Daddies’ Little Assassin (Femme Fatale Freakshow)

11. The Histories

Chapter eleven

The Histories

T he sorrow in Karel's voice as he told the tale of his family's suffering was palpable, and I shifted closer, resting my head against his chest as he continued.

"My brother... he didn't do too well with being restricted by all the family rules. He got too close to shore one day, and the humans saw him. He never made it back. After that, things just became so much worse." Karel swallowed hard, his voice growing rougher. "My parents withdrew completely. I couldn't stand it. Instead of working to heal the family, they cut us off even more, and I felt suffocated."

I could sense the weight of that choice, and the loneliness that must have followed. I curled up against him, my hand resting above his heart, feeling the slow, steady beat.

"I left," Karel continued. "Snuck out one night, spent a week on land, trying to figure out if there was something more out there for me. In my human form, I was accepted and even welcomed by the paranormal community. I needed my family to know that, to see it and experience it for themselves, so I went home to convince them to come to land. But when I got to the reef where our clutch had made a home for itself... I found my family had left without a trace.

Tears stung my eyes at the pain in his voice. I pushed off his chest so I could look at his face. Without thinking, I pressed a kiss to his cheek, my lips brushing away the tears that had fallen. He smiled weakly before carrying on with his story.

"I looked for them for a long time," Karel murmured. "Years, actually. But I never found them."

Lang stirred slightly in his chair, and Karel glanced his way, his lips quirking with the beginnings of a faint smile. "But one day, during my search, I found something else."

I felt Karels' muscles tense slightly beneath me as he relived the memory.

"I came across an island, far from any human settlement. There was a dragon stranded on the beach, with a harpoon lodged in his wing. He was in pretty terrible shape, because of the harpoon. He couldn't shift, couldn't fly, could barely even move."

I looked between the two of them, my heart aching at the thought of Lang in pain like that, even if it was ages ago.

Lang gave a soft, almost casual chuckle. "I owe him my life, little bunny. The hunters who had attacked me left me for dead. If Karel hadn't found me, I wouldn't be here now."

Karel squeezed my hand tighter. "I helped him. Got that damn harpoon out, and nursed him back to health. It took time, but eventually, he recovered."

Lang grinned, though there was an edge of bitterness in it. "After I healed, Karel and I both realized we didn't have anywhere to go. The hunters had taken out my entire family, and even though I'd planned revenge, that wouldn't bring my loved ones back. So after he helped me take out the assholes that decimated my family line, we stuck together. Moved to a small coastal town so I could fly out over the ocean at night, and Karel could swim in the chilly waters."

I could almost feel the unspoken bond between them, the brotherhood that had been forged through survival and shared loss. It was as if they had become each other's family when everything else had been stripped away.

Karel's voice softened even more, almost amused now. "It was a quiet life until we met Henry."

Henry gave a low chuckle. "Don't blame all the shit you two get up to on me. I'm quiet. Reclusive. Stay in my lane."

Lang smirked. "You were a nightmare. You caused so many bar fights with your gruff ways that Karel and I had no choice but to stand up for you and fight your battles for you."

Henry shrugged. "I wasn't looking for friends. Only peace. But because of my nature, everyone gravitates towards me, even when I really don't want them to. It wasn't my fault."

Karel grinned, the warmth back in his eyes. "Oh, we remember, big guy. It even took you almost a year to warm up to us. Not that Lang and I gave you any choice in the matter. It was as if the universe told us we were bound together."

I could see it now—the three of them, each with their own scars, their own pain, coming together. It made sense, in a way. They had built something out of nothing, had created a family long before I came into the picture. But now, with me there, maybe their family could be complete.

Karel's gaze softened as he voiced my thought out loud. "And now we have you. And with you, we have a new family, a new future."

I leaned into his touch, my heart swelling with mention. "I'm so glad you found each other... and me."

Karel's thumb brushed over my cheek. “So am I Little fluff. So am I."

I couldn't stop myself. I kissed him then, softly, tenderly, pouring all the affection I had into that single moment. He kissed me back, his lips warm and full of unspoken pleasure.

As the room settled into silence, I found myself marveling at the connection the three of them shared.

"What about you, Daddy?" I asked, aiming my question at Henry. At the nickname, I felt Karel tense under me and heard the soft intake of breath that came from Lang's direction.

Did they want me to call them Daddy too?

Before I could delve too deep into the thought, Henry spoke up.

"Me? I was just an outright shit because I'd fallen. Fallen to save a woman from a beast, only to find out she had been the one to tempt him in the first place. I felt cheated out of my life. It took these two idiots to show me that before I fell, I didn't have much of a life, anyway."

He smiled at me, his affection for his brothers-in-arms clear in his expression as well as tone.

"So, what do you guys do now? I mean, you know what I do..." I asked, wiggling even deeper into Karel's embrace.

"A little bit of this and that," Lang responded. "I'm kind of like a gun for hire. Protection, rescues, contracts, that kind of thing." He shrugs as if it's no huge deal, but I can see he's carefully watching my expression for a reaction. I don't know what he was expecting, as I took lives for a living.

"Henry likes to dabble in anything technology related. You wouldn't think it with those sausages for fingers, but he's a master hacker and has made us all fortunes on the stock markets. Or when he gets really bored, he'll join me on one of my jobs." Lang continues to share, looking between his two friends.

"And you?" I ask, tipping up my head so I could look at Karel.

"Me?" he asked me, his face brightening with a naughty smile. "Well, I own a string of sex clubs. The one we found you in, being one of them. A couple of years ago, we realised we wanted to settle down. And to do that we needed to find our Little girl. So I decided the best way to do that would be to open up a club."

I giggled at his response before pushing up so my lips could brush his in a soft kiss. "Well it seems to have worked for you. But your quest for a Little girl better be over now," I warned with a sudden onset of possessiveness.

"Oh Little Fluff. Without a doubt. Besides, I have a feeling that with you, our hands will be full enough."