Page 138 of Ruled By Wizard

The door opened again, and a nine-year-old boy came outside. Spotting the girl in her father’s arms, he hurried over and tugged on her leg. “Why are you crying?”

“I want to catch a bunny to play with, but Bishop doesn’t want to. He wants to eat them.”

“I’ll help you catch one,” Hudson offered.

Bishop scowled at him. Poking halfheartedly at the dirt with the spoon, he watched Hudson and the girl chase the rabbits as they scurried out of reach.

He felt his father and uncle standing behind him.

When Hudson took the girl’s hand, Bishop clenched his fists and started running toward them.

“Whoa, tiger. Where are you going?” His father caught the back of his shirt and lifted him off the ground. “What’s the hurry, son? Planning to have rabbit for dinner?” Swinging Bishop around to face him, his father held him level with his bald head.

“I didn’t say I was going to eat the rabbits. I told her Greer was.”

Uncle Wizard made a choking sound. “Can you understand why that might upset a little girl?” his father asked. “If you want a girl to like you, don’t mention killing cute, fuzzy animals.”

Bishop’s father gave Wizard a dirty look. “You shouldn’t want to kill any animals, cute or not.”

“I don’t …” Out of the corner of his eye, Bishop saw Hudson pick a flower and give it to the little girl.

“You sure?” his father pressed. “You look like you really want to hurt someone.”

Bishop unclenched his fists and stopped kicking his legs. His shoulders slumped. He could never lie to his father.

“I wasn’t going to hit him. I was just going to push him down.”

“I don’t think Uncle Rider would like it if you hurt him.”

“I wasn’t going to hurt him—”

“You were just going to push him. Yeah, you said that. You might not mean to hurt him, but what if there was a sharp stick or something else dangerous on the ground? Sometimes, people don’t mean to hurt someone, but if you do something you wouldn’t want done to you, you’re still responsible for the consequences.”

“Yes, sir. I won’t push him because I wouldn’t want him to push me.”

“Why did you want to push Hudson?”

Bishop looked toward the girl who was merrily chasing one of the rabbits. “Because Hudson held Daisy’s hand and gave her a flower.”

“Ah …” His father nodded in understanding. “I thought you didn’t like Daisy.”

Bishop went limp in his father’s grasp, staring at the rosy-cheeked little girl picking flowers in the field. “I love her.” He puffed out his chest, trying to look as tough as his father. “I’m going to marry her one day.”

“I think you’re too young to worry about getting married. You should be worrying about the homework assignment your mother told me you haven’t finished.”

“Dad!”

“Homework, now, Bishop,” his father ordered. “And tell Brink to take out the trash.”

“Yes, sir.”

Casting one last lingering look at Daisy, Bishop stomped away.

Wizard watched as the little boy went inside. He had so much of Knox’s attitude. Tall for his age, he was head and shoulders above other children his age. Combined with Diamond’s beauty, Bishop was going to be hell on wheels when he was older. Inwardly laughing, he didn’t envy Knox and Diamond; they were going to have their hands full with him. Brink was a well-behaved honor student, never made trouble, helpful, loving… basically luring his parents into having another child as perfect. What they got was the exact opposite—a little boy who discussed eating bunnies with a six-year-old girl.

Seeing Knox glaring at him, Wizard cleared his throat to keep from laughing.

“He didn’t mean it.”