Page 56 of Knotted their Beauty

“No, who and why?” I rasp, trying desperately not to cough in her face.

“A frog! Why is there a frog in your throat? Arlo!”

My omega sounds strangled, and I can tell he’s fucking laughing at my very awkward situation.

“Baron put it there,” I reply. “Have you met him yet?”

“We had breakfast,” Calista says cheerfully. “You missed that.”

The guilt a child can evoke is impressive. She releases my eyelids and seems to be waiting for something. My brains are too scrambled to work today. Ugh, I’m going to kill or fuck Baron for this. I can’t decide which one yet.

“The frog, Lennox. Cali wants to know how you get rid of it,” Arlo coaxes.

“Oh. Water. That’ll chase him out,” I say, turning my face away as I begin to cough.

“Arlo! Help,” Calista squeals, getting up and running to the kitchen.

“You have my kid running errands for you now?” Ves asks, leaning over the arm of the couch.

“Not at all,” I gasp, coughing some more. “I’m just trying not to die. Thanks for the concern.”

I swallow back anything else I might want to say because there are little ears close by and I pull myself up. At least my wrists are no longer duct taped together. I bring a sleepy Rufus with me, whispering about what a good boy he is as I do.

Ves is glaring holes into my body, but that’s not my damn problem right now.

“What did I do now?”

“Here’s your water,” Cali says cheerfully. It’s in a spill proof straw cup and it immediately makes me smile.

“Thanks, Cali. That’ll fix me right up.”

Sipping from the straw, it’s warm and feels great on my throat. The door to the suite opens and shuts, and I raise my brow.

“Is he awake yet?” Baron asks.

“I chased out the frog you put in his throat!” Cali announces, making me grin around the straw. She is fucking awesome. “That wasn’t very nice, Baron.”

“I’m…sorry?”

Mmhmm. Someone obviously doesn’t apologize very often.

“Cali, can you color in my room for a bit?” Ves asks. “You can listen to music as loud as you want, too.”

Ah, time for the dreaded talk. Wonderful. Baron heads into the little kitchenette behind me, and I think about the fact that I’m stranded here thanks to him.

Seeing Cali is nice, but why let me see her when I’m going to be thrown out on my ass? It just feels cruel.

“Can I take Rufus in with me if you’re going to have an adult chat?” Cali asks. Her eyes get impossibly large, and I start to get concerned. “Is Lennox in trouble?”

“No,” Ves says, frowning. “Why do you think that?”

“You have the face you get right before you start yelling. Sometimes, I think your head is gonna pop right off!”

Arlo sputters before he drops behind the couch and I chuckle under my breath. Oh, she definitely knows her daddy well.

“I promise to keep the head popping to a minimum,” Ves says calmly. “I’m not mad, but I do need to talk about things that aren’t appropriate for you.”

“Rufus doesn’t need to hear this either,” I tell Cali with a wink, placing him on the ground. “Get your things together, and he’ll follow you as you walk.”