Chapter 6: An Unbreakable Guardian
By mid-afternoon, Clara was able to sit up and swallow small spoonfuls of warm broth. Her color had returned, a faint rosy hue replacing the ghastly pallor of the casket.
Bruno refused to leave her side by even a foot. Whenever Evelyn approached to check Clara’s vital signs, the dog watched with unwavering scrutiny, relaxing only when Clara stroked his back.
“He knew before anyone else,” Clara whispered, her arm draped over Bruno’s broad shoulders. “When I was trapped inside that bad dream, I could hear him scratching. I heard him crying for me.”
Gabriel smiled gently, sitting on the edge of the cot. “He’s your guardian angel in a fur coat, Clara.”
“Are we going home, Daddy?”
Gabriel looked at her innocent eyes, unmarred by the dark realities of the world he governed. He reached out, tucking a loose strand of hair behind her ear.
“We’re going to build a new home,” Gabriel promised. “Somewhere near the ocean. Where there are no tall walls, no bodyguards, and where Bruno can run on the sand every morning.”
“Can we plant yellow flowers?” she asked. “Mom liked yellow flowers.”
“We’ll plant an entire field of them,” Gabriel said.
Suddenly, Bruno’s head snapped toward the heavy steel loading bay doors at the far end of the bakery. His ears pinned back, and a low, resonant rumble built in his chest.
May you like
Someone was outside.
---
