Page 27 of Daddy’s Muse (Bloody Desires #12)

Colby

As I woke the next morning, the spot beside me was warm, Pappa’s scent still clinging to the pillow, and for a second I thought he was still there. But then I heard the faint clatter of pans from the kitchen, and a smile tugged at my lips.

I slipped out of bed, padding out of the bedroom and stopping to pick up Butter from her corner in the den on my way to the kitchen. Butter yawned as I got him settled against my chest.

As we walked into the kitchen, Pappa stood at the stove, sleeves rolled up, broad shoulders looking very yummy in the morning light. My heart did that fluttering thing it always did when I saw him like this.

“Good morning, sweetheart,” he said without looking up, flipping something in the pan. “Sit down. Breakfast is almost ready.”

I deposited Butter on the table at the spot next to me, then pulled out my chair to sit down. “Did you make something for Butter, too?”

That got his attention. He turned, brow arching, like he couldn’t quite believe I was serious. “Baby boy, I don’t think rabbits are supposed to sit on kitchen tables,” he admonished, the corner of his lip twitching up.

“But she should eat with us, don’t you think? It’s… like a family meal.”

Pappa stared at me for a beat too long, then huffed out a quiet laugh that wasn’t really mocking but still made my stomach flutter.

“ Pleaaase , Pappa,” I pouted, giving him my best puppy dog eyes.

“Okay, okay,” he laughed, shaking his head as he went to fetch some lettuce leaves and carrot bits from the fridge.

Pappa set a plate piled high with veggies in front of Butter and a plate of pancakes and fruit in front of me. I pretended not to notice Pappa’s smirk as we both dug in.

Halfway through the meal, Pappa’s tone shifted. “Colby, I’ll need to be out for a few hours today. I have some work to take care of.”

I stilled, fork halfway to my mouth. “Work? What kind of work?”

“Nothing you need to worry about.” His eyes lifted to mine, sharp, almost warning, before softening again. “Just… something I have to handle. I’ll leave lunch in the fridge for you, and I expect you to stay inside. Don’t answer the door, no matter what. Understand?”

My chest tightened with unease, though I nodded slowly. “Yeah, I understand. I just… didn’t know you had a job. You’re always here with me.”

He smiled faintly, as if it amused him that I questioned it.

“I take on projects now and then. I wanted to make sure you settled in here, so I’ve been on a break, but something pretty important came up that needs my attention.

” His eyes lingered on me, his expression pinched like he wasn’t happy about leaving.

“It won’t take long. Just a few hours. Do you think you can handle that, baby? I’m a bit nervous leaving you alone.”

I swallowed a bite, trying to chase away the creeping nerves. “It’s okay. I’ll stay here. Just… don’t be gone too long, Pappa. Please?”

His hand reached across the table, covering mine, grounding me with the weight of his palm. “Never longer than I have to.”

I squeezed back, heart softening.

* * *

The movie I’d picked out droned on in the background, bright colors flashing across the TV, but I couldn’t focus.

The couch felt too big without Pappa sitting there, his larger-than-life presence filling the space.

I hugged a pillow to my chest for a while, then finally gave up and clicked off the TV.

I groaned and wondered what Pappa was up to.

Butter’s soft thump from her pen caught my attention. She hopped toward the edge, ears twitching, as if sensing my restlessness.

“Yeah, you’re bored too, huh?” I sighed, crouching down to scoop her up.

She nuzzled against my chin, little nose twitching, and my heart squeezed.

Carrying her to the coffee table, I set out the brush Pappa had bought.

“Okay, Butter,” I said, like she could understand, “today we’re gonna make you extra beautiful.

Then maybe we’ll… I dunno. Play hide and seek?

Or you can watch me color. Or…” My words trailed off as her fur came loose in the bristles, soft as clouds.

She blinked up at me, utterly silent, but I kept talking anyway.

“You don’t answer back, but that’s okay. I like your quiet noises a lot.”

I giggled softly and leaned down to kiss her head.

After brushing her, I carried Butter to the kitchen and pulled my laptop onto the counter.

I was still feeling a bit guilty about my sudden absence from tutoring.

The Academic Success Office, which oversaw the school’s tutoring program, had emailed me a few days ago to inform me that they were assigning new tutors to my regular students.

