Page 76 of The Devils They Are
"I love to bake but this puts me to shame," I grin.
My gaze drifts back to Tai, momentarily forgetting his presence in my euphoric cookie moment. "Your mom is amazing."
He blinks before breaking out into a smile—one without sinister motive. The sugar starts to rush to my head because for a moment, my stomach clenches at the new expression. It's so different from his usual smirks and grins, that I almost forget about the cookie in my hand.
"This is Mary," Tai murmurs warmly. "She's our designated house queen and carer."
"Oh." Embarrassment floods my face. "I'm so sorry. I shouldn't have assumed."
Mary laughs again, the tone so warm and friendly that it makes me think of hugs and cozy Sundays. She reaches out and pats my shoulder gently. "It's lovely to meet you—?"
"Bexley," I answer, rising to my feet to shake her hand. She beams back at the gesture, letting me greet her properly.
"Bexley," she repeats with a smile, and I'm surprised to hear the lack of acknowledgement that usually comes from anyone associated with Willowbrook when they hear my name. "Pleasure to meet you, sweetheart. If you need anything, I'll be downstairs."
Mary makes her way back to the door, pausing to shoot Tai a final look. "Shall I take Calvin for a walk?"
"I'll do it," he answers softly, his face full of adoration. "He's too strong for his own good."
"If I can handle you, I can handle Calvin," she muses. "But he'll like that. He misses you during the day."
She vanishes down the hall and I hold back a laugh at Tai's flushed face.
"She seems nice," I say, amused. "Who's Calvin?"
In an instant, Tai's face changes again, a big grin reflecting back at me.
"Come on." He abandons the study papers. "I'll take you to meet him."
Chapter twenty-seven
Tai
Calvincomesbarrelingoutof the kennel not a second after I open the back sliding door.
I hold back a laugh as Bexley freezes in disbelief, not even bothering to move out of the way as the giant furball lunges at us—well me, anyway.
"Oof." The air is forced out of my body as Calvin tackles me, his big pink tongue leaving a trail of saliva up my cheek. I have to take a step back to steady myself, wrapping my arms around the big fluff monster. "Bexley, meet Calvin."
At the mention of their introduction, Calvin jumps down, tail wagging as he sniffs Bexley's ankles. Most girls who have seen Calvin tend to squeal and stumble away due to his sheer size, but I'm surprised when Bexley leans down, putting her face right in the firing line as she gasps excitedly.
"Oh, aren't you just the cutest thing ever?" Bexley mumbles between slobbery licks.
"Incoming."
There's no time for my warning as the second large pup-sicle crash tackles us. Between the two of them, both Bexley and I end up on the lush grass outside the door, pinned down while the two behemoths attack us with hugs and canine kisses. In theory, perhaps I should have forewarned her before opening the door, but is it wrong that I wanted it to be a surprise?
The sound of free laughter reaches my ears and every nerve ending in my body stills, captivated by the noise of pure joy. Pushing to my feet, I glance down at Bexley sprawled on the grass, her purple hair surrounding her like a halo. Her eyes are squeezed shut to protect her emerald irises from the extra moisture, but even closed, her whole face is lit up like a Christmas tree. She looks carefree and happy, and I realize in this moment that I've never witnessed this side of her.
Sure, I've been on the receiving end of many smirks and shit-eating grins from her—usually at the warehouse or school—but this is different. And coupled with the recent information that Ry filled me in on, I'm not prepared for how much it affects me. To see her genuinely happy, walls down… I'm starting to see why Ry became so captivated by her.
I let out a sharp whistle. "Alright, down boys!"
On my cue, the two pups scoot back, sitting down above her head. I step over, glancing down at the grass-angel spread out beneath me. She pries her eyes open, face not changing as she smiles up at me.
Shit. I really don't like the way it's making me feel. I need to remember this is Bexley Spencer I'm dealing with. She's our sworn enemy, the nightmare in my daydreams. Except for a split second, the nightmares don't seem like a bad place.
Maybe this is how she charmed her way into Ry's mind. Fucking succubus.
