If she could, she would give her sister that gift. But it wasn't within her control.
"Whatever, Dee. I'll see you later."
Vane and Fury were outside in the yard with the Lab again.
"You wouldn't want to take him home with you, would you?" Paul asked as Fury played with the dog. "Valerius would piss his drawers," Fury said. "Can I?"
Vane laughed. "Sure. But Cujo will probably end up at Sanctuary."
"You know," Paul said, "I should have thought of asking the bears about that myself."
Vane gave Paul a suspicious look. "Pardon?"
"But then, since he's just a dog and not a Were, I didn't think about the bears welcoming him in."
Vane couldn't have been more stunned had Paul kicked him.
"Close your mouth, Vane," Paul said in a fatherly tone. "I'm the leading vet in the state. Carson is still learning the practice. Who do you think he calls when there's something he can't deal with?"
Carson was the resident veterinarian at Sanctuary. A Were-Hunter himself, he was only fifty years old, which in their world made him not much more than a child. "I know all about Fang, too," Paul continued.
Fury came forward to stand before the fence. He put his hand up on the links as he stared in disbelief at Paul. "Why did you let us come here?"
Paul took Vane's hand in his. The mark was hidden. "You didn't have to cover it.
I knew the minute Bride told me your name what had happened. And I know how you guys guard your mates. I can't say I'm exactly happy about this, but at least I don't have to fear you will ever hurt her the way Deirdre was hurt."
Vane clenched his fists. "Does Joyce"
"No. She knows nothing about your world and I want to keep it that way.
I've never told anyone about Sanctuary." Paul let go of Vane's hand. "If you're looking for my blessing, you have it. I wasn't sure until I saw you two at dinner. It's been a long time since I've seen my little girl so happy. But remember, if you ever hurt her" He glanced over to where a dog was in a cage with a cone around his head.
"Ah man," Fury breathed. "That's just sick."
"I definitely concur," Vane agreed.
"Yeah well, Bride is my baby and I know how to use a tranq gun and a scalpel."
Vane cringed as Fury cupped himself.
"Vane?"
They turned to see Bride walking toward them.
Paul stepped back. "Let me get you a leash for"
"We won't need it," Fury said, opening the gate and letting the dog out with him.
"No, I guess not," Paul said. He went to pet the dog, who snapped at him.
"Behave," Fury said, pulling Cujo back.
Bride hesitated as she drew near.
"And you better not nip at Bride," Vane warned. "Or we'll leave you here."
The dog wagged its tail and sat down.