerly clicking that much-desired item into your online shopping cart only to find it already sold out was almost as horrific as setting up the sanctuary’s puppy cam. Rose had been at it for an hour, used three different kinds of tape and a bungee cord, and the damn thing still kept tipping over the second she released her hold.
The next attempt would be with the Gorilla Glue in her back jeans pocket, and if all else failed, she’d magically seal the damn thing to the wood beam and hope for the best.
Eager whines from below had her glancing into Bella’s birthing stall. The once-sad rescue rolled playfully in the puffy blanket mounds, licking at the squirming bundles of fur in encouragement to keep searching for the milk they sensed nearby.
When Rose arrived at the sanctuary before sunrise to help Miguel feed the pups, her offhanded comment about Bella helping puppy-sit the new additions had led to Miguel’s light bulb moment and the two of them making introductions between the six little critters and the sad pooch. Hearing the puppies’ little noises, Bella’s head had instantly popped up from where it had rested on her front legs.
And the rest—they say—was history.
Bella instantly took to the puppies, bathing them and bringing them to her bed one by one until they all assumed a feeding position. Rose cried, and not a stray, single tear. She’d sobbed profusely until she became a snot-producing mess. Miguel, the sweet man he was, didn’t say a word as he’d handed her a cloth tissue and supportively patted her back.
Two hours later and not only did the puppies have full tummies, but so did Bella, who’d eagerly gobbled up every drop of food and water in her bowls as if knowing she’d need the extra calories and energy to take care of her new charges.
Today was a day of possibilities … and maybe later, of naps.
But lack of sleep and tech issues aside, she was first determined to get the puppy cam running before Doc Grump-A-Lot made an appearance. That way she could prove to him not only that her idea would work but that it had the potential to go above and beyond their expectations.