Knowing he was a sucker, but unable to resist, he picked her up—doll and all—and sat her on his lap, where she curled into a contented little ball, her ear over his heart. A wave of tenderness swept over him and he cupped the back of her head in a gentle hold.
“Riley?”
“Hmm?” He stroked his hand over the sleek black fall of hair she’d inherited from her mother.
“Have you seen my daddy?”
Riley went over the roster in his head. “Elias should be coming back within half an hour.”
“I’ll stay and wait.”
“Did you tell your mom?” he asked, thinking that while the hair had come from Yuki, the eyes were indisputably Elias’s.
A nod. Tiny fingers braiding her doll’s silky hair. “Riley?”
“Sakura.”
A giggle. “Did you see my tooth?” She tilted up her head. “See, I lost two.”
“Where’d they go?” he teased.
Another giggle, innocent and bright. “Mom said you should come have coffee with her and Dad.”
Riley raised an eyebrow. “She did?”
“Uh-huh. And she even made pecan pie.”
Riley loved pecan pie, as Yuki well knew. “Your mom’s sneaky.”
“That’s what Dad says.” She snuggled closer and he tightened his arms, very aware of her fragility. He couldn’t believe one of his tough soldiers had produced this tiny creature, but it was true. Half the time, Elias didn’t seem to believe it either. The other half, he strutted around like the proud papa he was.
“How come she’s sneaky?”
“She wants to ask me questions, and she’s bribing me with pie.” He had no doubts that Yuki wanted to grill him about Mercy. Damn nosy packmates.
“Oh.” Her attention was on her doll. “Do you think she looks pretty?”
“Very. Just like you.”
A sunny smile was his reward. “I like you, Riley.”
Riley felt his heart tighten. He liked Sakura, too. Brenna had once asked him if he’d had enough of parenthood what with having to shoulder so much responsibility in raising her and Andrew, but Riley had never seen it that way. To protect and raise a child was a gift. “What’s your doll’s name?”
“Mimi.” Putting the doll on her lap, she patted his chest. “Riley?” A whisper.
He bent his ear to her lips.
“I ate some of your pie when Mom wasn’t looking.”
Riley burst out laughing, realizing she’d come to hide from the results of her misdemeanor. It amused the wolf in him, too. Because this pup was one of his own, part of a pack both man and wolf had vowed to protect. Now another loyalty was starting to rise, and it confused him on every level, making him question truths so integral to his life that they simplywere.
Until her.
If this fire between them turned dark and exploded outward, it had the potential to devastate both SnowDancer and DarkRiver.
Still, he wondered how Mercy felt about kids . . . if a child was even possible between two such divergent changeling groups.
CHAPTER 22