#Chapter 122 - Contingencies

Bastien “Daddy do you have ta go?” My pup’s tiny voice cuts me right to the core. Has there ever been a worse feeling than this? Than leaving my family and not knowing if I’ll ever see them again? Than knowing that if I can’t fix things with Blaise, their lives might be forfeit, and I won’t be around to protect them? “I wouldn’t be going unless I absolutely had to, Lila bean.” I explain earnestly, cupping her tiny cheek in my hand. “When you come back?” Lila questions mournfully, reaching towards me with both arms open. “As soon as I can.” I promise, pulling her out of Selene’s arm and into my own. “Next week?” She asks, her adorable face so hopeful I want to cancel my mission just to make her happy. I can’t believe how deeply I love this little being after so short a time. I’m touched at how attached we’ve become despite our brief acquaintance, and yet part of me wishes we had not formed this bond. Leaving would be so much easier. “No little one, probably