Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 99949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 99949 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 500(@200wpm)___ 400(@250wpm)___ 333(@300wpm)
“Lincoln—!” I screamed in protest.
“Just watch, sweetheart,” Lincoln said right before the kid reached the wolf. I closed my eyes to shield myself from the horror of watching the child get mauled.
“Loki, you gotta wait for us,” I heard the kid say. There was no screaming or growling. I opened my eyes to see the boy put his arms around the animal’s neck. “Snot isn’t as fast as you or me yet,” the child admonished.
I couldn’t wrap my head around what was happening. The kid was wearing a helmet of some kind. The design looked familiar for some reason, but I couldn’t figure out why. It wasn’t until I saw the kid’s shirt that I realized the helmet and the entire outfit he was wearing were related to a cartoon featuring a racecar. He also had a blue cape flowing down his back.
I was about to turn to face Lincoln so he could explain to me what the hell I was looking at—or at least tell me that I’d lost my mind—but then a small cat came trotting up behind the little boy. Although trotting wasn’t the right word. It was hobbling. It looked like one of the cat’s back legs was deformed in some way. When the cat reached the wolf and the boy, it began to weave between both the kid’s legs as well as the wolf’s.
“Lincoln?” I said quietly.
“Yeah?”
At that point he had relinquished his hold on me, but I didn’t move. “Do you see a wolf, a kid dressed like a car, and a cat that’s apparently named Snot?” I asked.
Lincoln laughed and then I felt him press a kiss to a particularly sensitive spot behind my ear before saying, “Yes, sweetheart, I do.”
“Uncle Lincoln, did ya see how fast Snot can run now?” the little boy asked as he ran to us. Unfortunately, the wolf followed him so by the time Lincoln answered the kid, the animal was just inches from me.
“Yeah, Newt, I did! He’s getting faster every day. And I think you’re getting bigger every time I see you. How is that possible?” Lincoln asked as he crouched so he was eye level with the kid… and the wolf.
Jesus Christ, what alternate reality was I in?
“Daddy Maddox says I’m gonna be as tall as him any day now,” the little boy announced as he puffed out his chest.
“I think your Daddy Maddox is right. Where is he, by the way?”
The little boy rolled his eyes and motioned over his shoulder toward the parking lot. “He and Isaac are kissin’ again.”
Lincoln chuckled. “Newt, I’d like you to meet a friend of mine. This is Theo. He’s visiting your Uncle Ford and Uncle Cam for a while.”
Lincoln’s announcement that I was his friend stung even though it shouldn’t have. But it was worse to hear him say I was there to visit Cam and Ford. It sounded wrong even though it was true.
“It’s nice to meet you, Newt,” I said as I held out my hand.
Newt took my hand. “Can I call you Uncle Theo?” he asked. “I’ve got lots of uncles but not enough yet.”
I couldn’t help but smile. “Um, yeah, sure.”
“Spit on it,” Newt said as he released my hand and then spit into his palm. I wanted to laugh but he looked so serious that I didn’t do anything except spit into my hand and slap it gently against the little boy’s dripping wet one.
“You’re a good spitter, Newt,” I said when I released his hand.
“I’ve got lots of practice,” he responded with a casual shrug.
“Can I ask you something, Newt?”
“Sure, Uncle Theo.”
A strange cramp filled my chest at the title.
“Is your wolf going to eat me?”
“Oh no, Loki only eats people he doesn’t like,” Newt responded as he gave the wolf a pat on the head. “He would have bit you already if you were a bad guy. He’s like Uncle Cam but he’s got four legs so he can get to the bad guys faster.”
I smiled at the child’s reasoning and then tentatively reached out to pet the wolf. The huge animal remained perfectly still as I ran my hand over his silky fur, and he even went so far as to lick my fingers when I drew my hand back. Then he was moving forward and pressing his head against my hand.
“That means he really likes you,” Newt explained as he reached down to pick up the cat. “Loki’s gonna be your protector now too whenever he sees you.”
“Newt?” I heard someone call.
“Over here!” Newt shouted. “Loki and me and Snot are talkin’ to Uncle Lincoln and Uncle Theo!” He paused and yelled, “Are you and Daddy Maddox done kissin’?”
A moment later, two men appeared. They couldn’t have looked any different from one another even if they’d tried. One guy was built like a tank, wearing a simple navy-blue T-shirt and jeans, while the other was half his size and dressed in a glittery purple tank top and teal leggings with high-heeled boots that stopped just below his knees. His dark hair had streaks of blue in it, and he appeared to be wearing makeup.