The Devil Walks Among Us; Book l - Completed 4/21/22

Sound of Madness Sneak Peek

*Sound of Madness is the title of Book ll in this series and will be coming out after Halloween Ends in October. A month away until I can work on the second book and I'm so excited!! I've been missing writing about Michael and Mia! Here is a little sneak peek into a part of the next book that I have decided to share with you guys! Thank you so much for the views, votes, and comments as I didn't expect this story to get as much attention! I love you all!*

Michael sat at the kitchen table, reading the local newspaper as Ella sat next to him, playing with the toy horses Mia had gotten her recently. "Daddy?" She asked. 

"Yes?" 

"I forgot to feed Peanut. Can I go feed him?" She asked, her eyes looking up at him. 

He chuckled softly at the horse's name as if it was something funny to him. Out of all names, she chooses that he thought. "It's almost seven, Ella. You were supposed to feed him when your mom was out earlier." He reminded. 

"I-I know, but I forgot," Ella frowned. "But I can do it myself now. Momma taught me exactly what to feed him at night!" She said with confidence. Michael had to admit, Ella was a spitting image of her mother, even with her personality. In a way, he was grateful that Ella didn't take any features from Michael as he didn't want her to be labeled as "The Devil's Child". Hell, he and Mia had heard enough of that while she was pregnant with Ella. "Can I, daddy? Please?" 

Michael looked out of the window, seeing that the sun had set, but there was plenty of enough daylight left as Autumn close. He desperately didn't want his little girl outside by herself, but he knew that Ella always got her way when it came to asking permission from her father as she was, in fact, his little girl. And he didn't hide it when it came to spoiling her. His gaze outside was distracted by her little hand tapping his. "Please, please? I'm a big girl!" She pleaded. 

Michael chuckled, "You're far from that, sweetheart. Are you sure you want to go and feed him right now?" 

"Yes. Peanut waits on me to come and feed him."

Michael looked back out the window to see the young horse patiently waiting at the gate, Harlow and Lilo standing nearby with a hind leg propped and a bottom lip drooped. "You're right. He is waiting on you." 

"Now you owe me ice cream!" 

"Woah, woah, I don't remember ice cream ever being mentioned!" He chuckled at the girl's bargaining. 

"But you just said it," Ella giggled, watching her father soften his features in front of her. If she only knew how much she meant to him. "Please?" 

"Your momma will kill me if you get lost." He joked, finding every reason to not let her go by herself. 

"She will be proud of me. Momma tells me that if I want to be a cowgirl, I have to learn to do things myself and not depend on a boy." 

She's got that right he chuckled to himself. I've got my hands full with this one when she gets older.

"Your momma is right, but your daddy doesn't want you to grow up just yet." 

Ella pouted, crossing her arms over her chest and looking at the table in front of her as a brief silence fell between her and her father. 

Hearing Michael huff, he finally spoke, "You going to go feed him or not?" 

"Really?" She smiled. 

"Yes, but don't you think I won't be watching you make sure you feed him right." He said, hiding the fact that he was severely overprotective of his little girl. 

"I know what he eats." 

"And don't open the gate, just put his food through the fence, okay? I don't want you in there by yourself with a young horse and two other ones." 

"Okay, daddy." 

"Here, it's chilly outside. Put on your coat. Your boots are at the door." He said, standing up to get her coat from the hanger. 

"Okay. Will you have my ice cream waiting on me when I get back?" 

He smirked, kneeling down to help her button her coat, "Maybe. You know you're not supposed to have sweets before you go to bed." 

"Yes, but you do it!" 

This child is always calling me out he huffed. 

"Well see, I'm old. I need sweets so I don't wake up in knots." He chuckled. 

"I know you're old, daddy, but you eat sweets all the time!" 

"You don't ever see me in knots, do you?" He raised a brow. 

Ella looked to the floor, "I guess not..." 

"That's what I thought," He chuckled. "Alright, go put on your boots and feed your horse. It shouldn't take you but a couple of minutes." 

"I'll be right back!" 

"Long enough for me to put your ice cre- I mean popcorn in a bowl?" He said, Ella giggling. 

"So I am getting ice cream?!" 

"Hmm, I don't recall saying anything about it." 

She laughed, "You just did, daddy!" 

"I will," He smiled, kissing the top of her head before she ran to the front door to slip on her rubber boots. "Better be right back so I can tell your mom how much you're growing up." 

She nodded, tucking her pajama pants into her boots before unlocking the front door, smiling at her father before exiting the house. 

If he only knew that this was the last time he was going to see her...