Page 96 of Vetted for Vengeance
“I didn’t choose,” I whisper. “I just… moved.”
My fingers tighten slightly in Honey’s fur; his thumb doesn't stop moving for a second.
“What if it had been you?”
It's been the only thought spinning through my mind for the past few hours.
Rhys doesn’t answer straight away. He looks like this hasn't crossed his mind until I just mentioned it, but I know he's been thinking about it as much as me.
“You didn’t hit me.”
That’s all he says.
And somehow, that’s worse. I need him to explain that he forgives me. That he's fine. That I saved him, just like he saved me.
I swallow hard, the tightness in my throat protesting.
“You said you would have killed him.” I move on to the next thing pressing on my mind. He would have covered all this up for me. Without a moment's doubt, he was willing to do that for me.
“Yes.”
No hesitation.
No softening.
Just the truth.
Something twists in my chest. Not fear exactly. Something heavier.
Something that settles deeper the more I think about it.
Honey shifts beside me, letting out a soft huff as she settles again. She's choosing me over her pups. Just like Rhys chose me over his practice.
I'm going to be responsible for all of them.
The puppies.
The staff.
This place.
Him.
Rhys stands suddenly, the movement sharp enough to pull my attention back to him.
“I’ll get you water.”
He says it too quickly, too controlled. He needs space from me, from the chaos of thirteen pups.
I try to keep my eyes open while he's gone. I swear I only blink, but when I open them, he's sitting on the armchair and I'm covered with the quilt that wasn't across me before.
He's sitting back with an amber liquid in a glass and his laptop open on his knees. Worse still, my treacherous dog has abandoned me for him before she's even officially mine. But she looks good lying at his feet. Like a proper dog should.
“She's going to abandon her puppies,” I observe, wincing at my raw throat.
“Sip the water.” Rhys gives practical advice while sitting across the room, working. I reach for the glass he put on the side.
“I'll be fine if you want to go to bed.” Clearly my body needs sleep more than my mind needs to spiral. I feel bad making sit here with me.