I was glad that Elijah and the rest of them wouldn’t fall too far behind because of me, but I still felt like I’d abandoned them. What if their new tutors weren’t good fits for them?

Opening my email, I drafted a new message, stating that I could offer sessions over video chat if they were interested.

I sent it to half a dozen of my students before closing the laptop with a sigh.

Butter stretched next to the closed laptop, drawing my eyes. My lips curved, and a sudden idea sparked.

“What if we go outside?” I whispered, glancing toward the door. Pappa’s words echoed— don’t leave the house. But if I stayed close, right by the door, he wouldn’t even have to know.

Butter deserved some sun, didn’t she?

Excitement flickered in my chest as I grabbed a blanket from the hall closet. I carried it and Butter to the back door, pushing it open just enough for the warm air to spill in. My heart pounded, a little thrill buzzing under my skin as I stepped onto the porch.

“See? No big deal,” I whispered, mostly to myself. I spread the blanket on the grass and sat down, setting Butter gently beside me. She sniffed the air, then hopped around like she’d been waiting for this moment her whole life.

I laughed quietly, legs curled beneath me as I stroked her back. “Don’t tell Pappa, okay? This’ll be our secret.”

The sun was warmer than I expected, soaking into my skin in a way that made me want to melt right into the blanket. Butter darted from one side of the fabric to the other, her little nose twitching nonstop like she was discovering an entire new world just a few feet from our back door.

I hugged my knees, resting my chin on top. “See? This isn’t scary at all. Pappa just worries too much.” My voice dipped to a whisper, guilt tugging even as I said it. “But it’s not like we left . The door’s just right over there. It’s safe.”

Butter froze for a second, ears pricked at some sound I couldn’t hear, then resumed exploring. I smiled, smoothing a hand down my arm. My chest loosened for the first time all morning. Maybe I could handle being alone, at least for a few hours.

I lay back, staring up at the sky and the trees obscuring it. Maybe I could somehow prove to Pappa that it was okay for me to go outside.

“Wouldn’t that be nice?” I murmured to Butter, who had flopped on her side near my hip.

“We could go anywhere. You, me, and Pappa. Maybe to the park, or the mountains, or… or even the ocean.” I reached over and stroked Butter’s soft back, needing the contact.

“I’ll ask him someday. Maybe he’ll say yes.

He seems to really like saying yes to me,” I chuckled softly.

The back door gave a faint creak as the breeze tugged it, and my heart jumped into my throat. I sat up fast, glancing toward the house, but no one was there.

I let out a shaky laugh, pressing a hand over my chest. “Scaredy-cat,” I whispered to myself. “You’re fine. We’re fine.”

Still, I shifted a little closer to the blanket’s edge, closer to the door, just in case.

Every time Butter darted into the grass, she stopped just far enough away to nibble before bounding back toward me.

I lay on my side and propped my head in my hand, grinning at her. “You’re braver than me, huh? Running off without even checking if it’s safe.” My voice softened. “Guess you trust me to keep an eye on you.”

Butter flicked her ears, utterly unbothered, and I smiled.

I stretched out, toes wiggling against the grass, and let my eyes wander. It was so nice out here.

“I think Pappa needs a fire pit for s’mores, don’t you?” I asked Butter, nodding along when she began making happy little noises. “Yes, you’re so right.”

It was hard to determine exactly what was part of Pappa’s property. There were no fences or lines in the dirt—just forest.

Lots and lots of forest.

“I could bring my coloring books out here,” I told Butter.

Butter nosed at my ankle before flopping onto her tummy in the grass. Her little body stretched long, fur catching the light like spun silk.

I chuckled, reaching to scratch between her ears. “Okay, fine. You win. Nap time it is.”

I curled on the blanket beside her, warmth soaking into me from both the sun and the earth beneath. My eyelids drooped, and before long I drifted into that hazy in-between space—half awake, half dreaming—where everything felt soft and easy.

The distant sound of a car passing snapped me halfway back. I stiffened, eyes darting around. The sound faded quickly, just someone driving by, but my pulse took longer to settle.

Butter shifted, unconcerned, and I whispered, “Don’t tell Pappa we cheated, okay?” My lips curved in a small smile. “It’ll be our secret.”

