#Chapter 15 – Water Playing

“Bed?!” I call out to the boys, surprised by their request. “It’s only…7 o’clock. You haven’t even had dinner!”

“Bed, bed!” the two boys shout, leaping to their feet and running around the pool. “Let’s go to bed!”

“Okay,” I say, shrugging. “Sorry Victor,” I say, turning to him. “Looks like the boys want to go home.”

“NO!” Ian shouts. “We can go to bed here! Dad has a BIG bed – we saw it upstairs! You said we could have a sleepover!”

“Yes, they should sleep here,” says Victor, eager to keep control.

“Bed! Bed! Bed!” The boys begin to chant, climbing on the ping pong table and hopping around.

“Boys, get down from there,” I say, anxious. I walk over and reach out my arms to lift them down.

“No!,” Ian shouts, an impish expression on his face. “You have to catch me first! And then we’ll go to BED!” Shrieking with laughter, he and Alvin leap from the table and fly by me, running around the pool.

“NO running!” Victor shouts, authoritative, expecting them to obey. The boys ignore him, laughing harder, jumping over lounge chairs and pushing floats into the pool.

“Boys!” I shout, using my best mom voice. It has no effect. I move towards the edge of the pool as they come around it, making a full circle. They’ll have to run right past me.

“Catch us! Catch us!” They shriek, dodging me and zipping by. I reach out as fast as I can, snatching at the tail of Ian’s shirt – missing – reaching for Alvin’s arm –

Suddenly, I feel my left leg go out from beneath me. I stumble sideways and gasp, seeing nothing but blue pool before me when – bam! I feel a strong arm around my waist, pulling me back and steadying me.

“Are you all right, Evelyn?” I gasp as Victor pulls me to him, holding me steady until I find my feet.

the boys, avoiding eye contact as he holds me close. “Stilettos

Victor murmurs, finally taking

out of the blue, from behind Victor I hear Ian shout: “LET’S PLAY MARCO POLO!”

surface frantically, gasping for air, just in time to see

I shout, full of rage.

game. I struggle to the side of the pool and support

mid-laugh. Victor is standing in the shallow end about ten feet away, teeth fully bared, full Alpha asserting his authority over his pack. If he

come to heel. NOW.” The boys, silent, paddle towards him

gathers one boy under each arm, holding them still with absolute strength. “You boys,” he growls, “will learn

mumble. I raise my eyebrows, never having seen them

setting them on the concrete where they stand silent and still. Then he pulls his sopping dress shirt off over his head, tossing it in a soggy pile on the ground, and moves to take the boys’ shirts off too so that they can begin to get

than he was five years ago, his supposed prime. His

to me and I

to the

I say sternly, making my way over to all three. “That was

as Victor hands me a towel from a bin. “While we discuss it, why don’t you two go wash off all this chlorine in the shower,” I say, nodding my head at Victor’s fancy outdoor bathing area. God, he

nod and begin to dash over to the shower. “Walk!” I shout after them, “and

say, drying myself off as best I can, grimacing at my ruined

a lot of energy and need a firm hand, like you said. They remind me…a lot of myself, when I was

now. I have trouble thinking

he says, raising an eyebrow at me. “I’d think that you, of all people, could maybe think of a time when I was…impulsive.” At this, his eyes wander down my body

horribly and turn my back to him, pretending to concentrate on drying my hair. Victor laughs behind me, not falling for it. “Come on, Evelyn, let’s

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