Midnight Shadows

Chapter 0.4

**Chapter 30 of King of Beasts
The sun was warm, the breeze was cool.  A cloud strolled on by above, an ant made the treacherous journey across the ground below.  Gabe stood back, blinking slowly.  He could see the roof of his house just ahead, forest to his back.  How had he gotten here?  He had been . . . well, he couldn't remember where he had been.

Red hair swayed in the breeze and caught the sunlight.  A breath caught in his throat as he stared upon the scene of swaying grass and the sound of feminine laughter.  His chest ached in the best of ways when green eyes turned and met his, when Charlotte paused her chase and gave him a wave.

And the little girl by her side stumbled suddenly, tripping over her little feet, and her and her own red hair went tumbling to the ground.

Charlotte turned and bent down, gently plucking the little girl to her feet and another round of laughter ensued as they dusted themselves off.

Rosie.  Her name was Rosie.

He stared at her, and his own eyes stared back at him as she waved enthusiastically.  She had Charlotte's hair, and had his eyes, and when she ran across the backyard to him, he crouched low to scoop her up in his arms.

"That was quite the fall." He laughed as she spun around in his hold, lifting a knee to show the small cut adorning it.

"Yea, I got a cut." she said, eyes wide with excitement.  "It's even bleeding dad!"

Charlotte strolled up to them, tucking her head into Rosie's neck and blowing until the girl was squealing and nearly tumbled out of his arms.  Gabe lowered her to the ground and she took off in the next second, hunting down the ground that dared to harm her.  

Charlotte watched her go and turned to Gabe with a roll of her eyes.  "I swear, she's going to jump off a roof one of these days to see if she can fly."

"She probably could." Gabe shrugged, watching Charlotte as she watched their daughter.  "She can do anything."

Charlotte laughed, Rosie  and her shared the same sound, and turned to glance up at him.  Her eyes sparkled, the sunlight kissed her cheeks.  He loved her, loved every bit of her, loved her in the sunlight, in the rain, in the dark.  He grinned down at her, and quite suddenly bent to scoop her into his arms and over his shoulder.

"Gabriel!" she shrieked, grabbing onto his back and shoulder for balance.  "What in the holy hell are you doing!"

He grabbed onto the back of her legs, securing her as he strolled across the lawn.  "There's storm clouds coming in, I don't want to be out here when it rains."

She spluttered, shrieked when it felt like she was going to fall -- like Gabe would ever let her fall.  "You know, Gabe, there's this funny thing called walking."

He let out a laugh, and stopped beside Rosie with his hand held out to hers as she crouched to the ground and plucked a piece of grass.  "Mom!  Mom I think it's doing that photo thing!  I think it's taking those pictures!"

She looked up, and blinked at Gabe and Charlotte.  "Daddy, what are you doing with mom?"

"We're going inside sweetheart, I think it's going to rain."

She blinked again then stood up, dusting her hands off on the side of her shirt.  "Oh." she lifted her arms up, blinking those bright blue eyes at him.  "I didn't want to walk back either."

Charlotte laughed on his shoulder, blood rushing to her head and Gabe's heart swelled as he picked his girl up and sat her right on his other shoulder.  Her small hands grasped at his head, pulling his hair painfully, and her heels hit his chest.  His neighbor, Sam, and his mate Sydney glanced up from their back porch, titled their head to the side, and offered a wave at the sight of their queen hauled over their kings shoulder.