Butter squirmed a little when I picked her up, but then relaxed against my chest, her tiny heart fluttering so quickly I could feel it through my shirt.

“Come on,” I whispered, tucking my chin over her soft head. “Let’s see what else is out here. Just a quick adventure and then we’ll go back inside to wait for Pappa.”

I stepped off the blanket and padded across the grass, the blades cool and ticklish under my bare feet.

It felt almost… forbidden, sneaking further into Pappa’s backyard like this, but it also made something bubble up inside me—a nervous, giddy kind of thrill.

It felt like we were on a secret spy mission.

Butter’s ears twitched as we passed a patch of wildflowers near the fence. I crouched down to let her sniff, laughing under my breath when her nose wiggled frantically. “You like those, huh? I’ll pick some for you next time.”

We wandered further, stopping every other step to look at something new. I hummed softly to fill the quiet.

It wasn’t until the grass became thicker, the trees leaning closer overhead, that I realized just how far I’d gone. When I turned to look back, the cabin was still in sight, but smaller now, a good distance away.

That was when I noticed it—the shed.

It loomed a little further in the distance, tucked between two large trees and almost hidden by some big thorny bushes. The faded wood appeared warped with age, but the structure still seemed well-maintained.

There was nothing inherently spooky about it, but maybe I’d seen one too many horror movies, so an old shed in the forest wasn’t super appealing.

Pappa’s voice came back to me then, and I remembered that he’d asked me not to go near the shed because it was dangerous.

I shifted Butter in my arms, my throat dry. “We should go back,” I whispered, already turning halfway toward the house.

And then—

Clink.

The sound was faint, but clear like metal on metal. My breath caught.

I froze, eyes locked on the shed. Butter twitched in my arms, ears pricking, and the tiny movement made my skin crawl.

Another noise followed, muffled this time. A scrape? A shuffle?

I swallowed hard, suddenly hyper aware of how quiet everything else was, like even the birds had gone still.

The horror movies had also taught me that when a forest went completely silent, it was time to get the fuck out of there.

And yet…

“Pappa…?” I whispered before I could stop myself, though I knew he wasn’t there, or at least shouldn’t have been.

My heart hammered against my ribs, torn between running back to the safety of the house and satisfying my curiosity. I held Butter a little tighter to my chest as I padded up to the shed.

The closer I crept, the more wrong everything felt. The shed wasn’t just old wood and shadows anymore—it was watching me , somehow.

The boards were fitted tightly, but as I circled along the side, I found a narrow crack where the covering over the small window had warped. My pulse thudded so quickly that I was sure it would give me away.

I leaned in, one eye pressed to the gap.

At first, it was just dark, full of shapes I couldn’t make out. My breath fogged the glass, and I almost turned away.

But then, something shifted in the gloom—a person.

I blinked hard, squinting. The dim light from a single hanging bulb revealed… Bryan.

He was handcuffed to a chair, his ankles bound in duct tape, his mouth sealed, the gray strip pressed tight over his lips. His hair was matted, his shirt was dirty and torn, and his face was battered.

My breath stuttered out in a harsh gasp, fogging the sliver of glass again. Bryan? But he was still in the hospital…

Confusion swamped me, thick and dizzying. I pressed closer, needing to understand, but nothing seemed to make sense. Why would Bryan be here, and why would he be all tied up?

Butter squirmed nervously in my arms.

And then there was movement again.

Not Bryan, but someone else, stepping into view from the side of the shed I couldn’t see.

Pappa.

My stomach bottomed out.

He moved with such calm certainty it scared me worse than if he’d been raging. In his hand gleamed the flash of a knife, angled down, like he was about to drive it into Bryan’s back.

My vision tunneled as the world tilted, sounds warping and fading until all I could hear was my own pulse screaming in my ears.

“No…” The word rasped out before I could stop it, too soft to be heard.

The edges of everything went dark. I staggered back from the shed, knees buckling. Butter tumbled against my chest, but I curled around her, clutching tight, making sure she was safe and not crushed beneath me as I hit the ground.

My last thought before the darkness consumed me was one of relief. Relief that at least Butter was okay.

A loud creak sounded from the door of the shed flying open, heavy footfalls racing towards me.

“Colby?!” Pappa’s voice was sharp and panicked. “Colby! Baby, can you hear me? Faen, faen !”

And then nothing.